May God enable us to grow in grace as we walk the path which He has ordained, and as we continue to study the growth of the faith of Abram over many years. At the time of the call, Abram did not know where this land was. If the city which Abram was told to leave was great, the home he left behind seems to have been less than godly. 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). Terah set out on his journey, no doubt, as soon after the call of Abram as the preparatory arrangements could be made. The second promise of the Abrahamic Covenant was that of a great nation coming from Abram. They strove to find security and renown by banding together and building a great city (11:3-4). Terah wanted to leave Ur because he was afraid a war would start. Why did God punish Pharaoh for Abrams lie (Genesis 12:17)? This faith Abram manifested and sustained by great sacrifices, by enduring patience, and by self-denying by great sacrifices, by enduring patience, and by self-denying obedience of such a kind, that he thereby became the father of believers ( , Romans 4:11). It is of interest to note that Islam holds Abram second in importance to Mohammed, with the Koran referring to Abraham 188 times.128. Abram died at the ripe old age of 175 (25:7-8), a much shorter time than Shem (11:10-11) or Arpachshad (11:12-13). The writer wished to stress here the positive aspects of the Christians walk, not his failures. 3, app.). But isnt that enough? 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). (h) Ut supra. The sovereignty of God in salvation is beautifully illustrated in the call of Abram. Abram told his father that Yahweh had instructed them to leave. - Terah takes the lead in this emigration, as the patriarch of the family. rev2023.3.1.43266. Those who first read the book of Genesis were about to take possession of the land which was promised Abram. Thus, he seems to have rejected Stephens words flatly. 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. Cassuto has suggested that the places mentioned (Shechem, Bethel, the Negev) are significant. l. 4. sect. These appearances, which were constantly repeated from that time forward, must have taken place from heaven; for we read that Jehovah, after speaking with Abram and the other patriarchs, "went away" (Genesis 18:33), or "went up" (Genesis 17:22; Genesis 35:13); and the patriarchs saw them, sometimes while in a waking condition, in a form discernible to the bodily senses, sometimes in visions, in a state of mental ecstasy, and at other times in the form of a dream (Genesis 28:12.). Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Why did Terah died in Haran? This land never belonged to Abram in his lifetime, even as God had said (15:13-16). God called him to leave that city and to exchange his townhouse for a tent. Abrams age was not a factor in favor of leaving Ur for some unknown land either. Terah had still been an idolater, when God called Abe the first time. Secondly, consistent with this approach, the author does not stress the timing of Abrams obedience. (4) The Christian walk is rooted in the reliability of the Word of God. While not all Bible students agree on the location of Ur,129 most agree that it is the Ur of southern Mesopotamia, on what used to be the coast of the Persian Gulf. (r) Cartwright's Preacher's Travels, p. 14, 15. Later he was instructed to go up to Bethel (35:1; cf. 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 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. In the land of Uz, a Shemite, perhaps even at a later period, lived Job; and in the neighboring districts of Arabia were his several friends, all of whom acknowledged the true God. are patent descriptions/images in public domain? - 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. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? To this hope our Lord, the Messiah, spoke, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad (John 8:56). Many reach to Charran, and yet fall short of Canaan; they are not far from the kingdom of God, and yet never come thither. The mid-life crisis would have been past history for him. 2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. Moses did not give us all the background needed to properly grasp the significance of the call of Abram, but it has been recorded for us in the Bible. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Haran was in the north, where Terah, Abraham's father, had taken him after Terah's father died (Genesis 11:27-32). Gordons view is discussed, but rejected by Howard F. Vos, Genesis and Archaeology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1963), pp. Christian faith grows. So we know that Abraham told his father Terah to leave, because God appeared to Abraham, not Terah. 