Men in the Bible: A Man of Ambition and Adventure - Tracing the Bold Journey of Abraham’s Father and Lessons in Courageous Initiative
And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran. – Genesis 11:31-32
The man in the Bible we shall consider today is Terah, the father of Abraham. Terah was a man of great ambition and an unusual knack for adventure. From the passage above, we read how he decided to take members of his family on a very ambitious journey from the land of Ur of the Chaldeans, where they were living, to the land of Canaan. This is a journey of about 1,900 kilometers on foot!
Not to mention that the journey would have been quite complex, tedious and laborious for all the parties involved. It would have also taken them years to complete. But Terah was ambitious enough to conceive the idea of embarking on migrating from Ur to Canaan. Further, he had no scruples about taking young members of his family, including his young grandson Lot along with him.
We may never know what made Terah conceive this grand idea of relocating his family. But whatever it was, he sure backed his intention with action as he started the journey, even though he did not complete or see it to the end. He died on the way in Haran, which was about 1,100 kilometers from Ur, and some 900 kilometers short of his planned destination. But then he covered more ground than he had remaining. That surely counts for something.
His bold move also proved pivotal and destiny-defining for his son, Abraham, who later met with God during the journey and was helped by God all the way to complete it.
Despite what is being preached about Terah as a man who did not fulfill his mission, the audacious step he took by moving his family from Ur and getting them to embark on the journey to Canaan set him apart as a man of means. Not sure either God or Abraham would agree with the popular analyses of Terah as a man with botched dreams. From the look of things, he obviously dreamed more, dared more, and covered more grounds than many of those who portray him as a failure.
Men in the Bible: An Impetuous and Impudent Man - Lessons on character flaws from Abraham’s nephew
So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere… like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. – Genesis 13:8-11
We are still exploring the character of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Yesterday, we saw him as an example of someone not worthy of emulation, because although he was wealthy, he was unwise; he was rich yet dumb. Today, we will also highlight some other sides of his character flaws. He can also, at best, be described as impetuous and impudent.
From our reference passage today, we can see that even when Abraham took the initiative of brokering peace to Lot, a move that he Lot should have taken in the first place, by suggesting that Lot should choose where he would prefer to stay so that he, Abraham, could head in the opposite direction of that for the sake of peace. A wiser and reasonable person in the same position as Lot would have first apologized to his uncle and benefactor about the behavior of his herdsmen. Then he would have protested that the uncle should be the first to choose where he would rather stay.
But not Lot.
On the contrary, Abraham had barely finished his invitation for Lot to choose first before he eagerly looked around and impetuously picked his choice of location, leaving his uncle to settle for the second best. Why the second best? Consider that in making his choice, Lot looked very well and appraised the two options presented by Abraham. The Bible says he “lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan” (Genesis 13:10-11).
This means that he chose the best parts of the land for himself without much thought about whether his uncle would also prefer the same place. That was the height of impudence.
Therefore, in one single decision or action, Lot revealed how impetuous and impudent a person he was through his disregard for his aged uncle, foster father, and benefactor, by choosing first ahead of him. Then, by choosing the better portion of the land for himself without thinking if his uncle, who obviously had more livestock than he did, might actually want the place for himself. In such a way, we should never behave.
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of…
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight – How short-term advantage led to long-term captivity
And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. – Genesis 14:8-12
We are still considering the personality of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. If there is any indication that all we had earlier shared about him was true, particularly his immaturity as well as lack of wisdom and foresight, that was validated in the scenario that played out in our reference passage today.
Lot thought he was being smart by choosing the prime land for himself and leaving his uncle, Abraham, with the not-so-attractive second best. He could have allowed his uncle to choose first, but he took that privilege onto himself. He impetuously chose where he wanted to settle, leaving Abraham to contend with the seemingly lesser option.
However, the incidents that ensued afterwards only revealed how unwise he was, as what he considered a land of peace and abundance was only a troubled land. Despite the lush green that he saw, which made him decide to settle in that part of town, the settlement was only a time bomb waiting for the right time to blow off, and blow off it did not long after Lot settled there. A more grounded person would have known better.
For Lot, however, he only went to camp with trouble because not long after settling, a long-brewing war broke out among the kings in that region, and even though he was not part of the skirmish, Lot and all his assets were taken captive by the rampaging kings.
No doubt, when he was choosing that place to stay, he must have thought that he had hit a jackpot. But that turned out to be a calamity. He must have thought he would become abundant and prosperous in his new location, but he only became a captive instead. All because he lacked foresight. We should not be like him.
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the…
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe – How worship, obedience, and honouring God with substance began
So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. – Genesis 14:16-20
Our exploration of biblical figures continues today with a focus on Abraham, the first man to tithe in the Bible and arguably recorded history.
We had earlier considered how devout Abraham was in his disposition to God and how he alone built several altars of worship to God at different turns in his evolution as a person. He was indeed a man of the altar. And as we can see from today’s passage, he was not just a man of the altar alone; he also worshipped God with his resources, as evidenced in his setting aside ten per cent from the spoil he took from war and giving that portion to Melchizedek, a priest of God.
