January 4, 2017 Bible Study — Never Too Old

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 12-15.

    This passage begins with God calling Abram to continue the journey his father had begun. I have always been curious as to why Terah started the journey to Canaan, but never completed it. However, today I noticed something for the first time. God called Abram to leave his father’s household, yet this call appears to come after his father had died. Furthermore, Abram’s father traveled from Ur with Abram, Abram’s wife Sarai, and Abram’s nephew, Lot. Sarai and Lot went with Abram when he left Haran. So, who else was part of Terah’s household? (Abram’s other surviving brother had remained behind in Ur). I have long suspected that the reason that Terah left Ur was because his family was one of the few remaining who remembered the stories passed down from the time of Noah and that he wanted to find a place where his descendants would not be corrupted by the stories which had replaced them. Perhaps the remaining servants in Terah’s household were believers in the religion of Ur, rather than the traditions of the Bible.

    When Abram was called by God to leave Haran and travel on to Canaan he was 75 years old. Think about that, Abram set out to start a new life in a new land at 75 years of age. Despite what we would consider his advanced age, Abram was able to mount a military campaign to rescue Lot and the other captives from Sodom and Gomorrah. Think about that, Abram, who was now at least 80 years old and living as a nomad, led the armed men of his household and defeated the forces which had defeated the armies of Sodom and Gomorrah. Next time you think that you are too old for the task to which God has called you, think about Abram at 80 (this is a theme which comes up again before we get to the end of Genesis).