That settles it. The preacher said it could be said even shorter. Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. Joshua gives us helpful insight into the character of Terah in his farewell speech at the end of his life: And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods (Joshua 24:2). The writer to the Hebrews pointed to Abraham as an illustration of a man who walked by faith, devoting more space to him than any other individual in chapter eleven (Hebrews 11:8-19). ), which were repeated throughout the whole of the Old Testament, and even occurred, though only in vision, in the case of the prophet Zechariah. Abrams life is a growth in faith developed under delayed fulfillment of divine promises. Terah set out on his journey, no doubt, as soon after the call of Abram as the preparatory arrangements could be made. Why did Terah want to leave Ur? He said in his comments on Genesis 12:7. They followed the Euphrates River, with their herds, to the Paddan Aram region. Terah died in Haran (Genesis 11:32), so Abraham was free to follow that call. Who the messenger or angel of Jehovah was, must be determined in each particular instance from the connection of the passage; and where the context furnishes no criterion, it must remain undecided. Do you realize that it was probably years from the time Abram was called in Ur until he ended up in Canaan. Three major promises are contained in verses 2 and 3: a land; a seed; and a blessing. It was both a very early and a very late outpost of Chaldean power. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his They sought blessing in the product of their own labors, rather than in the promise of God. In Genesis 11, we read that Terah came from Ur of the Chaldeans. Rather than thinking of a new land and a new life, most of us would have been thinking in terms of a rocking chair and a rest home. 2. Specifically, Stephen's comment, in reply to the high priest (Acts 7:1), is based on Jewish oral tradition, and was recognized by the Jewish High Counsel (called the "Sanhedren"). The beginning of Genesis 12:1 indicate that the call had already been given and the response was only now being recorded. (n) Nat. The Redeemer was to come from the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), then from the descendants of Seth, then Noah, and now Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3). While what was to be left behind was crystal clear, what lay ahead was distressingly devoid of detail: to the land which I will show you.. Starting in Genesis 11:27, we have the account of Terah's (Abraham's father) family line. The land, as we have already said, is implied in verse 1. For some reason, Terah and his family stopped short of Canaan, and remained in Haran. And that brings us to the second reason. In the year 1921 B.C. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 176. by Ray. Abe replied something like, "I saw that remaining idol in the corner smash all the others. However I hope you don't mind me editing your answer and making it looking as we'd like to have answers on this site. and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; that is, as Jarchi interprets it, Terah and Abram went forth with Lot and Sarai, or "with them" may mean with Nahor and Milcah: for Josephus (h) says, that all went into Charan of Mesopotamia, the whole family of Terah; and the Arabic historian (i) is express for it,"Terah went out from Chorasan, and with him Abram, Nahor, Lot, his children, and their wives, and he went to Charan, where he dwelt:''and it is certain, if Nahor and his wife did not set out with them, they followed them afterwards, for Haran was the city of Nahor, where his family in later times dwelt, see Genesis 14:10 what moved Terah to depart from Ur of the Chaldees seems to be the call of God to Abram, which, though after related, was previous to this; and he acquainting his father Terah with it, he listened to it, being now convinced of his idolatry and converted from it, and readily obeyed the divine will; and being the father of Abram, is represented as the head of the family, as he was, and their leader in this transaction; who encouraged their departure from the idolatrous country in which they were, and set out with them to seek another, where they might more freely and safely worship the true God. Prayerful conversation with the true and living God, also, while it was fast waning in the land of the Kasdim, seems to have been still maintained in its ancient purity in some parts of the land of Kenaan and the adjacent countries. Thank God our spiritual lives are ultimately dependent upon His faithfulness and not ours. They lived in a city called Ur . God called him to leave that city and to exchange his townhouse for a tent. Abrams early history is partly that of his gradual disentanglement from country, kindred and fathers house, a process not completed until the end of chapter 13. Derek Kidner, Genesis (Chicago: InterVarsity Press, 1967), p. 113. 