Genesis 11:27 – 12:9
Abram and Sarai’s Excellent Adventure
Or
Abram and Sarai’s Bogus Journey
Terah leads his family (Genesis 11:27-32): Lest we ever forget (or maybe just didn’t learn in the first place), Abram and Sarai’s travels began with them first following Terah, his father, as he chose to uproot his family so that they might relocate to Canaan. To be sure, I’m not trying to discount all that Abram and Sarai would come to do; I’m just seeking to give credit where credit is due. Granted, we don’t know why Terah decided to relocate his son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and all of their belongings, but he did so regardless. Maybe Abram and Sarai just needed someone to help them get their foot out of the door of their homeland; maybe Terah’s decision to move to a new locality served as an excellent and inspired example to them.
Terah himself was the father of 3 boys: Abram, Nahor, and Haran, 2 of whom had children of their own. Abram and Sarai, however, had no children, as Sarai “… was not able to conceive.” (Genesis 11:30ff, TNIV) From time immemorial, most world cultures have deemed a couple’s ability to bear children to be of highest societal importance. Whether the pressure came from religious or secular sources, couples unable to procreate were frequently marginalized and looked down upon as weak and/or sinful.
Along with Abram and Sarai’s troubles, Terah had to face the fact that his son Haran had died, leaving behind three children: Lot, Milkah, and Iskah. Orphaned children, even in our present society, typically have limited rights and representation, even to the point that they are often abused and forgotten. Luckily for Lot, as the oldest and only son, he was the heir to all of his father’s wealth – livestock, land, and all other possessions. Such was his privilege in being born into a patriarchal society.
For Milkah and Iskah, their position as women was much more tenuous than Lot’s, as it has been only in recent years that women have risen above the second-class-status that had been imposed them for so long. Milkah was the wife of Nahor, the last of Terah’s children; the Bible does not state what happened to Iskah. Granted, the family has often been the institution that has taken care of orphans, but such care often comes at a price: Milkah was mostly likely married off to Nahor and Iskah was most likely married off to someone, as women were viewed as property to be bought, sold, and traded.
His decisions concerning Milkah and Iskah notwithstanding, Terah deserves some credit for bringing Lot along with him on his journeys, as he could have easily left Lot behind to fend for himself on his inheritance. Terah, I propose, seemed to be an ideal patriarch, the man from whom Abram learned all of his best traits. Terah sought out what was best for his family and took care of that family, to the best of his ability. By choosing to relocate them, Terah was offering a brand-new start to Abram, Sarai, and Lot, a life that, due to their standing in their society, they might not have been able to live out in Ur of the Chaldeans. However, as plans can change, Terah had his family settle and live, upon their arrival in the city of Harran, aborting the journey to Canaan. Terah never made it to Canaan, since, “Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.” (Genesis 11:32, TNIV)
God comes a-calling (Genesis 12: 1-9): And with utterly no pretense, God came to Abram in the midst of what was most likely a very safe and comfortable existence with his father in Harran. God declared to Abram that there is this far-off place where Abram and his family should be headed, but the catch is that only God knows (no pun intended) where they will all be going. However, though Abram, Sarai, Lot and their entourage were being asked to travel across the (Saudi Arabian) desert with no clear idea of their destination, God did have a beautiful set of promises to set before Abram.
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3, TNIV)
I don’t know about you, but I would be really scared, honored, frightened, blessed, and pee-in-my-pants freaked out if anyone would spoken this over me, probably even more so if God had told me this in any kind of audible voice. What does that say about you and me if we were to have that kind of reaction? But the fact is that it is not noted specifically what Abram might have thought when God told him this. We can assume that there was some natural, human trepidation within Abram and Sarai at their hearing God’s promise over their lives, but that wouldn’t be appropriate. Abram just gathered everyone up and left, going where God directed his family. Absolutely amazing…
Think about what God is proclaiming here, compared with the human reality of the situation. 1) Abram will be the father of a great nation, though he and Sarai are physically unable to have any children. 2) Abram’s name will be made great, though there is no evidence that Terah or Abram were leaders of any kind in Ur or Harran. 3) God will bless Abram, Abram will bless others, how people respond to Abram will determine how God responds to them, and everyone on earth will be blessed because of Abram, even though Abram really hadn’t done anything worthy of receiving such other-worldly, insanely, seemingly-impossible-to-enact blessings. I’m not even sure how to process reading this section, much less imagining myself as Abram hearing God speak this over him and his family.
So, what does Abram do in response to this? He packs up everything and everyone, just as Terah had done with their move to Harran (though they had originally set out for Canaan). However, this time, the difference was that Abram would complete the journey that his father never did, traveling about Canaan to the great tree of Moreh at Shechem, the hills east of Bethel, and going down into the Negev and Egypt. Abram heard from God the promise that Canaan would belong to Abram’s offspring and responded by building an altar to the Lord at the great tree and in between Bethel and Ai.
How can I even begin to relate to Abram here? Has God asked me to move across whole nations and expanses of land with no forewarning, with the only promise that God will lead me, though I know not the way? No, God hasn’t, but I have been asked to step outside of my comfort zones, to leave behind the ideas, plans, and expectations that I’ve created for my life. Has God told me that I will be the father of a great nation that will spread across and bless the whole world? Not yet, but I have been told to forget what I think and to stop talking so often, so that I might be able to listen more fully to what God wants to say to me. Hmmm… I guess maybe I can find a bit of Abram inside of me; maybe I need to start finding a bit more of him, the part that actually believes and obeys after listening to God speak to me. Look at how often Abram talked to God in these verses – not at all…
Or
Abram and Sarai’s Bogus Journey
Terah leads his family (Genesis 11:27-32): Lest we ever forget (or maybe just didn’t learn in the first place), Abram and Sarai’s travels began with them first following Terah, his father, as he chose to uproot his family so that they might relocate to Canaan. To be sure, I’m not trying to discount all that Abram and Sarai would come to do; I’m just seeking to give credit where credit is due. Granted, we don’t know why Terah decided to relocate his son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and all of their belongings, but he did so regardless. Maybe Abram and Sarai just needed someone to help them get their foot out of the door of their homeland; maybe Terah’s decision to move to a new locality served as an excellent and inspired example to them.
