RUSSELL SANDERS
1-4-2023
A JOURNEY OF FAITH
LESSON 1
Hebrews chapter eleven is so often called “The Faith Hall of Fame” as it features patriarchs from Enoch and onward. The patriarch most honored was Abraham, “the Father of Faith.” How did he get to be known for his faith? We will look at it from his beginning and see how it may apply to us.
We need to start with the historical information. Abraham’s family lived in the city of Ur in the country of Chaldea. Chaldea was at the southern most area of the Fertile Crescent. It was later the south part of Babylon, which is present-day Iraq.
The eighth generation from Shem (Noah’s son) saw Nahor born. Nahor then begat Terah. He begat the tenth generation of three sons; Abram, Haran, and Nahor (named after his grandfather). (Genesis chapter 11.)
Chaldea was a pagan land with various pagan gods that they worshipped. Scripture does not indicate who Terah and his sons might have worshipped, but it becomes clear that Jehovah had plans that were to come out of this family. Those plans included removing Terah out of Chaldea.
Genesis 11:31 says, “Terah took Abram his son, and Lot… and they went forth…from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan (westward). And they came unto Haran and dwelt there.”
God had moved upon Terah to leave home and go to a scarcely known land of Canaan near the Mediterranean Sea.
Terah’s son, Haran, had died in Ur, but not before having children, most notably Lot. Nahor chose to remain in Chaldea.
Terah’s journey went halfway to Canaan. He stopped there and named the place after his dead son Haran. He took root there and never left Haran and never reached Canaan where apparently God had directed him. He would not leave the place named after his son.
How does a journey of faith fit into this scenario? We shall discuss that tomorrow as we move on from Terah to his son Abram.
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