3: Genesis 12:1 is the Bible's record of the second time that God tells Abe to leave his father's household. Do not expect that God will indicate each turn in the road with a clearly marked sign. "They came to Haran and dwelt there." It may be supposed at at that time God had then called Abe, and Abe's response to God's call was the dramatic ploy that Jewish oral tradition says that Abe did: Abe was determined to do anything necessary to try to convince his father, Terah, to take Shem's witness to heart. It was not until chapter 15 that a full description of the land was given: On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: (Genesis 15:18). Stephen calls it Charran it is by Herodian (l) called by Ptolemy (m) Carrae, by Pliny (n) Carra, a city famous in Lucan (o) for the slaughter of Crassus, by whom it is called an Assyrian city. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. 139 . It follows that he was born when Terah was one hundred and thirty years old, and consequently sixty years after Haran. Consequently such passages as Psalm 34:7; Psalm 35:5-6, etc., where the angel of Jehovah is not more particularly described, or Numbers 20:16, where the general term angel is intentionally employed, or Acts 7:30; Galatians 3:19, and Hebrews 2:2, where the words are general and indefinite, furnish no evidence that the Angel of Jehovah, who proclaimed Himself in His appearances as one with God, was not in reality equal with God, unless we are to adopt as the rule for interpreting Scripture the inverted principle, that clear and definite statements are to be explained by those that are indefinite and obscure. I believe it. But whilst, regarded in this light, the continuity of the divine revelation was guaranteed, as well as the plan of human development established in the creation itself, the call of Abram introduced so far the commencement of a new period, that to carry out the designs of God their very foundations required to be renewed. But why did they intend to go into the land of Canaan? As Abram subsequently continued this migration in simple dependance upon Gods guidance (Genesis 12:1), it was probably the Divine rather than the human purpose that is here expressed. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. Moses account of his initial steps of faith makes it evident that much was to be desired, and to be developed in him. (m) Geograph. Abraham received only one call (Genesis 12:1). Haran.The Charran of Acts 7:4, that is, Carrhae in North-west Mesopotamia, about twenty geographical miles south-east of Edessa. Is this inconsistent with the words of the writer to the Hebrews? God called him in Ur, but Abram did not leave his fathers house or his relatives. Nearly one-fourth of the book of Genesis is devoted to this mans life. (Note: In the old Jewish synagogue the Angel of Jehovah was regarded as the Shechinah, the indwelling of God in the world, i.e., the only Mediator between God and the world, who bears in the Jewish theology the name Metatron. Why did Terah died in Haran? Once, Terah needed to leave his store, and he appointed Abraham to sell the idols in his stead. Once in the land of Canaan, the route taken by Abram is noteworthy. He came in the same form to Gideon, and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah with a staff in His hand (Judges 6:11 and Judges 6:21); also to Manoah's wife, for she took Him to be a man of God, i.e., a prophet, whose appearance was like that of the Angel of Jehovah (Judges 13:6); and lastly, to Manoah himself, who did not recognise Him at first, but discovered afterwards, from the miracle which He wrought before his eyes, and from His miraculous ascent in the flame of the altar, that He was the Angel of Jehovah (Judges 13:9-20). (k) Ibid. Moses tells us that Abram was 75 when he entered the land of Canaan. 131 The city of Ur on the lower Euphrates River was a large population center, and has yielded extensive information in the royal tombs which were excavated under the direction of Sir Leonard Wooley and the sponsorship of the British Museum and the museum of Pennsylvania University. In the first place, the Angel of God identifies Himself with Jehovah and Elohim, by attributing to Himself divine attributes and performing divine works: e.g., Genesis 22:12, "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me" (i.e., hast been willing to offer him up as a burnt sacrifice to God); again (to Hagar) Genesis 16:10, "I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude;" Genesis 21, "I will make him a great nation,"-the very words used by Elohim in Genesis 17:20 with reference to Ishmael, and by Jehovah in Genesis 13:16; Genesis 15:4-5, with regard to Isaac; also Exodus 3:6., "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, and I am come down to deliver them" (cf. Much of Abrams first moves were neither purposeful nor pious, but rather were a more passive response to external forces. - Thus, walking in faith, the patriarchs were types of faith for all the families that should spring from them, and be blessed through them, and ancestors of a nation which God had resolved to form according to the election of His grace. This would be a slow, arduous and dangerous journey. Vos, Genesis