ABRAHAM

Abram left Ur

The Call of Abram: Genesis 12

When God called Abram, he was 75 years old in a city in Babylonia, named Ur of the Chaldees. Ur was a very advanced city and was believed to have been founded some five hundred years before the time of Abraham.

Ur was an idolatrous city worshiping many different Gods such as the god of fire, moon, sun and stars. Sin was the name of the chief idol deity of Ur. Ningal, was the wife of the moon-god, Sin, and was worshiped as a mother God in many other cities. Ur was a evil and sinful city as can be seen in the worship practices of the moon-goddess, Ningal.

God made certain promises to him, conditional upon him severing himself from his idolatrous surroundings, and migrating into a new country which would be revealed unto him. " Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you." 

When God called, Abraham believed and by faith followed God's instructions. Hebrews 10:8, states that: "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whether he went."

 

Abraham heard the voice of God. There is no hint that when God spoke to him that he questioned who God was. Further, he did not confuse the voice of God with the idols and false Gods that his father worshiped. He knew who was speaking to him. It is apparent that he believed that it was God that was speaking to him and because it was God, he believed the promise that God made to him.

 Abraham obeyed God and left with his wife, Sarah, his nephew Lot, and all their possessions and slaves.

Abraham and Sarah from Ur

 When they came to the land of Canaan, Abraham went to a place called Shechem The Canaanites were still living in the land at that time, but God appeared to Abraham and promised, "I will give this land to your family forever." Abraham then built an altar there and worshiped God.

Abraham continued on his journey to the hill country east of Bethel. When he set up camp there, he built another altar and worshiped God. Later, he started out toward the Southern Desert 

 Abraham Goes To Egypt

While Abram was on this journey, a famine broke out in the land, and Egypt, so long known as the storehouse of the world, became the goal of Abram’s wandering. Knowing the evil ways and morals of the Egyptians, Abram tried to hide his fair wife Sarai. But the custom-officers discovered her and took her into King Pharoah’s palace, believing her to be Abram’s sister and not his wife.

Abram and Sarah in Egypt

God smote Pharaoh and his men with plagues, and they could not touch Sarai. When they found out the reason for all the trouble that had come to them, Pharoah called Abram and rebuked him for not having revealed to him that Sarai was his wife. Then he sent Abram and Sarai away, after he had given them many gifts of cattle and servants.

Pharaoh

Abram And Lot Separate


Abram and Lot were standing on the height near Beth-El, and: from this point they gazed over a wide extent of country. They looked down into the fruitful and blooming valley of the Jordan; it was indeed like the Garden of Eden, or like the rich land of Egypt they had just left. But the people of these lovely districts “were wicked and sinners before God exceedingly.” Lot made his choice without hesitation; and separating himself from his generous and unselfish kinsman, he journeyed eastward, and finally pitched his tent near Sodom, in the valley of the Jordan.
Abram, left alone in his encampment near Beth-El.Thus commanded by God, Abram traveled southward, until he reached the city of Kiryath Arba, later called Hebron. Abram settled down in the oak-groves of Mamre.

Isaac's Birth

When Abraham was one hundred years old and his wife ninety. He was already an old man and his wife could hardly be expected to have children for she had been childless for so many years. Sarah gave birth to a son. Abraham called him Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, making him a party to the holy covenant God had established with Abraham.

Now, Isaac was not Abraham’s first born, for Hagar had borne him Ishmael thirteen years earlier. But Ishmael had not grown up as his father had hoped. Sarah observed him and realized that he would have a bad influence upon the young Isaac. She therefore implored Abraham to send Ishmael away.

Abraham Tested.

Abraham lifted the knife to sacrifice Isaac

Peace and harmony had returned to Abraham’s house, after Ishmael and his mother had left. But Abraham was not to find complete peace. Once more his faith was to be tested severely.
Appearing to Abraham suddenly, God said to him, “Please take your son, your only one, whom you love,  Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you.”


Having prepared the altar, upon which he bound his beloved son, Abraham lifted the knife to sacrifice Isaac. At that moment an angel called unto him to halt and do no harm to his son, for this was only a test and Abraham had proved his loyalty to God. Full of gratitude and holy inspiration, Abraham looked around and saw a ram that had been caught in a thicket by his horns. Abraham took the ram and offered it, instead of Isaac, to God.

 

 

 The Death of Abraham and Sarah:

Genesis 23:1 Sarah died when she was one hundred and twenty-seven years old.Abraham mourned deeply over the loss of his wife. He bought the Cave of Machpelah, near Hebron and there he laid his wife Sarah to rest.

 Genesis 25:7 Abraham lived to a ripe and happy old age, and died at the age of one hundred and seventy-five. His sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him in the Cave of Machpelah.There, Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.