Introduction

Abraham is one of the most blessed people in the Bible. Although Scripture is not a

comprehensive history of humans it does, however, chronicle the relationship of one

man and his descendants with the Creator of the Universe. Ultimately, it is a record of

how God has and will bless mankind through the life of the next person in our timeline.

Abraham lived when the Middle East was dominated by the early kingdoms of

Mesopotamia and Egypt. Many of the places associated with Abraham mentioned in

the Bible, such as Haran, Ur, Shechem, Ai and Hebron have been located by

archaeologists and some are still occupied today.

Terah the ninth in descent from Noah, was the father of three sons: Abram, Nahor, and

Haran. Haran was the father of Lot (who was thus Abram's nephew), and died in his

native city, Ur of the Chaldees. Abram married Sarah (Sarai), who was barren. Terah,

with Abram, Sarai, and Lot, then departed for Canaan, but settled in a place named

Haran, where Terah died at the age of 205. [Genesis 11:27–32] God had told Abram to

leave his country and kindred and go to a land that he would show him, and promised

to make of him a great nation, bless him, make his name great, bless them that bless

him, and curse them who may curse him. [Genesis 12:1–3] Abram was 75 years old

when he left Haran with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and the

substance and souls that they had acquired, and travelled to Shechem in Canaan.

[Genesis 12:4 6]

Abraham lived in Ur for a total of seventy years. He then accompanied his father and

the entire family to the city of Haran. His older brother Haran, the father of Lot, died in
Ur sometime before this migration took place. After living in the city five years Terah

dies at the age of 205. Soon after this event God tells Abram (Genesis 12:1 - 2), who is

now 75 years old, to leave Haran and take his family to the land of Canaan (the land of

promise). He then makes a startling promise to Abram. God says that he will BLESS

those who bless him and CURSE those who curse him (Genesis 12:3).

Important events and people in the life of Abraham include his calling by God and

receiving the command to migrate to Canaan. His wife Sarai, nephew Lot and wife, and

the remaining family join him in the journey. The Eternal promises, several times, to

bless him and his descendants. After God miraculously heals Sarah's womb she gives

birth to Isaac. This "father of the faithful" is blessed to meet with a Priest of the Most

High God named Melchizedek, who is actually a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus

Christ.

Abraham’s name was originally “Abram”, which means ‘the father is exalted’. His

name was changed to “Abraham”, which means ‘father of a multitude’, when God

initiated His covenant with him (Genesis 17). God promised Abraham that he would be

the father of many people. However, Abraham was 99 years old and his childless wife

was 90 (Genesis 11:30; 17:1-4, 17).

Wives of Abraham

Abraham was said to have three wives which are Sarah, Hagar and Keturah. Sarah was

Sarah or Sarai

Sarah was Abraham’s half-sister before he married her. There was a severe famine in

the land of Canaan, so that Abram and Lot and their households, traveled to Egypt. On
the way Abram told Sarai to say that she was his sister, so that the Egyptians would not

kill him. [Genesis 12:10–13] When they entered Egypt, the Pharaoh's officials praised

Sarai's beauty to Pharaoh, and they took her into the palace and gave Abram goods in

exchange. Go afflicted Pharaoh and his household with plagues, which led Pharaoh to

try to find out what was wrong. [Genesis 12:14–17] Upon discovering that Sarai was a

married woman, Pharaoh demanded that Abram and Sarai leave. [Genesis 12:18–20).

In the ancient times, it was a custom to offer a substitute to bear a child to ensure the

continuation of the family if the wife could not. Sarai offered her Egyptian handmaid,

Hagar, to Abram to bear them a child. Abram consented, and at the age of 86 Hagar

bore him a son, Ishmael.

Hagar

Hagar was the Egyptian slave of Sarah, Abraham's wife. Sarah had been barren for a

long time and sought a way to fulfil Yahweh's promise to Abraham that Abraham would

be father of many nations, especially since they were getting older, so she offered Hagar

to Abraham as a second wife.

