Abraham

Abraham

**Abraham**, originally named **Abram**, lived in the city of Ur. God told Abraham that he would become the father of a great nation. Abraham trusted God and was obedient to Him, and, after 25 years, God’s promise was fulfilled through the birth of Isaac. God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his Isaac - this interaction pointed to how God would provide His only Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

## Bible InfoScan

Abraham's name was actually Abram until he was 99 years old! We will learn more about the name change later! When Abram was 75 years old, God called him to leave his country and family. He was instructed to travel far away to a country called Canaan. God told him that he would become the father of a great nation. He obeyed God by total faith not being familiar with his destination. (Hebrews 11:8). He began his journey with his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, as well as other relatives, servants, and animals.

Abram and his family traveled for a long time, living in tents. He first settled in Haran (about 560 miles away) and later went to Shechem, Bethel, and Hebron. The people around him worshiped pagan gods - but Abram built altars and worshiped the only true God. (Genesis 12:1-9). When the land of Canaan experienced a famine, Abram traveled to Egypt. He feared the Egyptians would see how beautiful his wife Sarai was and would kill him to take her! Abram lied to the Egyptians and said that Sarai was his sister. God intervened to save Sarai from the mess that Abram created instead of trusting Him to keep them safe. (Genesis 12:10-20).

Genesis 13:1-2 tells us that when Abram left Egypt that he was very rich. Lot, Abram’s nephew became very wealthy too. To keep the peace, Abram gave Lot his choice of land to settle on. Lot chose the Jordan valley and Abram lived in the land of Canaan. In Genesis 13:14-18, God renewed His covenant promise to Abram: “After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”

So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.” Abram was a peaceful man, yet he was not afraid to take action when necessary. He saved Lot from an enemy army with 318 trained men. “Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.” (Genesis 14:16). After this battle, Abram tithed, giving a tenth of all the goods that he had recovered in battle to the priest of God Most High – Melchizedek. (Hebrews 7:1-10).

God repeated His covenant promise to Abram, yet he had a hard time believing it. Abram said that his trusted servant Eliezer would be his heir since he had no children of his own. The Lord said that would not happen! He took Abram out to count the stars in the sky. God said that would be how many descendants He would give Abram! (Genesis 15: 1-5). “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (Genesis 15:6). Abram, however, became impatient. He took matters into his own hands and had a child with Sarai’s servant. The child was named Ishmael. (Genesis 16:15). Can you imagine going through your life with one name for 99 years and then God changing it?

What an adjustment! That’s what happened to Abram when God changed his name for a very good reason. The name Abram means "the father is exalted." God changed his name to Abraham, which means "father of a multitude" or "father of many." This was an amazing declaration from God; He changed Abram’s name even when he and his wife were unable to birth children of their own! “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!” (Genesis 17:4-6).

God also changed Sarai’s name to Sarah which means “princess”. (Genesis 17:15-16). Both Sarah and Abraham laughed at the thought of birthing a child in their old age. This is why their son was named Isaac which means “laughter” or “one who laughs”. (Genesis 17:17-19). Sarah also laughed with joy when Isaac was born. (Genesis 21:6). Abraham was an intercessor and prayed for the wicked city of Sodom to be spared from God’s wrath. God heard Abraham’s prayer and agreed not to destroy the city if only ten righteous people were found. We know that the city was so wicked that ten righteous people could not be found and God did destroy the city! Even so, God honored Abraham’s request and kept Lot, Abraham’s nephew, safe. (Genesis 18:16-19). which will be season 6 episode 2 sodom and gomorrah.

Oddly enough, in Genesis 20:1-18, we read that Abraham, a second time, was afraid and lied to King Abimelech just as he had the Egyptians. He told the king that Sarah was his sister. God intervened again and disaster was avoided! After all Abraham had been through with trusting God, you would think he could put his life in God’s hands! At last, at the time God predicted, Sarah gave birth to the child of promise, Isaac! (Genesis 21:1-3). Sometime later God tested Abraham. He told him to take Isaac and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. Abraham obeyed God’s instructions and demonstrated total trust in Him.

As Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, the angel of the Lord stopped him and gave him a ram to sacrifice in Isaac’s place. Genesis 22:15-19 says, “Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven. “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.” We read further of Abraham’s amazing faith in Hebrews 11:17-19: “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.” Abraham’s wife Sarah died when she was 127 years old. Abraham bought a cave at Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite to bury Sarah. (Genesis 23:1-20).

Before Abraham died, he called his faithful servant to find a wife for Isaac. Abraham did not want Isaac to marry one of the Canaanite women. He sent him to his relatives in Haran to find a wife for Isaac. God honored Abraham’s request and led the servant to a relative named Rebekah, whom Isaac married. (Genesis 24:1-67). Abraham was the first Hebrew Patriarch, or Israel’s founding father of the faith (Hebrews 7:4). Abraham is referred to as the friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23) and a man of faith (Hebrews 11:8-19). Throughout Abraham’s life, God revealed His plan to him because Abraham trusted God. Genesis 25:7-11 says, “Abraham lived for 175 years, and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life.

He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites and where he had buried his wife Sarah. After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who settled near Beer-lahai-roi in the Negev.

## Life Lessons

* God makes himself known to all people.
* Faith (like Abraham’s) pleases God.
* God wants us to depend on Him, to have Faith in Him and to obey Him.
* Be patient. God keeps His promises.