Leaving Home

According to Acts 7:2-3, Abraham was unquestionably the initial person that God had chosen to call from Ur. Additionally, it appears from Josh. 24: 2 that Terah and all his family were originally idolatrous followers of the fertility cults. Abraham heeded the call of God and trusted Him. He was a converted believer and must have witnessed his faith to his family members. At first, this must have caused much disdain. His call to worship and obedience to God would have been most disrespectful to not only the immediate and extended clan family but also the entire community at large. Nevertheless, God’s Spirit is most powerful in moving men when His will is directed towards a person’s heart, and they follow accordingly. In this case, it started with Abraham.

Scripture doesn’t provide full insight into how God revealed Himself to Abraham. Regardless, some direct revelation from the Lord occurred. Was he taught somewhat as Paul had been at Gal. 1:11-12? It’s a mystery for now. Nevertheless, his love and respect for the Eternal must have been far reaching. His rejection of the many gods of his homeland and countrymen stand as the first of many actions that signified a profound faithfulness to God. How did Abraham’s numerous conversations unfold as he initially witnessed this new faith to his family? Their reaction to his discriminate opposition against their practice of idolatry would have been blasphemous to say the least. How many arguments arose? The unavoidable conflict concerning the family’s mothers, sisters, and daughters in service as common whores in their pagan temples would have surely been shocking. Abraham’s God would have claimed this practice was evil and demanded it be discontinued. They all doubtless must have struggled through many arguments, debates, and strife in the process of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide their hearts. Could Abraham’s family have shown more patience with him in the beginning of his rebellious attitude due to his being the runt in their litter? Often it’s the last-born in a family that is allowed more freedoms as they mature. Whatever the case, Abraham clearly must have passionately and convincingly witnessed his new faith to his immediate family.

Although leaving Ur initially began with Abraham, he did not go alone. In Gen. 11:31, Terah’s name is listed among those leading them from Ur. Leaving their homeland may not have been easy considering that many archealogical remains support the fact that Ur provided a wealthy, comfortable lifestyle as well as an obsession with the fertility cult. For Terah to lead his family out of that pagan world would show great faith and high regard toward Abraham’s God. However, the reference to Terah in leading them from Ur is most likely an honorary mention as eldest father of the group. According to the Biblical account, Terah was very aged and the trip leaving Ur must have taken a toll on him. Lot would have certainly been a hard worker and leader in this endeavor as they all would have been.

Prior to leaving Ur, once the immediate family had ceased in their community cult worship, the extended clan and neighbors would have begun to murmur. Rumor and gossip would have run wild. Next, must have come glares of contempt which would have been quickly followed by a shunning attitude. The extended family and larger clan must have played a paramount role in denouncing the totally reprobate alternative lifestyle that Abraham, Terah, and Lot were now undertaking. How long did it take for the severe persecution to begin against this small cadre of believers? How long could they remain safe from violence as a result? Lot, being the leader in the family, would have suffered the brunt of many hateful situations. He stood his ground, protected his family, and followed God in faith.

This small band of faithful believed the strong witness of their youngest Abraham. They made a stance to obey the call to worship and live right regardless of what the majority around them demanded. God said they would have to leave and go to a land He had reserved for them. They must have sold their home and business interests, converting much to ready cash and essential traveling needs. Now they would dwell in tents. Their life until now in Ur had been blessed by a wealthy and ideal situation for life in that age. The community must have thought them insane as they sold everything and prepared to leave. Their extended clan would have had the first offer at buying out their business and personal interests and would have probably offered a quick settlement to get them out of the way and lessen the certain embarrassment caused by their sacrilege. Together the believers prepared to leave.

It’s highly likely that more than the mere four named believers departed from Ur. Possibly not all of those present on the journey would have been eager to make the trip. Foremost in desiring to remain in Ur would have been those female subordinates who were forced to make the journey. It’s interesting to note that no mention is ever made concerning Lot’s mother in the Scriptural narrative. Similarly, Abraham’s mother, Terah’s wife, is never mentioned. In their culture, if a husband died (as Haran) with grown sons, the surviving wife could choose whether or not to remain in the immediate family without remarrying. She would have received a portion of her husband’s inheritance and may or may not remain in the same immediate family home. A young widow without sons would often remarry one of their deceased husband’s brothers if available. In our case though, all parties are somewhat older and imbued with adequate offsrping. Lot may have provided for his mother’s independence soon after Haran’s passing, or she may have (through rancor) refused to follow their newfound God and stayed with other family in Ur. Then too, as previously conjectured, Lot may have already fathered several children who although not mentioned by name may have set out on this journey. Consequently, the exact number of individuals who left Ur remains unknown, but logic indicates that it was certainly more than the four that are named; Terah, Abraham, Sarah, and Lot.

