Abraham, known as the “father of many nations,” is one of the greatest examples of faith and obedience. His life invites all humanity into the blessing of salvation through Jesus Christ—who would later come from his lineage. It’s a story of redemption through faith and faith worked out through obedience. The story ultimately points our eyes to the God of Abraham, whose covenant-keeping nature cannot change. Abraham is one of two people in the Bible called “God’s friend” (James 2:24). Clearly, God holds a special place in His heart for this man, and there is so much we can learn from his life. From great victories to great shortcomings, Abraham is revealed as a flawed yet faithful man whose radical belief in God and His promises leads us to know him as our faith’s father or patriarch.
In Genesis 11, we are first introduced to Abraham—at that time called Abram—as the son of Terah. He was raised in the pagan Near East city of Ur of the Chaldeans, or modern-day Iraq, where the moon god, Sin, was worshiped. We’re told in Genesis 11:31 that Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai, and nephew Lot and began journeying from the dark and godless city of Ur to Canaan. Instead of going all the way, they settled in Harran, presently known as southern Turkey.
The Bible doesn’t give us much detail as to why Terah chose to leave Ur of the Chaldeans with his family. Interestingly we know that they were heading for Canaan, the land later promised to the descendants of Abraham—the Israelites. Did Terah have any idea that God would call his son to inherit this land?
Joshua 24:2 describes Terah as having worshiped other gods, so it seems unlikely that he left out of obedience or direction from the Lord Himself. We may never know why his family left, but we can see God’s sovereign, almighty hand over Abraham’s life even as he grew up in a pagan land.
This is a clear picture of the Lord our Shepherd, who directs us according to His will before we may even be aware. God had already chosen Abraham, out of all the men on earth, to call him into a covenant with Himself. Leaving Ur was just the beginning of the journey of faith God called him to.
From our first encounter with Abraham in the Bible, we see his faithful, trusting, and quick obedience to the Lord. In Genesis 12:1, the Lord calls Abraham to leave Harran, saying, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (ESV).
Three verses later, we read that “Abram went, as the Lord had told him” (Genesis 12:4 ESV). Just like that. He went. Of course, we don’t know everything that happened between these few verses. We can only imagine the questions, emotions, and doubts he wrestled with (as anyone with a similar, obscure call from God might). Yet he obeyed—despite the implications.
Hebrews 11, known as the “Hall of Fait,h” describes it this way:
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in a land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:8-10 ESV).
Abraham had an eternal perspective, knowing that he was a “stranger and exile on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13). He was looking forward to the city that God was building for him, even though he never saw the fulfillment of the promise during his days on earth. This kind of faith paves the way for the ones to come—it’s a selfless and courageous faith rooted in the revelation of God Himself as the reward (Genesis 15:1).
God promised Abraham a great nation and later confirmed His word by comparing the stars in the sky to the number of Abraham’s offspring. Still, years and years go by, and Abraham and Sarah find themselves barren—and getting older every day.
We know that Abraham and Sarah had moments of questioning God and even taking matters into their own hands through the many years of waiting. However, Scripture makes it clear that Abraham positioned his heart to continually trust and believe God despite how impossible the circumstances looked.
“He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” (Romans 4:19-21 ESV)
That doesn’t mean waiting was easy, though. Learning about the culture Abraham and Sarah grew up in gives us a deeper understanding of why their barrenness was considered tragic. Barrenness, no matter what culture one may come from, carries with it pain and heartache. But in Ancient Near East culture, a barren woman was presumably under the judgment of their gods and experienced cultural shame since she could not fulfill her supposed societal role.
On top of that, since procreation and continuing the paternal line were the primary purposes of marriage in the Near East culture, a man could add more wives (or concubines) or divorce his “first-ranking” wife if she could not bear children. Sarah wrongfully bent to this tradition when she convinced Abraham to start a family with their Egyptian slave, Hagar. This resulted in the birth of Ishmael, and the hostility between him and Isaac, the promised son, to this day (Genesis 16:12).
Abraham and Sarah’s barrenness, therefore, carries even greater weight. Not only was their faith in the promise of God put to the utmost test, but they also endured the shame and contempt surrounding their inability to carry their family line forward.
It wasn’t until Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 that Isaac, the promised son, was finally born. The Lord chose to reveal His power, purpose, and plan through the barrenness of Sarah’s womb and, in the end, the miraculous fulfillment of His promise.
God tested Abraham by asking Him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering in Genesis 22. Once again, he quickly obeys God’s voice and rises early in the morning to set out for the place where God had asked him to sacrifice—Mount Moriah (now known as Temple Mount).
When they arrived, Abraham told his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you” (Genesis 22:5 ESV). Abraham was confident that Isaac would return with him, and he even assured his son that “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8 ESV).
Hebrews 11:17-18 explains, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”
Abraham had a faith in God that transcended his human understanding. He knew—because God had said it—that Isaac would live. God had promised him descendants (in fact, a great nation) through Isaac. With full confidence in His word, Abraham obeyed the Lord, knowing He would keep His covenant no matter what—even if that meant raising Isaac from the dead.
When Abraham was preparing to obediently sacrifice his son, an angel of the Lord called from heaven, declaring, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing that you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me” (Genesis 22:12 ESV).
Abraham’s example shows that walking in fear of the Lord requires obedience because obedience proves our reverence and submission to God, whose ways are higher and greater than our own.
When God made His covenant with Abraham in the Bible (see Genesis 12:2-3), He swore by himself “since he had no one greater by whom to swear” (Hebrews 6:13 ESV). The promise, therefore, was not dependent on Abraham but rather on God’s unchanging nature and word.
Later, in Genesis 17:1-2, God appears to him and says, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you and multiply you greatly” (ESV).
After this, He enacts circumcision as a sign of the covenant. Any male who was not circumcised and therefore did not keep the covenant was cut off from the people (Genesis 17:14). The word “keep” in this context (Genesis 17:9) means to hedge or to guard. While God had already made an unconditional covenant, Abraham and his descendants were required to guard the covenant by obeying His command to remain within the promised blessing.
There are various meanings and contexts to circumcision beyond the scope of this article (read this article to learn more). We do know that all along, the Lord meant circumcision to symbolize the work He does in our hearts by His Spirit (see Romans 2:29). Deuteronomy 10:16 says, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.”
Physical circumcision, a foreshadowing of the Spirit’s work within us, has always represented a greater reality: the Lord wants His people’s hearts pure and undivided before Him. This is why God prefaces His command to Abraham by saying, “walk before me and be blameless.” We remain within His covenantal love through obedience to the Lord and allowing Him to remove the impurities and sins in our lives.
While we are no longer required to be physically circumcised, we are required to keep His commandments (1 Corinthians 7:19). By doing so, we guard the covenant that we have been so graciously brought into—the covenant that began with Abraham over 4000 years ago.
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Maddy Rager is a copywriter who recently launched her own freelance business. She has always had a passion for writing and conveying the truths of God's word to compel others to know Him more deeply. She also loves to write music and released a personal EP in 2020. Maddy and her husband live in Franklin, TN and are actively involved in their church and community where they lead worship together in various contexts. You can learn more about her work at www.ragercreative.com.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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