We are now looking at the top ten characters in the Old Testament. The “top ten” has been modified to include 5 men and 5 women and not include any that then been looked at recently. At number 1 is Abraham.
Abraham a summary
The Bible is filled with stories about people disobeying God. One notable exception is Abraham, a man who, though not perfect, obeys God’s command to leave his homeland in Mesopotamia and venture to an unknown Promised Land (ancient Canaan; later Israel). God promises Abraham that his descendants will become a great nation, through which all the people of the earth will be blessed.
The tales of Abraham and his wife, Sarah, are a roller coaster of dramatic events that repeatedly jeopardize God’s promise. Ironically, the biggest threat to God’s promise is when God Himself commands Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham sets out to do just as God orders, but right before Abraham delivers the fatal blow to his own child, God stops the sacrifice. As a reward for Abraham’s faith, God fulfills His promise to make Abraham’s descendants a great nation, as Isaac’s son, Jacob, eventually has 12 sons, whose descendants become the nation of Israel.
Today, three of the world’s major religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — trace their roots to Abraham.
If you are faced with a new situation think about Abraham – he left his home and went to a place he didn’t know but God was with him.
I find the story of Abraham and Issac very difficult to understand. God promises that Abraham is to be the father of the nation and gives Abraham & Sarah a son in their old age, but then God asks Abraham to offer Issac as a sacrifice.
The story tells us God does not want human sacrifice and that Abraham was a man of great faith, but may point to Jesus and John the Baptist with his with his words, “Behold the Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world”.