The Biography Of Abraham - Part 4 of 4: Faith Beyond Doubt

In this last episode of the Biography of Abraham, I could not resist writing about Abraham's example of 'Total Obedience'.

Gen 22 has been a popular text for many sermons. God has been testing, or has allowed his people to suffer or be tested time and time again. Each time His faithfuls passed the testing, they were richly blessed.

When God asked Abraham to "Take now your son...and offer him as a burnt offering...", Abraham was not stupid, and understood straight away what God was asking. God was asking him to:
a) Kill a person to demonstrate his obedience.
b) Not just somebody, but his own son.
c) Not just any son, but his ONLY son who he had begotten at an old age of 100.

Abraham obeyed. Abraham knew God. He had spoken with Him on several occasions. He had also spoke to Him angels on several occasions. God had worked miracles right before his eyes. To Abraham, God was not pure faith, God was beyond faith. God was a real person. God was a real God to Abraham.

The story had a happy ending when God tested Abraham enough, and asked him not to harm the lad at the last fraction of a second.

In life's journey as believers, we will be tested too, perhaps just as painfully as Abraham had experienced when God allows one of our loved ones to be taken away suddenly. Somehow God will carry us through the pain. Our faith must carry us through.

Peace.

The Biography of Abraham Part 3 of 4

Abraham Did It Once, Did It Twice

Gen 12: Abraham Journeyed To Egypt. He lied.
...Now there was a famine in the land, so Abraham went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. And it came about when he came near Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; and it will come about when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife', and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you."

And it came about when Abraham came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

And Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. Therefore he treated Abraham well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.

But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abraham's wife. (Note 1 : God punished Pharaoh for taking Abraham's wife because of Abraham's deceit!)

Then Pharaoh called Abraham and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say. 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go."

Gen 20:2: Abraham use the same deception again. He lied again.
...Abraham journeyed ...then he sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken for she is married." (Note 2: God punished Abimelech for taking Sarai as his wife, because of Abraham's deceit!)

Want to know the rest of the story? Then turn to the Bible and read it.

Abraham did it again, but God still forgave him! This tells us how close God and Abraham were. God's relationship with us are as close too.

And don't ever think of an affair with a married woman or a married man... God will be angry.

Interesting?

The Biography of Abraham Part 2 or 4

I read somewhere that if you stand on top of a tower, and look at the horizon, your good eyesight can see about 25 kilometres away. In other words, if you look North, East, West, South, you will be able to see a circle of 25km radius.

In Gen 13, Abraham and Lot, his cousin, had a cordial relationship. But as their livestocks increased, their servants and workers started disputing and quarrelling over the vegetation and the water wells.

Abraham said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me: if (you take) to the left, then I will go to the right; or if (you take) to the right, then I will go to the left." Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere...Lot chose for himself all the valley of Jordan... He chose East and journeyed eastward. Thus Abraham and Lot were separated from each other.

Abraham was magnanimous. He was left with the half of the land that was arid and barren.

But God had His own decision. After Lot left, the Lord said to Abraham: "Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever..."

You see, in his generosity, Abraham asked Lot to chose half, the left half or the right half. But God changed that and gave Ahraham both the left and the right, forever.

This is just one of the examples in Abraham's biography illustrating Abraham's special relationship with God.

As joint-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17), God would treat us the same too.

Alleluia.

The Biography of Abraham Part 1 or 4

I love to read biographies. In my younger days, I read lots of biographies. I read about the lives of Stalin, Lenin, Mao Tze Dong, and of course Lee Kuan Yew and others.

But none of the biographies or autobiographies I have read can compete with the Biography of Abraham. Between Genesis 11 and Genesis 25, the story is fast-moving, detailed, full of surprises, and never a dull moment.

You should read it. This is one of the best biographies I have read.

In this and next 3 blog postings, I will talk about Abraham.

As you read the biography of Abraham, you will wonder why God is so 'friend' with him. God spoke to him as a friend. Friends some times play prank and hurt each other, but always forgiving and not take heart. Friends sometimes betray one another, but in the end always remain loyal.

In the other chapters of Genesis, we confirmed that the Jews and the Palestinians were all decendants of Jacob and hence decendants of Abraham. Perhaps all Jews and Palestinians can take a DNA test to confirm this. They all should have some traces of Abraham's DNA. Then, perhaps, Jews and Palestinians should stop fighting each other in view of the common heritage.

Look out for the next 3 blog postings.

The ex-biblical life of Abraham

Abraham grew up in Ur approximately 3,800 years ago. Idolatry was widespread there at that time.

Legend tells that Abraham's father Terah was an idol maker. But after some time, Abraham realised that there must be a God that is far greater than all the deities being worshipped. Abraham discovered God.

At that time, most people napped during the afternoon heat. One afternoon, while his father Terah was asleep, Abraham took a hammer and smashed all te idols, except the largest of idols, in his father's workshop. He then placed a hammer at the base of the remaining idol. When his father awoke, he was appalled. Abraham explained that the big idol, in a fit of jealousy had smashed all the others. "Don't be a fool," said his father, "These are merely carved stones." "If they are only stone, father," counter Abraham, "then why do you worship them?"

Terah realised Abraham was correct. Later, Terah brought Abraham to Canaan and Haran, the place where monotheism was to be nurtured.

So you see, it was Abraham who chose God first. After that, God chose Abraham to be the father of nations.

This story is from the book "The Science of God". The author attributed the story to Talmudic legend.

Interesting?