#abraham son of terrah

[quotesfromscripture]

Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.' So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Galatians 3:7-9 NIV (2011) 

[quotesfromscripture]

So also Abraham 'believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness'.

Galatians 3:6 NIV (2011)

[quotesfromscripture]

And Abram passed through ba'arets to the place Shekhem to elown Moreh [the great tree of Moreh] wehaCana'ani [and the Canaanites were] then ba'arets.

Genesis 12:6

[quotesfromscripture]

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe -- and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works.

James 2:19-22 RSV (1971)

[quotesfromscripture]

The records of Terah’s family

And these records of Terah  Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran  And Haran fathered lōwṭ [Lot]

Wayyamat Haran [And Haran died] before the face of Terah abiw [his father] in his native land in Ur Kasdim 

And took Abram and Nahor nashim [women] for themselves  the name of eshet Abram [the wife of Abram]: Saray / Sarai  and the name of eshet Nahor [the wife of Nahor]: Milcah bat Haran [Milcah daughter of Haran] the father of Milcah and the father of Yiscah 

Wattehi Saray [and Sarai was] barren she had no child 

- Genesis 11:27-30

[quotesfromscripture]

Wayhi [and there was] Serug thirty shanah [years] and he bore Nahor  Wayhi [and there was] Serug after howlidow et Nahor [he fathered Nahor] two hundred shanah [years] and he bore sons and daughters 

Wayhi [and there was] Nahor twenty-nine shanah [years] and he bore Terah  Wayhi [and there was] Nahor after howlidow et Terah [he fathered Terah] nineteen shanah [years] and a hundred shanah [years] and he bore sons and daughters 

Wayhi [and there was] Terah shibim shanah [seventy years] and he bore Abram, Nahor, and Haran 

- Genesis 11:22-26

[quotesfromscripture]

In your lifetime

“So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 

Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 

But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.’ ” 

- Luke 16:22-25 NKJV (1982)

[quotesfromscripture]

You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

Nehemiah 9:7 NIV (2011)

[quotesfromscripture]

Not listening to the warnings

Then he said, “I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.” 

Abraham said to him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” 

And he said, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” 

But he said tot hem, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” 

- Luke 16:27-31 NKJV (1982)

[quotesfromscripture]

"Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us."

- Luke 16:26 NRSV (1989)

[quotesfromscripture]

So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

Genesis 12:4-5 NIV (2007)

[quotesfromscripture]

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.'

Genesis 15:1 NIV (2007)

[quotesfromscripture]

What’s up with Abraham: Gen 15

Up to this point in Genesis, Y--- has been directing a man named Abram, whose name means “exalted father” (AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF THAT’S NOT AN ACCURATE MEANING, BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO BECOME AN IMPORTANT POINT LATER). 

God promised Mr. Exalted Father that he would become “a great nation” (<- singular, keep that in mind) and that through Abram “all families of the ‘adamah will be blessed” (<- plural) [Gen 12:1-3]. Abram traveled to Canaan, and God promised that all the land Abram could see would belong to his “seed/offspring” (singular), who would be as numerous as the dust of the earth [Gen 12:7; Gen 13:15-16]. 

Abram is basically a traveling castle now. He has tons of riches, servants, and his own personal army. But he has zero descendants. 

In Gen 15:1, the word of Y--- came to Abram in a vision, which is the first time visions are mentioned. See Num 24:4, Num 24:16, and Eze 13:7. In Num 24, Balaam says he “hears the words of ‘El and sees the vision of Shaddai” and adds later that he “knows the knowledge of ‘Elyown”. 

This is also the first time the phrase “the word of the LORD” shows up. The Bible writers don’t use this phrase again until Ex 9:20-21 and then in Num 15:31, Deut 5:5, etc.

So Abram gets a message in vision, and thus begins a dialogue between mortal and immortal. Abram calls the speaker “Adonai Y---” and is concerned that God has given him no children. God says that Abram will have a son, his own flesh and blood, and that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars [Gen 15:1-5]. 

Gen 15:6 reads “He believed in Y--- and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Which is ironic because the very next bit is God reminding Abram what His plan is, and Abram going “Adonai Y---, how can I know that’s true?” SOOooOO, maybe Abram had some doubts [Gen 15:7-8]. 

But Y--- is patient and they go through a whole ceremony where Y--- makes a covenant, saying Abram can “know for certain” that his descendants will be slaves for 400 years*, but they will return with great riches and will claim all this land, overturning several other tribes [Gen 15:9-21].

Abram just got the news that he is a small piece of a HUGE puzzle, a game of chess that Y--- has been orchestrating which includes punishing the sins of nations across the countryside, a supernatural plot that encompasses 400 years of human activity and beyond.

But that’s not even the biggest take-away for me in this encounter, because Y--- just made an unconditional covenant with a mortal. No strings attached; no requirement for Abram to do anything in return. Y--- just promised that Abram would live a long life, would die peacefully, his descendants would be given the land, and Abram could hold Y--- to that promise for the rest of Y---’s life. 

Abram would never have to worry again. He could never do anything that would “break” the covenant. As long as Y--- could be trusted, Abram’s future was set. Which is why his next actions are so horrendously destructive, because they tell me that he didn’t trust Y---. 

*Something that is NOT explained, but which I ponder is if the 400 years of slavery were a punishment for Abram questioning God, or were the years of slavery a set point that God was going to use to destroy the other nations, regardless of Abram’s choices. 

[quotesfromscripture]

Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:6 NIV (2007)

[quotesfromscripture]

So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

Genesis 13:1-2 NIV (2007)

[quotesfromscripture]

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” 

Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” 

- Genesis 17:1-5 NIV (2007)