Abraham Of Chaldea Essay Research Paper The — страница 3

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reiterate to Abraham the promise of a son by Sarah. Sarah was listening at the tent door and laughed to herself thinking of how preposterous it was for a woman and man of their age to actually have sex, let alone for her to conceive a child. The angels knew of this laughter and asked why she had done so. Sarah denied it, but the Lord said through the angels “No, but you did laugh.” 19 These angels then left and set out toward Sodom. As Abraham was walking with them for a part of the way, God chose to disclose to him the destruction he had in mind for Sodom and Gomorrah. At this time, God allowed Abraham to negotiated with Him over destroying the cities if any righteous people were found living their. As it was, no righteous people lived in these cities, not even Lot and his

family. The next morning, Abraham got up early in the morning and saw the fate of the cities as smoke rose “up as the smoke of a furnace. 20 When Abraham was one hundred years old, and Sarah ninety, Isaac was born. Abraham circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old as commanded. Subsequently, during a feast on the day Isaac was weaned, Sarah saw Ishmael and Hagar mocking her. This infuriated her so much that she insisted to Abraham they be sent away. Abraham reluctantly consented after God told him that not only would his descendants be numerous through Isaac, but also Ishmael. Abraham gave Hagar bread and water and sent her off. God subsequently kept Hagar from leaving Ishmael to die when all food and water was gone. An angel of God called to her from heaven and told her a

great nation would rise from Ishmael. This great nation would be the Arabs. God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water and gave her son a drink. Ishmael eventually grew up in the wilderness of Paran, and became an expert archer. The dispute of who received the promise of Canaan, Isaac or Ishmael, still broils the hatred between the Jews and Arabs today. The Jews believe Isaac was given the promise of Canaan, and the Arabs believe Ishmael inherited this promise. After this, God tested Abraham by commanding him to go to Mt. Moriah and offer up Isaac as a sacrifice. This was a great test of Abraham’s faith, because Isaac’s death would nullify all the promises God gave to Abraham concerning Isaac. Abraham probably decided to obey, because “he considered that God is able to

raise men even from the dead.” 21 Abraham rose early in the morning, cut wood for the burnt offering, and set off for the mountains near Moriah with two of his servants and Isaac. On the third day of their journey, Abraham saw the place God told him to go to. He told his servants he and his son would go on without them to worship and then return. When Isaac asked Abraham where was the lamb for the burnt offering, Abraham told him that God would provide the lamb Himself. Abraham proceeded to build the altar and secured on top of it. As he was about to slay Isaac with a knife, the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ” Abraham! Abraham! Do not lay your hand on the lad, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son from me.” 22

Abraham stopped, looked up, and saw a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. He took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. This test of Abraham ’s faith is a Type of Christ. This is because Abraham can be considered like God when he was willing to sacrificed his only son on the cross. Also, Isaac was a young man as was Jesus and adult Ram was offered in Isaac’s place. Abraham called the name o f this sacrificial place “The Lord Will Provide.” 23 After this, the angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time and said, “Because you have done this, I will indeed bless you. I will Multiply you descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand o n the seashore. They shall possess the gate of their enemies, and all the nations of the earth shall

be blessed by them, because you have obeyed my voice.”. After this event, Abraham returned to his servants and with them went to Beer-sheba where Abraham dwelt. 24 The next event recorded in Abraham’s life is the death of Sarah at 127 years of age. She died near Hebron in the land of Canaan. Abraham buried her in a cave he cleverly purchased from the Hittites n the field of Machpelah. The next significant act of Abraham was to procure a suitable wife for Isaac. He commanded his eldest servant to go to Haran, where Abraham’s brother Nahor lived to get Isaac’s wife. The servant went to Haran with many camels and gifts. When he got to Haran, he made the camels kneel down by a well during the evening. He did this because he knew the women of the city would come out at that