Abraham Our Father

The Life of a Nomad Abram was born in Ur, an ancient city in Mesopotamia. -He lived with his father Terrah, his brothers Nahor and Haran, and his nephew Lot. His family was a group of caravan traders from the west. Terrah wants to take his family away to the Land of Canaan, but ended up in the town of Haran. Abram’s story began when he was already an old man at the age of seventy-five. He heard a call from God; The Lord said to Abram, “ Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name so great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and him who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families on the earth will be blessed. Abraham’s heart is completely submissive to the Word and he obeys. A man of silence, Abraham constructs an altar to the Lord at each stage of his journey

The Promises to Abram Abram was promised three things: Land and a Nation-Abram was promised the land of Canaan. Originally the land of Canaan was supposed to belong to Shem but Ham and Canaan had usurped his birthright. This promise will be fulfilled with the covenant of Moses Kingship and a Name- “I will bless you and make your name great.” God made Abram’s name great by finding him a dynasty which gave him authority and power. God intends to build a kingdom on humble, faithful Abram. This promise will be fulfilled with the covenant with David Blessing For All Nations-God would use Abram to bring salvation to the whole world. The whole human family, torn apart by sin, would be brought back through the line of Abraham. This covenant will with fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

God’s Oath: Land and a Nation

Abram swears a covenant oath with God to give Canaan Abram’s descendants God promises Abram that he will make him the “Father of all nations” through his abundant descendants. Abram finds this hard to believe because his wife, Sarai has never been able to conceive. Abram begins to wonder why he seems to be cursed. Even so, Abram has much faith in God and believes in his promise, traveling to wherever God says. Abram then seals this oath with a sacrifice of God’s choosing, showing that if this oath should be broken then his blood shall be shed.

God’s Oath: Kingship and a Name

Sarai and Abram tried to speed up God’s plan by having Abram take another wife Even though Abram had immense faith in God, he was human like everyone else and because of this he tried to use his reasoning to conceive a son. This lead him to have relations with his salve Hagar and have a son named Ishmael. God then continues the covenant with Abram and changes his name to Abraham. Meaning “Father of Multitude” Kings shall spring from his line and rule over nations. As a sacrifice was an external sign of God’s covenant, so was circumcision as Abraham’s descendants will bear this mark.

Circumcision Not only was circumcision an external sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants but it was also an internal action as they were also called to circumcise their hearts. By this it means that they would stop their sinful ways and walk in the light of God. The circumcision which you have received has meaning if you keep the law, but if you break the law that is the same as not receiving circumcision. Therefore, the person who does not receive circumcision, if he practices the requirements of the law, even though he has not received circumcision, won't he be considered as a circumcised person? (Romans 2:25-26) What is a descendent of Abraham that is circumcised but is sinful and deliberately goes against God? He is not a true descendent of God’s covenant but it is those who understand what has been promised and live their life with God.

Sarai and Abram tried to speed up God’s plan by having Abram take another wife (continued) God then surprise Sarai by testing her doubt and says she shall bear a son. By doing this, God has crowned Sarai “mother of nations” changing her name to Sarah. By God changing Abraham’s and Sarah’s names its shows they have undergone and complete transformation from who they were before and now are with God. Even Abraham did not believe what God had said and tries to challenge what God has declared but God shows how powerful and mighty he is and fulfills his promise, giving Abraham and Sarah a son. Knowing that this covenant was true, Abraham took all the men from his tribe that same day and circumcised them all to show they were all a sign of the covenant. However because Ishmael was circumcised at the age of thirteen it shows that he will not fulfill the covenant as Abraham’s son. Later on to show that he was serious, God appears to Abraham in person and tells him that Sarah will have a son but Sarah still doubts.

Sodom and Gomorrah

Abraham bargains with God of the fate of Sodom Since Abraham was God’s choice to start the People of God, Abraham needed to know how God dealt with unrighteousness. At this time the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah built up such a sinful reputation that God had to take immense action. The reason for this was that in these cities they were going against God’s laws by committing adultery and actions of homosexuality. Hence the term sodomy, which comes from the city Sodom. Acts of homosexuality go against God’s natural law and seal out the gift of life. It does not bring genuine affection, taking away from God’s seal in marriage.