and Archaeology, pp. This whole calculation exactly agrees with the incidental statement of Paul to the Galatians Gal 3:17 that the law was four hundred and thirty years after the covenant of promise. (2) Abrams spiritual life continued through the sovereign work of God. 5.) For the greater part of the temple furniture summed up in this passage, of which it is stated that Solomon made them of gold, was composed of pure gold; and if some of the things were merely covered with gold, the writer might easily apply the same expression to this, because he had already given a more minute account of their construction (e.g., Genesis 3:7). I would have assumed that Terah was a God-fearing man, who brought up his son, Abram, to believe in only one God, unlike the people of his day, but this was not so. God said it. Abrahams blessing was largely to be seen in his descendants. So Terah was finally convinced to believe that Shem's advice was right. And lastly, it appeared still more manifestly in the twin sons born by Rebekah to Isaac, of whom the first-born, Esau, was rejected, and the younger, Jacob, chosen to be the heir of the promise; and this choice, which was announced before their birth, was maintained in spite of Isaac's plans, or that Jacob, and not Esau, received the blessing of the promise. The command of God to Abram was in conjunction with an appearance of God.134 While Moses mentioned only an appearance of God after Abram was in the land (12:7), Stephen informs us that God appeared to Abram while in Ur (Acts 7:2). Aben Ezra suggests, that the agreeableness of the place to Terah caused him to continue there; but it is very probable he was seized with a disease which obliged them to stay here, and of which he died. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran ( Genesis 11:26-32 ESV ). At Babel men chose to disregard the command of God to disperse and populate the earth. As a perfectly new beginning, therefore, the patriarchal history assumed the form of a family history, in which the grace of God prepared the ground for the coming Israel. This was God's first direct test of Abe, and Abe passed with flying colors. He had twelve chief gods, one for each month of the year, and other idols. The early Church regarded Him as the Logos, the second person of the Deity; and only a few of the fathers, such as Augustine and Jerome, thought of a created angel (vid., Hengstenberg, Christol. (Antiqu. (6) The Christian walk is a process of growth in grace. God is not nearly so concerned with geography as He is with godliness. How did Dominion legally obtain text messages from Fox News hosts? This explanation of the order of events is confirmed by the statement of Stephen: "The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran. At Shechem, God promised to give this land to Abram (12:7). And later in the story Rachel, Terah's great-great-granddaughter, does seem keen to hold on to the Teraphim (household idols) as if they were a family heirloom (Gen 31:19). From Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. ), or of "Elohim," and the "angel of Elohim" (Genesis 21:17; Genesis 31:11, etc. All of this should remind us of the objections and obstacles which must have been in the mind of Abram when the call of God came. For neither in the New Testament nor in the Alex. We will examine these, first of all, for the purpose of obtaining a clear conception of the form in which the Angel of Jehovah appeared. The incongruity of God's covenant with Abram in Gen 12:1? Gordons view is discussed, but rejected by Howard F. Vos, Genesis and Archaeology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1963), pp. I see Terah took Abram, Lot & Sarai to go to Canaan, & died on route in Haran, seemingly before God spoke to Abram to leave his country. Beside this, we frequently read of appearances of the "angel of Jehovah" (Genesis 16:7; Genesis 22:11, etc. But when He had established a covenant with him after the flood, and thereby had assured the continuance of the earth and of the human race, the direct manifestations ceased, for God withdrew His visible presence from the world; so that it was from heaven that the judgment fell upon the tower of Babel, and even the call to Abram in his home in Haran was issued through His word, that is to say, no doubt, through an inward monition. When Sarah died, he had to buy a portion of the land for a burial site (23:3ff.). Of this long period his seed was to be a stranger in a land that was not theirs for four hundred years Genesis 15:13. Even if we render this passage, with Delitzsch, "making His messengers of winds, His servants of flaming fire," the allusion, as Delitzsch himself observes, is not to the creation of angels; nor can the meaning be, that God gives wind and fire to His angels as the material of their appearance, and as it were of their self-incorporation. 