From a scattered world to the blessing of all nations through one family, the author of the book of Genesis focuses on a single family hereon. God calls Abram to leave his father’s household and hometown, sending him to scatter even further. At the ripe old age of seventy-five, Abram accepts God’s call and leaves his father’s household to follow God’s voice.
Abram and his family were idol worshipers (Joshua 24:2), yet God chose not only to reveal Himself to Abram but also to deliver His redemption plan for all mankind through him. The author of Genesis traces Abram’s roots back to the family that entered the ark, introducing the third genealogy in the book of Genesis (Genesis 11:10-26).
Promise of Redemption
Unlike other genealogies, this one does not highlight remarkable individuals but serves a crucial purpose—it connects Abram to Adam and Eve and to God’s promise that through their lineage, He would send the one who would crush the serpent’s head. This genealogy highlights the foundation of the chosen race: Terah, Abram, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah—the descendants of Shem through whom God’s promise to Eve in Genesis 3:15 will ultimately be fulfilled.
And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel. – Genesis 3:15 (NIV)
Terah lived in Ur of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) a place which existed during Solomon’s time, suggesting that either the book of Genesis was written during that period or that it was later edited in King Solomon’s time. However, after the death of his son Haran, Terah and his family left Ur and set out for Canaan.
Terah Leaves for Canaan
While the exact reason for their move is not explicitly stated, migration in those times was often driven by food availability. If there was a famine in the region, it would have been necessary for them to seek new land—both to sustain themselves and to find adequate grazing pastures for their large herds of cattle. In the book of Acts, Stephen’s final testimony mentions that Abram received God’s instructions to go to Canaan while he was still in Ur. It is possible that after his brother’s death, the family relocated to the place God had directed them.
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. – Genesis 11:31 (NIV)
Perhaps due to Terah’s advancing age, the family does not make it all the way to Canaan and instead settles in Harran, which is on the way. It is after the death of his father that God again calls Abram to leave his father’s household and go to Canaan. The author also deliberately highlights that Sarai was barren, introducing a recurring theme in Genesis—the struggle of women in the chosen lineage to conceive. This pattern continues with Sarai, Rebecca, and Tamar, emphasizing God’s role in bringing forth His promise despite human limitations.
God Calls Abram
God asks Abram to leave everything behind and follow His voice, and remarkably, Abram complies. While it may not have been immediate, he ultimately sets out from his home and family to live in tents for the rest of his life, with only Lot from his immediate family accompanying him on this journey.
Abram was chosen not because of conventional qualifications but precisely because of what seemed like disqualifications. His and Sarai’s barrenness, which would typically be seen as a limitation, became the very reason God chose them. This allowed God to demonstrate His power and faithfulness by making them the foundation of a great nation, proving that His plans transcend human expectations.
The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. – Genesis 12:1 (NIV)
Faith Breeds Outside Our Comfort Zones
God called Abram to leave his country, people, and family because faith breeds outside our comfort zone. He cannot continue living the same life as Abram came from a family of idol worshippers, and leaving was necessary for God to separate him for His purpose. This separation mirrors what happened at the Tower of Babel, where people wanted to unite in one place, but God’s plan was for them to spread. Similarly, Abram was called out so that God’s purpose could unfold in a new way.
Stephen’s words later reveal that God had been calling Abram even before his father died, showing that God’s plans were already in motion and that Abram had been stalling on his move. This suggests that the call to leave was not just about relocation but about obedience and full commitment to God’s purpose. Abram’s delay in moving may indicate the struggle between comfort and faith, but ultimately, God’s plan required him to step out in trust, leaving behind familiarity to embrace the unknown.
God’s Promise
“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 (NIV)
Abram obeyed the Lord’s command and left Haran at the age of seventy-five, taking his wife Sarai, nephew Lot, their possessions, and the people they had gathered. They set out for Canaan and arrived there. Abram travelled through the land, reaching the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem, where the Canaanites were living at the time.
The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land. ” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. – Genesis 12:7 (NIV)
Throughout Genesis, altars (and even wells, to some extent) serve as markers or checkpoints for this nomadic family. Abraham built altars to the LORD at places like Shechem and later at Bethel where God spoke to him. The practice of building altars by the forefathers predates the tabernacle system introduced to the Israelites by Moses and Aaron. For Abraham and his family, these altars were not idols, but rather signposts along their journey. As nomads constantly on the move, they used these altars like checkpoints or “telephone booths” on the road, places to reconnect with God as they travelled the vast land in search of the promised land.
Discussion Questions
- What is the purpose of recording the lineage from Shem to Abram?
- What prompted Terah and his family to leave Ur?
- Why did God call Abram to leave his father’s household and go to Canaan?
- How will God bless all nations through Abram?
- Why did Abram build these altars for the LORD?
The Jordan Valley 
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