(4) The Christian walk is rooted in the reliability of the Word of God. 2. ch. Balaam He met in a human or angelic form, with a drawn sword in His hand (Numbers 22:22-23). 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. One of the first questions I had to answer for my current project was: why would only part of Abraham's family leave Ur? 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. (i) Elmacinus, p. 31. apud Hottinger. So we know that Abraham told his father Terah to leave, because God appeared to Abraham, not Terah. Acts 7:2-4 supports this single call theory: The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in What more should we require than Gods Word? 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. How long have you been a Christian, my friend? The command of God to Abram is, in effect, a reversal of what man attempted at Babel. In one sense, the command of God to Abram was very specific. Secondly, the Angel of God was recognised as God by those to whom He appeared, on the one hand by their addressing Him as Adonai (i.e., the Lord God; Judges 6:15), declaring that they had seen God, and fearing that they should die (Genesis 16:13; Exodus 3:6; Judges 6:22-23; Judges 13:22), and on the other hand by their paying Him divine honour, offering sacrifices which He accepted, and worshipping Him (Judges 6:20; Judges 13:19-20, cf. That is what is implied in the Jewish oral tradition about Abe. Gordons view is discussed, but rejected by Howard F. Vos, Genesis and Archaeology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1963), pp. God providentially led Terah to pull up roots at Ur and to move toward Canaan (11:31). 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). Wiki User 2012-12-08. Why did Lot offer up his daughters to be gang raped? 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. The answer is because God told him to (Genesis ch.12). 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. Cassuto concludes that Abrams journey unknowingly outlined the territory which would belong to Israel, and that the places he stopped symbolically forecast the future conquest of the land.137 In an additional comment, Cassuto adds the fact that these places were also religious centers of Canaanite worship.138 In effect, Abrams actions of building altars and proclaiming the name of the Lord prophesied the coming time when true religious worship would overcome the pagan religion of the Canaanites. 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. I guess he was mad that you were allowing yourself to be misled by the other, false idols.". Nahor lived 119 years. At the time of the call, Abram did not know where this land was. 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. 128 S. Schultz, Abraham, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975, 1976), I, p. 26. Conclusion 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. Abraham was 75 years old when his father, Terah, passed away at 205 years of age as indicated in the book of Genesis. Terah is mentioned in Jesus' genealogy in Luke 3:34. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. And that brings us to the second reason. The angel of God, who shows the sacred seer the heavenly Jerusalem, and who is supposed to say, "Behold, I come quickly" (Revelation 22:7), and "I am Alpha and Omega" (Revelation 22:13), refuses in the most decided way the worship which John is about to present, and exclaims, "See I am thy fellow-servant: worship God.". 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. 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. (n) Nat. (2) Abrams spiritual life continued through the sovereign work of God. It was both a very early and a very late outpost of Chaldean power. Though proceeding by easy stages, the aged patriarch seems to have been exhausted by the length and the difficulty of the way. I respect Abraham for not only leaving the security of his father's home, but also the familiarity of his father's faith. But Terah was influenced by other motives to put himself at the head of this movement. For the essential unity of the Angel of Jehovah with Jehovah Himself follows indisputably from the following facts. 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. God was going to make a new nation, not merely revise an existing one. But we know from Stephens words that the call came to Abram at Ur (Acts 7:2). When Sarah died, he had to buy a portion of the land for a burial site (23:3ff.). Lucan. 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. Abram had two brothers, Nahor and Charan (often anglicized as "Haran"), but Charan died. 135. Abraham received only one call (Genesis 12:1). And in the land of Kenaan was Melkizedec, the king of Salem, and the priest of the Most High God. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. Terah coordinated the journey, intending to go to this new land, but stopped in the city of Haran along the way, where he died at the age of 205. Abram told his father that Yahweh had instructed them to leave. Those who first read the book of Genesis were about to take possession of the land which was promised Abram. Having said this, I do not wish to glorify Abrams faith either, for as we shall see, it was initially very weak. in relation to Terah's genealogy, Abram's family in relation to Terah's death, the form of the 'calling' verb, the country Abram departed from, and the narrative art of the literary piece. 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). This made Serug Abraham's great-great-grandfather and an ancestor of the Israelites and Ishmaelites. 24. God called him in Ur, but Abram did not leave his fathers house or his relatives. Terah is identified as the person who arranged and led the family to embark on a mysterious journey to Canaan. As such, it would have been an act flowing from faith. Such will be the case as we can look back upon our lives from the vantage point of time. 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. The Chaldeans, no longer in existence, predate Israel. Christian faith grows. Isaac also was strong in patience and hope; and Jacob wrestled in faith amidst painful circumstances of various kinds, until he had secured the blessing of the promise. Abraham lived as a pilgrim, looking for the city of God: By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow-heirs of the some promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:9-10). Terah took him out of Ur (Genesis ch.11). In this life we cannot expect to fully possess what lies in the future, but only to survey it. At least two things must be said in response to this question. Abram was called, that through him all the families of the earth might be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there. Haran.The Charran of Acts 7:4, that is, Carrhae in North-west Mesopotamia, about twenty geographical miles south-east of Edessa. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. If we fix our eyes upon the method of the divine revelation, we find a new beginning in this respect, that as soon as Abram is called, we read of the appearing of God. 2: In Acts 7, verses 2 thru 4, Stephen states that God had called Abe prior to when the group had settled in the town called Haran. 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). (n) Though the oracle of God came to Abram, yet the honour is given to Terah, because he was the father. "They came to Haran and dwelt there." The first eleven chapters have often been called primeval history. The last chapters are known as patriarchal history. While the effect of mans sin has become increasingly widespread, the fulfillment of the promise of God in Genesis 3:15 has become more selective. When he is promised a land, and when that land is not given, he must look beyond the promise to its Maker so that he may understand. (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. 305-306. Terah set out on his journey, no doubt, as soon after the call of Abram as the preparatory arrangements could be made. Pharsal. When Israel went into the land of Canaan, to possess it under Joshua, these same key cities were captured: So Joshua sent them away, and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; (Joshua 8:9). 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. (3) The Christians walk is a pilgrimage. The dispersion of the descendants of the sons of Noah, who had now grown into numerous families, was necessarily followed on the one hand by the rise of a variety of nations, differing in language, manners, and customs, and more and more estranged from one another; and on the other by the expansion of the germs of idolatry, contained in the different attitudes of these nations towards God, into the polytheistic religions of heathenism, in which the glory of the immortal God was changed into an image made like to mortal man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things (Romans 1:23 cf. 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. 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). But as we look back upon it, we can see that God was leading all the way. 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. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran ( Genesis 11:26-32 ESV ). Why did God allow Lots daughters to later have sex with their father? The site of the great city was first discovered in 1854, and has since that time been excavated, revealing much about life in the times of Abram.130 While the actual period that Abram lived in Ur may be a matter of discussion, we can say with certainty that Ur was justified in its boast of being a highly developed civilization. It would be many years before Abram would fully grasp that this heir that God had promised would come from the union of he and Sarai. In the final analysis, that is all anyone can have. The foundation for this was laid by God in the call and separation of Abram from his people and his country, to make him, by special guidance, the father of a nation from which the salvation of the world should come. 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. Abram, like Paul, and true believers of every age, would acknowledge that it was God Who sought him out and saved him, on the basis of divine grace. 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. Can a VGA monitor be connected to parallel port? Now Abram obeyed God by faith and entered into the land of Canaan, but only after considerable preparatory steps had been taken by God. In particular, I want to underscore the process which God employed to strengthen Abrams faith and make him the godly man he became. 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). How unlike mans ways are from Gods. Cassuto has suggested that the places mentioned (Shechem, Bethel, the Negev) are significant. 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