Who Was Abram? — TDW Kids

From Ur to Haran

☐

Abram is one of the most important people in the whole Bible. Jews, Christians and many others look back to him. But who was he, and where did he come from?

A son of Shem. Abram came from the family of Noah's son Shem. His father was Terah: “Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran” (Genesis 11:27).

His name. Abram means exalted father, or honored father. That was a hard name to carry, because Abram had no children. Later God changed it to Abraham, father of many nations (17:5).

Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram's family lived in Ur, a rich city near the Euphrates River in what is now southern Iraq (11:28). It had busy streets, schools, merchants and a huge stepped temple tower.

The moon god. The great tower at Ur was built for the moon god, whom the people called Nanna. Ur was full of idols.

Other gods. Long afterward, Joshua reminded Israel of “the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River” (Joshua 24:15). Abram's family did not worship the true God.

A real place. Archaeologists have dug up Ur. They found houses, streets, school tablets and royal tombs full of gold. The city Abram's family left was real, rich and comfortable.

Sad days. Abram's brother Haran died in Ur (11:28). Haran's son Lot grew up without his father.

Sarai. “Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai” (11:29). Later God changed her name to Sarah, which means princess.

No children. “But Sarai was barren; she had no child” (11:30). In those days, having no children was a deep sorrow.

On the move. Terah took Abram, Sarai and Lot out of Ur “to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there” (11:31). Haran was a trading city far to the north.

Terah's death. “Terah died in Haran” (11:32). Abram was now the head of the family.

A brave step. Leaving Ur, and then Haran, meant leaving comfort, friends and the gods everyone around Abram served. Only God's call could make him go.

God came first. Stephen said that God appeared to Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran (Acts 7:2). God called Abram; Abram did not find God on his own.

What we learn. Abram was an ordinary man from a family that worshiped idols. God chose him by grace. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

What to do. Thank God this week that He came looking for you, just as He came looking for Abram.

After Babel, God turned from the whole scattered world to work through one man and his family. That man was Abram.

Toledot (11:27). “This is the genealogy of Terah.” The Hebrew toledot (say: toh-leh-DOHT) means generations or family history: what came from Terah.

Abram (say: AY-bruhm). The name means exalted father, from av, father, and ram, high. In 17:5 God renames him Abraham, father of many nations. The man with no child was named by God for the nations who would come from him.

Ur (11:28, 31). Excavations at Ur in the 1920s uncovered royal tombs filled with gold, rows of houses, school tablets and a great ziggurat built for Nanna (say: NAH-nah), the moon god. Abram grew up in one of the most advanced cities on earth.

Of the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans were a people of southern Babylonia, the same land of Shinar where the tower of Babel had stood. Centuries later the Chaldeans would rule Babylon and carry Judah into exile, and the God who called Abram out of Chaldea would bring His people home again.

Joshua 24:2, 14-15. Joshua tells Israel that their fathers, including Terah, served other gods beyond the River, and calls them to “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Abram's faith did not come from his upbringing. It came from God's call.

Barren (11:30). Every promise God made of a great nation (12:2, 7) came to a couple who could not have children, so when the child came it would plainly be God's work (Hebrews 11:11).

Haran (11:31-32). Haran lay about six hundred miles north of Ur, on the main trade route. It too was a center of moon worship. Terah settled there and died there at two hundred and five.

Acts 7:2-4. Stephen says that God first appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and told him to leave his country and his relatives. After his father died, God moved him into Canaan.

Seventy-five (12:4). Abram was seventy-five when he left Haran. He was not young, rich in children or powerful. He had only God's word.

Isaiah 51:2. Centuries later God told Israel to look to Abraham their father and to Sarah who bore them, because He called Abraham when he was alone, blessed him and made him many.

Application. Your background does not decide your future with God. Abram came from a home of idols, but God's call made him the father of the faithful. The same God calls people from every kind of family today.

