Abraham Of Chaldea Essays (2946 words) - Book Of Genesis, Abraham

Abraham of Chaldea Annonymous The following is a narrative description on the life and times of one of the most powerful characters in the Old Testament. Abraham was indeed a man of God in a time where few men believed in the One true God. Through many triumphs and errors, he always returned to God to lead him back to his calling. His dedication resulted in great promises from God that were eventually fulfilled and affect each of our lives today. His story is our story. Abraham was a native of Chaldea, and a ninth generation descendant of Shem, the son of Noah. He was born on the southern tip of the Tigris and Uuphrates rivers in the city of Ur around 2161BC.1 Before his name was changed to Abraham, his name was Abram. When Abram was about seventy years of age he moved with his family to live in Haran. The reason he moved was because The God of glory appeared to our father Abram when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, Depart from your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you. 2 While in Haran, Abram's father died and God spoke to him again saying, Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you. 3 He obeyed and left Haran with his brother Nahor's family and his Nephew Lot without really knowing where he was going. At this time, God did not reveal to him he was going to Canaan. God only told him the land which I will show you. 4 When he did arrive in Canaan, he camped in the plains of Moreh, between the mountains of Ebal and Cerizim. It was here he was given the second promise from God that his seed would possess this land. Abram built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him 5 He then moved to the mountainous district between Bethel and Ai. Here, he built another altar to Jehovah. Throughout the story of Abram, he consistently went back to Bethel to make amends with God. All of God's children should have a similar alter they should go to when praising God. This could be the front of your church, but should be in public. 6 Archeology has since proved that Bethel is the modern village of Baytin. 7 When in this area, a famine struck forcing Abram to move southward toward Egypt. God talked to Abram on the mountain East of Bethel where he built an alter unto the Lord. Each person should have their own personal alter to go before God, this should also be done in public. When he did get to Egypt, Abram told his first recorded lie. Because his wife Sarah was beautiful, he feared she would lusted by after the Egyptians and endanger his life. He also knew the Pharaoh was also concerned of Abram's presence along with other Hyksos in the region. 8 Abram persuaded Sarah to pass herself off as his sister. This lie could probably be considered a lighter shade of gray considering Sarah was his half sister, having the same father but a different mother. 9 When the Egyptians saw how beautiful she was, they took her to Pharaoh's harem. As a consequence, God plagued Pharaoh his house. When the Pharaoh found out Sarah was Abram's wife, he sent him and his clan out of Egypt to fend for themselves in the famished land. Because Abram told this lie, God allowed this to happen. Abram went out of Egypt and returned to Bethel the second time to call on the name of the Lord. While in Bethel, both Lot's and Abram's livestock could not be supported by the land, and strife began between their herdsmen. Abram gave Lot his first choice of where he wanted to settle. Instead of choosing the unknown territory toward Canaan, Lot chose the easy way out and went East to Jordan near the populated city of Sodom. The motif of scripture for this story is simple. Abram gave more than he took. He let Lot take what he wanted and left it to God to bless him with what was left. Lot's mistake was he stopped growing in God's faith and stagnated. He soon found out that everything is not as it seems. If one only takes, but does not give, it soon gets them into trouble. On the other hand, Abram was rewarded