|
ABRAHAM A MAN OF FAITH |
|
|
|
A 15th century Picture of Abraham |
| " Get thee out of thy country,
and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee ; and in thee shall all families of the Earth be blessed. " Genesis Chapter 12 vs. 1-3 |
Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen, for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before thee ? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
Lot, turning from his uncle, chose the
valley south of the Jordan, and settles near Sodom , Abraham was to settle at Hebron later he was to hear that
his nephew had been captured and held prisoner by the four kings headed by the Elamite king Chedorlaomer who had
crushed the revolt of the five Canaanite kings . Abraham then collected 318 of his men and rescued Lot those of
the kings who rejoiced in his victory then wished to reward him ;
He sought nothing but to do his duty and wait upon the will of God, however in those days men married more than one wife, Sarai, was very beautiful, even the king of Egypt had desired her for his wife, but Abram was 85 years old, Sarai his wife, still childless, decided to give him her Egyptian maidservant Hagar saying
" Marry my slave-girl, and perhaps she will give us a son for our home."
Ishmael is born and is viewed as the possible heir. However Hagar and Sarah were soon to be in dispute with Hagar finding herself an outcast in the wilderness, but a voice in the wilderness told her
"Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands,"
frightened Hagar exclaimed " Thou God seest me." obediently she submitted herself once again to Sarah.
When Abram is 99 years old, Jehovah changes his name to Abraham, ( Father of a crowd [ Multitude ] ) ( Genesis Chapter 17 vs. 2-22 ) Sarai's name becomes Sarah, An everlatings covenant between God and Abraham's seed Isaac is established , circumcision is required with Abraham's household immediately circumcised. Then one day suddenly before Abraham there emerge three strangers struck by their appearance, he receives them with honour, one of them foretells that Sarah within one year she would give birth to a son.
God declares to Abraham's friend Lot of his determination to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin , the angels of God warns Lot to flee from Sodom with his wife and two daughters. However, his wife's, lingering look turns her into a pillar of salt.
Isaac, is born when Abraham is 100 years old and Sarah about 90. Alas! for poor Hagar due to Ishmael poking fun at Isaac they are once again expelled. Sarah, called to Abraham, " Cast out this woman and her son; for the son of this bond woman shall not be heir with my son. " Abraham grieved, but a voice comforted him, saying,
"Let it not be grievous
in thy sight because of the lad, and because of bondwoman ; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto
her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because
he is thy seed."
 |
Abraham listened early in the morning, he provided
Hagar and his son with food and water, and told them, that they may be sure, of God's promise.Submissively she
journeyed until her food and water came to an end, they could go no further, she laid her son down , she wept.and
went a way saying, " Let me not see the death of the child." God heard the voice of the lad ; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar ? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the bottle with water, and gave him a drink. And God was with him as he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; he became an archer. and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. |
At the end of three days in the mountains he said
unto his young men,
"Abide ye here with
the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you."
Then Isaac said suddenly, "My father! Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" And Abraham, in great trouble, answered,
"My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering."
Then Abraham made an altar, laid the wood upon it, and took Isaac into
his arms, and laid him for a lamb upon the altar. as he was about to slay Isaac a voice said,
"Lay not thine hand
upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not with
held thy son, thine only son, from Me."
God then provided him with an offering ( Genesis Chapter 22 vs. 1-15 ). This complete trust, even to the point of being willing to obey such a drastic command, was rewarded by a compact or covenant, promising future greatness. God promised that his descendants ( seed ) would multiply ( Genesis Chapter 22 vs.15 - 18 ) After Sarah's death Abraham was to marry again taking Keturah for a wife and fathered six more sons, therefore from Abraham came the nations of the Ishmaelites, Edomites and Medanites , Midianites and others
Abraham never saw the complete fulfillment of the promise, but would have been certain in the knowledge that it
would be concluded. Abraham did live to see his son Isaac marry Rebekah; and was laid to rest at the side of his
wife in the cave of Machpelah. The names of many other fine example's of men of faith are recorded in ( Hebrews Chapter 11 ).
