Abraham

Abraham, also known as Abram is most commonly known for being the Father of the Jewish people. The majority of the information found on Abraham is located in the Old Testament’s Book of Genesis. Abraham is most famous for making his Covenant with God.

Abraham would have lived somewhere between the years of 2000 and 1500 BC. He was born in the city of Ur. Abraham’s real name was Abram. The father of Abram, Terach, had two other sons, Haran and Nachor. While living in the city of Ur, Abram married his half-sister, Sarai who later took on the name of Sarah. The newlyweds later learned that Sarai was unable to have children. They then traveled north to Charan, accompanied by Abraham’s father Terach. While in Charan, Terach died. It was in Charan where God made his first of a series of revelations to Abram. God spoke to Abram, and told him that He would promise to bless him and make a great nation of him. Abram willingly decided to follow God to the city of Canaan. Abram not only traveled with his wife on this journey, but he also picked up his nephew, Lot. He lived his life in Canaan as a Nomad. Famine eventually struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram and his family to move on to Egypt.

In Egypt, Abram was fearful that the Egyptians would kill him and take his wife Sarai if they were to discover that the two were married. Abram attempted to cover this up by telling everyone that he and Sarai were just brother and sister. The Pharaoh demanded that Sarai be brought to his palace, and as result, God sent down plagues that devastated all of Egypt. In a desperate attempt to save his kingdom, Pharaoh decided it would be best to send Abram and Sarai away.

Abram and his family returned to Canaan after the Famine had ended. Both Lot and Abraham had great wealth in Canaan. The two both owned livestock, and large quantities of silver and gold. Eventually Abram and Lot found that the land could no longer provide the resources that the two men required of it. The two went their separate ways, Lot going to the Jordan Plain near Sodom, and Abram staying in Canaan. God once again appeared to Abram and revealed the land that he would some day give to Abram and his children. This time, God promised Abram that his offspring would be of so many that no one would be able to count them, just like the dust of the earth.

By this time a great war had started up in the Jordan Plain. As a result of the war, Lot was imprisoned by King Chedorlaomer of Elam. When Abram got word that his cousin Lot was being held prisoner, he and a group of his servants went to battle the captors. The army was able to successfully rescue Lot and several other prisoners. Abram was then blessed by priest Melchizedek the king of Salem, for his brave heroic actions.

By this point, Abram and Saraia still did not have any children. Saria told Abram to go and wed their slave Hagar, and to have children with her. Abram does so, and has a son, Ishmael. While Hagar was pregnant, fights between Hagar and Saria began to break out questioning each other on who was the real mistress of the house. Abram showed no favoring judgment over the two women, and restored order in the household. Hagar eventually fled to the desert due to the poor treatment that Sarai was giving her. God eventually came down to Hagar and told her to return home.

Once Abram reached 99 years old, God made a covenant with him promising to make him the father of nations and to give Canaan to him and his offspring. As part of the agreement of the Covenant, God required the circumcision of Abram and his male descendants, This was to seal the covenant. God then made another promise to Abram. God promised Abram that Sarai would soon bear a son, and that she would some day be the mother of nations. Abram was said to have found God’s last promise rather amusing. It was probably because Sarai was 90 years old and incapable of bearing children anymore. Sarah was also witness to the promise of a child, for God sent angels to her promising that she would have a male son. The last part of God’s covenant was that the name Abram be changed to Abraham, and Sarai changed to Sarah. Abraham means "Noble Father". Through this covenant, God was planning to send his Savior.

God once again confided in Abraham by telling him that he was plotting to soon destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah due to the corruptness