ABRAHAM

Abraham is a significant figure throughout the Bible, and plays an important role in extra-Biblical Jewish tradition and in the Mohammedan religion. In the Holy Scriptures the name of the Patriarch appear as Abram upto Genesis 17:5 and thereafter as Abraham. The word Abraham means Father of Multitude. In the Book of Genesis, ancestry of Abraham is traced back to Shem, the elder son of Noah who got saved in Ark of Noah during the deluge.

Life of Abraham:
Terah, father of Abraham, was of the tenth generation from Noah. Name of his father was Nahor. Terah had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Terah and his family was living in Ur of the Chaldees which is in modern Iraq. The younger son Haran died at an early age, leaving a son for him by the name Lot. Abram married Sarai and Nahor married Milcah. Abram's wife Sarai was barren and did not bear a child for Abram. Terah took Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai and his grandson Lot and the rest of his belongings, and left his native land of Ur travelling towards land of Canaan. On his way he lived in the land of Haran and Terah died at Haran at an age of two hundred and five years. As per th call of God of His blessings and the promise to make him a big nation, Abraham continued his journey towards Canaan with Sarai and Lot and all his belongings. Abraham was seventy five years old when he departed out of Haran and went to the land of Canaan.

Abram passed through the land of Sichem and Bethel and built altars for God in both the places and called upon the name of the LORD. As there was a famine in the land, Abram journeyed southward to and entered in land of Egypt. Being Sarai so beautiful, he was afraid that he may be killed to snatch away his wife, he told to people there that she is his sister; really Sarai was his half sister. Attracted in the beauty of Sarai Pharao, the king of Egypt took her into his palace, and honoured Abram on account of her. However, God plagued Pharaoh and his house due to Sarai and later finding out that she was Abram's wife, Pharaoh sent her away unharmed.

Abram came with Lot towards Bethel, and there, finding that their herds and flocks had grown to be very large and it caused strife between the herdmen, Abraham proposed that they should separate and go their own ways. Very magnanimously he told his brother's son Lot to select what ever he likes and he agreed to whatever Lot's leftout. So Lot chose the fertile land about the Jordan and dwelled in the cities of the plain near Sodom. Men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. Abram settled in the land of Canaan and dwelt in the valley of Mambre in Hebron as per the revelation from God. On account of the continued unrest in the neighbouring territories around the Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot was settled, a battle broke out between these territories: four kings fought against five. Now the valley of Siddim was shattered, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, those who survived fled to the hill country. All goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their stored grains were robbed away and they took Lot, Abram's nephew, and his possessions also.

When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he and three hundred eighteen trained men of his household went to Dan, defeated them and brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people. On his way home, he was received by Melchisedech, king of Salem and the priest of the most high God, brought bread and wine and blessed Abram; in return Abram gave him tithe from all that he had. The king of Sodom offered him land and properties in return for his mighty men who won the battle victoriously. Abram politely refused the offer so that to avoid to say that he made Abram rich.

God appeared Abram in a vision and promised him that his seed shall be as the stars of heaven. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram that his descendants will inherit the land from the river Nile as far to the river Euphrates. Though he and his wife was pretty old to bear children, he believed in the LORD and He counted it to him as righteousness. Sarai, who was far advanced in years and had given up the idea of bearing children, persuaded Abram to take to himself her hand-maid, Hagar. He does so, and Hagar being with child despises the barren Sarai. For this Sarai afflicts her so that she fled into the desert, but she was persuaded to return by an angel who comforts her with promises of the greatness of the son she is about to bear. After an abode ten years in Canan, Hagar, the the Egyptian maid of Sarai given birth to Abram's son Ismael.

Thirteen years later God appeared to Abram at the age of ninetynine years old and promised him a son by Sarai, and that his posterity will become a great nation. As a sign, He changed his name from Abram to Abraham and that of his wife from Sarai to Sarah. God commanded him to circumcise his to be born son on the eigth day as a token the covenant between him and the God. Considering his old age Abrham humbly told that he will be happy if Ishmael might live before God. But God very specifically told him that Sarah will cncieve next year and he should name his son as Isaac. As per the covenant with God, Abraham circumcised himself at age of ninetynine along with his son Ismael who was thirteen years old. All the men of his household including the slaves got circumcised on that day.

