Abraham's Mysterious Past
Some of the events in this story may be surprising. Make sure to read my comments and observations after the story. I wrote this short story you are about to read in the first person from Abraham’s perspective.
Biblical scholars have written many things about the life and times of Abram. We know him better as Abraham. From this point on, I will refer to him as Abraham. I have been a Christian for over thirty years, and have heard many sermons about this important man of God. Yet, as I began preparing this series, I realized there were aspects of his life that I had never considered. And it starts with his mysterious past.
I want to highlight some key moments in his early life. Like Jesus, there is not much about this season in his life. By the time we get to Genesis 12, Abraham will be 75 and heading toward the land of Canaan. Despite the brief glimpse into his early days, there is still much we can learn about him and his family. I hope his journey of faith will inspire you to trust God even when life is difficult and doesn’t make sense.
Abraham’s Mysterious Past
Background Passage: Genesis 11:10-32
My father. Terah was 70 before he started having children. (Genesis 11:26). I was the firstborn, followed by Nahor and Haran. Most men during our time were having their first kids in their mid-thirties (Genesis 11:10-26). I had no idea that Dad having three boys so late in life would be a great blessing to me. Watching my older father go through this life-changing ordeal taught me how to be a man. His faith inspired me to trust the Lord. It also helped me endure all those years I had to wait for Isaac’s birth. I still can’t believe that I was 100 when he was born. The hurt and pain I endured all those years was nothing compared to the many troubles I had early in life.
I grew up in a single-parent home. I never knew my Mom. Ten years after my birth, Dad remarried, and my half-sister, Sarah, was born (Genesis 17:17, 20:11-12). For some reason, her mother didn’t want anything to do with me. To this day, I have no idea why. But it didn’t matter. Several years later, when my brother Haran died, she left our family. It was like she disappeared off the face of the earth. Even Sarah had a hard time understanding why.
We also had a hard time dealing with Haran’s early death. He was a pioneer and a trailblazer. Long before Nahor and I married, our brother moved out and had a family of his own. He was the youngest and not supposed to die. His death was sudden, and it changed the course of our lives forever. I asked Dad how he died.
“It doesn’t matter son, he said. Your brothers dead and their is nothing we can do about it. We have to be strong and stick together if we are going to survive as a family.”
Man, was he right. I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t tell me. It was his way of protecting me from something I didn’t need to know. We lived in a wicked city called the Ur of Chaldees. People loved to worship pagan gods in our city. They even built huge temples called ziggurats. I despised watching them put on their festivals and public display of worship. Few people believed or worshipped the same God as our family. Many people looked down upon us. They may have murdered my brother. And Dad didn’t want us to waste time seeking revenge. It would have been a war we would not have won. He raised us to be kind, loving people.
I had plans to marry Sarah. Our family didn’t have a problem keeping marriage in the family. Dad was glad when I told him. He was a shrewd businessman and didn’t want to pay the huge dowry for a wife. And there weren’t too many good women who worshipped our God.
Part of me didn’t want to marry Sarah so soon after my brother’s death. I didn’t feel like celebrating, even though I was glad to be marrying her. I also knew that she would be a big help in raising Lot, Haran’s son. My Dad, Sarah, and I raised him as if he were our own.
Nahor chose to marry Milcah, the oldest daughter of Haran. I admired him for that decision. He didn’t have to. But a family has to stick together to survive, as Dad used to say. For a season, Nahor also took care of Iscah, Haran’s other daughter. I’m not sure what happened to her. Not long after our brother’s death, Dad, Sarah, Lot, and I headed toward the land of Canaan.
When we got to Harran, my father thought it was a great place to live. He bought and sold livestock. He was certain that our family would do well there. But I knew God had called me to Canaan. (See Acts 7:2-3). That’s where we were going before my father changed his mind. When I first learned about Harran, I thought they named the city after my brother. But Dad told me they established the city long before our brother was born. I still think there may have been a hint of pride when he thought about living in Harran. Something about it felt special to him.
For a season, my family and I lived in Harran with my dad. (Genesis 11:31). After all, I couldn’t afford to make the journey on my own. Dad and I worked together buying and selling animals. He knew I would need the money to take care of Sarah and go to Canaan, so we became business partners. Things went better than I could have ever expected in Harran.
Around my 75th birthday, my Dad had what I call a mental breakdown. He seemed sad, angry, and irritable. I went to pray for him. “Don’t pray for me,” he said, “I don’t believe in your God anymore.”
