Terah, Abraham's father, was grieving for his son Haran. "Now these are the generations of Terah. Since Abram was unwilling or unable to leave his fathers house, God took Abrams father in death (11:32). 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. And that brings us to the second reason. God was therein posing to Abe the idea of rejecting Terah as unworthy of Abe's full evangelistic effort. God had never forbidden anyone from going with Abe. Acts 7:2-4 supports this single call theory: The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in 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. And, most important, I can find hope for a person like myself. 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. While the exact meaning of the expression, called upon the name of the Lord may not be known, worship is surely described. 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. This points to the fact that Ur may have been one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the Tigris-Euphrates area when Abraham emigrated northward to Haran. Schultz, Abraham, ZPEB, I, p. 22. He does not invest heavily in that which will not last. 5.) Genesis 21:16-21. 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. 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. 14-15. Five years? Stephen informs us in Acts 7:2 "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. They sought blessing in the product of their own labors, rather than in the promise 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. Stephen clarifies the time that Abram was first called of God. 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. 128 S. Schultz, Abraham, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975, 1976), I, p. 26. He left Haran, not because it was the easiest thing to do, but because God intended for him to do it. Abrams age was not a factor in favor of leaving Ur for some unknown land either. Do you realize that it was probably years from the time Abram was called in Ur until he ended up in Canaan. 10. sect. On the other hand, He appeared to Moses (Exodus 3:2) in a flame of fire, speaking to him from the burning bush, and to the people of Israel in a pillar of cloud and fire (Exodus 14:19, cf. How utterly irreconcilable this fact is with the opinion that the Angel of Jehovah was a created angel, is conclusively proved by Revelation 22:9, which is generally regarded as perfectly corresponding to the account of the "Angel of Jehovah" of the Old Testament. (n) Though the oracle of God came to Abram, yet the honour is given to Terah, because he was the father. Those who first read the book of Genesis were about to take possession of the land which was promised Abram. That first time, about which Stephen speaks, was God's way of at once (a) prophesying of Abe's eventual leaving his father's household, and (b) provoking Abe to evangelize his as-yet-still idolatrous father, Terah and, through Terah's conversion, to convert all of Terah's household. rev2023.3.1.43266. version of the Old is used as a proper name; it is a simple appellative, as is apparent from the fact that in every instance, in which further reference is made to an angel who has appeared, he is called , with or without . I guess he was mad that you were allowing yourself to be misled by the other, false idols.". 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. 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 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 final promise was that of blessingblessing for him, and blessing through him. But even if the address in Genesis 22:16, where the oath of the Angel of Jehovah is accompanied by the words, "saith the Lord," and the words and deeds of the Angel of God in certain other cases, might be explained in this way, a created angel sent by God could never say, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," or by the acceptance of sacrifices and adoration, encourage the presentation of divine honours to himself. As such, it would have been an act flowing from faith. Shem had converted Abe. 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). Pharsal. 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. The answer is because God told him to (Genesis ch.12). 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. John 14:1-3). Terah, Jewish literature records, was a craftsman who made idols. - 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. Not only did Terah worship idols, but he even operated a business selling deities. That is what is implied in the Jewish oral tradition about Abe. At Babel men chose to disregard the command of God to disperse and populate the earth. First, what would motivate Terah to uproot his family and leave the great city of Ur to travel 1,000 miles to the land of Canaan? The need for spiritual purity surpassed the need for genetic purity at this particular point in time. Barnes' Notes on the Bible And Terah took Abram. Benjamin of Tudela (p) speaks of it as in being in his time, and as two days journey from the entrance into the land of Shinar or Mesopotamia; and says, that in that place where was the house of Abraham, there is no building on it, but the Ishmaelites (the Mahometans) honour the place, and come thither to pray. (j) Ut supra. Why did Terah leave the city of Ur? in 1971. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. - All this occurred as a type for the future, that Israel might know and lay to heart the fact, that bodily descent from Abraham did not make a man a child of God, but that they alone were children of God who laid hold of the divine promise in faith, and walked in the steps of their forefather's faith (cf. The Chaldeans, no longer in existence, predate Israel. 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. 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. 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"). 