Abraham’s name was originally Abram, and he was born in Ur, in the
land of the Chaldees. The son of Terah, he had two brothers, Nahor and Haran. When just a young man, Abram married his half sister Sarai, but the couple had no children, since Sarai was barren. After the death of his son Haran, Terah took his grandson, Lot, together with Abram and Sarai, and set out for the land of Canaan, but settled instead in a place called Haran.
After Terah’s death, God called Abram, promising to make of him a great nation, and to
bless him in many wonderful ways. God tells Abram to take all that he has, and move at once to the land of Canaan, for this is to be his inheritance, and that of his descendants for generations yet unborn. Abram believes God and leaving his homeland and kindred, he goes to this land, now inhabited by others, and where he will remain a stranger for the rest of his life.
God does indeed bless Abram, and he becomes very rich, but he still has no children. At Sarai’s insistence, he takes her Egyptian handmaid, Hagar, as his wife, and from this union, a son, Ishmael, is born. God however, tells Abram that Ishmael is not to be his heir.
It is around this time that God speaks to Abram once more. Again he is assured of becoming a great nation, but also he is told that Sarai will have a son in her old
age, and that God will bless the child and establish an everlasting covenant with him. It is at this time also that God changes their names to Abraham and Sarah. As unbelievable as it appears to both of them, Sarah, at the age of ninety, gives birth to a son. Her husband is one hundred
years old! The boy, at God’s request, is given the name of Isaac.
Abraham lives for many years after this, seeing his sons grow to manhood, and even remarrying and having other children after the death of Sarah. His passing is at the age of one hundred and seventy-five years.
The story of Abraham is one of intrigue and suspense, an incredible tale of promise, of doubt, and eventual fulfillment, but more than anything it is a story of faith, of a man who believes God, trusts him completely, and obeys him absolutely. The covenant of circumcision, Sodom and Gomorrah, the adventures of Lot, the near sacrifice of Isaac, all make for some fantastic reading. Truly one of history’s greatest epics.
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