The Friend of God

☐

Abram became one of God's closest friends. The Bible says, “And he was called the friend of God” (James 2:23). His life shows us what walking with God looks like.

He obeyed. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out” (Hebrews 11:8). When God said go, Abram went.

Not knowing where. “And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). He trusted God one step at a time.

Altars. Everywhere Abram stopped, he built an altar to the Lord (Genesis 12:7-8). An altar was a place to worship and pray.

Calling on God. Near Bethel, Abram “called on the name of the Lord” (12:8). He talked to God and worshiped Him.

Tents. Abram lived “in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents” (Hebrews 11:9). He never built a fancy house there.

Looking ahead. “He waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Abram knew his real home was with God.

Believing God. Later, God promised Abram children as many as the stars. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). Accounted means counted or credited. God counted Abram right with Him because he believed.

Not perfect. Abram made mistakes. Soon after he reached Canaan, he was afraid in Egypt and did not tell the whole truth about Sarai (12:10-13). God was faithful to him anyway.

Patient faith. Abram waited many years for the son God promised. Faith keeps trusting even when God's answer takes a long time.

Walking in his steps. Paul calls Abraham the father of everyone who believes, Jew or Gentile (Romans 4:11-12). When we trust God as Abraham did, we walk in his steps.

A gift of friendship. Friendship with God is not earned. It comes through faith, as it did for Abram.

Abraham and Jesus. Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). Abram's faith looked forward to Jesus.

Friends of Jesus. Jesus told His disciples, “I have called you friends” (John 15:15). Through faith in Him, you can be God's friend too.

What we learn. Abram was not saved by being perfect. He was made right with God by believing God. That is how anyone becomes God's friend: by trusting Jesus.

What to do. Choose one quiet place this week, like Abram's altar, where you talk with God every day.

Abraham is called “the friend of God” (James 2:23), and Paul calls him the father of all who believe (Romans 4:11). His life shows what faith looks like: obedience, worship, patience and trust in God's promise.

Obedience (Hebrews 11:8). The Greek hypakouo (say: hoop-ah-KOO-oh), obey, comes from listening under someone. Faith hears God's word and acts on it.

Pilgrim life (Hebrews 11:9-10, 13). Abraham lived in tents in the land of promise because he waited for the city whose builder and maker is God. These all “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

Altars (12:7-8). At Shechem and between Bethel and Ai, Abram built altars and “called on the name of the Lord.” In a land full of Canaanite shrines, he worshiped the one true God openly.

Credited (Romans 4:3). “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” The Hebrew chashav (say: khah-SHAHV) in Genesis 15:6 means counted or credited. God credited righteousness to Abraham's account through faith.

Before any ritual. Paul shows that Abraham was counted righteous before he was circumcised (Romans 4:9-11). Faith, not rituals, makes a person right with God.

Faith that moves (James 2:21-23). James adds that Abraham's faith showed itself in obedience, especially when he offered Isaac. Real faith always acts.

An imperfect friend. Abraham lied about Sarai in Egypt (12:10-20) and again in Gerar (20:2). God's faithfulness, not Abraham's perfection, carried the promise forward.

Hebrews 11:17-19. In time Abraham's faith grew strong enough to believe that God could even raise the dead. Faith that starts with one step of obedience grows as it walks with God.

Friend of God (Isaiah 41:8). God Himself calls Abraham His friend. The phrase describes a love that God chose to give.

John 8:56-58. Jesus said Abraham rejoiced to see His day, and then, “before Abraham was, I AM.” Jesus is not only Abraham's descendant; He is Abraham's eternal God.

Friends of Jesus (John 15:15). Jesus calls His disciples friends because He has made known to them all He heard from the Father. The friendship Abraham had is offered to all who trust Christ.

Application. Faith is not a feeling you wait for. It is trusting God's word enough to obey it. Ask what step of obedience God is asking of you, and take it this week.

📖

Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.