Day 2: The Uncharted Path

Abraham is a patriarch in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. In the Christian tradition, we recognize him as the “father of faith,” revered for his unwavering faith and willful obedience to God.

He lived among polytheists who worshiped many gods. They did not worship these gods just for the sake of it. They worshipped the ones they believed could meet their diverse needs. For example, Baal was the god of rain, Anat was the goddess of war, and Astarte was the goddess of fertility. There were also deities whom they believed ruled over the sun and moon, sky and air, nature and harvest, sea, marriage, wisdom… and the list continues.

Some nations would physically carry their gods with them into battle, trusting that victory would come. These crafted deities lacked life, authority, and power, yet they were the objects of worship for the Canaanites. One, because humans who made crafted deities could manipulate, control, and destroy them if necessary. Two, because hundreds of gods sharing responsibility for order seemed more realistic than one God.

The false worship of the pagans emphasizes how miraculous it is that Abraham has become a patriarch of faith. His culture did not encourage worship of God alone, and his family members were also pagan idolaters and polytheists (Josh. 24:2), but God’s call to Abraham changed the trajectory of his entire bloodline.

Abraham lived in his homeland of Ur for seventy years. After the death of Abraham’s brother, their father, Terah, left their homeland and took the family with him to live in Canaan. The reason is not mentioned, but on the way, Terah settled in the city of Haran and went no further. Terah died there and after five years in Haran, God instructed Abraham to leave—this time without his family. Abraham picked up where his father left off, but the call came at monumental risk.

To leave his homeland was to leave the comfort of a region he had called home for over 70 years. In his day, families represented security, stability, provision, safety, and significance. Families served as the primary source of connection for people, and they were commonly identified through their families. To leave his family, Abraham would abandon his cultural safety net. God was bringing him to a strange place, and he would have to start fresh and create his own identity with no one else’s influence.

This must be why God said, “I will make a name for you.”

This was not about status and popularity. It was about having a secure identity in God.

Can you imagine what it was like for Abraham, having to start over in his seventies? How about the grief he experienced having to leave his family behind not long after burying his father?

Though he willingly obeyed God’s instructions, I imagine Abraham might have felt displaced. The weight of familial blessing was now on his shoulders, and it would be a long time before he saw the fruit of his obedience.

But by faith, Abraham set out on an uncharted path.

He left what was familiar on a promise from God and never looked back.

Reflection Questions:

1. What uncharted path of obedience have you found yourself on in your faith journey?

2. What about God’s call compels you to obey?