Hebrew Bible Paper - Abraham
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
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Abram leaves his home and family, and departs into the "strange land" of Canaan, showing an extreme obedience to God and understanding of his duty to father this great race. Throughout Genesis, Abraham builds altars to God and sacrifices animals. In Genesis 22:2, God tells Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains". The next day, Abraham sets off for Moriah "and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son." After God stops the sacrifice, he tells Abraham, "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."
Abraham’s continual obedience to God is central to his character and the desired character of the Hebrew people. God, in his great plan, wishes to remove the human tendency to believe only in his judgment, the pride of thinking he knows better than God. Thus, God wishes to promote the qualities of obedience and humility, to birth a nation of men who fear God and follow orders. Only in this way can people be expected to follow a moral code and adhere to laws; they must understand that there are powers beyond them that they do not always understand, but must perpetually follow.
Wade Butlers states that the rest of the bible is about one man’s family, which is Abraham. It is about how God kept his three promises that he made. There are many obstacles that the family goes through, but the stories show how God never disappoints his people. In the end he fulfills his three promises.
The life of Abraham is one of varied geographical places as Abraham moves from place to place as well as an expedition through life's ups and downs with its challenges and disappointment. Abraham's spiritual life is also a journey, as he moves from periods of great faith to those moments of weakness and sin. Ultimately we find that Abraham, this man of faith, learned to trust in God as he traveled, not only from his home in Ur but as he journeyed towards faith.
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.
Abraham: Husband of Sarah, is told by God to leave his home to go to a new land to spread God’s teachings. After much difficulty, he has only one child with Sarah, Isaac, and is ordered to sacrifice him but God intervenes last minute to reveal that it was a test of his faith and he may keep his son.
In this chapter, it is clear that Abraham trusted God completely. Abraham did not know why God was testing him. But Abraham could recognise God’s voice. The Bible clearly teaches that murder is wicked (Deuteronomy 5:17). The answer is that God never wanted Abraham to kill Isaac. God stopped Abraham before Abraham could hurt Isaac. So God had a different plan. God was not really asking Abraham to kill Isaac. In fact, God was asking Abraham to prove that he (Abraham) would always trust God. Abraham did not know about God’s plan to save Isaac. But Abraham realised that God had such a plan. He told his servants that he would bring Isaac back to them (verse 5). He told Isaac that God would provide the *lamb for the *sacrifice (verse 8). Hebrews
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 covenant dominates the relationship, and was created to teach Abraham how to live in a civilized manner. We can prove that the relationship between the two is a guiding one because God speaks unto Abraham, saying “Be thou perfect” Gen 17.1, during the formation of the covenant. God means to guide Abram in two distinct ways to bring him closer to refinement. The first is changing Abram’s name to Abraham. This represents the changing of Abram’s purpose in life, away from a husband with no children, to a father of a multitude of nations. The second change is the
Disillusioned Latin students, who cringe at the thought of repeatedly scribbling their grammar, are often told by their teachers, "Per repitio nos studiare," which translates to "through repetition we learn." Though this may seem hard to believe as their hands begin to cramp, it bears a certain amount of truth. As my grandfather once told me, "Experience is often the best teacher." Truly gaining an understanding of something often comes from repeated involvement.
Without devotion to God, violence and death would flourish in Israel. These factors would impede God’s blessings of security and life; thus, the Mosaic covenant demonstrates the continual faithfulness of God in the Old Testament. Finally, God is faithful to Israel during the people’s complaints in the desert. Rather than abandoning the nation for its faithlessness, God provides them will nourishment and protection during their journey. These acts further reinforce the faithfulness of God, even when his followers stray. In all, the Pentateuch demonstrates the theme of God’s faithfulness.
It is a very common problem in our society. There is some stereotype that black people are violent, and involving in crime. Some statistics also suggest that blacks have been arrested by police more likely than other race. It is an ongoing debate in America, because we have a legacy of slavery, which still plays important role in this conflict. On the other hand, Asian-Americans are portrayed as hardworking people and involved in small business. There are different factors that plays important role behind these stereotype and projection; however, we never look at the facts rather than generalization of the race relation. So, we should look this particular scenario with fresh eyes, where all racial minorities are same, but, their histories are different and social practices, structural violence, and lack of opportunities have role in current situation.
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.
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.
He has at this point moved to a new land, been promised that the land will flourish, and has been told that he will need to sacrifice his only son. On page 13 we see what makes Abraham so great. It states, “For the one who loved himself became great by himself, and the one who loved other persons became great by his devotion, but the one who loved God became greater than everybody.” You can see early on that Abraham is being guided by his faith. This is the reason that he is willing to sacrifice his only son. Abraham knows that it is unethical to sacrifice Isaac, but he knows that if he follows what God wants him to do then he will relieved of the duty that God has bestowed on him. This proves to work out for Abraham because just when he is about to stick the knife in Isaac he sees a ram out of the corner of his eye and God accepts the ram as a
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.