Genesis 11:31-32. 31Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.
Usually when we tell the story of Abraham we start with God telling him to go to the land of Canaan. Abraham listens to God and heads off to the Canaan land with no questions asked. But the Bible tells us in Genesis 11 that it is actually Abraham’s father, Terah, who is leading the family to Canaan – they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan.
But then something happened. Terah didn’t take the family all the way to Canaan. It says that they settled in a city called Haran. Rather than obeying God and going to the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, Terah settled his family in a place that was way more comfortable to him.
You see, Terah was an idol worshiper. The Bible says that Terah worshiped many gods, instead of worshiping Yahweh, the one true God. Terah was from a place called Ur. In Ur they worshiped the moon god, Nanna. Well guess what they worshiped in the city of Haran…that’s right, the moon god, Nanna. Ur and Haran had matching temples to Nanna. So when Terah got to Haran and it felt comfortable to him, he decided to just stay there. He stayed there so long that he died there – and Terah died in Haran.
Do you know what it means to settle? Have you ever settled for something that was less than God’s best for you? Have you ever settled for an idol instead of the one true God? When I was in middle school, my best friend would always ask to copy my homework, and I would let him. I settled. Why? Because I wanted to be liked more than I wanted to obey God.
Terah only made it half way to where God wanted him to be. When he got to Haran he chose what he could see (the city and the temple) over what he could not see (the land God promised to his family). Faith comes when we trust what God promises to us, even when we can’t see it yet. Terah couldn’t see the Promised Land so he never went there. But it was real. Very real. All he had to do was keep moving without settling.
What are some things that god has promised to us that we cannot see? Being with Jesus. Heaven. The Holy Spirit in us. There are many things that God promises to us that we can’t see yet, but we trust them. And that’s what will make Abraham different from his father. Abraham will trust in the promises of God even when he could not see them yet. Listen to how the author of Hebrews describes Abraham’s faith.
Hebrews 11:8-10. 8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
With Jesus our days of settling are over. Our days of trusting in the promises of Christ and moving forward by faith in him have only just begun.
You: Where are you settling for less than God’s best?
You with Jesus: What is a promise of God that you know you can trust even though you can’t see it yet? How do we know we can trust it? Because of Jesus. If Go gave us Jesus, won’t he give us everything else he promised?
Prayer: Father, you have made many promises to me. The promise of being with me, of going to Heaven, of forgiving me each time I sin. Help me to trust our promises today so that I don’t settle. Amen.
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