Abraham

Introduction

We learn about Abraham in fourteen chapters of Genesis. Genesis 11:26-25:18. Although this is the main account he is mentioned over forty times in the Old Testament and seventy times in the New Testament. The name of Abram is composed of two elements Father and multitudes. The two forms of spelling Abrahams name (Abram and Abraham) have little difference in their meaning.

Abram was the son of Terah a descendant of Shem. They lived in Ur of the Chaldees and Abram was born here. At some point in his early life Terah and all the family moved up the Euphrates river to settle in Haran. It was about 600 miles north west from Ur. Genesis 11:26-32

Call of Abram

When Abram was 75 he took his wife Sarai, his Nephew Lot and the rest of his family and they left for the land of Canaan in obedience to the promise of God. The promise consisted of three parts. God promised Abram the land, a seed and a blessing which would affect the entire earth. His name was also to be blessed and made great. The greatness of Abram's name was due to his relationship to God. It demanded faith on Abram's part to leave his home town because he did not know where he was going only that God was leading him. Hebrews 11:8 It would be another 400 miles to the promised land stopping at Shechem and Bethel along the way. When he entered the land he discovered that the Canaanites had settled there and this placed a further test to Abram's faith.

Trip to Egypt

Due to a famine Abram moved to the country of Egypt but when the Pharaoh showed an interest in Sarai because of her beauty God delivered them by sending a plague. Genesis 12:1 But Abram does not return before having been rebuked by a leader of this world for having told a lie.

Abram and Lot

Abram returned to the Bethel area and there prospered at the hand of God, so much so that Abram and Lot had to separate their flocks and herds. Abram again demonstrating his faith and generosity offered Lot the choice pick of the land which Lot used to select the lush Jordan valley and the wicked city of Sodom, based on materialism rather than faith.

When the land was invaded from the north and Lot was taken captive, Abram attacked them at night and overcame them at Dan. Genesis 14:1 Rather than taking a reward from anyone Abram gave a tithe to Melchizedek who was the priest and king of Salem. Hebrews says that this was to show the superiority of the Priestly office in Abram's seed. Hebrews 7:21

As yet Abram had no children as Sarai was barren. Even though Abraham feared that Eliezer of Damascus would receive all of his inheritance he still believed God and believed the promise. But Abram did ask for a sign and one was given in the promise of deliverance after four hundred years of bondage in Egypt. Genesis 15:1-21 God makes a covenant with Abraham after the form of Near Eastern Covenants to ratify his promise with Abraham.

Sarai and Hagar

After ten years of living in Canaan Sarai became impatient having no children and so finally Abraham gave into here pleas and adopts the common Near Eastern practice of bearing a son through the household servant. Their Egyptian servant Hagar gave birth to a son Ishmael. So Abraham tried to fulfil the promise of God by natural means apart from God. He tried to achieve salvation by works but is condemned and rebuked by God.

Thirteen years later God speaks to Abram again and reveals himself as El -Shaddai, the God of all power and in this context the power to fulfil promises. The occasion was celebrated by a change of Abram's name to Abraham and Sara's name to Sarah. From that which was as good as dead live came forth and it was a reminder of the Power and faithfulness of God. The covenant was renewed and it was sealed with the sign of circumcision. Again Abraham demonstrated his faith by immediately obeying God's instructions.

Sodom and Gomorrah

For Further Study see Sodom and Gomorrah

When God appeared in a theophany to Abraham and warned of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah then Abraham interceded on behalf of Lot and his family. The wickedness of Sodom was great and righteous Lot could no longer be involved in such an environment so God through Abraham brought him out. The cities were destroyed by fire and brimstone but Lot escaped to Zoar but not before his wife turned to look back and was turned to a pillar of salt. Through incest Lot's daughters gave birth to Moab and Ammon who would become the Moabites and Ammonites. Genesis 18:1

