One of the most important concepts in the Word of God concerning the legitimate relationship between the LORD God, the Lord Jesus Christ and Christians is the concept of full inheritance. If a child truly belongs to a parent, and both have relationship with each other, then that relationship is sealed with a promise of inheritance. Just as older parents leave their children share in the fortunes they have multiplied in their lifetime, the LORD God also leaves inheritances for His children that have developed over the ages since Creation time.
“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)
In this lesson we are going to grasp what it meant for Abraham to leave his expected inheritance from his prosperous natural life, and go toward a promised inheritance within the spiritual realm. The founding patriarch of the Israelites, Christians and Muslims was once a normal man, living in a time where false gods inhabited every corner of his world. Traditional life for him was predictable; he had a natural life that brought comfort to him in his old age. He knew each day what the next would bring.
One of the first things you need to understand about Abraham’s natural life is his family structure. Abraham was the tenth generation from Noah, and the 20th generation from Adam. Abraham’s birth name was Abram, and his father’s name was Terah and his grandpa’s name was Nahor. His brothers’ names were Nahor and Haran. Lot was the son of Haran, which made Lot one of Abraham’s nephews. The family lived in Ur for most of their time together. Haran died in Ur, before Abraham was sent to Canaan by the LORD God.
“And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Now these [are] the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.” (Genesis 11:24-28)
Jewish legend says that Abram’s father Terah was a maker of false idols out of clay. This mythological account says that Abram was against the making of idols when he saw a man fifty-years-old purchase an idol that was only one-day old. This made absolutely no sense to Abram, and caused him to try to encourage his father to change professions (Spence 1917, 51). While we cannot confirm this traditional fable with any proof, we can surmise with some certainty that 1) The city of Ur’s population worshipped numerous false gods, and 2) something provoked Abram to seek after a God that was stronger than all of the false gods that his society worshipped.
Jewish tradition concerning Terah has taken on the character as being factual when an analysis of his things were recorded in the Midrash, the verse by verse commentary of Jewish scholars. The Midrash claims that Terah is an evil idol storeowner (E.g., Numbers Rabbah 19:1; 19:33.). The tradition says that Terah asked his son to watch after the store for a while. A woman brought in flour to offer to the idols; Abram broke all the idols and put a large stick in the hand of the largest.
When his father came back to the store, tradition says that Abram told his father that the largest idol had beaten the other idols up with the stick, breaking them all. Terah thought this ridiculous; Abram tried to make him realize that if he thinks this ridiculous, then there is no truth to the idols. Terah allegedly was so angry that he delivered Abram to King Nimrod, where he was placed in a burning fire for punishment (Genesis Rabbah 38:13.). When God saved Abram, his father Terah repented, and begin following after Abram’s God. (Zohar, Bereshit 1:77b.)
Quite a story isn’t it! Tradition is rich with stories that have no proof.
We should never attach more significance to tradition, fables and myths than we do to the Word of God. The Bible is fully Truth! The Word of God records the truth about Terah, and reliably presents a certain fact about him that is important to the whole picture of Abram’s faith.
”And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, [even] Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.” (Joshua 24:2)
Abram’s father and community worshipped false gods, confirmed by the Word of God!
Yet, Abram rejected the common false gods of his family, friends and society, and sought after the true LORD God!
In fact, it is that unique choice that Abram made, that reflects his early faith so powerfully! And it is that same deep faith that many new Christians choose, when they reject the things of their family, friends, society and world, and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Just as Abram did in his time, so do numerous young Christians, as they are forced to make a choice between the true LORD God and the false idols of the world.
When the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior is made, a believer is often separated from everything that is familiar in their life, and found to be at odds with a life that was previously lived with regular beat. Suddenly, the new believer finds themselves in a brand new place, with no familiar landmark, pace, or flavor; they cling to the Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowshipping Christians placed in their lives to establish some sort of predictability and comfort in a very new life of faith.
One moment life is predictable; the next, new believers find themselves in a Kingdom that has full flavor and timely function with rituals and traditions that are foreign to them. In the beginning of their walk with Jesus Christ, they are often required to leave the familiar and choose the unknown, which creates an air of uncertainty as the new life becomes real. These first moments as a brand new Christian are made easier by mature Christians guiding their path toward Him.
Abram had no assurance! He had absolutely no idea of his destiny, yet, his belief in the LORD God, God above all other gods, was so sure and certain, that he had no choice but to take that chance. He left everything familiar about his life, to begin a new life, with a promise of inheritance to be given to him by the LORD God.
That is all the proof we need to understand the dire straits that Abram faced to follow after the true LORD God. Abram chose to leave the inheritance of his natural life father and to walk away from the worship of false idols. Instead, Abram trusted in the inheritance of his Father LORD God, and walked toward Him with a surety of faith. As a result, Abram became a Father to the future Tribes of Israel, the Jewish nation, and Christians, who are all promised to inherit through him.