Hagar became pregnant, and tension arose between the two women. Sarah complained

to Abraham, and treated Hagar harshly, and Hagar ran away. Hagar fled into the desert

on her way to Shur. At a spring en route, an angel appeared to Hagar, who instructed

her to return to Sarah, so that she may bear a child who "shall be a wild ass of a man:

his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall

dwell in the face of all his brethren".Genesis 16:12 Then she was told to call her
son Ishmael. Afterward, Hagar referred to God as "Roi”. She then returned to Abraham

and Sarah, and soon gave birth to a son, whom she named as the angel had instructed.

Later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, and the tension between the women returned. At a

celebration after Isaac was weaned, Sarah found the teenage Ishmael mocking her son.

She was so upset by it that she demanded that Abraham send Hagar and her son away.

She declared that Ishmael would not share in Isaac's inheritance. Abraham was greatly

distressed but God told Abraham to do as his wife commanded because God's promise

would be carried out through both Isaac and Ishmael.

Early the next morning, Abraham brought Hagar and Ishmael out together. Abraham

gave Hagar bread and water then sent them into the wilderness of Beersheba. She and

her son wandered aimlessly until their water was completely consumed. In a moment

of despair, she burst into tears. God heard her and her son crying and came to rescue

them. The angel opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well of water. He also told Hagar

that God "will make a great nation" of Ishmael. Hagar found her son a wife from Egypt

and they settled in the Desert of Parana

Keturah

Keturah was a concubine and wife of the Biblical patriarch Abraham. According to the

Book of Genesis, Abraham married Keturah after the death of his first wife, Sarah.

Keturah bore Abraham six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

Genesis and First Chronicles also list seven of her grandsons (Sheba, Dedan, Ephah,

Epher, Enoch, Abida, and Eldaah). Keturah's sons were said to have represented the

Arab tribes who lived south and east of Palestine.

Sons of Abraham

Ishmael

In Genesis 16, the birth of Ishmael was planned by the Patriarch Abraham's first wife,

who at that time was known as Sarah. She and her husband Abram (Abraham) sought a

way to have children in order to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant that was established in

Genesis 15. Sarai was 75 years old and had yet to bear Abraham a child. She had the

idea to offer her Egyptian handmaiden Hagar to her husband, so that they could have a

child by her. Abraham took Hagar as his wife, [4] and conceived a child with her.

Genesis 16:7-16 describes the naming of Ishmael, and God's promise to Hagar

concerning Ishmael and his descendants. This occurred at the well of Beer-lahai-roi,

located in the desert region between Abraham’s settlement and Shur. Hagar fled there

after Sarai dealt harshly with her for showing contempt for her mistress following her

having become pregnant. At the well, Hagar encountered an angel of God who said to

her "Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael,

because the LORD has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man,

his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over

against all his kinsmen." Abraham was blessed so that his descendants would be as

numerous as the dust of the earth. God would make of Ishmael a great nation, because

he was of the seed of Abraham. However, God told Hagar that her son would be a

warrior, living in conflict with his relatives. When Ishmael was born, Abraham was 86

years old.
At the age of 14, Ishmael was freed along with his mother. The Lord’s covenant made

clear Ishmael was not to inherit Abraham’s house and that Isaac would be the seed of

the covenant: "Take your son, your only son, whom you love and go to the region of

Moriah." (Genesis 22:2–8) Abraham gave Ishmael and his mother a supply of bread and

water and sent them away. Hagar entered in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba where the

two soon ran out of water and Hagar, not wanting to witness the death of her son, set

the boy some distance away from herself, and wept. "And God heard the voice of the

lad" and sent his angel to tell Hagar, "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", from which she drew to save Ishmael's life and her own. "And God was with

the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer." (Genesis

21:14–21)

After roaming the wilderness for some time, Ishmael and his mother settled in the Desert

of Paran, where he became an expert in archery. Eventually, his mother found him a

wife from the land of Egypt. They had twelve sons who each became tribal chiefs

throughout the regions from Havilah to Shur (from Assyria to the border of Egypt).

According to tradition, he is the ancestor of the Quraysh tribe, and thus of the Islamic

prophet, Muhammad.

Isaac

It was prophesied to the patriarch Abraham that he would have a son and that his name

should be Isaac. When Abraham became one hundred years old, this son was born to

him by his first wife Sarah. Though this was Abraham's second son it was Sarah's first

and only child.

