Among evangelical Christians, Abraham is quite possibly the most overlooked character in the Bible. He’s certainly the most misunderstood. In my experience, not one in a thousand Christians can provide a coherent explanation for how Abraham fits into the overall Biblical narrative.
In fact, there seem to be a growing number of pastors who rarely find their way into the Old Testament at all. Those who neglect the OT routinely fail to see how it provides the foundation for a Biblical worldview and shapes how we ought to see the role of Jesus.
Among such clerics, Abraham is rarely mentioned. When he does come up for discussion, his story is reduced to an odd assortment of events which are then used as isolated examples of good (“trust in God’s word”) or bad (“don’t lie about your wife”) behavior.
This is no small matter; failure to grasp Abraham’s central role has deleterious effects on other areas of our theology.
Abraham is first mentioned rather nondescriptly toward the end of Genesis 11, which contains a record of the descendants of Shem, the son of Noah. (Of course, Abraham begins as Abram; it’s not until chapter 17 that God changes his name to Abraham.)
Abram’s father was a man named Terah and he had two brothers, Nahor and Haran. While the family was living in Ur of the Chaldeans, Haran died at a relatively young age, leaving behind a son named Lot. Abram became the guardian of his nephew Lot.
Most Bible readers realize that God called Abram to leave his land and people and “go to a land I will show you.” But the text suggests that the family was already on the move, even before Abram’s theophany. Genesis 11:31 tells us, “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.” (Confusingly, Haran is the name of the town where Terah’s family settled and name of Terah’s son.)
It’s not clear what motivated Terah to embark upon this journey. Nor do we learn why Terah didn’t completed the trip to Canaan, but instead settled his family in Haran.
Where exactly was “Ur of the Chaldeans”? Most scholars believe that Ur refers to the prominent Sumerian city located on the west bank of the Euphrates River in southern Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). This site was excavated by eminent British archeologist Sir Leonard Woolley from 1922 until 1934. Among many other things, Woolley uncovered a royal cemetery which yielded a huge trove of dazzling artifacts.
The work of Woolley and other archeologists has revealed that at the time of Abram roughly 4000 years ago, Ur was the center of a prosperous & sophisticated civilization. The world’s oldest known code of law was developed here. Additionally, many cuneiform tablets have been discovered, recording the sale of wool, grain, slaves and land. Ur was clearly an important center for trade, and at least the elite populace was highly literate.
Ur was also a place of great spiritual darkness. The metropolis was dominated by a massive ziggurat dedicated to the worship of the moon god Nannar. The people were committed polytheists, worshipping a vast array of deities. There is much evidence for human sacrifice.
Woolley was a fervent evangelist who convinced most of his colleagues that Sumerian Ur was the birthplace of Abram. Sir Leonard certainly had strong motivation to make this connection; the status of his work was clearly enhanced by linking this site to the famous Biblical patriarch. To this day, most Bibles, textbooks and atlases identify Sumerian Ur as the birthplace of Abram.
However, others have made strong arguments that “Ur of the Chaldeans” was more likely located further north and west, in Anatolia (corresponding to the modern city of Urfa in SE Turkey). Advocates for this theory note that if Abram were from Sumerian Ur, his route of travel to Canaan would have taken him much further south, most likely through the oasis city of Palmyra. There is no clear reason why Abram would venture so far out of his way northward to Haran.
However, if “Ur of the Chaldeans” does in fact correspond to the more northerly location, then stopping in Haran makes excellent sense. Abram’s possible routes of travel are illustrated on the maps below, taken from Torah.com.
Abram’s origins make for a fascinating discussion (at least to me!). But at the end of the day, it makes little difference whether Abram came from Sumerian Ur or the more northerly, Aramean location. Both locations would be historically credible and culturally similar. Much more important are the theological ramifications of Abram’s story.
At the beginning of Genesis 12, the LORD appears to Abram and says, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
The theme of God’s promises to Abram is not difficult to discern! But word blessing isn’t often used in modern parlance. According to the Oxford dictionary, blessing involves God bestowing his “favor and protection.” Miriam Webster describes a blessing as something which contributes to someone’s happiness or welfare.
These definitions are helpful, but within the context of the book of Genesis, the word blessing is clearly intended to take us back to the creation narrative, when God pronounced his grand blessing upon humanity:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’…God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
From the beginning, God created human beings to be his regents, governing the creation according to his wisdom and goodness so that the creation might thrive. God’s blessing is therefore closely related to three key principles. (1) Mankind was created as God’s image-bearers. (2) Humanity has been given responsibility to rule over creation. (3) In order to fulfill their key role, people must increase in number; they must “be fruitful and multiply.”
If these conditions are met, then God’s blessing will be showered upon the world. The entire cosmos will flourish in the way that the creator intended.
Sadly, God’s fundamental design would soon unravel. Humans utterly failed to reflect God’s image. They rebelled against their creator, refusing to accept his wisdom and instead embraced their own ideas of right and wrong. The grim results are chronicled in Genesis 3-11. God’s lovely world was soon corrupted by violence, bloodshed, immorality, enmity and death. Rather than divine blessing, humans brought upon themselves curses.
This sequence should then help us properly frame the call of Abram. Faced with the catastrophe of human wickedness, God calls one solitary man and makes promises of blessing to him. Most Bible readers fail to grasp the full scope of these promises.
As I noted earlier, Abram/Abraham is often reduced to a mere object lesson. We’re urged to imitate his trust in God’s word. Or it’s pointed out that Abraham is the patriarch of Israel, which provides the “context” for the life of Jesus. These statements are true but completely miss the larger point.
God’s promises to Abraham amount to nothing less than a commitment to rescue and restore the entire creation. The divine blessing pronounced at the beginning was squandered by the sin of “Adam” – the Hebrew word for humankind. Now Abraham and his descendants are called to become the new humanity, the ones who will properly reflect the image of God. They shall govern the world according to the wisdom of the creator, allowing it to become a place of joy, peace, abundance and life.
Abraham is indeed the founding father of the Old Covenant, or Old Testament. And it is quite true that parts of the Old Testament are no longer valid. However, it’s crucial to recognize that the overall objective has not changed one whit: God remains determined to redeem his image-bearers so that the whole creation can enjoy his eternal blessing. In that sense, God’s covenant with Abraham has not changed from that day to this.