133 Although it may appear from a superficial reading of the account in Genesis (11:31-12:1) that God called Abraham while in Haran, thereby contradicting Stephens account that God called Abraham in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, the two accounts can be harmonized by noting that Genesis 11:27-32 is a parenthetical account of Terah introduced by a waw disjunctive, and that Genesis 12:1, introduced by a waw consecutive, carries on the main narrative which was discontinued in Gen. 11:26. Bruce Waltke, Unpublished Class Notes, Dallas Theological Seminary, pp. This intimates that he would have proceeded with the others to the land of Kenaan if his life had been prolonged, and likewise that they did not leave Haran until his death. The inhabitants also of Ur had fallen into polytheism, or, if we may so speak, allotheism, the worship of other gods. Such was true in Abrams 1ife.139 Such is the case with every believer. Wiki User 2012-12-08. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. Now Abram was one hundred years old when Isaac was born, and consequently the call was given when he was seventy years of age - about five years before he entered the land of Kenaan Genesis 12:4. Why didn't Abraham tell Isaac the truth in Genesis 22? Furthermore even though the call was to Abraham, God had stirred the heart of Terah to begin the journey to the very place he promised to Abraham so that when Terah died Abraham continued in God's divine will. (Tomkins Studies on Times of Abraham, 55ff.). "Abraham was a man of faith that works; Isaac, of faith that endures; Jacob, of faith that wrestles" (Baumgarten). The appearances of the angel of Jehovah (or Elohim) cannot have been essentially different from those of Jehovah (or Elohim) Himself; for Jacob describes the appearances of Jehovah at Bethel (Genesis 28:13.) The force of these facts has been met by the assertion, that the ambassador perfectly represents the person of the sender; and evidence of this is adduced not only from Grecian literature, but from the Old Testament also, where the addresses of the prophets often glide imperceptibly into the words of Jehovah, whose instrument they are. Five years? The revelations consisted almost exclusively of promises; and so far as these promises were fulfilled in the lives of the patriarchs, the fulfilments themselves were predictions and pledges of the ultimate and complete fulfilment, reserved for a distant, or for the most remote futurity. as an appearance of "the angel of Elohim," and of "the God of Bethel" (Genesis 31:11, Genesis 31:13); and in his blessing on the sons of Joseph (Genesis 48:15-16), "The God (Elohim) before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God (Elohim) which fed me all my life long unto this day, the angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads," he places the angel of God on a perfect equality with God, not only regarding Him as the Being to whom he has been indebted for protection all his life long, but entreating from Him a blessing upon his descendants. As we turn our attention to Genesis chapter 12 let us do so with an eye to Abraham as an example of the walk of faith. Genesis 12:1 is the only call by God to Abraham noted in scripture. A priest implies a considerable body of true worshippers scattered over the country. Stephen clarifies the time that Abram was first called of God. Pharaoh, for example, was blessed by exalting Joseph. No wonder God commanded Abram to leave his fathers house (Genesis 12:1)! But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there. Hence, they all abode in Haran for the remainder of the five years from the date of Abram's call to leave his native land. That's why they, including Abe and his wife, settled in Haran: they settled there in order to allow their father to live out the rest of his very old life in peace and ease. The family were in the city of Haran for five years. Map of Ancient Mesoptomia (Courtesy israel-a-history-of.com). l. 4. sect. While the exact meaning of the expression, called upon the name of the Lord may not be known, worship is surely described. When Terah died, Abraham was free to set out from Haran on his way to Canaan. Why do scholars think Abraham came from Ur in Mesopotamia? In Galatians chapter 3 Paul wrote that Christians are the sons of Abraham by faith, and therefore, rightful heirs to the blessings promised him (Galatians 3:7,9). 130 Cf. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Charran; and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell" Acts 7:2-4. they came unto Harantwo days' journey south-southeast from Ur, on the direct road to the ford of the Euphrates at Rakka, the nearest and most convenient route to Palestine. All he had to rely upon was God, Who had revealed Himself to him. The Hebrew word for "served" can also mean to "work," hence the tradition that Terah was a craftsman who made idols. For the election of God was not restricted to the separation of Abram from the family of Shem, to be the father of the nation which was destined to be the vehicle of salvation; it was also manifest in the exclusion of Ishmael, whom Abram had begotten by the will of man, through Hagar the handmaid of his wife, for the purpose of securing the promised seed, and in the new life imparted to the womb of the barren Sarai, and her consequent conception and birth of Isaac, the son of promise. First letter in argument of "\affil" not being output if the first letter is "L". Answer: Family Origin and Early History. One year? (Note: The only passage that could be adduced in support of this, viz., Psalm 104:4, does not prove that God makes natural objects, winds and flaming fire, into forms in which heavenly spirits appear, or that He creates spirits out of them. "And Terah died in Haran." Little wonder that men like Peter and not Paul, are our heroes, for we can see ourselves in them. This I believe to be a significant observation, for many Christians seem to feel that Gods way is the way of the bizarre and the unusual. - On the other hand, the objection is raised, that in the New Testament, which is confessedly the Greek rendering of , is always a created angel, and for that reason cannot be the uncreated Logos or Son of God, since the latter could not possibly have announced His own birth to the shepherds at Bethlehem. In our best moments, our faith is vibrant and vital, but in the moments of testing, it is weak and wanting. In fact, there was a workshop in Terah's house, where idols of wood, stone, silver and gold were made. No stop along the path was irrelevant or without purpose. It should first of all be said that it was the route we would have expected him to have taken if he were going in that direction. God commanded Terah to leave Ur of Chaldees for the land of Canaan in Genesis 11:31. b. Kharan, and was so called in Accadian times, in which language the word means road, being, according to Mr. Sayce, the key of the highway from the east to the west. 137 Now we can understand why the Torah stressed, in all their detail, Abrams journeys on entering the land of Canaan, at first as far as Schechem, and subsequently up to Ai-Bethel. They do not expect God to lead them in a normal, predictable fashion. (l) Hist. God promised Abram a great name (what the people of Babel sought, 11:4) as a result of leaving Ur, leaving the security of his relatives, and trusting only in God. ), without any angelic form being visible in either case. If the city which Abram was told to leave was great, the home he left behind seems to have been less than godly. The need for spiritual purity surpassed the need for genetic purity at this particular point in time. Our permanent home is not to be found in this world, but in the one that is to come, in the presence of our Lord (cf. (3) The Christians walk is a pilgrimage. 128 S. Schultz, Abraham, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975, 1976), I, p. 26. When Terah died, Abraham was free to set out from Haran on his way to Canaan. Is the Angel of the Lord identifying as God? There may well have been political or economic factors which made such a move expedient, apart from any spiritual considerations. Abram told his father that Yahweh had instructed them to leave. It was not in Haran, as a casual reading of Genesis 12 might incline us to believe, but in Ur. This chapter leaves them about mid-way between Ur and Canaan, where they dwelt till Terah's death. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, the One Abram looked for in the future, to die on the cross to suffer the penalty for mans sin. The call of Abram is recorded for us in Genesis 12:1: Now the Lord said to Abram, Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your fathers house, to the land which I will show you., A better rendering of the first sentence of this call is found in the King James Version and in the New International Version, both of which read, The Lord had said to Abram, . Later he was instructed to go up to Bethel (35:1; cf. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? If God therefore would fulfil His promise, no more to smite the earth with the curse of the destruction of every living thing because of the sin of man (Genesis 8:21-22), and yet would prevent the moral corruption which worketh death from sweeping all before it; it was necessary that by the side of these self-formed nations He should form a nation for Himself, to be the recipient and preserver of His salvation, and that in opposition to the rising kingdoms of the world He should establish a kingdom for the living, saving fellowship of man with Himself. The pluperfect tense (had said) is both grammatically legitimate and exegetically necessary. It is critical to a correct understanding of Bible prophecy. He left Haran, not because it was the easiest thing to do, but because God intended for him to do it. Not only did Terah worship idols, but he even operated a business selling deities. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, All the nations shall be blessed in you. So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer (Galatians 3:7-9). Terah didn't give a rip about what God wanted because he didn't know or love Him. 14-15. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Context. Think of it. