Abram replied with the excuse that the Lord could not give him anything since he has not blessed him with a son. He wined that a servant of his will be his heir not someone from his own flesh and bone. The Lord prophesized that Abram was to have a son and that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars. Yahweh also mentioned that he brought Abram out of Ur of the Chaledeans, so Abram could take possession of the land Abram was on, and Abram wanted to know how he would obtain the land. God told Abram to bring him a heifer, goat and a ram each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon. Abram sacrificed these animals by slicing them in half and placing the sides opposite each other, but he left the birds whole. The Lord came to Abram after he fell asleep and said,
Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure (The Student Bible 35).
On that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram stating that his descendants would get the land from the Nile River to the Euphrates River, becoming the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.
Abram was 99 years old when God came to him for yet another promise, the covenant of circumcision. The Lord declared that Abram’s new name was Abraham for The Lord had made him the father of many nations. Yahweh continued by pronouncing that he was to make nations of Abraham and kings are to come from him. He wanted to make an everlasting promise between Abraham and his descendants for generations to come, and he gave the land of Canaan to him as an everlasting possession for him and his descendants, and he said he was to be their God as well. In return for this and as a sign of their promise with Yahweh, every man in Abraham’s home and himself as well, were to be circumcised. Abraham at the age of 99 took all his servants and their sons and circumcised them. God added to this agreement and said that Abraham’s wife, Sarai, would be called Sarah from now on, and even though she was barren she was to give Abraham a baby boy named Isaac. Abraham fell down laughing and sarcastically asked if a son was to be born to a hundred year old man and to Sarah at the age of ninety. The Lord replied that Sarah would bear him a son by that time next year and that Ishmael, Abraham’s and his servant, Hagar’s son, will be fruitful and will father 12 rulers that will make him a great nation.
Isaac filled Abraham’s life with laughter and joy at the age of one hundred years old. Abraham loved Isaac with all his heart and would not let a thing harm him, but Yahweh decided to test Abraham and his love and faith by telling him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abraham took Isaac and firewood to the peak of a mountain but he kept the meaning of the journey secret from Isaac. When they reached their final destination an angel appeared and told Abraham not to lay a hand on Isaac and showed him a ram caught by its horns. Abraham sacrificed the lamb, like the angel instructed. The angel appeared again and spoke for The Lord,
I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me (New International Version, The Student Bible 41).
Through Abraham, God said and set some examples for any other believers to follow. Yahweh chose Abraham, or Abram, because of his undying faith. Abram was not morally perfect, he had lied to the Pharoh of Egypt before to save his life. The Lord used Abraham to bless every person in every nation by testing his eternal faith with his only son that God gave to him. He did not blame Yahweh he just did as he said, and from that
The Lord said he would bless any soul that believed in him, as he blessed Abraham.
Works Cited
Holt. World History The Human Journey. Rineheart and Winston. Austin, Texas, 2003.
The Student Bible New International Version. The Zondervan Corperation. 1986
