God promised Abram three promises which the narrator repeated several times. It is important to know to understand the rest of the bible. The first promise was that Arbam would have a great nation. The second promise to Abram was that the lad he was standing on would be for him and his people and family. The final promise was that God would bless the whole earth through one of his descendants. God created a covenant with Abram and renamed him Abraham. This was a patron covenant. It is a covenant that solely depends on God and does not rely on others.
One of the first major events in Abraham's life is that of his calling. We first meet Abraham while he is living in the Ur of the Chaldeans in the east. We don't know much about his life prior to his calling by God but once steps into Abraham's life things change in radical ways. God
In the Old Testament, Abraham and Moses were two very prominent leaders chosen by God to do his will. Throughout Genesis and Exodus, both men play important roles in fulfilling God’s will. They are put to many tests, given covenants, and communicate constantly with God. Although they have many similarities such as being leaders and men of God, there are also many differences between the two.
We can believe that the Abrahamic covenant would be fulfilled when, God called Abraham to leave his country, relatives, and family to go to the land that he was going to be given. God said, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.” The land that the Lord took Abraham too, was the land that would be given to him and his descendants. After Abraham was gone, his descendants would be in possession of the land.
God’s covenant with Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham, was to be the father of many nations. The covenant includes promises concerning a land covenant, a seed covenant, and a blessing covenant. The foundation will flow out of the “Seed Covenant” to his descendants Isaac and Jacob, through whom the twelve tribes of Israel were born.
God told Abraham to send Ishmael to the mountain (add name of the mountain) (21: 12-13), and now demanded of him to bring in Isaac. While you are waiting on God to fulfill your wishes, it is not difficult to convince yourself and others that you trust in his word. However, it is quite another thing to trust and obey the word after the expected promise is received. Did Abraham prefer "to keep to himself," his long-awaited son, or listen to God and return to the Lord? In other words, the test was to proof, if he really believed that God would somehow fulfill His word, and not take his promised heir?
In this parsha we meet our first forefather Avraham, who is commanded by Hashem to leave his land, his birthplace and fathers house to go to a land he will inherit. This happens about 2000 years before the common era, and Hashem promises to make him into a great nation and bless him throughout the world. Avraham becomes a man with a historic mission, to become the father of a new nation which would through its suffering and pain, profoundly influence our civilization.
The primary patriarch of Judaism's history is Abraham. Abram was born with the name Abram; he often questioned the faith of his father and sought truth. Eventually, the one Creator and God that Abram sought called to him and told him to leave his home and family, and God would bless him with a great nation and a great number of descendants. Abram obeyed, and the forever-lasting covenant between God and the Jewish people was created. This covenant would be a start to Judaism. The covenant involves obligations and rights between God and the Jews. Over time the terms of the covenant became more stated. Abram's faith was tested to prove himself to God.
The Abrahamic Covenant was established in Genesis 12:2-3, this is the first time God spoke to Abraham and instituted this unconditional covenant. The importance is magnified for now we can understand the purpose that God has intended for Israel. The covenant required nothing of Abraham for God’s promise to give him land, descendants and above all nations would be blessed through him per Genesis 15:18-21.
. God promises Abraham a vast descendants and a prosperous place to build his de family in. (15:5)
When God told Abram to leave his homeland and to move on (see illustration #1) (Gen.12:1-2NSRV) God made a promise to Abram. “I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing”. (Gen. 12:1-3) Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” Therefore, he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him (Gen. 12:7). Abram knew that through his faith in God would blessed Abram and his decedents and Abram would be the father of many nations. From these promises, all must flow from and through Abram, to accomplish God's plan, the birth of Christ and the salvation for humankind after the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. “Therefore,
According to traditional Old Testament historians, Abraham became the first human to establish a covenant with God and with his second son Isaac and grandson Jacob they became the first of three Patriarchs of Judaism and Christianity. Abraham, original name Abram or Avram, along with his wife Sarah, original name Sarai, became the "Father of the Multitudes and Father of the Israelites." Sarah's hand-maiden Hagar, gave birth to Abraham's first son Ishmael who later became a prominent prophet and patriarch of the Islamic faith.
Abraham’s seriousness and dedication in regards to his covenant with God control tense actions and events between Abraham and Isaac. Abraham is compelled in his actions by his understanding and faith that his belief in God will reap benefits. Without hesitation, he considers doing everything that God tells him to do. Abraham’s willingness and sacrifice of Isaac show the great power that God has over Abraham. Abraham’s desire for God’s approval and blessings compel him toward grave actions without the concrete command from God. Abraham merely implies God’s intentions from the limited conversations held between Abraham, God, and the angel.
God selected Abraham to be the father of the His people. The bible does not directly state why God selected him, but after reading scripture one can conclude that God selected Abraham due to his great faith. Abraham’s life lends itself as an example to all who desire to walk with God.
Abraham stands as one of the most important figures in the Hebrew Bible, and is central to the understanding of God’s solution to the problem of mankind. Man, the mysterious creature that God wraught as a semi-experiment, is constantly prone to believe he is self-sufficient and capable of survival without God, the central problem God must deal with in the Hebrew Bible. To solve this problem, God decides to strike fear in the heart of man and to revolutionise his lifestyle by creating laws and empowering a chosen group of people, who will spread the word of God by example. These people are the Hebrews, and Abraham is the father of their race, the man from whom all