What Abraham did was remarkable because in his days, paganism was the order of the day. People freely worshipped idols and other tokens. However, it did not take Abraham much time to recognize that Melchizedek was a priest of God. He did not just note this fact alone; he also backed his reverence with action by giving the priest of God ten per cent of the spoils he and his men gained from war.
Just like maintaining an altar of fellowship, giving is another form of worship. Abraham demonstrated what a true believer he was by doing what no one before him had done: He gave a tenth of his gains to God. By doing so, he also started a rite of paying tithes that has endured for thousands of years.
Lamech: A Destiny-Shaping Father – Explore how Lamech shaped Noah’s destiny and the lessons every parent can draw from his awareness and foresight.
Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.” – Genesis 5:28-29
The next father we are spotlighting is the second Lamech in the Bible. This should not be confused with the first Lamech, who was the first recorded polygamist as well as the second murderer in the Bible (Genesis 4). The second Lamech, however, is the grandson of Enoch, or the firstborn of Methuselah.
Unlike his own father, Lamech did something unusual in his days that cemented his status among the notable fathers in the Bible, one that is worthy of a positive reference by bookmakers and our spotlight in this series on biblical characters. He demonstrated a sense of awareness that was not common in his days.
The first way he did was by defining the life and destiny of his son, Noah. While naming a child in accordance with the cultural or socioeconomic realities of the time was not a strange occurrence at that time, Lamech was the first person who decided to put the weight of redressing the economic ills of his era on his baby, Noah, by saying “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed” (Genesis 5:29, NIV).
Now, that sounds like a lot of pressure to put on a newborn, and Lamech might have taken some flak from family, friends and neighbors for putting such a weight on the shoulders of a new baby instead of taking on the responsibility himself. But then there lay his sense of awareness.
Lamech probably recognized his own limitations and the fact that he did not have what it takes to reverse the curse of the ground that God placed hundreds of years before him. A curse that was still raging and undoing all the hard work and labor of both men and women until that time. Knowing his limitations and aligning himself accordingly was in itself is a lesson worth taking onboard for everyone.
Secondly, Lamech also demonstrated his sense of awareness by acknowledging the devastating effects the curse was having on all humanity at that period. The thing is everybody else was obviously feeling the pangs of the hex, but he was not going to just let it slide as part of their lives. He wanted a change and wanted to have a hand in the transformation process. That was why he saddled his newborn son with the responsibility of being the one to reverse the curse and make life better for everyone else; thereby defining the destiny of the young boy, as soon as he was born, in the process.
Another lesson we can learn from Lamech was that, by so defining the destiny and life purpose of his son, Noah, and making it public knowledge as he did at Noah’s christening, he also placed himself under pressure as a parent to ensure that Noah grew to fulfill his calling. That means, having charted the course of Noah’s life with his declaration, he, as the father, was also committing himself to raising Noah to be a man worthy of fulfilling the calling upon his life. An assignment he must have devoted 595 years of his life to accomplish.
The fact that Noah indeed lived up to the billing of his calling tells us that Lamech succeeded as a father. All parents can learn from that.
Another lesson we can learn from God is His disposition to a balancing act. He is not a God of extremes. Even though some who profess to follow Him go to extremes in His name or make extreme claims on His behalf, extreme is not a label that one can pin on God. He balances the acts.
Understanding God: He is Not Moved by Sentiments
Another lesson we can learn from the personality of God is that sentiments do not move Him. Therefore, He cannot be deceived into making a wrong judgment or call, as humans tend to do.
Understanding God: He is A Creator
He is a Creator. This is not to be interpreted loosely, particularly in the light of our contemporary use of the word. God is the ultimate Creator, as He created all things, even the ends of the earth (Isaiah 40:28).
Understanding God: God of the Beginning
There is no better way to begin this journey of exploring the people and entities in the Bible than to start with God. He is not just the beginning but is the origin of all things.
Women in the Bible: A Paragon of Beauty
What made Sarah’s beauty so compelling that kings and nations took notice? Explore the deeper layers of grace, favour, and mystery surrounding one of Scripture’s most unforgettable women — and discover why her story still provokes wonder today.
Men in the Bible: A Man of Ambition and Adventure
Terah may not have reached Canaan, but his courage to start a life-changing journey laid the foundation for Abraham’s destiny. Discover how ambition and bold steps mark a life of significance.
Men in the Bible: An Impetuous and Impudent Man
A revealing glimpse into a man whose choices exposed deeper issues of character, showing how hastiness and entitlement can quietly shape a destiny, and why his story still speaks to us today.
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight
Sometimes what looks like a smart choice can hide the seed of a mistake. This reflection from Scripture invites us to think again about how foresight — or the lack of it — shapes a man’s story.
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe
Before laws, temples, or traditions, one man honoured God with his substance. Abraham’s tithe was not commanded, demanded, or enforced. It flowed from reverence.
Fathers in the Bible: A Destiny-Shaping Father
What makes a man a truly aware father? Discover how one man’s prophetic foresight shaped his son’s destiny and changed generations forever.
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