Abraham's Flaky Family Series

Intro:

1. George Bernard Shaw observed, "If the other planets are inhabited, then they must be using the earth, for their insane asylum."

2. We have just got started in this book - and what a mess we have seen so far:

Forbidden fruit loving Adam and Eve...

Killer Cain...

Have a blast while you last humanity...

Little ole wine drinking Noah...

Haughty Ham...

Nutty Nimrod...

And it doesnt get any better as we continue on our study!

3. The Flaky Family of Abraham.

Trans:God began working through the Human race and found them uncooperative; so now He narrows His focus through the Hebrew race - beginning with a man called Abram. Gen. 11:24-32

I. FIRST, THEIR PAGAN FAMILY BELIEFS. 11:24-28B

A. The Seed-line. 24-27

24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah. 25 After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters. 26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot - lets begin by identifying the characters.

Te-rah is a descendant of Shem and the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran's son Lot is thus Abram's nephew.

Sarah is, Abram's wife and half-sister - they had the same father, but different mothers (Gen. 10:12).

Nahor Abram's brother, had great granddaughters named Rachel and Leah, they would become the wives of Abraham's grandson Jacob.

Trans: The coming Messiah, as promised in Gen. 3:15, was the only hope for Fallen man.

Today that Messiah has come - He is the only hope for mankind! We no longer have to wait for Him; go to a certain place to find Him; He is a prayer away.

James A. Pike died in 1969. His death was dramatic and tragic. James was researching a new book on the historical Jesus. He decided to go to Jerusalem, to walk again where Jesus walked.

While driving in the desert on a hot August afternoon, he and his wife became lost. Mrs. Pike finally got help, but it was too late for her husband. He was dead.

A writer for Time reported, "What irony, that Pike should perish in the wilderness of the Judean desert, looking for Jesus."

A friend, commented, "Yes, and to think he could have found Him in California!"

You don't have to wait for and go somewhere, you can find the Messiah this morning, right here in Bentonville Ar!

B. The Seedy Linage.

Ur of the Chaldeans - this is close to where we fought in Desert Storm, about 75 miles north of the Kuwait border. It is in the southeast corner of modern Iraq.

Ur was no hick town!

Richards, "Ur was dominated by dominated by a giant three-stage Ziggurat [ZIG-guh-rat], reaching some 70 feet above the flat plain below.

On it were shrines to Nun-nar, the city's god. The city was enclosed by walls, some 30 feet high, which protected not only the city, but two harbors.

Among the more spectacular finds from Ur's early period, are beautifully worked gold jewelry and objects; gold inlaid musical instruments; and colorful mosaics illustrating civil and military life.

In addition, a number of clay tablets were recovered, including a Sumerian dictionary and a mathematical text recording cube roots. There were also business records, which show that the people of Ur were actively involved in international trade."

Willmington, "Preceeding the time of Abraham, it was the most magnificent city in all the world; a center of manufacturing, farming, and shipping...The god Nan-nar, who was the moon-god, and his wife Nin-gal were the main gods."

Abram's family were the original Moonies! They worshipped the moon...

*Josh. 24:2-3, 14.

"2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. Joshua 24:2-3

"Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! Joshua 24:14

Philips, "Abram's family, including Abram himself, were poly-the-is-tic idolaters. Their names come right out of the cult of moon worship.

Te-rah's name is related to the word yā-rē-ah, "moon" and ye-rah, "lunar month." Sarai is the equivalent to the Ak-ka-dian sar-ra-tu, "queen," and was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin.

Mil-cah is the same as the goddess Mal-kâ-tu, a title of Ish-tar, daughter of the moon god.