Birth of Isaac

Finally a seed is given to Abraham when he is 100 years old. The fact that Sarah was not able to have children and beyond the child bearing age highlights the fact that Isaac's birth was by divine power. It was used to underscore the faithfulness of God keeping his promises and the dependence of man on God. Isaac means laughter a reminder of the lack of faith of Sarah when she heard that she was with child. Now Isaac is made the object of sport and ridicule by Ishmael and Hagar, but God intervenes and Hagar and Ishmael are cast out of the land into the wilderness. The Angel of the Lord appears to Hagar and foretells a promise regarding Ishmael. He would not inherit the promise of God's grace but would become a great nation.

Sacrifice of Isaac

God put Abraham to the test one more time, but this would be the ultimate test. He would have to take his son up to Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him to the Lord. Now God does not give him the choice of his sons but instructs him to take Isaac the son he loves. God would accept no rivals to his love. Obedience even to death was required by God. The perplexing dilemma Abraham faced was that it was through Isaac that all the nations would know salvation, and now the one who was so long awaited would be sacrificed without the fulfillment of the promise. It was an apparent contradiction of the promise of God. Abraham's faith even at this point of his life was strong and resolute in obedience to God, so without delay Abraham proceeded to obey God's instructions. God must be first above everything yes even the son of the promise.

At the climax of the drama God comes through to prophetically reveal that he and not Abraham would provide the ultimate sacrifice. God would provide the lamb which would take away the sin to be found in the world.

A Wife for Isaac

In keeping with the promise of a great nation, Abraham sends his servant to the land of his own people to secure a wife for Isaac. The servant returned with Rebekah and the promise was fulfilled. Abraham having seen the first instalment of God's promise fulfilled He goes to be with his God at 175. He is buried with his relatives in the cave of Machpelah Genesis 24:1

Archaeological Light

Several ancient document have shed light on the conduct and practices of Abraham. These discoveries do not prove the truthfulness of the biblical accounts but they do support the Biblical data and help to give some understanding to ancient customs and practices.

Nuzi Tablets

The first discovery which has given light is the Nuzi tablets. Several thousand cuneiform tablets were found in Nuzu just east of ancient Asshur. They are dated around the 15th and 14th century which is a little latter than the Patriarchs but they do help to shed light on their customs.

First, until their discovery the Horites (or Horim) were often mentioned in the Pentateuch Genesis 14:06; Deuteronomy 2:12 but little was known of them and some scholars suggested that they didn't exist. Others viewed them only as cave dwellers. The Nuzi tablets revealed that they were a significant ancient people who played a major role in ancient Near Eastern culture. Abraham had contact with the Horites when he lived in Haran.

Concerning Abraham the matter of an heir is laid down in the Nuzi tablets. According to Nuzi law a couple who did not have a son could adopt a son to become heir and take care of the family name. However the law clearly stated that if a natural son were born to the couple that all legal rights to the adopted son were null and void. Eleazer was Abraham's adopted son, but the birth of Isaac nullified his legal rights.

Another means to provide an heir was to take a slave-wife. Ishmael would then according to custom be the legal heir. But God would make void the customs of the time by providing the miraculous child of the promise.

Also Nuzi law stated that after a son was born the previous heir was not to be expelled. This may explain part of Abraham's reluctance to expel Hagar and Ishmael at Sarah's request. In the end the expulsion was by God's command, showing that Abraham did not simply adopt all cultural laws.

Code of Hammurabi

In connection with Abraham we learn of the priority of the childless wife in the marriage. The slave-wife who bore a son to the family did not take over the place of the legitimate wife. This sheds light on Sarah's jealous action of expelling Hagar. She had every legal right without expelling Hagar.

For Further Study see Code of Hammurabi

Hittite Law

The hittite Law code give background to the real estate purchases of Abraham. When an entire piece of land was purchases then other obligations were purchased as well which was not the case if just a piece of the property was purchased. When Abraham was looking to buy a burial plot for the family he only wanted the cave but was encouraged to take the whole piece of land so that there would be other obligations on him.

