“Terah begat Abram, Nahor, Haran; and Haran begat Lot.... And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah,...” vv. 27,29. Haran died before his father, leaving his son, Lot, who attached himself to his uncle Abram, much to the latter’s grief in later years.
“And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot... and Sarai...; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.” It was a long joey that they undertook, well over 600 miles from Ur to Haran, and that far again to Canaan.
Now Abram had had a distinct call from the Lord to leave his country and kindred to go into a land which the Lord would show him (Gen. 12:11Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: (Genesis 12:1)). But at first he only partially obeyed the call. He did not leave his father’s house, for his father went along. This is often the case with those whom the Lord calls for special service. He not only did not separate from his father’s house, but he went only halfway. He did not complete the journey until after his father had died, after natural ties were broken.
The path of faith is a path of separation from this world, and very often the Lord’s people stop halfway, instead of seeking grace and wisdom for the path as marked out in the Scriptures. They allow friendships and relationships to interfere. They may leave that which in deep exercise of soul has become a great burden to them, but they stop at something which is perhaps a little nearer the truth, yet still is just a halfway house after all.
Some may wonder why they went northward by the way of Haran, instead of going straight west to Canaan. But it does not appear that the Lord told him at first what was the final destination of the journey, for He desires to have the exercise of faith for each step of the way.
The more direct way would have been across the desert, a journey over a route with many hazards along its course. In a later day the Lord did not lead the children of Israel in the more direct route, by way of the Philistines, lest they be discouraged by their warlike attitude, but took them by a way that led around these nations.
The path of faith is in a sense one in which we cannot see far ahead. We journey on it from day to day in dependence on the Lord for guidance. Matthew 7:13,1413Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13‑14) is a good description of it. We may be sure that Abram’s journey was one that required a constant prayerful attitude for guidance each step of the way in order that he might carry out the purposes of his call. There may have been a letting down in this when they first arrived in Haran. It may have looked pleasant to the eyes, and so they remained there, perhaps much longer than he first thought of, but this is the way if we lean on our own understanding instead of waiting on the Lord for His guidance.
ML 01/03/1965