The life of the Patriarch, Abraham presents us with some critical lessons that can be applied to our lives today. Abram (The Father is Exalted), later known as Abraham (Father of Many Nations), was a native of Ur of the Chaldees, modern-day Mosul in Iraq. He was called by God to leave his own country and people and journey to an undesignated land, where he became the founder of a new nation. This discussion relates the significance of God’s instruction to Abraham, Abraham’s decision to obey God, and God’s promises to Abraham fulfilled.
The Bible Says in Genesis 12:1-3: 1. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Abraham, the Righteous
Abraham left Ur, journeyed to a place called Haran through the Euphrates River with his father Terah, Sarah his wife, and Lot, his nephew. Abraham’s father died and he continued the journey from Haran on the Mediterranean side to Sichem, then Jerusalem (Canaan), and to Bethel. Due to famine, Abraham went into Egypt, where there was food, but later on, returned to Canaan and settled there. When he was 99 years old, God promised Abraham a son and told him his seed shall be as the stars in the sky.
The bible says Abraham believed God and he counted it unto him for righteousness – Genesis 15:6
How could God call him righteous?
Being both human and sinful, Abraham made mistakes, as we all do. Yet, the Bible tells us Abraham believed God. The bigger idea here is that it was faith, not perfection that made Abraham right in God’s eyes. What a captivating principle for us to hold on to – when we believe God, He declares us righteous; there is no longer any guilt or condemnation.
God entered into a covenant of circumcision with Abraham because he found a man who was faithful and so God changed Abraham and his wife, Sarah’s names. Taking initials H and A from Jehovah, Abram was now Abraham (Father of many nations), and Sarai was called Sarah (mother of the nations). Out of Abraham came Isaac, Jacob (The twelve tribes of Israel), Boaz, Obed, Jesse, King David, Solomon, Joseph the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus, who’s called Christ the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, the giver of eternal life.
As believers, we are the seed of Christ, and since Christ descended from Abraham, we are the seed of Abraham, entitled to the Abrahamic blessings of prosperity.
What is the point of all these details about Abraham’s life?
Abraham’s story signifies the importance of the choices we make in life. Abraham had to make a choice and here’s what he did:
1) He obeyed God – obedience brings blessings.
2) He believed God and became a covenantee with God by the act of circumcision – this meant that everything Abraham had belonged to God and everything God had belonged to Abraham. Think about that! In return, God kept His promises to Abraham. Abraham became God’s prophet, covenant keeper, and had the privilege of speaking to God as a friend would. He was a friend of God, and he became the Patriarch and Father of Judaism, the Patriarch, and Father of Christianity, the Patriarch, and Father of the faithful. Abraham was a forerunner to the new covenant, the surety of it being the blood of Jesus, His sacrificial work on Calvary.
Moreover, Abraham was the richest man alive at that time. He had livestock; cattle, sheep, camels, goats, silver, and gold. God blessed him immensely, and from his lineage came Jesus the Messiah, the Lord of all. Abraham reaped rich eternal rewards because he searched for a city not made with human hands. Today, heaven is where he resides.
It’s Your Choice
Life demands that we make choices, many of which have everlasting effects. Abraham’s choice was to accept Jesus as his personal Lord and master and therefore his eternal reward was heaven with his Lord until he comes again.
What about you? What choice will you make for your future? The Bible says: “…If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.” John 8:51 “And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40 “…He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” John 6:47
Here are two things you should remember: God is merciful and God is the final judge.
Because Jesus came back to life, so will all believers. All Christians will live with Jesus forever when He returns. When our loved ones die or when events take a tragic turn, we need not despair, God will turn our tragedies to triumphs, our poverty to riches, our pain to glory, and our defeat to victory. God will cause our mortal, corruptible bodies to put on immortality and in-corruption. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 (KJV) 13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Heaven is for real and Heaven is free!
Choose Eternal Life
All of us can have this beautiful experience if we believe God like Abraham did so that He could impute it unto us for righteousness. Even if we die, yet shall we live!
