A city in the story of God
Ur of the Chaldees
Ur of the Chaldees was Abraham's homeland, a settled city he was called to leave for a land and a promise he could not yet see. From Ur begins the long journey of faith that shapes the whole Bible.
“And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.”Genesis 11:31
The city in Scripture
The city in Scripture. Ur of the Chaldees is named as the place from which Abram's family set out. Terah took Abram his son, and Lot, and Sarai, and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan (Gen 11:31). It is called the land of Abram's nativity, the place the Lord referred to when He said, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees (Gen 15:7). Ur is traditionally identified with a major city in southern Mesopotamia, in the region of modern Iraq, though its exact location is discussed by scholars and some place it further north. It was a settled, cultured city, likely given to the worship of the moon god and other idols, which is why Joshua later recalls that Israel's fathers served other gods on the far side of the river (Josh 24:2). From Ur the family moved to Haran, and from there Abram obeyed God's call to go to a land that He would show him (Gen 12:1). Ur is the starting point, the settled home left behind for a promise.
What it came to mean
What it came to mean. Ur came to mean the comfortable home that faith must leave. It represents the settled life, the known city, the inherited religion, all that a person must be willing to release in order to follow God's call into the unknown. Abraham's departure from Ur becomes the pattern of faith itself: to trust God's word above the security of what one can see. Hebrews describes it: By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went (Heb 11:8). Ur teaches that God often calls people away from settled certainty into pilgrimage, promising a better country. It also stands for the idolatry left behind, the gods of the fathers exchanged for the living God. For every believer, Ur is a reminder that following God may mean leaving behind what is familiar and secure, walking by faith and not by sight, toward a home that God has prepared.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Ur points to Christ by beginning the pilgrimage that finds its home in Him. Abraham left the city of Ur because he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Heb 11:10). That city is not any earthly place but the heavenly Jerusalem, and the way to it is Christ, in whom all the promises to Abraham are yes (2 Cor 1:20). Jesus said, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad (John 8:56). The one called out of Ur believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness (Gen 15:6), the same faith by which sinners are justified in Christ (Rom 4). So the journey that began when God brought Abram out of Ur reaches its end in the Son who leads His people to the city of God. Every pilgrim who leaves an old life to follow Christ walks the road that started at Ur.
Questions people ask
Where was Ur of the Chaldees?
It is traditionally identified with a city in southern Mesopotamia, in the region of modern Iraq, though the exact location is debated, and some scholars propose a site further north. Scripture simply calls it the land of Abram's nativity.
Why did Abraham leave Ur?
God called him to go to a land He would show him (Gen 12:1). Genesis 15:7 says the Lord brought him out of Ur, and Hebrews 11:8 explains that by faith he obeyed, not knowing where he was going.
What does Ur teach about faith?
It teaches that faith leaves the familiar and settled to follow God's promise. Abraham looked for a city with foundations built by God (Heb 11:10), a longing fulfilled in Christ and the heavenly Jerusalem.