November 5, 2026
Leaving the City of Ur
"Come into the house, Abram. It's getting late," Sarai encouraged her husband, gently touching his arm. She was worried about him. He had been standing outside the house every evening, just staring at the stars for hours. She knew something was bothering him but didn't know what. Usually Abram talked to her about everything, but lately he had been unusually quiet.
"Alright, dear. I'm coming," Abram responded.
"Is everything ok?" Sarai asked.
"Yes. I just have a lot on my mind," said Abram. He followed Sarai from the fenced area where the sheep were kept into the small, mudbrick house.
Abram and Sarai had grown up together and were best friends long before they were married. In fact, they had the same father, Terah, but different mothers. It was common during that time for people to marry a close relative. Because there weren't a lot of genetic defects early in history, it didn't cause problems to marry a relative. Also, it was only about 360 years after Noah's flood, so the earth's population was still small, which meant many people married a close relative.
Abram, Sarai, Terah, and Abram's brother, Nahor, lived in Ur. Abram had had another brother, Haran, however, he had died a few years earlier. It had been a grief to the whole family to lose him. His son, Lot, worked with the rest of the family raising sheep. Haran's daughter, Milcah, was married to her uncle, Nahor.
A few nights later, Abram again went outside after supper and stared up at the stars. Sarai walked out and joined him. The sheep were lying down on the ground, contentedly chewing their cud. In the distance Abram and Sarai could see the huge ziggurat which had a temple on top to worship the moon goddess, Nanna. Nanna was the main goddess that people in Ur worshipped, but there were other gods too. Nanna's temple was lit up with torches. People could be seen moving around the temple. They watched for a few minutes. Then Abram said, "The other day God appeared unto me."
Sarai gave him a puzzled look. "Which god?" she asked.
"The God of glory. The only true God. The one who created the world and kept Noah and his family safe through the flood," answered Abram. "He told me to leave this country and leave our family and go to a land that He will show me. He said He would make of me a great nation, and bless me, and make my name great, and I would be a blessing to people. He said He would bless them that bless me and curse them that curse me, and He will bless all the nations of the earth through me."
"That's crazy!" said Sarai. "I'm getting older and I haven't had a baby yet. There's not much chance I will ever be able to have a child. Besides, we're just supposed to up and leave Ur and our family and go who knows where? We can't do that. Our lives are here."
"I know it doesn't make sense, but God told me to do it, so that's what we need to do," Abram responded.
"Well, I guess I know now what has been on your mind lately," said Sarai. She sighed and then asked, "When do we need to leave?"
"As soon as possible," answered Abram. "I'll need to tell father and the others in the family of our plans. I'll talk to them tomorrow."
Abram called the family together in the morning. They all lived close to each other, so it was easy to gather them. He told them that God had told him to go to a different country and that he and Sarai were going to leave.
"But where are you going? Ur is such a great place to live. Why would you ever want to leave?" asked Nahor.
"I don't know where God will lead. I just know that I need to follow Him," answered Abram.
"Well, if you are going, I'm going too," said Terah.
"I'm coming too," said Lot. "Ur might be a great place for some things, but it's not a good place to raise sheep. Our grazing land is limited to the worst part of the marsh and each year the marsh gets more salty. And, to be honest, I'm tired of sitting in a marsh all day, watching the sheep. I've heard there are many places that are much better for raising livestock."
By the end of the discussion, it was decided that everyone was going except Nahor and Milcah. They wanted to continue living in Ur, so would keep their part of the flock and stay where they were.
Within a few days the family was packed and ready to go. They started herding their flock of sheep ahead of them. The first obstacle was to cross the Euphrates River so they could travel along the north bank of the river. God hadn't told Abram exactly where he was to go, but it was in the general area of Canaan. There was a shorter way to Canaan, but they would have had to cross through the desert, which was dangerous because of the lack of water. Terah suggested they follow the Euphrates River so they had access to water and could let the flocks graze along the way. So that is what they decided to do.
The family moved the flocks ahead of them until they reached the area where they could hire a ferry to take them across the river. During the spring, the river was very swollen from melting snow from far away in the mountains. But in autumn the river was more manageable. They paid the fair for the ferry and started boarding the flocks. Even though they didn't have a huge flock, it took several trips to move them across the river. Once they had all crossed the river, they started moving northwest along the Euphrates. The path was well-worn because of the many trading caravans who used the road.
They could only travel about 10 miles a day with the flocks of sheep. If they traveled too far in a day, they would risk having sheep die from exhaustion. It was a long trip, traveling day after day through the vast, flat plain. There was almost no rain during the summer, so by the time they were traveling in the autumn, all of the vegetation was dried up except near the river. The plain was brown and barren. Abram knew it was hard on Sarai to travel so far, looking at nothing but the great expanse. It was hardly the blessed life that he had told her that God had promised. But she went along without complaining.
Occasionally they would pass by a city near the river. They would usually spend a few days in the area. That would give the flocks a chance to rest. Also, Sarai would go into the city and purchase a few things that made her feel a little more settled during the long journey.
After several months of travel, they finally came to the Balikh River, which flowed from the north. The trading caravans would follow the Balikh River to Haran and then turn west and crossed the Euphrates River at Carchemish. The fords at Carchemish were one of the safest places to cross the Euphrates. So that is what Terah decided they should do. It took four more days of travelling north before they came to Haran.
By the time they reached Haran, winter was setting in. The weather was cold and rainy. The rain was good because it meant the grass was growing all around them. The flocks seemed glad for the rest and the lush pastures. Sarai was glad to have a city close by so she could get things the family needed. Since Haran was a trading hub, everything imaginable could be purchased there.
The decision was made to stay for the winter in Haran, with the intent that they would continue towards Canaan in the spring. Months passed by, and then years, without the family continuing the journey. Terah was getting older and travel would have been hard on him. Also, he liked that there was a temple to Nanna and other gods in Haran. In addition, the flocks were flourishing in the area around Haran. Abram and Lot became masters at raising sheep, goats, and cattle. As the flocks and herds grew, they hired more servants. After a while the calling of God seemed like a distant memory. The family had grown content in Haran and no longer thought about continuing their journey. Haran had become their home.
