Don't Delay Series

A couple from north Oklahoma decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to thaw out during one particularly icy winter. Because they both had jobs, they had difficulty coordinating their travel schedules. It was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on Thursday, and his wife would follow the next day.

Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the motel. He decided to open his laptop and send his wife an e-mail back home. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address, and sent the e-mail without realizing the error.

In Houston, a widow had just returned from her husband’s funeral. He was a pastor of many years who had been called home quite quickly to glory. The widow checked her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted and fell to the floor.

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

TO: My loving wife

FROM: Your departed husband

SUBJECT: I’ve arrived!

MESSAGE: I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is hot down here.

Our next relative received a message from God. His was much more clear and precise than this unfortunate pastor’s wife. But before we discover his life, let’s review the rest of the story of Noah.

After spending more than a year in the ark all the animals were released. Noah and his three sons begin repopulating the world. Noah’s son Shem would have the first son born into the newly recreated world. His name would be Arphaxad (ahr-FAK-sad)which meant healer or releaser. He would be the hope for the world to be healed of the scars of destruction and the releaser of a godly lineage. His lineage would cumulate with the birth of Jesus.

Noah would live to see 10 generations including our next ancestor, Abram. But in the midst of his journey he discovered that man still had a perchance to go against God’s wishes.

Genesis 10:25 “Eber had two sons. The first was named Peleg (which means ‘division’), for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups.”

God had commanded Noah and his sons to be multiply and fill the earth. However, one hundred years after the flood, people decided to build a tower to in-house God. This was probably a pyramid like structure that would have a temple at the top for God to reside. The reasoning behind the decision was to make themselves famous in the eyes of God. If God resided in this place, then they could remain in this area and not scatter.

So God confused their language and the people scattered throughout the as God commanded. Peleg would settle in Chaldea.

It is in this local that we read about his great-great-great-great grandson Terah.

Genesis 11:27 This is the account of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.

Not much is known about Terah. We know that he lived in the city of Ur. Ancient manuscripts reveal that Ur was a pivotal worship center of the moon god Sin since men had begun to worship false gods along with the ne true God. His daughter, Sarai, meant “my princess” which was a term related to the wife of the moon god. His daughter-in-law, Milkah, carried the same name as one of the daughters of the moon god. His son carried the same name as another major city of the moon god worship, Harran. Jewish folklore indicates that Terah may have been an idol maker as a trade. The Bible is not clear on any of this but, if true, then Abram may have been a moon worshipper also. But it is also possible that Noah had settled in Chaldea also. Abram would have had 58 years to spend with Noah, hearing of the tales of Adam, Enoch, the great flood, and God’s relationship with Noah. That would have made his heart more sensitive to the call of God.

Haran had three children, Iscah, Milcha, and Lot. Haran died leaving his children in Terah’s care. Nahor would marry his niece, Milcha. Abram would marry his half-sister Sarai, who would prove to be barren.

So let’s look at our first lesson. You may choose to stop and settle.

Genesis 11:31 “One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there.”