On the eighth day from his birth, Isaac was circumcised, as was necessary for all males

of Abraham's household, in order to be in compliance with Yahweh's covenant.

After Isaac had been weaned, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking, and urged her husband to

cast out Hagar the bondservant and her son, so that Isaac would be Abraham's sole heir.

Abraham was hesitant, but at God's order he listened to his wife's request.

Isaac moved to Beer-lahai-roi after his father died. When the land experienced famine,

he removed to the Philistine land of Gerar where his father once lived. This land was

still under the control of King Abimelech as it was in the days of Abraham. Like his

father, Isaac also deceived Abimelech about his wife and also got into the well business.

He had gone back to all of the wells that his father dug and saw that they were all

stopped up with earth. The Philistines did this after Abraham died. So, Isaac unearthed

them and began to dig for more wells all the way to Beersheba, where he made a pact

with Abimelech, just like in the day of his father.

According to Judaism and Christianity, Isaac is the son whom the offering story is

about. According to Islamic interpretation, Ishmael is the son in the story. Either way,

Abraham was asked in a test of faith by God to take one of his sons onto Mount Moriah

and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. At the time, children were often sacrificed as burnt

offerings to a variety of deities. Abraham submitted, despite the fact that he "loved" his

son. He took the son up on the mountain and prepared to sacrifice him. At the last

moment, God told him to stay his hand and a ram appeared in the bushes. Abraham and

his son slayed the ram as an offering, instead. God reiterated His promises to Abraham

again, at this point, and made the covenant binding. Because Abraham had faith in the

One God, God showed Himself different from other gods who desired human sacrifice
and started His history with a people: The Jews or the Muslims. Christianity also lays

claim to this story as the fore-shadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Abraham and His Covenant with God

God appeared to Abraham several times during his travels. One time he appeared and

told Abraham that his children will be as numerous as grains of dust on earth and stars

in the sky. Another time God recognized that Abraham was committed to “keep the way

of the Lord to do righteousness and justice."

In a dream God appeared to Abraham in a smoking furnace and made a covenant with

him, promising Abraham and his descendant that he would be their God and provide

the land of Canaan in return for worshiping Him alone and obeying his commandments.

As “a sign of the covenant between me and you," God told Abraham that “every male

among you shall cut my Covenant in your flesh” ---which was interpreted as meaning

that all males must be circumcised as a sign of their faith. “Abraham later circumcised

his sons when they were eight and himself at the age of 99 To this day all Jewish boys

are circumcised when they are eight to symbolize this covenant.

In Genesis 15:18, God told Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved and

subject to suffering for 400 years but would then inherit the land from the Nile to the

Euphrates. Today many Jews and some conservative Christians regard this statement as

a promise by God giving the Jewish people alone the right to the Holy Land. Muslims,

who regard Abraham as a father of their religion, said the agreement between God and

Abraham gives them just as much of a claim to the Holy Land as the Jews have.
Abraham and Lot

As Abraham and Lot’s possessions increased, their men mostly herdsmen quarrelled

over grazing rights. A compromise was worked out in which Abraham told Lot, “Let is

part company. If you take the left hand, then I shall go right, and if you take the right

hand, I shall go left. Lot headed with his animals to Sodom and Abraham settled in

Canaan." In Chapter 13, Lot heads off for the "the whole plain of Jordan" in which "all

of it is well-watered." Archaeologists have discovered evidence of an extensive

irrigation system in Jordan that dates back to Abraham's time.

Abraham wandered in the desert with his animals but in time became wealthy, and

distinguished himself as a war king and diplomat. After Lot was captured by enemies

of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and his men rescued him during a night

time raid.

In Chapter 19, Lot rests at a gateway of Canaanite city with a large chamber where

people gathered to hang out, gossip and do business. Many Canaanite cities did possess

such a chamber. After the rescue of Lot, the high priest and king of Canaan gave

Abraham wine and bread and declared: “Blessed be Abraham by God Most High, maker

of heaven and earth, and blessed he God Most High who has delivered your enemies

into your hand."

Abraham and His Covenant with God

God appeared to Abraham several times during his travels. One time he appeared and

told Abraham that his children will be as numerous as grains of dust on earth and stars
in the sky. Another time God recognized that Abraham was committed to “keep the way

of the Lord to do righteousness and justice."

