"And Terah took Abram his
son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sari his daughter-in-law, his
son Abram's wife: and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order
to enter the land of Canaan: and they went as far as Haran and settled there."
The Bible is a remarkable book. Each time you pick it up you find something
new, even when you are reading a familiar story. Such was the case here. I had
always assumed that Abram had been called by God to leave Ur of the Chaldeans.
I was wrong. He was called out of Haran. Why was he in Haran? Because his
father Terah was taking the family to the promised land, but he settled in
Haran instead.
It was like a highlight pen emphasized those words as I read them: "and they
went as far as Haran and settled there." Terah had set out for Canaan Land,
but he never made it. He settled in Haran. What was this place called Haran?
It was located on the river Balih practically on the border of the Land of
Canaan which encompassed modern day Syria, Lebanon and Israel. It was an
important place of commerce. It was on the trade routes between Nineveh to
Aleppo. It was also home for a major temple for the worship of Sin, the
moon-God. Apparently, Terah had relatives there, because both Isaac and Jacob
are recorded as returning there to obtain wives from their kindred.
But the big question remains, Why did Terah stop short of his Goal? Why did
Abraham have to finally complete the journey? We don't know for certain.
Rabbinical tradition says that Terah was an idol maker by trade. Perhaps, in
this city dedicated to a false God provided a lucrative market for his wares.
Perhaps he worshipped that God himself. Perhaps he didn't want to leave his
relatives. Perhaps he just got tired of the journey. Whatever the reason, he
never made it to Canaan.
Many Christians are like Terah. We start out for our own promised lands. It
may be a ministry, a marriage, a family, a career, or some other goal. But we
stop short of the Goal. Indeed, we stop just short of the goal. Maybe we get
bogged down trying to make a living. Maybe the cares of daily life drag us
down. Maybe our family activities take precedence over our activities for the
Lord. Maybe we just get tired. So, we settle in Haran. We may even make some
compromises with the Natives. No, we are not going back to Ur. But we are not
going on to Canaan. We are setting on a border neither really in or really
out. At best, settling in Haran, robs us of the riches God has for us. At
worst, it leads to that luke warm lifestyle that Jesus says is so disgusting
that he will "spue thee out of my mouth." (Revelation 3.16).
Lord, please help us to keep up the journey and regardless of the enticements,
never settle in Haran when the promised land is just around the corner.