Then Abram went up from Egypt... And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord. (Gen 13,1-4)

Abram was returning quite possibly the same way he came there. Seen from the outside, he was moving back and forth in a straight line, but he became more and more aware that, from the point of view of his life journey, he was in fact moving just in a circle. He descended into Egypt without God's instruction. The impetus for this was fear that seemed justified to him (and in the end, everyone around, who could, simply went). But his life's journey, which had been previously rising up, came to a standstill. Unlike before, God did not visit him in Egypt, Abram did not know him any more, he did not receive a new revelation - the greatest experience remained the salvation from the desolate situation, in which he found himself, guilt which embarrassed him, so he could not feel true joy. He was not getting any closer to God's goal for his life there, he did not follow the direction of His call. He did not worship God in Egypt as in Canaan and did not build altars for him. The main thing that counted was the preservation of earthly life. It looked only logical, but now it seemed to him that it was desperately little.

His wandering in circle is also evidenced by the account of his return: "he proceeded ... to the place between Bethel and Ai, where his tent was first, to the place where he had previously built the altar; there Abram called on the name of the Lord." His steps now lead back to the old places. He's doing what he used to do.

Abram was expelled from Egypt, so he did not leave at the time of his choice. The famine in Canaan had not yet passed. As always, acting on one's own does not solve the problem. So Abram finds himself in the same situation again and has to face it again - but he already knows that it must be done in a different way. Maybe that's why his first interest now is to worship God. It was as if he had put this above all things, as if in these moments a new belief was being born in his heart that his God would help him to overcome every difficulty. That is why he rises above the problems, he wants to look up and see God again.

Like anyone who is aware of his failure, Abram is now trying to tie the thread where it was broken. He took a new breath of fresh air and wondered how he could be blind to the fact that, despite all the prosperity in Egypt, he was there just suffocating.