Nahor’s 12 Sons: A Lesson on Living in God’s Promises
Sermon by Pastor Andrew. May 24, 2025.
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.
Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,
and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,
because you have obeyed me.
Genesis 22:17,18 NIV
This promise comes right after Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac, an incident where he came close to losing his son.
Abraham then gets good news about his brother.
Some time later Abraham was told,
“Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor:
Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram),
Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.”
Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.
Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.
His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.
Genesis 22: 20-24 NIV
Imagine how Abraham may have felt with this new. Abraham has twelve sons. Abraham has two. God has declared to Abraham that he will be the father of many. How would he have felt when he got the news about his brother Nahor? Did it make the promise of children as plentiful of the stars? Did Abraham wonder if Nahor was more obedient than Abraham was?
The begats are often noted to be boring by Western people. For the Jewish people the begats are seen as the most important part of the Bible. It reflects lineage from Abraham, given a covenant by God, passed down through generations.
Abram and Nahor both married.
The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah;
she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.
Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.
Genesis 11: 29, 30 NKJV
'For we live by faith, not by sight. '
2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God,
so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:1-3 NKJV
We can count ourselves children of Abraham because of faith., promises by faith.
There is poetry and irony in the story of Abraham and Nahor's descendants two generations after Sarai was noted as being baren and Nahor as having 12 sons.
Jacob was the father of 12 male children, 8 by Leah and 2 by Rachel, and 4 by concubines. This is very similar to Nahor - 12 male children, 8 by his wife, 4 by concubines.
Jacob's 12 sons are noted in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. They settles the promised land. Jesus was born as a descendant from King David. There were 12 descendants, 12 tribes, 12 apostles, 12 gates of heaven names after the 12 tribes.
An act of faith produced a legacy.
Abraham's brother Nahor's legacy came through his 3 daughters: Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.
Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying,
“Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: ..... Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”
And Bethuel begot Rebekah".
Genesis 22:20-23 NKJV
And Jacob said to them, “My brethren, where are you from?”
And they said, “We are from Haran.”
Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?”
And they said, “We know him.”
So he said to them, “Is he well?”
And they said, “He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.”
Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
Genesis 29: 4-6, 16 NKJV
These three descendants of Nahor marry into Abraham's line.
Rebecca has 2 sons, Jacob and Esau. Rebecca has a plan and decides that she will ensure that Jacob not Esau is in line for what would become the line of Jesus' birth.
Sarai earlier had a plan. This plan hinged on God's plan for Sarai, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel.
These women don't get much credit. They were the brains behind the line that led to the line of Jesus' birth.
This legacy goes back to the 2 brother s Nahor and Abaraham.
This story is a story of complete trust in God who has influence in ways we do not see. Faith is based on God, wisely and fully trusting Him.
Truth is not based on what we can see or do, but what we do not see or understand. Truth is based on God's faithfulness.
Abraham's faith was not based on God's promise, but on God Himself. God's promises never go unfulfilled. His promise os based on resurrection.
Mary and Martha, generations later, would ask, "Where were you Jesus?"
God's promise was displayed in the resurrection of Lazarus.
Faith based on what is popular does not last, as what is popular is fleeting. Faith needs to be based on God's promises. Complete trust in Him no matter the circumstance.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 NKJV