“After all that we have been through, Dad, how can you say that?” It hurt my heart to hear him talk that way.
“I know that you will be leaving soon and you don’t love me. Why would God take you away from me. Your my oldest son but you also are my best friend.”
I went to bed with a heavy heart. I knew older people could overreact and get emotional, but I didn’t think that would happen with my Dad. That night, the Lord told me to leave my country, family, and people. He called me to go to a land that He would show me. The God of Heaven also told me I would be a great nation and a blessing to the world. (Genesis 12:1-4). I shake my head and smile every time I remember what He said to me.
I was a wealthy man when I left Haran (Genesis 12:5). Our successful business allowed me to hire a bunch of workers to help me on my journey to Canaan.
It was hard leaving my aging father. Sarah and I took Lot because I didn’t think it was wise for him to have the extra responsibility. Thank God he had good caretakers. Sorrow and pain filled my heart as I continued to walk toward Canaan. My father lived 60 more years. Who could ever have imagined he would live to be 205? God was so good to us. Yet sadness came over my heart when I thought about my Dad turning away from God. Shortly after I left, I heard that my brother Nahor had also chosen to worship the gods of Harran. I did my best to push away the hurt and pain. I had to be strong. The journey to Canaan was going to be long and hard.
Author Comments:
This may not be the way you would have thought Abraham’s father and brother would have turned out. These things are not stated in the Background text I used to write this story. However, Joshua 24:2-3 mentions that Abraham’s father and brother, Nahor, served other gods. Was that why God told Abraham to separate himself from his family? These kinds of questions led me to end the story this way.
Developing a good short story about Abraham is a daunting task. His early life raises many questions. There is no way of knowing how long Abraham lived in the Ur of Chaldees or Harran. I did my best to write things that were accurate and insinuated within the Biblical text.
It must have been difficult for Abraham to live with or near his father for 75 years and then leave. It may not have been easy for his father, Terah, to let go of his son after so many years being together. If he were a single parent, I would imagine that bond would have been even greater. Terah may have wondered how he would make it without his son.
We don’t know with absolute certainty what caused Abraham’s father and brother to turn away from the God of Heaven. It may not have been one event. It may have been all the heartache and pain he endured over the years. Sometimes life can feel overwhelming and tragic. It is hard to see how a loving God is working when you feel your world is falling apart.
There is a long list of other possibilities that could have caused Terah and Nahor to lose faith. They lived in a pagan city with people who worshiped other gods. Archaeologists have found massive ziggurats or temples near where Abraham lived.
There is more to consider. Did Abraham or Sarah’s mother play some part in Terah and Nahor falling away from God? Could that be why Abraham didn’t want to say anything about them in this brief narrative section? Scripture is silent about their presence, so I decided to say that Abraham didn’t know his mother. However, it is logical to think that he would have known Sarah’s mother. Thus, I wrote that she didn’t like him and disappeared when Abraham’s brother died.
There are many other possibilities I could have considered. But I thought this was the best approach. I say these things to be transparent, honest, and clear. There is no way to know exactly why scripture is silent about these matters. It could be that Abraham didn’t want to disgrace his father or family. Even the death of his brother he left unexplained. Someone might have killed him because of their religious faith. That is why I call Abraham’s early life a great mystery.
More Thoughts About Abraham
I admire Abraham for his choice to hold on to his faith. It got their family through many tough times early in life. Early traumatic events can have a huge impact on how a person’s life turns out. Faith in God has a way of turning things around. Abraham’s later life will have many tests and trials. His faith will be put to the test. His father failed the test. But Abraham persevered through the many personal tragedies he faced growing up. These are the types of people the world looks up to. Abraham overcame his problems because God helped him through the many pitfalls of his life. His choice to cherish and honor his faith brought many good things from God later in life. We could learn a lot from Abraham.
I love how the Lord took care of Abraham’s family. He prospered Abraham’s business to fund the long journey to Canaan. He blessed his father to live to be 205 years old. God was faithful to the promise He made to Abraham even during the dark days of his youth.
I am so glad you are taking this journey through the life of Abraham with me. It is going to be a rollercoaster ride with many ups and downs. In the next chapter, Abraham will make some huge mistakes. But God saved his family and the plans He had to bless the world.
P.S. I hope you enjoyed this free preview of the God of Abraham. The name may change and should be published sometime early next year. Have a great day. God bless you and your family.
Your friend, the Christian Writer.