So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. – Genesis 13:1

Today's Scripture Reading (September 24, 2024): Genesis 13

The poem was first published in 1916. However, the poem's roots probably date back to the time the author spent in England with his author friend Edward Thomas from 1912 until 1915. After the poem was published and following the author's return home to New Hampshire, we know that a copy of it was sent to Thomas. It is believed that the poem played a significant role in Edward Thomas's decision to enlist in World War I. Edward Thomas died on April 9, 1917. He was shot through the chest on the very first day of the Battle of Arras on the Western Front of the war.

The author of the poem that sent his friend to the war was Robert Frost. And the poem was "The Road Not Taken." We know the opening words of the poem well.

            Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel to both.

The poem describes the feelings of a traveler walking in a wood when he comes to a fork in the road. And the traveler has to decide as to which way to go. One is well-traveled, the other not, although there is little evidence that either trail had been taken recently. The traveler wishes that he could go both ways, but being one traveler with a limited amount of time, he knows that this is not practical. He has to make a choice. And after considering which way to go, he turns around and goes home.

No! We know the opening words of the poem, but we probably know the closing words even better:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

The poem is about a choice. I know that some think that choice doesn't exist and that what we think of as a choice is nothing but a mirage. For these people, this world is based on fate or strictly on the decisions of God. But I am not one of them. The New International Version of the Bible uses the word "choose" 83 times. The word "choose" is used for simple things like which animals might be sacrificed, and it is used for something as crucial as which God we will serve.

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).

Genesis 13 begins with Abram choosing to leave Egypt for the Negev. He is starting his journey back to Canaan. Abram decides to return and continues to make a series of choices in this chapter that will significantly shape the rest of his life.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 14