No — Abraham's obedience was only partial; he left Ur but took his father Terah and his nephew Lot with him.
God commanded Abram to leave his country, his kindred, and his father's house (Genesis 12:1). Abram departed as the LORD had spoken, but Lot went with him, and Terah also came along (Genesis 12:4). Les Feldick says Abram was "not totally obedient," and God stopped the traveling group at Haran until Terah died before Abram continued into the Promised Land (Clip 1, Clip 2).
Genesis 12:1 — Records the original command that Abraham was expected to obey fully — to leave his country, his kindred, and his father's house.
Genesis 12:4 — Shows Abram departed as the LORD had spoken, yet Lot went with him, revealing that his obedience was not complete.
Genesis 12:5 — Confirms that Abram took Sarai and Lot his brother's son, along with all their gathered substance, into the land of Canaan.
The command appears in Genesis 12:1: 'Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee.' The pattern is clear: Abram was to leave his nation, his relatives, and his father's household. Genesis 12:4 gives the first measure of his response: 'So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.' The verse immediately notes that Lot his nephew went with him. Genesis 12:5 then records, 'And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.' So the biblical text itself shows that Abram left Ur with members of his family, not entirely separated from his kindred as the command literally required.
Les Feldick is direct: 'Now we know that Abram was not totally obedient' (Clip 1). Yet he does not put the blame on Abram. He says, 'I don't put the blame on Abram, I put the blame on his father' (Clip 1). In his imagined reconstruction, Abram dutifully told his father he was leaving, and Terah said, 'We'll go with you.' Abram lacked the wherewithal to refuse, so the whole family group migrated to Haran. There, God 'put the brakes on' and waited until Terah died (Clip 2). Les reads Genesis 12:4-5 and explains that Abram was 75 when he left Haran, and Lot his nephew was still with him, along with Sarai and all their substance (Clip 3). This wasn't a denunciation of Abram; rather, Les uses the episode to show grace. In Clip 7 he argues that Abraham was 'a believer before he ever got out of town' and 'already declared righteous before he got out of the city wall' because he believed God. Thus, Abraham's partial obedience did not cancel his justification by faith; rather, his willingness to leave Ur was the result of that faith.
Les explains that by the time of Abraham the whole world was steeped in idolatry, including Abraham's own family. That is why God told him to 'leave your family, leave your city, and go to a land that I will show you' (Clip 5). God reached down in grace to one man out of that pagan city of Ur and began to build the nation of Israel from him.
Les teaches that God used the delay at Haran to deal with Terah. When Abram told his father he was leaving, Terah said, 'We'll just go with you,' and Abram could not refuse (Clip 1). Since it was not God's will for Terah to go into the Promised Land, God 'put the brakes on' at Haran and waited until Terah died (Clip 2). After that, Abram continued into Canaan.
Les emphatically says no. He teaches that Abraham was justified by faith, not by the act of leaving. Abraham 'was a believer before he ever got out of town' and 'already declared righteous before he got out of the city wall' because he believed God (Clip 7). The departure from Ur was the outworking of that faith, not the payment for it. Even though his obedience was incomplete, justification was already his.
Genesis 12:4 says, 'Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him.' Genesis 12:5 adds that Abram took 'Lot his brother's son' along with all the substance they had gathered. Les notes that Lot is Abram's nephew (Clip 3) and that the group came into the land of Canaan. The point is that Lot accompanied him into the Promised Land, while Terah could not go past Haran.
Why the New Testament Starts With Abraham — Matthew 1:1 Explained
Now in the interval between Noah and Abraham, and we have about 400 years in there, roughly speaking, and in the middle of that 400 year period of time, we have the Tower of Babel. Now the race of course hadn�t multiplied into millions upon millions, but there were already quite a few after just a couple hundred years from Noah�s three sons.
Abram's Partial Obedience
Les states plainly that Abram was not totally obedient, blames Terah for the family coming along, and notes God stopped the journey until Terah died.
God's Stop at Haran
Les explains that Abram lacked the wherewithal to refuse his father, so God put the brakes on at Haran and waited for Terah's death.
Lot Accompanies Abram
Les reads Genesis 12:4-5, revealing that Abram took Lot his nephew along when he left Haran for Canaan.
Family Loyalty in Abram's Culture
Les imagines the family scene, noting the tight-knit nature of oriental families and that Abram did not simply walk away from his father.
Idolatry in Abraham's Family
Les says the whole world, including Abraham's family, was steeped in idolatry, which is why God commanded him to leave his family and city.
God's Single Command to Abram
Les summarizes God's command as 'Leave Ur and your family,' and says by faith Abraham went.
Faith Before Works
Les teaches that Abraham was a believer and declared righteous before leaving Ur, so his departure was the result of faith, not a work that saved him.
Genesis 12:1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
This is the direct command from God that defines the standard of Abraham's obedience.
Genesis 12:4: So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Indicates Abram did depart, but the mention of Lot with him hints at incomplete separation from family.
Genesis 12:5: And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
Lists the people and possessions Abram took with him into the land of Canaan.
No. God told Abraham to leave his country, his kindred, and his father's house, but he took Terah and Lot with him. Les Feldick says Abram was 'not totally obedient,' though he emphasizes God's grace and Abraham's faith.
Les Feldick blames Terah, Abraham's father. He says Abram went to tell his father he was leaving, and Terah insisted on going along. Abram couldn't tie him down or lock the door on him.
At Haran, God stopped the traveling group and waited until Terah died. Les says this was because it was not God's will for Terah to go into the Promised Land. After Terah's death, Abraham was able to continue to Canaan.
No. Les teaches that Abraham was justified by faith alone. He was already declared righteous before he got out of Ur because he believed God. His leaving was the result of faith, not the basis of his salvation.
Watch the Teaching: Why the New Testament Starts With Abraham — Matthew 1:1 Explained