IMITATE THEIR FAITH/SARAH - Conclusion of THEY "WENT OUT OF THEIR LAND"

The caravan journeyed first to Haran, some 600 miles (960 km) to the northwest, following the course of the Euphrates. At Haran, the family settled for a time. Terah may have been ailing at this point, unable to travel farther.  The family stayed until he died at 205 years of age.  At some point before the next phrase of their journey, Jehovah spoke again to Abraham telling him once more to leave this land and go  to the land that Jehovah would show him.  In this instance, God added a thrilling promise:  "I will make you a great nation." (Genesis 12:2-4) But when they left Haran, Abraham was 75 and Sarah 65, and they were childless.  How would a nation come from Abraham?  Would he take another wife? Polygamy was a common practice in those days, so Sarah may well have wondered about that. 

At any rate, they left Haran and pressed onward.  Note, though, who was now with them. The account tells us that Abraham's family  left with the wealthy they had gained as well as  "the people whom they had acquired in Haran." (Genesis 12:5) Who were those people? Servants, most likely.  However, Abraham and Sara doubtless shared their faith  with those who were willing to listen. Some ancient Jewish paraphrases thus say that the people referred to in this verse were also proselytes, people who had joined Abraham and Sarah in worshipping Jehovah. If, so, Sarah's deep faith no doubt  made her very convincing when she spoke to others about her God and her hope.  That is useful for us to contemplate, for we live in an age when faith and hope are in desperately short supply.  When you learn something  good from the Bible, could you share it with someone?

Next time: IMITATE THEIR FAITH/SARAH - "DOWN TOWARD EGYPT

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