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. Little wonder that men like Peter and not Paul, are our heroes, for we can see ourselves in them. But this important difference has been overlooked, that according to Greek usage, denotes an (any) angel of the Lord, whereas according to the rules of the Hebrew language means the angel of the Lord; that in the New Testament the angel who appears is always described as without the article, and the definite article is only introduced in the further course of the narrative to denote the angel whose appearance has been already mentioned, whereas in the Old Testament it is always "the Angel of Jehovah" who appears, and whenever the appearance of a created angel is referred to, he is introduced first of all as "an angel" (vid., 1 Kings 19:5 and 1 Kings 19:7). God providentially led Terah to pull up roots at Ur and to move toward Canaan (11:31). It is shrouded in mystery to Jewish scholars as to why Terah began the journey and as to why the journey ended prematurely. This seems to be upheld by Scripture: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and served other gods'" (Josh 24:2). The form of the Angel of Jehovah, which was discernible by the senses, varied according to the purpose of the appearance; and, apart from Genesis 21:17 and Genesis 22:11, we have a sufficient proof that it was not a real angelic appearance, or the appearance of a created angel, in the fact that in two instances it was not really an angel at all, but a flame of fire and a shining cloud which formed the earthly substratum of the revelation of God in the Angel of Jehovah (Exodus 3:2; Exodus 14:19), unless indeed we are to regard natural phenomena as angels, without any scriptural warrant for doing so. Why did Lot offer up his daughters to be gang raped? l. 1. c. 6. sect. Why was Abraham promised land that belonged to others (Genesis 12)? The faith to which we are called is not faith in a plan, but faith in a person. (Tomkins Studies on Times of Abraham, 55ff.). 2. Pharsal. When he is commanded to sacrifice Isaac, he must obey with a willing heart of love, yet somehow see through to balance the command with the promise of the seed of a nation and leave the outcome to God and to find in God all sufficiency. (Note: The force of this difference cannot be set aside by the objection that the New Testament writers follow the usage of the Septuagint, where is rendered . we get two critically different instances in which God told Abe to go to Canaan without his father's household. Why did God allow Lots daughters to later have sex with their father? 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. That verse is not implying that God called Abe out of the blue, nor Abe at random of all persons. 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. No wonder God commanded Abram to leave his fathers house (Genesis 12:1)! Answer: Family Origin and Early History. Terah was the son of Nahor, who was of Noah's son's Shem's line. Why didn't Abraham tell Isaac the truth in Genesis 22? And, it may be worth noting, we see the name "Terah" alluded to in the word "Teraphim". Ephesians 2:19, I Peter 1:17, 2:11). The first time that God told this to Abe, it was God's way of provoking Abe to "get real" about Terah's idolatry. We must remember that Cassuto, as a Jew, did not regard the New Testament to be authoritative. 58-64. It is critical to a correct understanding of Bible prophecy. - From these varying forms of appearance it is evident that the opinion that the Angel of the Lord was a real angel, a divine manifestation, "not in the disguise of angel, but through the actual appearance of an angel," is not in harmony with all the statements of the Bible. In other cases He revealed Himself merely by calling and speaking from heaven, without those who heard His voice perceiving any form at all; e.g., to Hagar, in Genesis 21:17., and to Abraham, Genesis 22:11. When Abram had an encounter with God, [1] this brother directed his family to leave their native land and go to the land of Canaan. As Stephen stood before his unbelieving Jewish brethren, he recounted the history of Gods chosen people, beginning with the call of Abraham: And he said, Hear me, brethren and fathers! God was going to make a new nation, not merely revise an existing one. "Abraham was a man of faith that works; Isaac, of faith that endures; Jacob, of faith that wrestles" (Baumgarten). We are, as I said before, never told why he packs it in in Ur and heads for Canaan. One of the first questions I had to answer for my current project was: why would only part of Abraham's family leave Ur? First, the emphasis of Hebrews 11 is on faith. Is quantile regression a maximum likelihood method? No stop along the path was irrelevant or without purpose. The lesson we may need to learn is this: very often the way God would have us go is the most sensible way that we would have chosen anyhow. David saw Him by the threshing-floor of Araunah, standing between heaven and earth, with the sword drawn in His hand and stretched out over Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 21:16); and He appeared to Zechariah in a vision as a rider upon a red horse (Zechariah 1:9.). ), or of "Elohim," and the "angel of Elohim" (Genesis 21:17; Genesis 31:11, etc. But here are a few possibilities. The surroundings were comfortable in the civilised city of Ur, so Terah may have been reluctant to leave. l. 5. c. 24. This promise demanded faith on the part of Abram, for it was obvious that he was already aged, and that Sarai, his wife, was incapable of having children (11:30). 