GO FORTH

By V. C. CheneyThe book of Jasher reveals additional insights into Abraham’s early life. It is one of thirteen non-canonical books referenced in the Holy Scriptures. (Joshua 10:13; 2 Samuel 1:18) Abraham was born during the ominous reign of the tyrant King Nimrod, who ruled over a vast empire. Nimrod’s wise men observed a large star swallowing four others and interpreted it as a sign of Abraham’s future greatness and his potential to defeat four powerful kings. The wise men warned Nimrod that Abraham would threaten his throne.  In a desperate attempt to thwart this prophecy, Nimrod ordered the infant’s death. This story parallels the early lives of Moses and Yeshua, when other kings attempted to kill them during infancy. 

Abraham’s father, Terah, fearing the king, deceived him by substituting the baby and secretly hid his family. Terah hid his son Abraham in a cave for ten years, where he remained until age ten.  Upon emerging, he lived with his great-grandfathers Noah and Shem until he was roughly 48 to 50 years old. Abraham became a child prodigy at the tender age of three. Noah and his son Shem, who still had a long lifespan even after the flood, imparted the history of the ancestors to Abraham. 

From a young age, Abraham questioned his father’s idol trade and decided to demonstrate the powerlessness of the idols. He shattered his father’s idols in the shop, then fled from his wrath. Being influenced by the teachings of Noah and Shem, he came to believe in a single Creator. At age 75, Abraham left Harran and journeyed to Canaan, fulfilling YHVH’s promise to make him the father of a great nation. The rest of Abraham’s story is widely known.

© 2026 Article by V. C. Cheney. All Rights Reserved.

This week, we are reading Parashah No. 3, Lech Lecha, לך לך

Torah:  Genesis 12:1–17:27

Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27–41:16

Brit Hadashah:  Romans 4:1–25