Eldest in age, Terah is listed as leading them out of Ur. However, the much younger and probably more physically able Lot, being next in line and responsible for aged Terah, would have done much of the work in planning and implementing a departure. The majority has focused on Abraham as the assumed elder and familial leader (before their departure) when that is simply not supported by close study of the Scriptural account. This does not suggest in any way that Abraham was less the man than what God and Scripture has clearly determined; instead, it merely defends and supports Lot’s reputation. This extremely viable alternative reality of Lot having greater authority over Abraham in their original familial setting stands as a testament to the veracity of Peter’s statements, and other Scripture, regarding the just and righteous character of Lot. He was not by any means the tragic figure so many have promoted. It is our belief that Lot greatly assisted Abraham in fulfilling his task and calling in God’s plan. Lot also helped God by supporting Abraham in this calling to preserve and pave the way for Messiah’s offering Salvation to the world. Lot defended Abraham and God.

Unlike the modern traveler, their journey was not planned out before departure with a major focus regarding final destination (Heb. 11:8). This further illustrates the depth of the faith of Lot, Abraham, and the others had exhibited. Lot, as family leader, would have engendered a high level of righteous faith in undertaking such a trek of unknown origins. Their resting-place in Haran (curiously named the same as Lot’s father), some 600 miles northerly, may have taken several months to accomplish, as traveling with an elderly family member, Terah, would have slowed their progress. Traveling northward along the beautiful foliage rich Euphrates river bottomland in the heart of the Fertile Crescent would have been an ideal tour for the eyes. Several reasons could have caused the temporary stopover in Haran where we see from Gen. 11:32 that Terah died. Had he become ill along the trip? Was old age the cause of his death? We don’t know for sure. Haran’s culture would have exhibited many religious similarities to Ur far behind them now. The search for decent shelter for ailing Terah may have been the catalyst for stopping at this city. The exact length of stay in Haran is never stated.

According to Gen. 12:4, Abraham was 75 years of age when departing Haran along with his listed brethren. Here he received another special invitation by God to seek out the promised land after his father’s death. As already discussed, his first calling came from God while in Ur. In Gen. 12:3, the only named companion to accompany Abraham from Haran is Lot. The language in this verse strongly implies a mutual involvement in their departure. This claim is supported by the fact that in Gen. 11:31 Scripture states Terah “took” the others. The author of Genesis recognized Terah’s patriarchal role as eldest father of Abraham’s family and honored him with that language of officially leading the family out from Ur. However, clearly in Gen. 12:4, the language does not show Abraham leading Lot from Ur in any subordinate manner. The text merely states they went together. Lot and Abraham shared a close and loving relationship. Their newfound faith and subsequent departure probably brought them closer together than they had ever been previously. Thus, it stands to reason that they were so much more than one a leader and the other a follower.

Our earlier position that Lot was the elder of Abraham still stands strong. Certainly, Scripture never states that Lot was the elder who took Abraham from Ur, yet this shouldn’t be taken as any proof that Lot wasn’t the elder. The focus of the writer in this passage was purely on Abraham, not an indication of who was subordinate to whom. In reality, the lack of language showing Abraham as taking Lot further supports our position that Lot was the elder. Had Abraham been the elder to Lot, it would seem proper for Scripture to state that Abraham took Lot. The absence of this language speaks much. The next verse (Gen. 12:5) would seem to indicate to some that Abraham in fact took Lot as a familial subordinate; however, we disagree. It is our contention that the focus here was merely on Abraham taking Sarah, and not any indication that Lot was subordinate. The previous verse which contends that Lot merely went with Abraham, along with the many points which have already been presented, and more to follow throughout this writing all lead to the conclusion that Lot was the elder to Abraham.

Thrust into an extreme situation, Abraham and Lot must have forged a unique relationship. After their many life experiences in Ur and abroad, these two friends and comrades wouldn’t have been very concerned with the pecking order. Historically, their culture was rife with normal families following a set structure on who would lead in many given situations. They had been led from their pagan surroundings by God and had rejected the religion of their homeland. In more ways than one, they were in completely new territory. Their new ways of life, proper laws, and cultural existence had not ye been fully determined. However, due to Abraham’s high character and cultural background, he was probably willing to accept Lot’s natural authority as family head. Numerous indicators imply that Lot was made the familial authority figure, but as times progressed Abraham’s spiritual character assuredly became more pronounced as well. It is our view that they both were subordinate to each other in differing roles. Lot had begun as the elder and natural leader of the family. Abraham had become the spiritual leader of this small flock that they collectively comprised (Matt. 18:20). They were family. They were brethren. They were friends. They were a team.