Fitim domi biography of abraham

God offered the patriarch three blessings. In the first place, God said that Abraham would become a great nation. His progeny would grow beyond number. And his descendants would actually become an empire, a grand nation. At that time Abraham and those who were with him were relatively few in number. And Abraham had no children of his own. Yet, God promised that the number of Abraham's descendants would one day be more than the stars in the sky.

In the second place, God told Abraham that he would bless him. In all likelihood, this expression means that Abraham and his descendants would receive the blessing of tremendous prosperity. Abraham and his descendants would live in abundance and wealth. They would not be wanderers on the earth, nor would they be mere settlers. As Abraham and his children proved faithful, they would enjoy great prosperity.

In the third place, God's offer of blessing entailed the bestowal of a great name on Abraham. In other words, if Abraham would go to the Promised Land and serve God faithfully, the massive numbers and prosperity of his descendants would make him and them honored throughout the world. Great glory would come to the patriarch and his faithful fitim domi biographies of abraham. In fact, throughout the stories of Abraham, Moses pointed out over and over that these kinds of blessings were poured out on Abraham.

Abraham had sons; he gained wealth as he went from one experience to another. He became a well-known figure in the region. For the Israelites who heard these stories, Abraham's blessings brought great hope for their future blessings as well. The gifts of descendants, prosperity and fame given to the patriarch were mere foreshadows of even greater gifts God would give to Abraham's faithful descendants.

As Christians, we have received so many blessings from God that we can hardly name them all. And of course, the Israelites who followed Moses toward the Promised Land had also received countless blessings from God. They had been delivered from slavery; they had increased in number; they had been protected and sustained throughout their entire journey and they were on their way to the land of promise, a land of great blessing in the future.

But the Israelites were like us, prone to forget all that God had done for them and what was in store for them. So Moses wrote about God's blessings to Abraham to remind his Israelite audience of the blessings that God had given them in their lives so that their hearts would be filled with gratitude. In addition to God's mercy, Abraham's loyalty, and God's blessings to Abraham, Genesis also draws attention to the fact that blessings would come through Abraham to other peoples.

Remember what God said in Genesis These words explained that Abraham would not only receive blessings but that all peoples on earth will be blessed through him. God did not call Abraham to the Promised Land simply to enrich his life and the lives of his descendants. God called Abraham to be a conduit of divine blessings to all the families of the earth.

Now it is important to remember that this passage teaches that Abraham's worldwide blessing would come about in two ways. In Genesis God said:. According to this passage, Abraham would serve as a double-edged sword among human beings. Because Abraham was favored by God, when people from other nations blessed Abraham, that is, when they honored him and thus honored the God whom he served, then God would bless them.

But when people of other nations cursed or attacked Abraham and thus disdained Abraham's God, God would punish them. The fates of other peoples depended on how they treated Abraham. In his lifetime, Abraham came into contact with many people representing other nations such as the Philistines, the Canaanites, the Egyptians, and his nephew Lot, who was the father of the Moabites and the Ammonites.

These interactions were significant because they showed specific ways in which God kept his word to bless and curse other peoples depending on how they treated Abraham. They also indicated that even in his own lifetime Abraham had begun to become a blessing to the world. All too often it is easy for God's people to forget this important teaching.

The Israelites in Moses' day were like many Christians living today. We enjoy the blessing of salvation from God and life from God, but we forget why these blessings have been given to each of us. Each and every blessing God gave to Israel under Moses' leadership and each and every blessing he gives to his church today is designed for a greater purpose.

We have been blessed so that we will spread the blessings of God throughout the world. God called Abraham to himself so that Abraham would lead the nations of the world into God's blessings. God called Israel to himself in Moses' day so that they would lead the nations of the world into God's blessings. And God has called the church to himself today so that we may lead the nations of the world into the blessings of God.

This theme was so important for the Israelites who first received the stories of Abraham. And it is important for us too as we follow Christ in our day. In this lesson we have taken our first look at an overview of the life of Abraham. And we have focused our attention on the structure, or design, of this portion of Genesis. And we have also examined the main themes, or content, that Moses presented in Abraham's life in the context of this literary structure.

As we move forward in these lessons, we will return to the topics of this lesson time and again. We have seen that the story of Abraham's life has a five-step symmetry. And we have also seen that there are four main themes in Abraham's life: God's benevolence to Abraham, Abraham's loyalty, the blessings of God to Abraham, and the blessings of God through Abraham.

These themes not only give us insights into what the story of Abraham's life meant long ago when it was first written for Israel, but they also make it possible for us to apply this portion of Scripture to our lives today. Richard L. Pratt, Jr. An ordained minister, Dr. Pratt travels extensively to evangelize and teach. He studied at Westminster Theological Seminary, received his M.

Abimelech — King of Gerar in the Negev region who took Sarah to be with him, thinking that she was Abraham's sister. Canaan, land of — Region given to Abraham and his descendants as an inheritance in his covenant with God; encompasses present-day Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Jordan, the adjoining coastal lands and parts of Egypt and Syria.

Sarah — Abraham's wife, originally called Sarai, who gave birth to Isaac at an old age. Advanced Search Go. Search Term Type any of these words all of these words exact phrase. Results should display: full details author names only. More search tips. Details Instructor: Dr. Run Time: 48 min. Genesis Throughout the centuries, different interpreters have understood the overarching structure of Genesis in different ways.

