Oct 15 2008
Lessons To Be Learned From the Father to the Faithful
The patriarch Abraham who lived and died some 2000 years ago continues to serve our generation as a glorious example of God’s faithfulness.
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PERSONAL THOUGHTS ABOUT HIS LIFE |
How Abraham could have reflected on his life:
I still miss Sarah. Let’s see, how long has she been gone? I was 137 when she died at age 127. On my next birthday I’ll be 175. Nearly 40 years. That’s a long time to be separated from someone you love. I can still vividly remember when she and I packed up and left Ur a century ago! What a handsome couple we were back then. Of course all our friends and relatives thought we were crazy! They told us it was bad enough to leave the comfort and safety of city life, but to head out for an unknown land at the command of some invisible God, well, that was sheer insanity! I wonder how Ishmael is doing these days? As I remember, he’ll be 88 on his next birthday. The last report I heard was that he had married an Egyptian girl and had fathered 12 sons. That’s good! I hope the best for him. My heart still grieves when I think back on those events which made it necessary for us to go our separate ways. Keturah has been a good wife to me, certainly a fruitful one, giving birth to six healthy sons. But it is Isaac of course, the heir of the covenant, the miracle son, who is the source of my joy and comfort. Again my thoughts turn to Sarah. So much has happened since leaving Ur. God’s righteousness has been imputed to the both of us. Her barren womb bore us our beloved Isaac. Each of our names has been changed for the good. From our seed the Messiah Himself will someday come. No, old girl, our friends—not us—were were wrong. You probably did on occasion miss the comfort and safety of big city life. I know I still do at times. But not to worry, beloved daughter of the covenant, for we both look for “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
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SPIRITUAL LESSONS GLEANED FROM HIS LIFE |
1. The believer’s relationship to the world is never the same after his conversion (Gen. 12:1-3).
2. I am never to depend upon Egypt (a type of the world) in time of trouble (Gen. 12:10).
3. Lying always increases, but never decreases, our problems (Gen. 12:13).
4. My sin can affect unsaved people (Gen. 12:17; 20:18).
5. Righteousness is only imputed by faith (Gen. 15:6).
6. Never substitute God’s revealed plan for one of your own (Gen. 12:2; 16:2-3).
7. The purest kind of faith is accepting from God those terrible things you cannot possibly understand (Gen. 22:1-2, 15-18; Heb. 11:17-19).
8. Make every attempt to see that your children marry believers (Gen. 24:1-4).
9. Anticipate the “sweet by and by” while living in the “nasty now and now!”
(Heb. 11:10).
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A STATISTICAL SUMMARY OVERVIEWING HIS LIFE |
Father: Terah (Gen. 11:26)
Spouses: Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah (Gen. 11:29; 16:3; 25:1)
Sons: From Hagar: Ishmael (Gen. 16:15-16). From Sarah: Isaac (Gen. 21:2-3).
From Keturah: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah
(Gen. 25:2)
Brothers: Nahor and Haran (Gen. 11:26)
Sisters: Half sister was Sarah (Gen. 20:12)
First mention: Gen. 11:26
Final mention: 1 Peter 3:6
Meaning of his name: “Father of a multitude”
Frequency of his name: Referred to 307 times
Biblical books mentioning him: 27 books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Nehemiah, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter)
Occupation: Patriarch
Place of birth: Ur of the Chaldees (Gen. 11:31)
Place of death: Near Hebron in Canaan (Gen. 23:19; 25:9)
Age at death: 175 (Gen. 25:7)
Important fact about his life: He was the father of the Hebrew nation and the ultimate role model for faith (Gen. 12:1-3; 1 Chron. 1:34; 2:1-2; Heb. 11:8-10).
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