The Call Of Abram

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.

American mythologist and writer Joseph Campbell can be quoted, “Computers are like Old Testament (gods), lots of rules and no mercy.” Sadly enough, many people, even some Biblical scholars, hold to this stereotype that the Old and New Testaments display different foundational characteristics of God: law versus grace. As will be examined here, the stories of the OT are abundant in both God’s grace and His holiness, and the histories within these books are saturated with the theological themes of covenant, kingship, grace, sacrifice, and prophetism. Each of the five subsections listed will first answer the “who, what, why, when, where, and how” questions. After a thorough explanation of the historical and theological significance of each theme, this exposition will address a crucial debate concerning the theme, if such is applicable. We begin with the theme of covenant in this study of five prominent OT themes.

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.

Throughout time biblical scriptures have been interpreted differently by different religions, scholar’s, and languages. Many theologians have provided different interpretations based off their mentors and time they lived. Using works from the Sacra Pagina Series, Norton Bible scriptures, and excerpts from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and teaching of John Calvin this essay will show the vast differences of interpretations in just one biblical scripture let alone throughout the entire bible and its many interpretations.

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.

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.

The relationship between man and the gods/God differ from one culture to the next, and span over many centuries. We will look at ways in which gods/God were revered in the stories of Joseph in the Hebrew Bible, and of Odysseus in epic The Odyssey. Both the story of Joseph and the story of Odysseus served as a moral and spiritual guide to their respective cultures. Joseph’s story of his journey through slavery and imprisonment up to royalty exemplifies a journey of humiliation guided by his faith in God. God seems to demand absolute unquestioning faith as Joseph’s life is patterned in such a way that his humiliation turns out to be instrumental in his eventual exaltation.

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,

This promise God makes to Abram supports the fact that Abram’s pilgrimage to the promised land was motivated more by self interest. There was no real urgent need for him to leave his home, he lives a standard, content life, however he is promised a great nation and a great name. There

As stated earlier, God had made a covenant with Abraham that he would give him people, place, presence,

The history of how the Bible came into existence has been explored for centuries and is an active area of study today. There are many facets to the Bible and each has its own set of unique characteristics and teachings. The Old Testament is considered a contemporary guide for daily living, even though it was composed hundreds of years ago. Where did the Old Testament come from? What are some of the influences that shaped the Old Testament? What are the significant events of the Old Testament? In order to gain a better understanding of the Old Testament and its message to Christians, special consideration is given to its historical and cultural context, and to the major milestones in its development. Personal application of the teachings offered in this section of the Bible should be the aspiration of all Christians today.

Certain tales in the Bible that are often referred to as, “children’s stories” yet they are often the most intriguing stories within the Bible that have simply been dulled down to reach a wider audience. These stories tend to deliver a powerful message in a concise manner that people can easily grasp and imagine. And the theme of putting your faith in God is prevalent throughout the Bible and in these types of stories; we see it with the story of Daniel and the lion’s den, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego escaping the fiery furnace, when Job doesn’t let the devil’s attacks destroy his spirit, David the shepherd boy defeating the mighty warrior Goliath, etc. No matter where we look in the Bible, there is always a consistent theme

God develops many special relationships with His people throughout the Old Testament. Another word to describe the relationship between God and his people is covenant. The word covenant goes into the details of the relationship. Within the five books of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), Historical books, Poetical books, and the Prophet books, one may pick up on the relationships being developed between God and humanity. God has an unconditional love for His people; He is always faithful to them. On the other hand, humanity has more of a conditional relationship with God. Humanity continuously falls short, making the love seem “conditional,” but are given a choice to either follow God into a relationship and receive love and benefits of the covenant or not. “No child of the covenant who presents to Him a faithless and insincere heart shall be included in its blessings.” Going off the idea of love being unconditional and conditional, this paper focuses on how the Old Testament is about God, humanity and their relationship.

Before the gospels and Pauline epistles, early church Christians related to the Old Testament as Scripture and viewed their Christian walk as the fulfillment of the promises made to Israel from the Old Testament, which foretold of the coming age of the Messiah. The first New Testament Christians understood the importance of the Old Testament; it was their “Bible” they preached from. Just as in the early church, Christians today need the Old Testament for preaching and in which to reference and understand Christ’s purpose for why he came.