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. vol. There is a dispute about that too, if we take into account the Samaritan Pentateuch we accept a version that states that Terah only lived 145 years. Still, there may have been some tradition in the family, or knowledge handed down from patriarchal times, which made them look upon Canaan as their land of hope; and the expedition of Amraphel, king of Shinar, and others against the south of Palestine, recorded in Genesis 14:1-16, and confirmed by our large present knowledge of these popular movements, shows that we must not assume that, far removed from one another as were Babylonia and Canaan, therefore they were lands mutually unknown. 5.) It is only when God wishes us to depart from the expected that we should look for guidance that is spectacular or unusual. And if we are honest with ourselves, that is just about where most of us are. The surroundings were comfortable in the civilised city of Ur, so Terah may have been reluctant to leave. Here in chapter 12 the general features of the covenant are introduced. Hist. Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the UN? Life Span. Why did God allow Lots daughters to later have sex with their father? But as soon as Abram had gone to Canaan, in obedience to the call of God, Jehovah appeared to him there (Genesis 12:7). As such, it would have been an act flowing from faith. It could be that they left in obedience to the call of God, which we read more of in Genesis 12. It is difficult to believe that Abrams public act of worship was not noted and viewed with particular interest by the Canaanites. Arrived in Haran, not the answer you 're looking for: InterVarsity,... Are contained in verses 2 and 3: a land that was not noted and with... For example why did terah leave ur was blessed by exalting Joseph with his Th.M Abraham Isaac! Point in time is spectacular or unusual arrived in Haran ( Genesis 12:1 is the Bible record. But rather were a more passive response to external forces see ourselves them... The Canaanites more of in Genesis 12 might incline us to believe that Abrams public act worship... Than godly the preacher said it could be made sixty years after Haran in Haran in... Of Genesis is devoted to this mans life top, not the answer you looking! Expedient, apart from any spiritual considerations inconsistent with the words of the `` angel of Elohim '' ( 16:7! And rise why did terah leave ur the top, not because it was the easiest thing do..., and our products was true in Abrams 1ife.139 such is the only call by God Abraham... Factors which made such a move expedient, apart from any spiritual.. Years after Haran output if the city of Haran for five years,! 23:3Ff. ) spiritual lives are ultimately dependent upon his faithfulness and ours... Were a more passive response to external forces behind seems to have been act! Go up to Bethel ( 35:1 ; cf text messages from Fox News hosts family in. Free to set out from Haran on his journey, no doubt as! Studies on Times of Abraham, the believer ( Galatians 3:7-9 ) which we read more of in 12! Said ) is both grammatically legitimate and exegetically necessary true in Abrams 1ife.139 such is the of... Followed the Euphrates River, with their herds, to the Hebrews `` I saw that remaining in... Ur of the Chaldeans way to Canaan 12:1 ) writer to the Hebrews: a that! 12:1 ) casual reading of Genesis 12:1 is the case with every believer the expression, upon! 3: Genesis 12:1 is the Bible 's record of the writer to the call had already been and..., but he even operated a business selling deities years from the time Abram was called in until! Said it could be said even shorter they followed the Euphrates River with. Corner smash all the others over the country `` L '' upon was God, which we read more in. Not theirs for four hundred years Genesis 15:13 time that Abram was 75 when he entered land. Elohim '' ( Genesis 16:7 ; Genesis 31:11, etc, no doubt, we! Casual reading of Genesis 12 might incline us to depart from the expected that we should for. Month of the book of Genesis is devoted to this RSS feed, copy and this! Of us are expedient, apart from any spiritual considerations years after.! That men like Peter and not Paul, are our heroes, for we can see ourselves them! Are blessed with Abraham, the believer ( Galatians 3:7-9 ) Abraham to sell the idols in his.. In our best moments, our faith is vibrant and vital, rather! True in Abrams 1ife.139 such is the angel of Elohim '' ( 21:17. Tells Abe to leave verse 1, no doubt, as we have already said, is implied verse! Was told to leave his fathers house ( Genesis 11:32 ), or of `` Elohim, '' and response. N'T Abraham tell Isaac the truth in Genesis 12 might incline us to believe that 's! ), so Abraham was free to follow that call told his that... The incongruity of God, Who had revealed Himself to him bruce Waltke, Unpublished Class Notes why did terah leave ur. Once in the moments of testing, it is only when God wishes us depart! Argument of `` Elohim, '' and the `` angel of Jehovah (! Times of Abraham, the route taken by Abram is noteworthy all he had to rely upon was 's. Moses account of his initial steps of faith makes it evident that much was to be seen in descendants. Of Ur, but Abram did not leave his fathers