why did terah leave ur

At Shechem, God promised to give this land to Abram (12:7). - 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. 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. This is why Genesis 12:1 says what it says. Theologically, Genesis chapter 12 is one of the key Old Testament passages, for it contains what has been called the Abrahamic Covenant. 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. 305-306. "A faith, which laid hold of the word of promise, and on the strength of that word gave up the visible and present for the invisible and future, was the fundamental characteristic of the patriarchs" (Delitzsch). 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. 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). 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. He would have to take a roundabout route staying on "the fertile crescent," rather than taking a direct route across the desert. daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they That is my kind of hero. d. What we do know, is that Terah NEVER LEFT Haran but died when the blessings were there . 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 need for spiritual purity surpassed the need for genetic purity at this particular point in time. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Additionally, we can conjecture that he was born sometime during the 20th century BCE and dwelt in the land of Ur, commonly referred to as Ur III by historians. Do flight companies have to make it clear what visas you might need before selling you tickets? Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup, Ticket smash for [status-review] tag: Part Deux. Terah had himself been betrayed into compliance with this form of impiety. For neither in the New Testament nor in the Alex. Terah was born when his father was 29 years of age. Much of Abrams blessing was to come in the form of his offspring, but there was also the blessing that would come in the form of the Messiah, who would bring salvation to Gods people. Faith is not developed by living life by some kind of map, but by using Gods Word as a compass, pointing us in the right direction, but challenging us to walk by faith and not by sight. ''What detained Terah and his family here, when they intended to go further, is not said. Abram was secure and comfortable in Ur, a great city. When Terah died, Abraham was free to set out from Haran on his way to Canaan. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. Genesis 21:16-21. It is of interest to note that Islam holds Abram second in importance to Mohammed, with the Koran referring to Abraham 188 times.128. Terah started out well (11:31), journeyed about four months, probably stopped at Babylon and then did something very strange. 32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran. The mid-life crisis would have been past history for him. Genesis 11:26-32 tells that Terah was a son of Nahor, the son of Serug, who was a descendant of Shem. I can identify with men and women like this. 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. Therefore, the failures are not mentioned. God had never forbidden anyone from going with Abe. What a thrill that must have been for the people of Moses day to read this promise and realize that the time for possession had come. In the final analysis, that is all anyone can have. I am saying that Abram obeyed God in faith, but it was a very little faith, and a very late faith. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. Thus, he seems to have rejected Stephens words flatly. There are nearly 75 references to him in the New Testament. It is difficult to believe that Abrams public act of worship was not noted and viewed with particular interest by the Canaanites. He believes that the land is thus divided into three regions: one extending from the northern border to Shechem, the second from Shechem as far as Bethel, and the third from Bethel to the southern boundary.136. God called him in Ur, but Abram did not leave his fathers house or his relatives. As the writer to the Hebrews put it, he went out, not knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). 134 Cassuto, the great Jewish scholar disagrees. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. The other day I heard a preacher put it very pointedly. l. 1. c. 6. sect. 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. Without it we are inclined to think that the call of Abram came at Haran, rather than at Ur. 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. If the city which Abram was told to leave was great, the home he left behind seems to have been less than godly. The writer wished to stress here the positive aspects of the Christians walk, not his failures. But as we look back upon it, we can see that God was leading all the way. 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. Terah left the city of Ur probably for two reasons: 1. (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. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. 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 therein posing to Abe the idea of rejecting Terah as unworthy of Abe's full evangelistic effort. 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. It is there that the specific details of the covenant are spelled out. But it was not the lot of Terah to enter the land, where he would only have been a stranger. All rights reserved. Then, when Terah returned, saw the mess, and asked Abe what had happened. Josephus says this, "Now Terah hating Chaldea, on account of his mourning for Haran (his son), they all removed to Haran." (1) Abrams faith was commenced at the initiative of 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. He quoted the shopworn saying, God said it. Did Abraham meet Jacob as alluded in Hebrews 11:9? However, for whatever reason Terah decided to cut his journey short and settle everybody in a place called Haran. Hist. 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). Once, Terah needed to leave his store, and he appointed Abraham to sell the idols in his stead. Do stay around and if you are willing to answer another questions, please read. To our knowledge, he had no particular spiritual qualities which drew God to him. "Abraham was a man of faith that works; Isaac, of faith that endures; Jacob, of faith that wrestles" (Baumgarten). 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. Haran was in the north, where Terah, Abraham's father, had taken him after Terah's father died (Genesis 11:27-32). p. 282. Thirdly, the Angel of Jehovah is also identified with Jehovah by the sacred writers themselves, who call the Angel Jehovah without the least reserve (cf. 135. 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. 1. The relationship between the command of God to Abram in verse 1 and the incident at Babel in chapter 11 should not be overlooked. According to the biblical book of Genesis, Abraham left Ur, in Mesopotamia, because God called him to found a new nation in an undesignated land that he later learned was Canaan. It gives some background on the people in the family, interesting little tidbits about the individuals and events that occurred. 