Genesis 12:4 Commentary and Bible Study

How could he believe those promises unquestioningly? They are so remarkable. But he does and it is expressed in such simple terms: ‘So Abram departed.’ Simple as that. He breaks his family ties, leaves his home, civilisation and safety, and goes among potential enemies. The great journey begins and Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him. Abram took his wife, still named Sarai at this point, aged 65. Originally she had lived, one imagines, in a beautiful house in Ur of the Chaldees, because they were well-to-do people. Ur of the Chaldees has been extensively excavated and from the Abram period, it was a very well-developed city. Most of the houses followed a courtyard design, in other words, no windows on the outside walls which faced onto the alleys, roads, and streets, but a spacious courtyard with one or more fig trees according to the size of the property, and all windows faced into it. The plasterwork on the ceilings of these houses was very often good thick plaster, gypsum, painted blue, even with stars on them. Whether the star-painted ceilings belong to the idolaters, or whether it was just artistic, they were decorated houses, very fine houses for the day. There was a drainage system. It was not a city that smelt, and there were thick walls for defence. There were banks; there was currency; there were schools, and – this was very precious and rare – it was a paved city. You had paving stones under your feet. It was exceptionally civilised for a place in those days. That is where Sarai would have lived when she was married.So Abram says to Sarai, his unusually beautiful wife, ‘Come with me.’ ‘Where?’ ‘I do not know, but it is outside this place and it is in the open country, and we have got to pass through forests and cross rivers and build up cattle herds as we go. It will be rough; it will be intense. The nights will be very cold. We will be surrounded by strangers. We will have many enemies.’ But she went without a word; she was with him; she stood with him. They were husband-and-wife and Abram took Sarai, his wife, and they went forth believing together in the promise of God. She did not mind that she would not have goods and possessions and neighbours and safety and all this kind of thing. She didn't mind because they were on a journey of faith together. Their great objective was to please the Lord, and to see where he would lead them and how they could fulfil his purposes. They had this vision together that they were his, and they would serve him and honour him. They weren't interested in property and goods. Their goal was a heavenly one. The letter to the Hebrews leaves us in no doubt that they believed in a heavenly city. Somehow they would be in the service of God in bringing this about, and through them, they were to learn in due time, all nations of the earth would be blessed.