Terah himself was the father of 3 boys: Abram, Nahor, and Haran, 2 of whom had children of their own. Abram and Sarai, however, had no children, as Sarai “… was not able to conceive.” (Genesis 11:30ff, TNIV) From time immemorial, most world cultures have deemed a couple’s ability to bear children to be of highest societal importance. Whether the pressure came from religious or secular sources, couples unable to procreate were frequently marginalized and looked down upon as weak and/or sinful.
Along with Abram and Sarai’s troubles, Terah had to face the fact that his son Haran had died, leaving behind three children: Lot, Milkah, and Iskah. Orphaned children, even in our present society, typically have limited rights and representation, even to the point that they are often abused and forgotten. Luckily for Lot, as the oldest and only son, he was the heir to all of his father’s wealth – livestock, land, and all other possessions. Such was his privilege in being born into a patriarchal society.
For Milkah and Iskah, their position as women was much more tenuous than Lot’s, as it has been only in recent years that women have risen above the second-class-status that had been imposed them for so long. Milkah was the wife of Nahor, the last of Terah’s children; the Bible does not state what happened to Iskah. Granted, the family has often been the institution that has taken care of orphans, but such care often comes at a price: Milkah was mostly likely married off to Nahor and Iskah was most likely married off to someone, as women were viewed as property to be bought, sold, and traded.
His decisions concerning Milkah and Iskah notwithstanding, Terah deserves some credit for bringing Lot along with him on his journeys, as he could have easily left Lot behind to fend for himself on his inheritance. Terah, I propose, seemed to be an ideal patriarch, the man from whom Abram learned all of his best traits. Terah sought out what was best for his family and took care of that family, to the best of his ability. By choosing to relocate them, Terah was offering a brand-new start to Abram, Sarai, and Lot, a life that, due to their standing in their society, they might not have been able to live out in Ur of the Chaldeans. However, as plans can change, Terah had his family settle and live, upon their arrival in the city of Harran, aborting the journey to Canaan. Terah never made it to Canaan, since, “Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.” (Genesis 11:32, TNIV)
God comes a-calling (Genesis 12: 1-9): And with utterly no pretense, God came to Abram in the midst of what was most likely a very safe and comfortable existence with his father in Harran. God declared to Abram that there is this far-off place where Abram and his family should be headed, but the catch is that only God knows (no pun intended) where they will all be going. However, though Abram, Sarai, Lot and their entourage were being asked to travel across the (Saudi Arabian) desert with no clear idea of their destination, God did have a beautiful set of promises to set before Abram.
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3, TNIV)
I don’t know about you, but I would be really scared, honored, frightened, blessed, and pee-in-my-pants freaked out if anyone would spoken this over me, probably even more so if God had told me this in any kind of audible voice. What does that say about you and me if we were to have that kind of reaction? But the fact is that it is not noted specifically what Abram might have thought when God told him this. We can assume that there was some natural, human trepidation within Abram and Sarai at their hearing God’s promise over their lives, but that wouldn’t be appropriate. Abram just gathered everyone up and left, going where God directed his family. Absolutely amazing…
Think about what God is proclaiming here, compared with the human reality of the situation. 1) Abram will be the father of a great nation, though he and Sarai are physically unable to have any children. 2) Abram’s name will be made great, though there is no evidence that Terah or Abram were leaders of any kind in Ur or Harran. 3) God will bless Abram, Abram will bless others, how people respond to Abram will determine how God responds to them, and everyone on earth will be blessed because of Abram, even though Abram really hadn’t done anything worthy of receiving such other-worldly, insanely, seemingly-impossible-to-enact blessings. I’m not even sure how to process reading this section, much less imagining myself as Abram hearing God speak this over him and his family.
So, what does Abram do in response to this? He packs up everything and everyone, just as Terah had done with their move to Harran (though they had originally set out for Canaan). However, this time, the difference was that Abram would complete the journey that his father never did, traveling about Canaan to the great tree of Moreh at Shechem, the hills east of Bethel, and going down into the Negev and Egypt. Abram heard from God the promise that Canaan would belong to Abram’s offspring and responded by building an altar to the Lord at the great tree and in between Bethel and Ai.
How can I even begin to relate to Abram here? Has God asked me to move across whole nations and expanses of land with no forewarning, with the only promise that God will lead me, though I know not the way? No, God hasn’t, but I have been asked to step outside of my comfort zones, to leave behind the ideas, plans, and expectations that I’ve created for my life. Has God told me that I will be the father of a great nation that will spread across and bless the whole world? Not yet, but I have been told to forget what I think and to stop talking so often, so that I might be able to listen more fully to what God wants to say to me. Hmmm… I guess maybe I can find a bit of Abram inside of me; maybe I need to start finding a bit more of him, the part that actually believes and obeys after listening to God speak to me. Look at how often Abram talked to God in these verses – not at all…
posted by APN | 4:16 PM
1 Comments:
I love the part about finding so much importance in the words of God... and kudos on using so many weird proper nouns in one post!
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