In a dream God appeared to Abraham in a smoking furnace and made a covenant with

him, promising Abraham and his descendant that he would be their God and provide

the land of Canaan in return for worshiping Him alone and obeying his commandments.

As “a sign of the covenant between me and you," God told Abraham that “every male

among you shall cut my Covenant in your flesh” ---which was interpreted as meaning

that all males must be circumcised as a sign of their faith. “Abraham later circumcised

his sons when they were eight and himself at the age of 99 To this day all Jewish boys

are circumcised when they are eight to symbolize this covenant.

In Genesis 15:18, God told Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved and

subject to suffering for 400 years but would then inherit the land from the Nile to the

Euphrates. Today many Jews and some conservative Christians regard this statement as

a promise by God giving the Jewish people alone the right to the Holy Land. Muslims,

who regard Abraham as a father of their religion, said the agreement between God and

Abraham gives them just as much of a claim to the Holy Land as the Jews have.

God tests Abraham

Abraham is a man whose character looms large in the history of Islam, Judaism, and

Christianity.

Abraham and Sarah were very happy with their new son, Isaac; however, God had a

test for Abraham. God told Abraham, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you

love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the
mountains of which I shall tell you” (Genesis 22:2 ESV). This would have been a

tremendous shock to any parent; to be blessed by a long-awaited child, only to have

God tell you to sacrifice that child.

Nevertheless, the Bible does not say that Abraham hesitated for a moment. In fact, there

are certain passages that indicate Abraham’s strong faith that God would not take his

son at all (Genesis 22:5, 8). Abraham believed God would raise Isaac back to life if the

sacrifice actually did take place (Hebrews 11:19). Whether for God’s sake, Abraham’s

sake, Isaac’s sake, or for our sake as an example, Abraham took his son up to a

mountain, lay him down, and prepared to kill him in obedience to God’s command.

However, God intervened by stopping Abraham from killing his son and by providing

a sacrifice in the form of a ram caught in the nearby brush. Abraham’s faith had been

tested, and proved, by his obedience to God.

Faith lessons from the life of Abraham

The life of Abraham is often used by the writers of the Scripture as an example of how

we should live as believers. Let us look at the biblical ideas of being saved by faith, not

works, and the equally biblical idea of doing works as a natural result of the gratitude

we experience from being forgiven. These are important concepts to understand if one

wants to have a balanced walk with Jesus.

(1) We are saved by faith, not by works

The Bible tells us that Abraham did not work his way into God’s good favour,

but, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness…And to the

one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted

as righteousness” (Romans 4:3, 5 ESV cf. Galatians 3:6). The book of Hebrews contains
many examples of people who lived by faith; verses 8-12 and 17-19 give us details

about Abraham’s faith. Take some time to read it closely.

The Bible is crystal clear that no one can do enough to become righteous in God’s

eyes, “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on

grace” (Romans 4:16 ESV cf. Ephesians 2:8-9). Forgiveness (salvation, eternal life) is

a gift from God; He initiated it and He brought it about by His own will and power. We

do nothing to gain salvation other than accept His gracious offer by faith in Jesus Christ.

(2) Our works reveal the genuineness of our faith

James says that we may not be saved if claim to be Christians, but do not live it out, “But

be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22 ESV cf.

Romans 2:13; Matthew 7:21; Matthew 7:24-27; John 13:17). Ephesians 2:10, right after

saying that grace is a gift that one cannot get by works, tells us that, “…we are his

workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand,

that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV). We are not saved by good works,

but we are saved to do good works.

Abraham is presented as an example of how our faith should result in our doing good

things (James 2:20-24). An inward faith that does not result in an outward change of

behaviour may not be a genuine faith at all, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have

works, is dead” (James 2:17 ESV). The life of Abraham included both faith in God and

works motivated by that faith. Our Christian walk should have both those elements also.

Conclusion

Much more could be written about Abraham, to fill an encyclopaedia. Abraham was not

a perfect man; however, the overall direction of his life was towards God. God was with
Abraham even when he struggled, God loves us and will gladly forgive us if we fail.

The New Testament presents Abraham as a model of faithful life; a life that believes

the truths of God and lives out those truths in day-to-day living.
Genealogy of Abraham