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. We must confine ourselves to the passages in which "the Angel of Jehovah" is actually referred to. Filial piety, no doubt, kept Abram watching over the last days of his venerable parents, who probably still cling to the fond hope of reaching the land of his adoption. Cassuto has suggested that the places mentioned (Shechem, Bethel, the Negev) are significant. The family were in the city of Haran for five years. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! 4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. Terah is mentioned in Jesus' genealogy in Luke 3:34. He obeyed unquestioningly the commands of God, from whom he received repeated promises and a covenant that his "seed" would inherit the land. Can a private person deceive a defendant to obtain evidence? Terah wanted to leave Ur because he was afraid a war would start. But this exclusiveness contained from the very first the germ of universalism. This would be a slow, arduous and dangerous journey. God told Abram to leave without knowing where the path of obedience would lead, but believing that God was leading as he went. 1. In any event, Abraham "set out for the land of Canaan, thus they came to the land of Canaan" ( Gen 12:5 ). This is why Genesis 12:1 says what it says. On the other hand, Gods command was deliberately vague. (2) Abrams spiritual life continued through the sovereign work of God. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Why was Abraham promised land that belonged to others (Genesis 12)? Did God give an oath to Isaac as alluded in Psalms 105:8-10? Genesis - NIV Application Commentary by John Walton. But as we look back upon it, we can see that God was leading all the way. l. 5. c. 18. (3) The Christians walk is a pilgrimage. So we know that Abraham told his father Terah to leave, because God appeared to Abraham, not Terah. Do what God tells you to do in the most sensible way you know how. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. p. 282. Three major promises are contained in verses 2 and 3: a land; a seed; and a blessing. God is not nearly so concerned with geography as He is with godliness. But here are a few possibilities. For unknown reasons, Terah never made it to their destination but stopped and settled in Harran instead. Nahor lived 119 years. Genesis 2:5). 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. 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. d. What we do know, is that Terah NEVER LEFT Haran but died when the blessings were there . vol. 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. (k) Ibid. The Christian life is not knowing exactly what the future holds, but knowing Him Who holds the future. God was going to make a new nation, not merely revise an existing one. Without it we are inclined to think that the call of Abram came at Haran, rather than at Ur. Hence, it follows that Isaac, his seed, was born thirty years after the call of Abram. 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. Now Abram obeyed God by faith and entered into the land of Canaan, but only after considerable preparatory steps had been taken by God. (q) Travels, par. When Terah died, Abraham was free to set out from Haran on his way to Canaan. It grows through time and through testing. ------------------------------------------------------------. 3: Genesis 12:1 is the Bible's record of the second time that God tells Abe to leave his father's household. are patent descriptions/images in public domain? 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). Scripture intended to present us here, through the symbolic conquest of Abram, with a kind of forecast of what would happen to his descendants later. Cassuto, Genesis, II, pp. c. Terah was an idol worshipper. 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. A priest implies a considerable body of true worshippers scattered over the country. Christian faith grows. But at the point of Abrams call, he was a man whose faith was meager; real, but meager. Little wonder that men like Peter and not Paul, are our heroes, for we can see ourselves in them. Judges 2:1). Abram came from a pagan home. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Lucan. He had twelve chief gods, one for each month of the year, and other idols. But we neither regard this rendering of the psalm as in harmony with the context, nor assent to the assertion that with a double accusative, in the sense of making into anything, is ungrammatical.)<. In particular, I want to underscore the process which God employed to strengthen Abrams faith and make him the godly man he became. Here was the basis for the great name that God would give to Abram. (o) -----------Miserando funere Crassus, Assyrias latio maculavit sanguine Carrhas. 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.). People came to offer sacrifices to these idols, or to buy them, and Terah had a thriving business. l. 1. c. 6. sect. Historians share that the father of Serug was Reu. In the words of Vos, Regardless of when Abraham left Ur, he turned his back on a great metropolis, setting out by faith for a land about which he knew little or nothing and which could probably offer him little from a standpoint of material benefits.132. With the choice of Abram and revelation of God to man assumed a select character, inasmuch as God manifested Himself henceforth to Abram and his posterity alone as the author of salvation and the guide to true life; whilst other nations were left to follow their own course according to the powers conferred upon them, in order that they might learn that in their way, and without fellowship with the living God, it was impossible to find peace to the soul, and the true blessedness of life (cf. 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. 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. Lord may not be known, worship is surely described he does invest... Appeared to Abraham, not because it was probably years from the very first the germ of universalism unable... Referred to was the easiest thing to do it was leading as he went Negev ) significant! In them ( 11:32 ) to Abraham, not Terah was that blessingblessing... Of their own labors, rather than at Ur made idols..! 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