Faith of Abraham

Justification by faith is God's answer to the most basic of all religious questions, namely, how can a man or woman become right with God? The doctrine of justification by faith is the most important of all Christian doctrines because it tells how one who is in rebellion against God may become right with Him.

This doctrine occurs in the Bible for the first time in Genesis 15:6. The passage says that after Abram had asked his question about God's promise to give him numerous descendants and God had responded by repeating the promise and linking it to the stars, Abram 'believed the LORD, and he that is, the Lord credited it to him as righteousness.'

This one sentence sums up the life of Abram better than any other. Its importance can be seen in its being quoted four times in the new Testament. Twice in Romans, once in Galatians, and once in James. In each instance an entire argument hangs on this one verse. This verse then becomes the pivotal point for the entire Christian doctrine of justification by faith alone.

What does this verse actually mean? Some have understood this to say that Abram did not have any righteousness to become justified before God so God saw a little bit of faith in him to use in place of righteousness. Still others suggest that God looking down from heaven did not see any goodness in man, but Abram had faith and so he would take that little spark of faith and shape it into righteousness.

But God does not play with the facts like that. For God to count Abraham righteous there must be real righteousness there and it is either his own or someone else's.

1. Abram was not justified by works such as circumcision. Romans 4:1-12
2. Abram was not justified by the law. Romans 4:13-15
3. Abram was not justified by his faithfulness under the trials of his life. Gen. 22:12 The reason that Abram withstood the test was his fear of God. Abram could only be obedient because he was justified.

Abraham was justified through the vehicle of faith. So just exactly what is faith. Faith is composed of three things. Knowledge, conviction, and trust.

Knowledge

First of all trust is Propositional - Abram's faith was in the word of the Lord - Knowledge. This one has to do with the mind. There was some content for Abram to put his faith in. He knew things about this God who spoke and promised.

He knew that he wasn't to be afraid because this God would be his shield and his very great reward. In order for Abram to believe he had to know the one in whom he was putting his trust. He had to know God was trustworthy and faithful in His promises before he could believe. The gospel also must be filled with sufficient content to demand faith on the part of the hearers

Conviction

The second element of faith is assent or conviction. This one has to do with the will. The Hebrew word for believe in the text comes from the Hebrew word 'aman. Some have suggested that Abram voiced his 'Amen' in audible response to the word of God. Abram assented to the knowledge and statements God made concerning his promises. "Yes, God I believe you will provide the heir through my body and my offspring will be as numerous as the stars. This is an important element in the faith of an individual in that they must ascent to a set of propositions but the third element and final element of faith is essential to a biblical understanding of faith. This is trust

Trust

This element of faith has to do with the heart. Theologically faith has been divided into two categories. Assensus and Fiducia. We just looked as Assensus now we want to look at fiducia or trust. Faith is knowledge moving toward conviction, and is conviction moving toward confidence. Abram's faith was not merely in the word of the Lord but in the personal Lord Himself. Abram believe the Lord. And it was the Lord who justified him not his faith. Galatians 2:16

Significance of Abraham

While the example of Abraham as a man of faith is important and inspiring it does not give the whole purpose of Abraham. He is a key link in the Messianic chain which comes through Abraham's seed. He is to bring forth the seed which would eventually find its fulfillment in the virgin Mary and provide the Savior of mankind. Faith and dependence on God are illustrated throughout the narrative of Abraham's life. The certainty of the fulfillment of God's promise of the Messiahis underscored even at this early stage in redemptive history. God keeps his promises even though they appear to be long in coming to man. The promise was of Grace and not of Abraham's merit and in this regard Abraham is the father of the faithful and the friend of God. In the history of redemption Abraham served to magnify the grace of God and provide the human ancestry of the Messiah. Can there be a greater importance and significance for man. Abraham glorified God and pointed to Christ.