
Abram (Abraham) fell into the trap of compromise as God called him. Stephen gives us insight into the call of Abram. Acts 7:2bOur glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. 3 God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’[1]
Abram was to leave all he knew for an unknown destination. This included leaving his land and his relatives. Abram was obedient to leave his land, but he took his father, Terah, and his nephew, Lot. They also stopped at Haran, even though Canaan was the original destination (Genesis 11: 31).
Haran
Terah appeared to be on board with Abram’s call as they moved from Ur in what is now southern Iraq. But they stopped in Haran, which is in modern Turkey. “The journey halted in Haran, about six hundred miles north of Ur. The people who lived in Haran were essentially the same racially, religiously, and linguistically as those who lived in Ur.”[2] Both cities worshipped the moon god.
Scripture doesn’t tell us why they stopped at Haran. Perhaps Terah was ill, or maybe that was as much change as the family could handle. Did Abram stay in Haran as a concession to his father’s religion? We wonder. After Terah died, either Abram remembered God’s original call or God reissued it.
Genesis 12: 1The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth.[3]
Consequences of Compromise
The time in Haran delayed Abram’s arrival in Canaan. The inclusion of Lot turned out to be a thankless distraction. Abram had to rescue Lot during a war and intercede for him during the destruction of Sodom. The people we surround ourselves with have a significant influence. We don’t have the option to choose our family. God knew how Abram’s family would hinder him and instructed him to leave them.
We have a choice in friends and must choose our friends wisely. 1 Corinthians 15:33bbad company corrupts good character.[4] God was calling Abram to a new life, but Abram brought some of the old with him. Warren Wiersbe gives great insight: “Whatever you bring with you from the old life into the new is likely to create problems.”[5] This is the trap of compromise. God gives His instructions to protect us; when we don’t follow them, we create problems for ourselves.
To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/when-god-says-go
[1,3,4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Smith, J. E. (1993). The Pentateuch (2nd ed., p. 115). College Press Pub. Co.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1991). Be Obedient (p. 16). Victor Books.








