One of the patterns you see in Genesis is the “tôlḏôṯ” structure, which means “generations” or “account” or perhaps most accurately “story of what came forth.” All the patriarchs get their own toldot structures, as do the heavens and the earth.
At a high level, Genesis is broken into chapters 1-11 which covers creation, fall, flood and Babel, and then the rest of the book which tells the story of the patriarchs and forebears of Israel. The first part sets the stage and provides the context, and the second part is the story of Israel within that context. One of the key takeaways of this whole story is the unmerited favor of God, because these patriarchs did not earn that favor.
The toldot of Haran is where we come in. Terah has left Ur and is supposed to be heading to Canaan, but Terah stopped in Harran, in the north. The family is in a hard place. Terah’s son Haran died in Ur, with his only son Lot unmarried. Nahor, his other son, is married to his niece, Haran’s daughter, but they have had no sons. Finally, Abram is married to Sarai, but they are aging and have no children either.
Part of the context set by the creation story is God’s instructions to humanity, “be fruitful and multiply.” Terah’s family is in danger of failing this and dying out.
And into this, God steps with an incredible promise – “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Children are always learning and changing. They have more elastic brains and are able to absorb new situations and information. For adults, true learning and adapting requires a disorienting experience. That is exactly what Abram got in this case. It’s not clear if he even knew who God was before this call – his father came from Ur and worshipped the pagan gods of the Mesopotamians.
At the same time, God did not bring an entirely new concept into Abram’s life. Terah was already journeying to Canaan, but got stuck in Harran. God brought context and purpose into this process – the journey that had petered out made sense in the context of God’s call and direction. God turns this into a generative story, a toldot.
And there is even further purpose behind this call. God promises Abram that he will bless all of humanity through him and the nation God will build from him. That blessing is ultimately the person of the incarnate Christ, both Abraham’s offspring and the God who called him into the land where He would die and be raised again, in order to make a path for all of us to have a relationship with Him.
God called Abram “into the unknown 🎶” – where is He calling you? Where is He calling us as a church? Let’s continue to seek those answers as we serve the God who called us.
— Sermon Notes, Dave Sim, Renew Church, Lynnwood WA, March 5, 2023