And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran. Genesis 11: 31, 32, NKJV.
Dear God, please give us ears to hear Your call, and help us to respond accordingly, for it is in recognizing and obeying Your call that that we find our place in life. In the holy name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
In our Scripture for today we find Terah headed toward Canaan with his son Abram, Abram’s wife Sarai, and his grandson Lot. My question is – why is he making this move? Has he been called by God to do this? Nowhere is found a call made to Terah to go anywhere. A note of interest is that he gets as far as Haran, and dies.
As we enter the following chapter we are greeted by Abram’s call to leave his country, his family, and his father’s house, and go “to a land that [God] will show [him]” (12: 1). This sounds as if God is asking Abram to make a “clean cut” with everything that is familiar to him. From all appearances, his must be a journey by faith and not by sight! Obviously his earthly parents are not to have anything to do with his journey to Canaan. He must now become the leader of a flock of his own under the guidance of his Heavenly Parent:
“So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan” (4, 5).
I found this rather interesting because I believe that salvation is a process of growth – human beings growing back into the image of God, from which we fell. I believe that in the same manner in which children experience growth spurts, during their physical development, Christians, at different times in our journey toward the Promise Land also have our spurts of spiritual growth that will eventually result in spiritual maturity.
Notice the steps:
Abram leaves Ur of the Chaldees led by His earthly father – Terah. He leaves Haran on the arms of his Heavenly Father – Jehovah (Genesis 11: 31; 12: 4).
He journeyed from Ur to Haran as a part of his father’s flock. He leaves Haran leading a flock of his own (11: 31; 12: 4, 5).
Abram left Ur headed for Canaan, following his father – but never arrives at his destination (11: 31, 32).
He leaves Haran, called and led by God, and arrives in Canaan (12: 1-5).
Abram goes into Egypt depending on Sarai to save him- He leaves Egypt knowing that God can, and will, defend His own (12: 10-20)!
Abram tries to produce the Seed – but realizes that he is only capable of producing an heir (16; 17: 18-21).
Then Abram matured into Abraham and was willing to sacrifice his son – It was then that he understood that God had already provided Himself a Perfect Sacrifice (Genesis 22: 1-18; John 8: 56)!
Heed the call – and enjoy the growth!