Our text gives us the summary of events that would be detailed further in chapter 12. The origins of the nation of Israel are found here. We are reminded again that Terah had three sons and that his son Haran died before he did. Prior to Haran’s death, he had a son named Lot. Lot would be known for his apostasy. Abram would be known as the father of a new and great nation — Israel.
We read that Abram began his life in Ur of the Chaldees. As is usual, Abram, who knew the fear of God somewhat, did not live among other God-fearing people. God would raise up the nation of Israel to be a God-fearing nation, but they soon chose to defy that. There has always been a remnant of God-fearing Jews since God established them as a nation.
In the New Testament time, God set aside the nation of Israel as the vehicle through which He would make His name known, and established local churches. In this dispensation, Christians find their fellowship in their local church. Oftentimes we live among ungodly neighbours and towns. The true Biblical local church is a necessary place for saints to be able to gather to be taught and to learn to serve the Lord.
Back in our text we read that Abram and Nahor took themselves wives. Abram’s wife was Sarai, and Nahor took Milcah to wife. Milcah, we find, was the daughter of Haran. Thus we see that Nahor married his cousin. This was still allowed at this time. Eventually God would set limits to close marriages. We learn as well that Abram married his half sister.
We find as well that Sarai was barren. Abram and Sarai had no children at this time. Terah took his son Abram and his wife and his grandson Lot, and they left Ur and headed toward the land of Canaan. They came as far as to Haran and there Terah died. In chapter 12 we read that God told Abram to leave Ur of the Chaldees and that included leaving his family. He was to go to a new land that God would show him.
It appears that Abram was reluctant to leave his family and thus God needed to separate him from them in a different way. His father would die and his nephew Lot would need to separate as well because their herdsmen were not getting along.
Biblical separation is an important Bible doctrine. Biblical separation is necessary to protect the saint from the pollution of the ungodly. True saints are not that strong. God is powerful, but sadly, those who are saved do not follow very closely to God. The temptations of this world are quite powerful. They are not more powerful than God, but we, those who are saved, often allow them to take precedence. We need limited involvement with the world so that we do not get drawn into the world’s philosophy.
This week an interesting event took place in the U.S. capital. Apparently every state has the opportunity to place two statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. North Carolina decided to replace a statue they had there of a former governor — Charles Aycock, with a seven foot tall statue of Billy Graham. On the statue, there are two Bible verses: one of John 3:16 and another of John 14:6. Those two verses are very good verses. They explain the love of God and they also explain the only way to God. Many “evangelicals” will likely be quite pleased with this statue placed in such a prominent place. It is true that God’s Word is powerful, regardless of where it is. The concern with this statue is the elevation of a man far above what he should have. The greater concern is that Billy Graham was one of the greatest tools the devil has had to tear down the Biblical walls of separation that God has established. Truth and error cannot mix. As John 14:6 rightly declares:

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.