Jan 10 2006
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.
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