Abram was the son of Terah and they
lived in Ur of the Chaldeans. Now Ur was an important city in the
ancient world. It was a major urban centre on the Mesopotamian
plain. The discovery of the Royal Tombs has confirmed its
splendour. The wealth found inside these tombs were unparalleled up
to then and was a testimony to the wealth of Ur, as all the wealth
that came to Mesopotamia by sea had to pass through Ur.
Now Terah took Abram, Sarai and Lot
(his grandson) and left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of
Canaan. Now Ur must have been a very comfortable place to live in
in those days. I would imagine that it was a very modern city for
that day, with all the amenities they needed. Imagine living in New
York and then the Lord tells you to move to the Kalahari desert. It
is not an easy move for someone used to the city life. But they
were obedient and left Ur for Canaan. Now the Bible tells us that
on their way to Canaan, they stopped at a village in Haran. And if
you look at a map of that ancient time, that means that they didn't
cross the desert to get to Canaan, but they travelled alongside the
Euphrates River which is a much longer detour. And then we read
something interesting:
"But they stopped instead at
the village of Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years
and died while still at Haran." Genesis 11:31, 32
On their way to Canaan, they gave
up and rather stayed at Haran. Now in the first place it must have
been very difficult for them to leave Ur. They must have had a very
comfortable life style in modern Ur. And to just leave for a total
unknown land must have been very difficult. Plus they had to start
all over again in a seemingly hostile land. And their means of
travelling is not close to what we have today. It must have been
tiresome and also dangerous with wild animals and bandits lurking
around. But they left Ur despite the odds. However they didn't take
the quickest route, but rather opted for the longer safer route
alongside the river. But when they came to Haran they decided to
rather stay there and not go any further. Why? We don't know. Maybe
they were tired; maybe they were afraid to continue further, maybe
Terah felt he was too old to continue further. We don't know. All
we know is that they stopped half way to their destination.
And there is a lesson to be
learned. Today I would like to encourage you to not stop halfway.
Often times we make the sacrifices to follow God's calling in our
lives and when the going gets tough, we settle in our own 'Haran's'
where it is more comfortable. We then console ourselves, saying
that we were at least half way obedient, it is better than nothing,
right? But it is not, it is important that we finish the task
assigned to us.
I am sure you all know that Abram
didn't stop there, he continued further to Canaan. But what if he
didn't? What if he decided he liked Haran more? What if he grew so
comfortable there that he didn't want to move anymore? I am sure
God would have chosen someone else to grow His nation with and
today none of us would even have known who Abram was.
But Abram didn't stop and we need
to learn from him. Don't settle for second best, but rather finish
your task ahead. Greatness lies within, greatness accompanies
obedience to God. Total obedience, not half measures. Don't give up
and don't stop halfway. Finish your task and receive your heavenly
reward from your Father, mightily pleased with you.
Father please give us the strength
to continue on our life path no matter what. Please help us not to
give up, no matter how tough it gets. Please be with us and lead
the way. Thank you Father. We ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen