Interesting Facts

• Abram was concealed in a cave for ten years due to the king’s fear after prophecies at his birth.
• Abram knew the Lord from the age of three while living in Noah’s house for thirty-nine years.
• Abram questioned his father Terah’s idolatry and attempted to reason with him about the worship of lifeless idols.
• Abram destroyed his father’s idols in a display of his monotheistic beliefs.
• Abram was thrown into a fiery furnace by King Nimrod for not worshipping idols, but was miraculously delivered.
• YHWH declared that Abram was faithful in all that He told him and that he loved the Lord, even in affliction.
• Abram was referred to as the Friend of God.
• Abram lived to be one hundred and seventy-five years old.

Genealogy

• Abram was the son of Terah.
• His brothers were Haran and Nahor. Haran was his oldest brother.
• Abram married Sarai. Sarai was barren.
• Through Sarai’s handmaid Hagar, Abram fathered Ishmael. Ishmael took a wife from Egypt named Ribah (also called Meribah) and had sons: Nebayoth, Kedar, Adbeel, and Mibsam, and a daughter Bosmath.
• Later in life, through a divine promise, Abram and Sarai (who was renamed Sarah) had a son named Isaac.
• Abram’s nephew was Lot, the son of Haran.
• Nahor married Milcah, the daughter of Haran.
• Abram’s eldest servant was Eliezer.

Historical Context

Abram’s life unfolded in a world where idolatry was widespread, with people serving gods of wood and stone that could neither speak, hear, nor deliver. The text highlights a significant conflict between Abram’s burgeoning monotheistic faith and the polytheistic practices of his family and the surrounding societies, including the kingdom of Nimrod. There was a nascent understanding of divine interaction, with individuals like Noah and Shem instructing Abram in the ways of the Lord. Kings held considerable power, as seen in Nimrod’s decree and the fear he instilled. Social structures involved family units and the beginnings of urbanization, as people built cities. Famines were a recurring threat, prompting migrations in search of sustenance, such as Abram’s journey to Egypt. The concept of divine promises and covenants was central to Abram’s story, with YHWH making specific promises regarding land and descendants. There was also an awareness of past divine judgments, such as the flood.

Narrative

Abram’s story begins with his miraculous survival as an infant, concealed for ten years due to a prophecy concerning him. Upon emerging, he sought knowledge of the Lord from Noah and Shem. Abram developed a profound understanding of the vanity of idolatry, contrasting it with the power and creation of the God of heaven. His convictions led him to confront his father and boldly destroy the idols in Terah’s house. This act of defiance against prevailing religious norms resulted in his being brought before King Nimrod and subsequently thrown into a fiery furnace, from which he was miraculously saved by the Lord. This event led many to acknowledge the power of Abram’s God.

YHWH commanded Abram to leave his country and kindred to go to a land that He would show him, promising to make him a great nation and a blessing. Abram heeded this call, traveling to Canaan. Due to a famine, he journeyed to Egypt, where he instructed his wife Sarai to say she was his sister to protect him. Sarai’s beauty attracted Pharaoh, leading to plagues upon Pharaoh’s house until Sarai’s true relationship with Abram was revealed, and Abram was sent away with great possessions.

Upon returning to Canaan, Abram rescued his nephew Lot from captivity, demonstrating his military prowess. He refused to take any spoils for himself, attributing his blessings to the Lord. A significant event in Abram’s life was the establishment of the covenant of circumcision as a sign between him and God. YHWH also appeared to Abram, reiterating the promise of the land and a multitude of descendants.

Later, Abram faced the ultimate test of faith when commanded by God to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. His willingness to obey, despite his immense love for Isaac, was seen as a testament to his unwavering faith. At the last moment, an angel of the Lord intervened, providing a ram for the sacrifice and reaffirming the divine promises.

In his old age, Abram commissioned his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac from his kindred. Abram lived a long and blessed life, eventually dying at the age of one hundred and seventy-five and was buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael in the cave of Machpelah. His life was marked by a steadfast faith in God, a rejection of idolatry, and the reception of divine promises that would shape the future of his descendants. Even after his death, Abram was remembered as a righteous man who feared God and taught others His ways.