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Abraham, the Father of All Believers
This chapter is based on Genesis 12.
After Babel, idolatry again became nearly universal, and the
Lord finally left the hardened sinners to follow their evil ways, while
He chose Abraham, a descendant of Shem, and made him the keeper
of His law for future generations. God has always had a remnant to
preserve the precious revealings of His will, and Abraham inherited
this holy trust. Uncorrupted by the widespread apostasy, he faithfully
persisted in worshiping God. The Lord communicated His will to
Abraham and gave him a knowledge of His law and of salvation
through Christ.
God promised Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will
bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.”
To this was added the assurance that the Redeemer of the world
would come from his descendants: “In you all families of the earth
shall be blessed.” Yet, as the first condition of fulfillment, there was
to be a test of faith; a sacrifice was demanded.
The message of God came to Abraham, “Get out of your country,
from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I
will show you.” Abraham must be separated from the influence of
relatives and friends. His character must be distinct, differing from
all the world. He could not even explain his action so that his friends
would understand. His idolatrous family did not understand his
motives.
Abraham’s unquestioning obedience is one of the most striking
evidences of faith in all the Bible (see
Hebrews 11:8
). Relying on
the divine promise, he abandoned home and family and native land
and went out to follow where God would lead. “By faith he dwelt in
the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with
Isaac and Jacob” (
Hebrews 11:9
).
There were strong ties to bind him to his country, his relatives,
and his home. But he did not hesitate to obey the call. He did not
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