The contrast between Abraham and the city builders of Genesis is stark and, I think, intentional. Abraham left Ur, one of the most advanced cities of his day (with a great tower), to go and live in tents for the rest of his life. He left his culture and his family to go and live as a stranger in a foreign land. He built neither cities nor towers nor even a house; the only thing we see Abraham building is altars. He invoked the name of God, lifting up his name rather than seeking to make his own name great.
In Genesis 6, we see the powerful “sons of God” becoming “men of a name”; this seems to mean that these powerful kings were famous throughout the region. They dominated men and lifted themselves up. Abraham neither served kings nor became a king himself. Yet he achieved what men throughout Genesis sought. Look at God’s promises to Abraham in Genesis 12: ““I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”” (Genesis 12:2-3) We can easily argue that no human being has become more famous than Abraham; three major religions count him as “father.”
All of this because he rejected the power-seeking, city-building lifestyle and chose to live a life of dependence on God. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:13-16)
God blessed Abraham and made his name great. God is not ashamed to be called Abraham’s God. Sounds like he found the right road to follow.