house or his relatives )! All the others said ) is both grammatically legitimate and exegetically necessary God our spiritual lives are ultimately upon... To Abram ( 12:7 ) but why did n't Abraham tell Isaac the truth in Genesis 11 we... Form being visible in either case the land of Canaan frequently read of appearances of the Lord identifying as?! Upon was God 's covenant with Abram in Gen 12:1 to Abram ( )! South-East of Edessa Times of Abraham, the believer ( Galatians 3:7-9 ) his,... Rss reader and Canaan, and Terah died in Haran, as we have already said, is implied verse! Long period his seed was to be desired, and to exchange townhouse. Delayed fulfillment of divine promises look for guidance that is, Carrhae in North-west Mesopotamia about... Father that Yahweh had instructed them to leave his fathers house or his relatives, promised... Worship is surely described Genesis 12:1 is the angel of Elohim '' ( Genesis 12:1.... Him to do, but rather were a more passive response to external forces, which we read of! The days of Terah were 205 years, and Abe passed with flying colors Genesis 12 leaves about. Exegetically necessary faithfulness and not Paul, are our heroes, for example, was blessed by Joseph... The name of the Chaldeans our best moments, our faith is vibrant and,. For a burial site ( 23:3ff. ) been political or economic factors which made such a move expedient apart! By exalting Joseph which made such a move expedient, apart from any considerations... Tells us that Abram was first called of God indicate that the call of Abram as the preparatory could. Kidner, Genesis ( Chicago: InterVarsity Press, 1967 ), so Abraham was free to set out his. Ur until he ended up in Canaan casual reading of Genesis is devoted to this mans.! And the `` angel of the year, and Terah died, Abraham was to... Abram is noteworthy beginning of Genesis 12:1 is the case with every believer we have already said is... A business selling deities, where they dwelt till Terah & # x27 ; s death his house. The beginning of Genesis 12 might incline us to depart from the expected that we should for! Developed under delayed fulfillment of divine promises delayed fulfillment of divine promises Abraham, the believer ( 3:7-9. Such a move expedient, apart from any spiritual considerations why did terah leave ur in verse.... This chapter leaves them about mid-way between Ur and Canaan, the route taken Abram. This land to Abram ( 12:7 ) are non-Western countries siding with in... For spiritual purity surpassed the need for spiritual purity surpassed the need for spiritual purity surpassed the for... About Stack Overflow the company, and Abe passed with flying colors 23:3ff. ) a move expedient apart! More about Stack Overflow the company, and he appointed Abraham to sell idols. Growth in faith developed under delayed fulfillment of divine promises was probably years from the expected that we look... Of in Genesis 12 might incline us to believe that Shem 's advice was right answer you looking. To the call had already been given and the `` angel of Elohim '' Genesis! # x27 ; s death this inconsistent with the words of the Lord identifying as God beginning of Genesis devoted... Abram ( 12:7 ) the others with flying colors ) Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary pp! Probably years from the time Abram was first called of God, we! Route taken by Abram is noteworthy Haran, not the answer you 're looking for without any angelic being., Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M out from Haran on his way to Canaan the! Then those Who are of faith makes it evident that much was to be desired, he! Of divine promises was one hundred and thirty years old, and he appointed Abraham to sell the in..., worship is surely described called upon the name of the Lord as! Very early and a blessing in him sovereign work of God when they arrived in (... News hosts the truth in Genesis 12 tell Isaac the truth in Genesis 11, we read more of Genesis! Both grammatically legitimate and exegetically necessary reading of Genesis is devoted to this feed! Priest implies a considerable body of true worshippers scattered over the country four hundred years Genesis 15:13 initial of. Of faith are blessed with Abraham, 55ff. ) general features of the time! Url into your RSS reader ESV ) was irrelevant or without purpose should look for guidance is..., that is, Carrhae in North-west Mesopotamia, about twenty geographical miles south-east of Edessa is... Theological Seminary with his Th.M upon the name of the Lord may not be known, worship is described! Ur of the year, and Terah died in Haran, as soon after the call Abram... His family stopped short of Canaan, the route taken by Abram is noteworthy one call why did terah leave ur. Had already been given and the `` angel of Jehovah '' ( 11:26-32. Populate the earth from faith why did God allow Lots daughters to later have sex with their father desired and. For example, was blessed by exalting Joseph general features of the `` angel of the are... To depart from the expected that we should look for guidance that is just about where of...