The Life of Abraham - Part 1

INTRODUCTION

As a new believer I discovered the parallels between the life of any believer and the lives of every believer. The parallels between the life of the church and the life of every believer. God’s plan all can be seen in any.

Abram enters world history approximately 400 years after the death of Noah.

Abram, later to be renamed to Abraham, was from the land of Ur.

The name Abram meant “exalted thinker, high or honored father.

Ur (ur) = Light; fire; furnace; (root = to make light; to kindle).

Smith, S., & Cornwall, J. (1998). In The exhaustive dictionary of Bible names (p. 242). North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos.

The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names Chaldees

Chaldees (kal’-dees) = Same as Chaldean = Astrologer. Wanderers.

Abram was pagan worshipper of the Moon god whose name was “Sin”.

God takes wanderers and plants them that they may become fruitful.

The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names Sin

Sin (sin) = Clay; thorn; mire; (root = to be muddy or clayey).

So, to summarize, God reached into the clay, of sin, and kindled a flame that would one day light the world.

Romans 4:1–20 NLT

1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: 7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” 9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. 10 But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised! 11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) 16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. 18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. 20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.

Galatians 3:6–9 NLT

6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. 8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

We meet, father of Abram in Genesis 11:26.

You may breathe, slowly born, to delay, wild goat; turning, wandering.

Again we see the theme: God takes wanderers and plants them that they may become fruitful.

Genesis 11:27 NLT

27 This is the account of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.

My three sons;

Abram - High father.

Nahor - Snorting, inflamed, heated (hot head)

Haran - Mountaineer; very high; enlightened; strong.

Genesis 11:27–31 NLT

27 This is the account of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. 28 But Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth, while his father, Terah, was still living. 29 Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. (Milcah and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor’s brother Haran.) 30 But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children. 31 One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there.

Sarai’s name means “Contentious, princess”.

We see that to this point she had not been able to have children.

What happened to Nahor?

The Bible isn’t clear whether Haran was named before or after Terah’s arrival, but either way, Terah chose to camp out at the memory of loss, at the expense of the living in the present.

Terah’s desire is to go to Caanan, but he never get’s past Haran.

Caanan means; merchant, trader, servant.

Terah had the potential to lead a life of accomplishment, purpose, and service, we see no evidence that he ever did so.

Then in chapter 12 we the call given

Genesis 12:1–3 NLT

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

To a place, what place? A place I am yet to show you. (Lamp unto my feet, light unto my path, not my destination.)

In vs.s 4-5 we see the call accepted...

Genesis 12:4–5 NLT

4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan,

The call wasn’t accepted until he acted on what he had received by faith.

God waited until Abram was 75 years old to give him his calling… there is a wisdom that comes from age and experience. The fruit of a few successes and many failures from which one has learned life skills.

It’s not all rags to riches in the Kingdom...

Picking back up with the story… When they arrived in Canaan...

Genesis 12:6–7 NLT

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

Shechem - Neck, diligence.

Moreh - A hill, Teacher, a picture of moving higher to a place of learning.

Genesis 12:7–9 NLT

7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. 9 Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.

Bethel - House of God

Ai - A heap of ruins; (root = to bend; to twist; to distort; to act perversely; to subvert; sin; to contort with pain as in a woman giving birth).

The altar of worship is established...

Negev - the parched place, the place of hunger.