Abraham Now that we have seen where the life of Abraham fits within the overarching structure of Genesis, we should turn to our next concern: the structure of Abraham's life in Genesis — Basic Units Moses wrote about Abraham's life in seventeen basic fitim domi biographies of abraham or episodes: First, Abraham's favored lineage ina genealogy that describes Abraham's family heritage.

This passage is followed by an account of Abraham's failing father ina second genealogy that describes Abraham's travels with his father Terah. Abraham's migration to Canaan inthe story of Abraham's initial call and travel to the Promised Land. Abraham's deliverance from Egypt inthe time when Abraham sojourned in Egypt and God delivered him.

Abraham's conflict with Lot inthe story of struggle between Abraham's men and Lot's men. Abraham's rescue of Lot inthe time when Abraham went to war to rescue Lot from kings who had captured him. Abraham's covenant promises inthe account of God's covenant assuring Abraham that he would have many descendants and a permanent homeland. Abraham's failure with Hagar inthe time when Abraham had a child, Ishmael, with Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar.

Abraham's covenant requirements inthe account of God's covenant that reminded Abraham of the necessity of loyalty to the commands of God. Sodom and Gomorrah in —the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot's rescue from that destruction. Abraham's intercession for Abimelech inthe time when Abraham prayed for Abimelech the Philistine.

Abraham's sons Isaac and Ishmael inthe story of Isaac's birth and the expulsion of Ishmael from Abraham's family. Abraham's treaty with Abimelech inthe time when Abraham entered into an agreement with Abimelech over land and water rights. Abraham's test inthe well-known episode in which God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham's burial property inthe story of Sarah's death and the purchase of a burial site.

A wife for Abraham's son Isaac inthe time when Rebekah became Isaac's wife.

Fitim domi biography of abraham

And finally, Abraham's death and heir inthe closing story of Abraham's passing and the record of his descendants. Arrangement First, as we might expect at the beginning of the patriarch's life, Moses' record begins with Abraham's background and early experiences with God. Key Passage I'm sure you will recall that near the opening of the story of Abraham's life, we find God's call to Abraham in Genesis Listen to what Moses wrote in these verses: The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" Genesis Part One Following this introduction, we come upon the first half of God's words to Abraham. In Genesis we read these words: "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you" Genesis Look again at Genesis "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; and I will make your name great" Genesis Part Two Now we come to the second half of God's words to Abraham.

In Genesis we read these words: "…and you will be a blessing. Unfolding We will note that there are four major themes that appear in these verses. Divine Grace The first motif, which occurs many times in the life of Abraham, is that God's relationship with Abraham was based on his grace. As we have seen, there we read these words: The Lord had said to Abram Genesis There we read these words: Abraham believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness Genesis Abraham's Loyalty In addition to the theme of God's fitim domi biography of abraham, we should also notice that Genesis stresses Abraham's loyalty.

God commanded him there: "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you" Genesis There God said: "Go to the land I will show you" Genesis Blessings to Abraham As we have seen so far, God showed much grace to Abraham, and required faithful devotion from him. You'll recall that God said this to the Patriarch in Genesis "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great" Genesis Blessings through Abraham In addition to God's mercy, Abraham's loyalty, and God's blessings to Abraham, Genesis also draws attention to the fact that blessings would come through Abraham to other peoples.

Remember what God said in Genesis "…and you will be a blessing. This event occurred when Abraham and Sarah were well advanced in years, and it seemed impossible for them to have children. However, God intervened, and Sarah became pregnant, giving birth to Isaac. Isaac would go on to become a key figure in the biblical narrative as well. Perhaps one of the most well-known stories about Abraham is the test of faith involving his son, Isaac.

Despite the heart-wrenching nature of this command, Abraham obediently prepared to carry it out. Abraham and Sarah demonstrated remarkable hospitality to three strangers who arrived at their tent. Unbeknownst to them, these strangers were actually angels sent by God. Abraham and Sarah provided them with food, shelter, and care. During this visit, the angels delivered the news that Sarah would bear a son, Isaac, despite her old age.

This story underscores the importance of hospitality in biblical tradition and the way God often uses unexpected encounters to deliver His messages. In another significant event, Abraham interceded with God on behalf of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis 15 God promises Abram that his wife Sarai will no longer be barren, but will bare him a child to be his heir.

Several years later, when he is 99, God again appears to him promising that he will soon have a son Isaac and that he will be the father of countless descendants. It is at this time that God renames Abram to Abraham which means "father of a great multitude" and Sarai to Sarah which means "princess of the multitude". Isaac is born when he is and Sarah is Years later, when Isaac is 15 years old or a little olderGod tests the faith of Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his only son Genesis Isaac is spared when the Angel of the Lord stops his father from sacrificing him.

Abraham, the "father of the faithful," lives to see his son turn 75 and his grandson Jacob later renamed Israel to the age of He dies at the age of His wife Sarah, who preceded him in death at the age ofhas the distinction of being the only woman in the Bible where we know her age at death. Important events and people in the life of Abraham include his calling by God and receiving the command to migrate to Canaan.

His wife Sarai, nephew Lot and his wife, and the remaining family join him in the journey. The Eternal promises, several times, to bless him and his descendants. After God miraculously heals Sarah's womb she gives birth to Isaac. This "father of the faithful" is blessed to meet with a Priest of the Most High God named Melchizedek, who is actually a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.

After visiting Abraham two angels save Lot and family before the destruction of Sodom. Lot's wife becomes a pillar of salt when, while fleeing, she turns to view God's judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. Finally, Abraham's faith is tested when God commands him to sacrifice his only son Isaac.