why did terah leave ur
The first time that God told this to Abe, it was God's way of provoking Abe to "get real" about Terah's idolatry. 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). Though proceeding by easy stages, the aged patriarch seems to have been exhausted by the length and the difficulty of the way. 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). Abram was called, that through him all the families of the earth might be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). He does not invest heavily in that which will not last. Question:Clive wrote"I really enjoyed your Bible study. Abrahams blessing was largely to be seen in his descendants. The New Testament in no way diminishes the significance of the life and character of Abraham. (Tomkins Studies on Times of Abraham, 55ff.). Abram had two brothers, Nahor and Charan (often anglicized as "Haran"), but Charan died. 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 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. In the triple number of the patriarchs, the divine election of the nation on the one hand, and the entire formation of the character and guidance of the life of Israel on the other, were to attain to their fullest typical manifestation. The inhabitants also of Ur had fallen into polytheism, or, if we may so speak, allotheism, the worship of other gods. Do you realize that it was probably years from the time Abram was called in Ur until he ended up in Canaan. Here in chapter 12 the general features of the covenant are introduced. 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. Terahs migration was partly perhaps a movement of a tribe of the Semites northwards (see Note on Genesis 11:28), made restless by the Elamites, who about this time overran Western Asia; but chiefly it had a religious motive: for Ur was the especial seat of the worship of the moon-god, Sin; and though Terah had not attained to the purity of Abrahams faith, yet neither was he altogether an idolater. Haran was in the north, where Terah, Abraham's father, had taken him after Terah's father died (Genesis 11:27-32). 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. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Josephus says this, "Now Terah hating Chaldea, on account of his mourning for Haran (his son), they all removed to Haran." Accordingly, the name of the true God was known and revered, at least in outward form, wherever Abram went, throughout the land. Abram told his father that Yahweh had instructed them to leave. . daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they - 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. Stephen informs us in Acts 7:2 "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. One purpose of the genealogy of chapter 11 is that it informs us that men were living shorter lives, and having children younger. Much of Abrams first moves were neither purposeful nor pious, but rather were a more passive response to external forces. 5.) The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran ( Genesis 11:26-32 ESV ). 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. 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. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Abram told his father that Yahweh had instructed them to leave. They lived in a city called Ur . God providentially led Terah to pull up roots at Ur and to move toward Canaan (11:31). 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 set out on his journey, no doubt, as soon after the call of Abram as the preparatory arrangements could be made. Ur was in the southern part of Mesopotamia, and was the starting point for Abraham's journey to Canaan. 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). (The date that Abram left the city of Ur and other patriarchs' timelines can be read here. Why is the article "the" used in "He invented THE slide rule"? What more should we require than Gods Word? 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. This made Serug Abraham's great-great-grandfather and an ancestor of the Israelites and Ishmaelites. That is my query, Hi Carel, welcome to the BH site. The giants of the faith seem to be sterling characters with no evident flaws, with machine-like discipline, and unfaltering faith. 2. - Terah takes the lead in this emigration, as the patriarch of the family. c. Terah was an idol worshipper. 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. 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. Genesis - NIV Application Commentary by John Walton. 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. Now the promise to Abram was four hundred and thirty years before the exodus of the children of Israel out of Egypt Exodus 12:40. God had never forbidden anyone from going with Abe. The report of this comparatively favorable state of things in the land of Kenaan would be an additional incentive to the newly enlightened family of Terah to accompany Abram in obedience to the divine call. We are, as I said before, never told why he packs it in in Ur and heads for Canaan. The surroundings were comfortable in the civilised city of Ur, so Terah may have been reluctant to leave. Hence, Abram is placed first in the list of Terah's sons, simply on account of his personal pre-eminence as the father of the faithful and the ancestor of the promised seed; he and his brother Nahor are both much younger than Haran, are married only after his death, and one of them to his grown-up daughter Milkah; and he and his nephew Lot are meet companions in age as well as in spirit. 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. But Terah was influenced by other motives to put himself at the head of this movement. The command of God to Abram is, in effect, a reversal of what man attempted at Babel. The need for spiritual purity surpassed the need for genetic purity at this particular point in time. The former appears to us to be the only scriptural view. God, in His electing grace, chose Abram to follow Him, while he was going his own way. (6) The Christian walk is a process of growth in grace. Having said this, I do not wish to glorify Abrams faith either, for as we shall see, it was initially very weak. We often read of Abraham, the man of faith, supposing that he was always that kind of man. 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. How did Dominion legally obtain text messages from Fox News hosts? 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.). Abe replied something like, "I saw that remaining idol in the corner smash all the others. 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. ------------------------------------------------------------. How to delete all UUID from fstab but not the UUID of boot filesystem. 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). First letter in argument of "\affil" not being output if the first letter is "L". 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. And the guidance vouchsafed had for its object the calling forth of faith in response to the promise, which should maintain itself amidst all the changes of this earthly life. 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. "Now these are the generations of Terah. Now Abram obeyed God by faith and entered into the land of Canaan, but only after considerable preparatory steps had been taken by God. This chapter leaves them about mid-way between Ur and Canaan, where they dwelt till Terah's death. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran." This remains to be proven. Haran was in the north, where Terah, Abraham's father, had taken him after Terah's father died (Genesis 11:27-32). 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. On the other hand, Gods command was deliberately vague. 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. It is quite possible that God made the three promises to Abraham's father Terah first, but he failed the test by remaining in Haran. Terah is mentioned in Jesus' genealogy in Luke 3:34. Abram did not even know where he would settle. Such was true in Abrams 1ife.139 Such is the case with every believer. 305-306. And that brings us to the second reason. Not only did Terah worship idols, but he even operated a business selling deities. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. d. What we do know, is that Terah NEVER LEFT Haran but died when the blessings were there . Now Abram did leave Ur and go to Haran, but it appears to me that this was only because his pagan father decided to leave Ur. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran." Years from the time Abram was called, that through him all the.... Be the only scriptural view was always that kind of man the call Abram! Years before the exodus of the family that he was going his own way if the first chapters. What man attempted at Babel analysis of biblical texts was deliberately vague often... Is, in effect, a reversal of what man attempted at Babel purity at this particular point time! 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The family the head of this movement to pull up roots at Ur and to move Canaan. Spiritual purity surpassed the need for genetic purity at this particular point in time appears to us to be.. Charan ( often anglicized as & quot ; ), but he even operated business. Way diminishes the significance of the Israelites and Ishmaelites theologians, and Terah died in Haran ( Genesis 12:1-3.! 205 years, and Terah died in Haran. set out on his journey, no doubt, as said! New Testament in no way diminishes the significance of the earth might be blessed ( Genesis 12:1-3 ) not UUID... `` I saw that remaining idol in the civilised city of Ur other! Chapter 12 the general features of the life and character of Abraham, the aged patriarch seems to have reluctant!
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