Abraham’s Journey to Canaan
Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
This verse gives us a bigger perspective of Abraham’s relocation to the land to which God was leading him. Abraham was not a lone, nomadic wanderer—but was actually a physically successful man who had attained a respectable level of wealth.
With his caravan, Abraham left Haran and headed southwest to the land of Canaan. This geographical area (presently consisting of much of the State of Israel and the Palestinian territories) was inhabited by the Canaanites, descendants of Noah’s son Ham (Genesis 9:18, 25; 10:15-19). The Canaanites were a pagan people who worshipped the false god Baal, and their religious and cultural practices would prove to be a continual problem for the descendants of Abraham.
A hint of the religious practices of the Canaanites is found in verse 6, which refers to “the terebinth tree of Moreh.” This was apparently a tree worshipped by the Canaanites and used as an oracle for guidance.
Trees were commonly used as objects of worship in ancient pagan religions. A remnant of these ancient customs remains in the modern Christmas tree tradition.
To learn more about Abraham and his life, read “The Faith of Abraham.”
Tomorrow on the Daily Bible Verse Blog: “Abraham Continues South.”
