Read first: Psalm 102:25-28 // Genesis 12:1-9
A sojourn is simply a temporary stay—making a sojourner a person who stays in a place for a short while. This word “sojourn” is used many times in the Bible—always describing brave journeys of the fearless and the faithful.
In Genesis 12:1-9, Abraham leaves the only home he has ever known to follow God’s call to Canaan.
In Exodus 14, Moses led 600,000 people out of captivity in Egypt, fulfilling God’s promise of freedom in the Promised Land.
In Ruth 1, Ruth traveled with her mother-in-law Naomi from her home in Moab, to the foreign land of Bethlehem.
In 1 Kings 19, Elijah flees Jezebel and journeys to Mt. Horeb where he hears the still small voice of the Lord.
In Luke 2, Joseph and Mary make their way back to Bethlehem to report for a mandatory census, putting them in God’s intended place for Jesus’ birth, fulfilling the prophecy from Micah 5:1-2.
In the New Testament, Paul traveled from city to city, staying only for a short while. He stayed just long enough to share the good news of the gospel, and prepare the early church to make disciples of all nations.
As we study these stories and many more, our perception of our time on Earth will be challenged. We look to Jesus in all things, but what would it look like to truly fix our eyes on things above? We try to store up our treasures in heaven, but do we trust that God will fulfill His promise to us when we get there? We dig roots into the Earth because we long to abide in Christ, but forget that Christ doesn’t reside here.
Jesus Himself lived and walked on our Earth for 33 years- just a flash when compared to eternity. This world was a temporary home for Jesus, and the same is true for all children of God. As much of God’s glory we see on Earth, evidence of brokenness and symptoms of sin still catch our eye. If you stay in one place long enough, that brokenness becomes increasingly clear—breaking our hearts, and proving to us that this world can’t be the end—there is a home for us far greater than any we’ve experienced.
Over the next 14 days, we will study the sojourns of old. We will bring to the surface the great paradox we live in: we are (not) home. We have found our home in Christ, but as long as our flesh is on this Earth, until we are reunited with our Creator in heaven, we are not home.
We are sojourners in a foreign land.
We are sojourners headed upward.
We are sojourners bringing as many with us as we can.
This is a study for the sojourner.
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