Theology 101 — God’s Pilgrims

For several weeks Theology 101 has given attention to a variety of biblical analogies through which Scripture speaks of God’s people. This week we add another to the list of ways we may think of believers and our relationship with God.

The idea of God’s people as pilgrims is as old as the reign of King David. In his farewell address to the people of his kingdom, David declared to God: “We are aliens and pilgrims before You, as were all our fathers” (1 Chron. 29:15). This same image of God’s people as pilgrims is repeated in the faith chapter of Hebrews in which the ancient people of God are described as having “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13).

Abraham’s faithful following of God in obedience to the divine call upon his life is described in Genesis 12:8 in these summary words: “He pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.”

Tents and altars

We get the impact of Abraham’s example in the descriptive actions of pitching his tent and building an altar. Pitching a tent suggests something transitory that will have to be repeated. Conversely, building an altar suggests something permanent or lasting that can be returned to again and again.

This simple summary of that period in Abraham’s life suggests a pilgrimage of faith in which he pitched his tent and built God’s altar. Using these twin actions as descriptors of a life of faith, we might confuse them and choose to build our tents and pitch our altars. God’s faithful pilgrims avoid this confusion by building our altars and pitching our tents. We do not have a permanent abode on this earth.

A gospel song captures the imagery of pilgrims pitching tents: “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through” as we live toward our eternal abiding place. In 1 Peter 2:11 we read of the Apostle Peter’s desire for God’s people of faith: “Brethren, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.”