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. I would hope that our study of the initial period of his life indicates otherwise. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Barnes' Notes on the Bible And Terah took Abram. Terah wanted to leave Ur because he was afraid a war would start. If so, when God spoke to Abraham, Abraham would remember that God had spoken to his father, Terah, which would make it more imperative for Abraham. Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the UN? 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). (The date that Abram left the city of Ur and other patriarchs' timelines can be read here. Genesis 16, where He is mentioned for the first time, contains no distinct statement as to His shape, but produces on the whole the impression that He appeared to Hagar in a human form, or one resembling that of man; since it was not till after His departure that she drew the inference from His words, that Jehovah had spoken with her. 139 . The people of Haran served the same moon god as the people in Terah's former location, the southern Mesopotamian "city of Ur". 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.) Terah received instructions from God to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go into the land of Canaan. In Genesis 11, we read that Terah came from Ur of the Chaldeans. Acts 7:2-4 supports this single call theory: The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Terah was a high priest of the idol worshippers. Abram was, in our vernacular, no spring chicken when he left Haran for Canaan. Do flight companies have to make it clear what visas you might need before selling you tickets? Abraham received only one call (Genesis 12:1). 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). 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. 5: The fact that Genesis 11:10-31 is the record made by Shem. Is the Angel of the Lord identifying as God? Answer Terah is known in the Bible as the father of Abram (known later as Abraham), who in turn received the covenant promise of God regarding the future birth of His Son, Jesus. The Word of God is sufficient for mans faith. God has said that all men are sinners, deserving of, and destined to eternal punishment. Terah had himself been betrayed into compliance with this form of impiety. Jacob, after his return from Paddan-aram, came first to Shechem (33:18). All rights reserved. . The command of God to Abram is, in effect, a reversal of what man attempted at Babel. (n) Though the oracle of God came to Abram, yet the honour is given to Terah, because he was the father. 130 Cf. Terah may have told Abraham why he was leaving Ur and why he decided to settle in Haran. Having said this, I do not wish to glorify Abrams faith either, for as we shall see, it was initially very weak. It will be observed, also, that we have set down seventy opposite Abram as the date of his call, from which is counted the definite period of four hundred and thirty years to the exodus. And, most important, I can find hope for a person like myself. (6) The Christian walk is a process of growth in grace. Exodus 3:2 and Exodus 3:4, Judges 6:12 and Judges 6:14-16, but especially Exodus 14:19, where the Angel of Jehovah goes before the host of the Israelites, just as Jehovah is said to do in Exodus 13:21). Theologically, Genesis chapter 12 is one of the key Old Testament passages, for it contains what has been called the Abrahamic Covenant. 31 And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. When you stop to think about it, Abram had no concrete, tangible proof that a life of blessing lay ahead, outside of Ur, away from his family. Abram was secure and comfortable in Ur, a great city. He simply wrote, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out. Let us remember that Abram did go to Canaan, just as Moses went to Egypt, but not without considerable pressure from God. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. The death of Haran, his oldest son, loosened his attachment to the land of his birth. As we will see next week, the Lord in His grace reached into a family that did not know Him and called Abram out to create a people devoted to Himself. The giants of the faith seem to be sterling characters with no evident flaws, with machine-like discipline, and unfaltering faith. Abram was told in detail what he must leave behind. In the final analysis, that is all anyone can have. Why is the article "the" used in "He invented THE slide rule"? Pharaoh, for example, was blessed by exalting Joseph. 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. 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