One the next day while Abraham was sitting by his tent, in the plains of Mambre, Jehovah with two angels appeared to him. Abraham bestowed his hospitality to the visitors and invited them to his house. The God's men renewed the promise to Abraham about his son named Isaac. The aged Sarah overheared incredulously and laughed at it. Abraham was informed of the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha for their sins and wickedness. Very interestingly Abraham bargained with Lord starting with fifty righteous men for their sake the Sodom and Gomorrha will not be destroyed. Lord agreed with all the bargains of Abraham and eventually He agreed if ten righteous men was seen, He will not destroy the land. Also they instructed Lot how he should be escaped from the fire by fleeing to the hill without looking back. Next day morning Abraham, looking from his tent towards Sodom, he saw the smoke of destruction ascending to sky.

After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha Abraham travelled towards south and dweltt in Gerar between Kadesh and Shur. Once again Abraham told the king Abimelech that Sarah is his sister for the sake of his life. Though Abimelech took Sarah, being a just man he saw in a dream that Sarah is the wife of Abraham. The king appologized Abraham and told that in the integrity of his heart and innocency of his hands he had taken her: he restored Sarah to Abraham. Abraham prayed for Abimelech and God blessed him. Though Abimelech had a dispute later with Abraham regarding the ownership of a well at Beersheba, it was well settled and they made an agreement to cooperate each other.

In her old age Sarah had given birth to a son, lsaac, to Abraham, and he was circumcised on the eighth day as per the covenant with God. While he was still young, Sarah was jealous to see that the son of her maid, Ismael was mocking with her child Isaac. She compeled Abraham to cast out the maid and her son. Hagar went away from the house and was on the verge of allowing her son Ismael to be perished in the wilderness. Angel of God appeared to her and encouraged her by telling her of the boy's future that God will make him also a big nation.

It was after this that the great trial of the faith of Abraham took place. Lord had commanded Abraham to take his only son Issac to the mount of Moriah and sacrifice him there. Without any afterthoughts, Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Issac was ignorant about the purpose of the journey. After three days journey they reached near Moriah, and his son Issac asked Abraham, 'Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?'. Abraham replied 'My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering'; with this they continued their journey. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there, arranged the wood, bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. Suddenly the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham! Here I am. Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Then Abraham raised his eyes and found a ram caught in the thicket by his horns: Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham named this place as Jehovahjireh. Abraham returned with his son and dwelt at Beersheba.

Sarah died at the age of 127, and Abraham, having purchased from Ephron the Hethite the cave in Machpelah near Mambre, and buried her there. He took a wife for his son Isaac, Rebecca from the city of Nachor in Mesopotamia. She was the daughter of Bethuel who was son of Abraham's brother Nahor. Then Abraham married Kethura, old though he was, and had by her six children. Leaving all his possessions to Isaac, Abraham at age 170, and is buried by Isaac and Ismael in the cave of Machpelah.

Judaism View:
Judaism consider him as progenitor of the generation of people of Israel. He is the most prominant father in the Scriptures. Scripture witness that the selection of Judaism as the sect in which son of man had born for the salvation of the entire world was due to the love of God to Abraham. When we pass to the New Testament we see of allusion to Abraham at geat depth and variety. All that Abraham the ancestor received through Divine election, by the covenant made with him, is inherited by his seed and passes under the collective names of the promise. The way in which Abraham responded to this peculiar goodness of God makes him the type of the Christian believer.

Old Testament View:
Abraham may be looked upon as the starting-point or source of Old Testament religion, so that from the days of Abraham men speak of God as the God of Abraham. The same expression is used in the Psalms and is common in the Old Testament. Abraham is thus selected as the first beginning or source of the religion of the children of Israel and the origin of its close connection with Jehovah, because of his faith, trust, and obedience to and in Jehovah.

New Testament View:
The generation of Jesus Christ is traced back to Abraham by St. Matthew, and though in Our Lord's genealogy, according to St. Luke, he is shown to be descended according to the flesh not only from Abraham but also from Adam, still St. Luke shows his appreciation of the fruits of descent from Abraham by attributing all the blessings of God on Israel to the promises made to Abraham. Jesus calls the sinner Zacheus a son of Abraham, as he likewise calls a woman whom he had healed a daughter of Abraham. In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter reminds the Jews of the promise, "in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed". So does St. Stephen in his speech before the Council, and St. Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

In the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, St. Paul enters into a long discussion concerning the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. He recalls the words of the 109th psalm more than once, in which it is said: "Thou art a Driest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech." He recalls the fact that Melchisedech is etymologically the king of justice and also king of peace; and moreover that he is not only king, but also priest of the Most High God. Then, calling to mind that there is no account of his father, mother, or genealogy, nor any record of his heirs, he likens him to Christ king and priest; no Levite nor according to the order of Aaron, but a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech.

(Excerpts from 'Light of Life - The Bible : A Family Companion' to be launched)