From verse 10, we have the lineage of Shem recorded.
The primary purpose of this lineage is to introduce us to Abram.
Abram, who will later have his name changed to Abraham, is both the father of monotheism and the nation of Israel.
Amidst a sea of names and genealogies that can be quite confusing, here is an effective way to logically organize this part of the Bible in your head.
-There are 10 generations from Adam to Noah.
-The tenth generation of Noah has him begetting three sons: Ham, Japheth, and Shem
-There are 10 generations from Shem to Abraham.
-The 10th generation ends with Terah begetting three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
It is also interesting to note that the number of years from the birth of Shem’s son to Abram’s migration to Canaan is exactly one solar year of 365 days.
Finally, take a look at verse 31.
“Terach took his son Avram, his son Haran’s son Lot, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Avram’s wife; and they left Ur of the Kasdim to go to the land of Kena‘an. But when they came to Haran, they stayed there.“
Although it is generally assumed that it was Abraham who first received the call from God to set out for the land of Canaan, according to this passage, it seems like it was Terah who first got the call.
At the time, Terah and his family resided in the city of Ur of the Chaldees which was an ancient culture of that area.
Sumer was the area’s name with Ur being the capital city.
It was a very wicked place where worship of the moon-god Hurki was prevalent.
Today this moon-god goes by the name Allah.
So we are told that Terah set out for the land of Canaan but instead of completing his journey he decided to stay in another city somewhere in the Mesopotamian region.
I believe there is an important spiritual lesson for us here.
How many of us have been called by God to fulfill a plan He has for our lives but due to the pressing cares and circumstances of this world, we let ourselves become sidetracked?
I suspect that this is what happened to Terah.
As a result, God ended up using Abram to fulfill His divine plan of creating a people unto Himself.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“The seed sown on rocky ground is like a person who hears the message and accepts it with joy at once, but has no root in himself. So he stays on for a while; but as soon as some trouble or persecution arises on account of the message, he immediately falls away. Now the seed sown among thorns stands for someone who hears the message, but it is choked by the worries of the world and the deceitful glamor of wealth, so that it produces nothing.” -Matthew 13:20-22
NEXT TIME WE BEGIN GENESIS CHAPTER 12
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