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.) It follows that he was born when Terah was one hundred and thirty years old, and consequently sixty years after Haran. Why is the article "the" used in "He invented THE slide rule"? One of the first questions I had to answer for my current project was: why would only part of Abraham's family leave Ur? Abram had two brothers, Nahor and Charan (often anglicized as "Haran"), but Charan died. verse 6). Moses account of his initial steps of faith makes it evident that much was to be desired, and to be developed in him. It is probable that the revelation Abram had received from heaven was the means of removing this cloud from his mind, and restoring in him the knowledge and worship of the true God. Abram came from a pagan home. (5) The Christian walk is simply doing what God has told us to do and believing that He is leading us as we do so. Ephesians 2:19, I Peter 1:17, 2:11). The death of Haran, his oldest son, loosened his attachment to the land of his birth. 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. The surroundings were comfortable in the civilised city of Ur, so Terah may have been reluctant to leave. Nahor lived 119 years. Do not expect that God will indicate each turn in the road with a clearly marked sign. Is quantile regression a maximum likelihood method? Terah is the one who told the people to leave Ur Kasdim in the book of Genesis, not Abram. 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. to Harran, they settled there.(NIV). 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. Accordingly, the name of the true God was known and revered, at least in outward form, wherever Abram went, throughout the land. What was Terah's son named? This was God's first direct test of Abe, and Abe passed with flying colors. (3) The Christians walk is a pilgrimage. How long have you been a Christian, my friend? Is the Angel of the Lord identifying as God? What is the ideal amount of fat and carbs one should ingest for building muscle? Terah's Descendants. The Word of God is sufficient for mans faith. . Abe passed God's first personal test. 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.). 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. I do not find such people in the Bible. It is true that from the very beginning God had manifested Himself visibly to men; but in the olden time we read nothing of appearances, because before the flood God had not withdrawn His presence from the earth. ), 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. I hope that's helpful Clive. It is critical to a correct understanding of Bible prophecy. Context. The former appears to us to be the only scriptural view. Well, it was written in Genesis that his birth name was Abram, before God changed his name to Abraham, and that he was the son of Terah. 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. They lived in a city called Ur . Here was the basis for the great name that God would give to Abram. The Christian life is not knowing exactly what the future holds, but knowing Him Who holds the future. The surroundings were comfortable in the civilised city of Ur, so Terah may have been reluctant to leave. They followed the Euphrates River, with their herds, to the Paddan Aram region. (Antiqu. In any event, Abraham "set out for the land of Canaan, thus they came to the land of Canaan" ( Gen 12:5 ). That verse is not implying that God called Abe out of the blue, nor Abe at random of all persons. The family were in the city of Haran for five years. . c. Terah was an idol worshipper. They strove to find security and renown by banding together and building a great city (11:3-4). Abram would have been on social security for over ten years. A priest implies a considerable body of true worshippers scattered over the country. There is no conflict here, since Haran was a CITY in the REGION known as Mesopotamia. Charan was Lot's father so he lived to be at least a young man, but he died before his own father Terah did. 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. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. The tent is thus the symbol of the pilgrim. 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. 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. (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 . Not only did Terah worship idols, but he even operated a business selling deities. God is not only sovereign in salvation, but sovereign in the process of sanctification. He alone offers man the righteousness necessary for eternal life. Ancient Mesopotamia was a region centered upon the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. We have already seen that Abram was seventy-five years of age at the death of Terah. 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. Did Abraham receive two messages, one when he left Ur with his father Terah & the other when he left Haran with Lot?. 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). Beside this, we frequently read of appearances of the "angel of Jehovah" (Genesis 16:7; Genesis 22:11, etc. However, Abraham discouraged potential customers from buying the idols, explaining to them the futility of worshipping statues that were only fashioned that very day. 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). Much more important than where he was, God was concerned with who he was, and in Whom he trusted. Haran.The Charran of Acts 7:4, that is, Carrhae in North-west Mesopotamia, about twenty geographical miles south-east of Edessa. 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 Genesis chapter 11, we are told that Terah, his son Abram, his grandson Lot and his daughter-in-law Sarai left their hometown called the Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the Land of Canaan. We gather also that the Divine summons came to Abram in Ur (see Genesis 15:7; Nehemiah 9:7; Acts 7:2), but we learn in Genesis 12:1 that his final destination was not then definitely told him. This is the reason why we have placed one hundred and thirty (seventy and sixty), in the genealogical table opposite Terah, because the line of descent is not traced through Haran, who was born when he was seventy, but through Abram, who by plain inference was born when he was one hundred and thirty years old. Little wonder that men like Peter and not Paul, are our heroes, for we can see ourselves in them. 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. 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. The early history consists of three stages, which are indicated by the three patriarchs, peculiarly so called, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and in the sons of Jacob the unity of the chosen family was expanded into the twelve immediate fathers of the nation. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. He obeyed unquestioningly the commands of God, from whom he received repeated promises and a covenant that his "seed" would inherit the land. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! Starting in Genesis 11:27, we have the account of Terah's (Abraham's father) family line. 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. Does With(NoLock) help with query performance? 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.). Having called Abram, it was God Who providentially brought Abram to the point of leaving home and homeland and entering Canaan. 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. Although, for example, the knowledge and worship of the true God had been preserved in the families of Shem in a purer form than among the remaining descendants of Noah, even in the house of Terah and worship of God was corrupted by idolatry (Joshua 24:2-3); and although Abram was to become the father of the nation which God was about to form, yet his wife was barren, and therefore, in the way of nature, a new family could not be expected to spring from him. I believe it. 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.

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