Abraham bargains with God of the fate of Sodom(continued) But when Abraham hears that God will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he does not want his nephew Lot to get hurt. Abraham then tries to bargain with God, so that he may save Lot by saying “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city” and he continued until God said he would not destroy the cities if he were to find ten righteous people. God then sends angels to the cities to see if the rumors were correct and when they arrived there they stayed with Lot. But the people of the city see these twos strangers and decide they want to have their way with them. In that time people thought there was almost no worse sin that a sin against hospitality and since they were under Lot’s house, he was responsible for what would happen to them. Lot even tried to reason with the people and give them his daughters so that they may go away.

Abraham bargains with God of the fate of Sodom(continued) At this moment the strangers revealed to Lot who they were and commanded he go into the house as they intervened. The angels struck everyone with external blindness as they were already blind in there hearts. The angels then warned Lot that they were going to destroy the city and told him to quickly get out. Lot then left with his daughters and wife as the angels told them to flee but to not look back. While walking Lot’s wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt. Everything was then destroyed and everything that he considered civilization was gone. To Lot’s daughters it seemed like their father was the last man on earth. So they came up with a wicked scheme, got their father drunk and tricked him into fathering their children. The result of this would create the Moabites and Ammonites nation.

The Binding Of Isaac And God’s Third Oath

Abraham Gains A Son In Isaac but loses Ishmael to Sarah’s jealousy Just as the Lord has promised, Sarah gave birth to a son, and named him Isaac. Sarah tells Abraham to cast out Hagar and Ishmael when she saw Ishmael mocking Isaac. Sarah’s jealousy, she does not want Ishmael to share in Isaac’s birth rights. God tells Abraham that Ishmael will also become a great nation, but Isaac is the one deem to carry on the covenant. Ishmael and Hagar are sent away. God is always right, Ishmael goes to Egypt, and he becomes the father of Islam.

Ishmael and Hagar Being Sent Away

When God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only remaining son, Isaac, he obeys. Abraham resigns himself to the will of God and responds when God tells him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham with two of his servants and Isaac set out to the place which God had told Abraham. On the third day Abraham and Isaac alone to the place where God has told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham is an old man. Isaac is not child any more, and he knows what is happening. Isaac does not resist, he cooperates with Abraham. Isaac is a willing participant. When Abraham is about to kill Isaac, an angel of God calls him and tell him not to kill Isaac. A ram instead is offered to God as a sacrifice. God knows that Abraham fear him. God never demands human sacrifice.

Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac his only son

The sacrifice of Isaac is a type of the sacrifice of Christ. Abraham offers his beloved Son. God offers his beloved son Jesus to die for us. Isaac submits to Abraham’s will. Jesus submits to God’s will Isaac carries the wood for his own sacrifice. Jesus carries his own wooden cross. God himself provides the sacrifice. God provides the ram to be sacrificed. God himself provide the perfect sacrifice, his only son Jesus Christ.

God swear an that all nations will be blessed through Abraham. Because of Abraham’s faith, God swears an oath to deliver the last and most incredible part of his promise: that all the nations of the world will be blessed through him. Abraham to a good old age and by the end of his life he have seen Isaac marry and well established. The World is not perfect Abraham’s descendant will sin and fail over and over again. God has never forgotten his covenant with Abraham. He uses the descendants of Abraham to bring salvation to the world.

The Mountains of Moriah Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed on Mount Moriah. On one of the hills on mount Moriah is where the temple of Jerusalem was built. Also on one of the peaks on Mount Moriah named Golgotha, Jesus will offer himself as the last sacrifice.

The Mountains of Moriah Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed on Mount Moriah. On one of the hills on mount Moriah is where the temple of Jerusalem was built. Also on one of the peaks on Mount Moriah named Golgotha, Jesus will offer himself as the last sacrifice.

CREATED BY George Boateng Albert Tejada Diego Wagner