A descendant of Shem, Abram was born in Ur of the Chaldeans (Tell Muqayyan which lies between Baghdad and the Persian Gulf in modern Iraq), probably during the 18th century B.C., then moved to settle in Haran with his father Terah, his wife/half-sister Sarai, and nephew Lot (Genesis 11:26-32).
Tip: In today's lingo, Abram was a Gentile!
After the death of his father, and at the conditional command of Almighty
God: "IF YOU LEAVE your country, your kindred, and your father's
house, AND GO to the land I guide you to, I will:
(Genesis 12:1-3)
Abram departed from Haran with Sarai, Lot, and all their possessions, and arrived to Shechem where God appeared to inform him that the land of Canaan shall be given to him and his descendants. After building an altar, Abram moved to the area between Bethel and Ai where he built another altar to God, then slowly proceeded south towards the Negeb (Genesis 12:1-9).
Think: If Abram disregarded God's command and stayed in Haran with FAITH in his heart, would Yahweh have given him the land of Canaan? But if he did not do the WORKS by walking 400 miles in obedience to God, would there have been a Bible at all? This is not a hypothetical question. Let your answers be simply 'yes' or 'no'. Anything more than this comes from the evil one (Matthew 5:37).
During the severe famine that hit the land of Canaan, Abram went to live in Egypt. Believing that Sarai was his sister, Pharaoh took her into his harem, and lavished Abram with gifts. But when God sent a terrible plague upon Pharaoh's household because of her, Abram was asked to leave. Back in Bethel, Lot separated from his uncle to settle in the Jordan Valley, and the Lord appeared to Abram, to again inform him that the land of Canaan will be given to him and his descendants, this time adding that they, like dust, would be impossible to count (Genesis 12:10-20; All 13).
When war broke in the land around the Jordan Valley, and Lot was carried away by the victorious army of Chedorlaomer with everything he owned, Abram the Hebrew mustered 318 men from his household, chased the army, and saved his nephew. On his way back, he was met by the priest of God Most High Melchizedek, the king of Salem who gave him bread and wine, and blessed him. After offering him one tenth of the loot, and deducting expenses, Abram gave the rest to the king of Sodom and his allies (Genesis 14).
Later, Yahweh spoke to Abram in a vision, assuring him that his reward shall be very great. This time, Abram retorted: "You did not give me any offspring. Who is going to be my heir, Eliezer of Damascus?"(Genesis 15:1-3). "No," the Lord answered, "Your own son! Your descendants shall be as countless as the stars of heaven"(vv 4-5). Abram believed God, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness (v 6). After that, the Almighty told Abram that He had brought him from the land of Ur to give him the land of Canaan as a possession, but Abram asked: "How am I to know that I shall possess it?" (vv 7-8).
After preparing the sacrifice Yahweh requested, a dreadful and great darkness fell upon Abram as the sun was going down (vv 9-12). And the Lord told him: "For four hundred years, your descendants will live as oppressed slaves in a strange land. But after I punish those who enslave them, and the wickedness of the Amorites living here now, they will come back to this land with great wealth" (vv 13-14). When the sun went down, the fire of the Lord consumed the sacrifice, and He made a covenant with Abram: "I have given this land to your descendants" (vv 17-21).
Note: Contrary to what Paul says in Romans 4:1-5, Genesis 15:1 states that Almighty God told Abram that he shall be greatly rewarded, indicating due wages for a job well done. It was reckoned unto Abram as righteousness, not because he had faith, but because he believed that God shall give him descendands (verse 6). Had Abram depended on faith alone, he would not have questioned God, when He told him that He shall give him the land of Canaan. Like God, Abram demanded action (vv 7-8).
"Beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability" (2 Peter 3:17).
When after ten years in the land of Canaan Sarai asked Abram who was
eighty-six years old to obtain children for her through her maid Hagar,
he hearkened to her voice and begat Ishmael. But thirteen years later,
Yahweh appeared to him and said: "I am God Almighty; walk
before me, and be blameless. Behold, I shall make a contract with
you, and I shall multiply you exceedingly." Abram fell face
downward in the dust as God was talking with him. "Your name
shall no longer be Abram 'the exalted father', but Abraham 'the father
of many'; and the agreement I am about to establish with you is to be continued
between me and your descendants also, as an everlasting covenant, and here
are its terms:
As for you, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations,
shall keep my covenant IN THE FLESH of your foreskins, and it shall be
a sign of the covenant between me and you. And here are its terms:
(Genesis 17:1-14).
Reciprocate: In Ephesians 2:11-12, Paul disclaims Genesis 17:12 to say that the Gentiles were strangers to the covenant of promise, and in Galatians 6:15 he contradicts Genesis 17:11 and 14 to say that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision count for anything. What do you think? Your response will be greatly appreciated.
After The Almighty laid down His terms, He informed Abraham that Sarai's name 'the dominating one' shall be changed to Sarah 'mistress or princess', and that He shall bless the son he shall have from her. But contrary to what Paul says in Romans 4:18, 20, Abraham fell on his face and laughed at the idea of him becoming a father at the age of ninety-nine. "Sure," he said; "Do bless Ismael!". "No," answered God. "That is not what I said. Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. As for Ismael, I will bless him too, but my covenant shall be with Isaac who will be born this time next year." After the conversation ended, Abraham circumcised himself, his son Ishmael, and all the males in his household, be them Hebrews or Gentiles (Genesis 17).
Hint: By changing Abram's name from 'the exalted father' to Abraham 'the father of many', God circumcised his heart. But if that was all what partaking of the promise required, why was Abraham asked to cut off the foreskin of his penis as well?
In chapter 18 of Genesis, we see the Lord standing before Abraham in the flesh, to assure him that his son Isaac will be born during the spring, and that his nephew Lot will not be destroyed with the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Abraham moved back south to the Negeb and settled in the land of
the Philistines (Genesis 20:1; 21:34), where Isaac was born (Genesis 21:1-5).
To test his faith and obedience, God asked him to offer his only beloved
son as a burnt sacrifice. Without hesitation, Abraham took Isaac
to the destination God had showed him, laid him on an altar of wood, and
put forth his hand to slay him; but the angel of the Lord called form heaven
and asked him not to harm the lad. "Now I know that you fear
God, for you have not withheld your only son from me," the Lord told
Abraham who sacrificed a ram found nearby instead. "I swear by Myself,"
the Lord said, "Because you have not withheld even your only
son from me, I will:
After passing the ultimate test, Abraham returned to Beer-sheba (verse 19), where he deeded everything to Isaac, and died at the ripe age of 175 (Genesis 25:5, 7-8).
Ponder: The words of James to the Gentiles: "Man is justified by works and not by faith alone" (2:24).
Although Abraham had faith and obeyed, he never took God for granted. He questioned, challenged, and snapped at Him many times (Genesis 15:2, 8; 17:17- 18; 20:22-33). Do you have any idea why?