FEATURE
Abraham’s Travels
THE life of Abraham is of great interest to us today. Why? Because it was to him that Jehovah said: “All the families of the ground will certainly bless themselves by means of you.” However, for Abraham to enjoy such a role in God’s purpose, he had to prove himself to be a man of faith and obedience to God.—Ge 12:1-3; Ac 7:2, 3.
This involved leaving behind his home and relatives in prosperous Ur, never to return. On foot and using primitive transport, he moved some 960 km (600 mi) to Haran. On Nisan 14, 1943 B.C.E., he crossed the Euphrates River and went south. He finally arrived in the heart of Canaan after a journey totaling about 1,650 km (1,025 mi).
At Jehovah’s appointed time, among Abraham’s descendants, God caused his own Son from the heavens, Jesus, to be born as a human. Through Jesus, the blessing of eternal life was made possible for us.
MAP: Abraham
The Euphrates River. Abraham crossed the river likely to the south of here near Carchemish
Upper Galilee; the land that Abraham saw as he traveled south toward Shechem
Mount Gerizim (left) and Mount Ebal (right) towering over Shechem. In this valley Jehovah promised Abraham: “To your seed I am going to give this land” (Ge 12:6, 7)
Hebron as it appears today. Near here, Abraham built an altar for worship of Jehovah (Ge 13:18)