People

Abraham: the father of faith

Called out of an idol-worshiping family in Ur, Abraham leaves every source of security on a promise, and the whole Bible keeps coming back to him.

Abraham and son — Rembrandt and workshop. Public domain. Image credits

Key verse

He believed in Yahweh, who credited it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 15:6

World English Bible (public domain)

Who was Abraham?

Son of Terah, from Ur of the Chaldeans, moved to Haran and then Canaan. A wealthy herdsman with hundreds of servants, living in tents. Probably early 2nd millennium BC (dating debated).

The world Abraham lived in

Families were clans; leaving your father's house meant leaving protection, land, and inheritance. Childlessness was a disaster, since sons carried the name and land. Contracts were sealed by cutting animals in two and walking between them.

What stands out

God calls him out of an idol-worshiping family (Josh 24:2). In Gen 15 only God passes between the pieces, taking the covenant curse on himself while Abraham sleeps.

What modern readers often miss

'Abram' means 'exalted father'; 'Abraham' means 'father of many,' a name he carried while still childless.
Using a servant (Eliezer) as heir or a slave-woman (Hagar) as surrogate matches customs in ancient Near Eastern texts; Scripture records them without approving them.
Buying the cave of Machpelah (Gen 23) was his only owned land in Canaan, a down payment on the promise.
Paul uses him as the model of justification by faith alone, before circumcision (Rom 4).

The culture behind the text

Leaving father's houseIn the ancient world your identity, protection, land, and inheritance all came from your father's household. Telling Abram to leave "your country, your relatives, and your father's house" meant leaving every source of security. That is why his going is the model of faith in Hebrews 11.Genesis 12:1-4; Hebrews 11:8

Abram's wife-sister lieRulers in that era could take attractive women into their households, and a husband was in the way. Abram's half-truth (Sarai was his half-sister) shows the father of faith acting out of fear. The story doesn't hide its heroes' failures.Genesis 12:10-20; Genesis 20:12

Cutting a covenantIn ancient treaties, parties walked between cut-up animals, effectively saying, "May this happen to me if I break my word." Hebrew even says "cut a covenant." Here only God, as a smoking firepot and torch, passes through while Abram sleeps. God takes the whole curse on himself, a picture Reformed theology connects to the cross and the covenant of grace.Genesis 15:9-18; Jeremiah 34:18-20

The binding of Isaac and child sacrificeSome Canaanite religions offered firstborn children to gods in crises. What would shock first hearers is not that a god asked this, but that Israel's God stopped it and provided a substitute. Moriah is linked to the later temple mount, and Christians see the father offering his only son, who carries the wood up the hill, as pointing to Christ.Genesis 22:2, 22:8, 22:13-14; 2 Chronicles 3:1; Romans 8:32

Study notes

The call of Abram · Genesis 12:1Seven promises: land, nation, blessing, a great name, being a blessing, protection, and blessing to "all the families of the earth." Paul calls this "the gospel in advance.""He believed... credited to him as righteousness" · Genesis 15:6The Hebrew chashab means to count or reckon. Paul and James both quote this verse.The smoking furnace and torch · Genesis 15:17Ancient treaty partners walked between halved animals, saying in effect "may this be done to me if I break the covenant" (cf. Jeremiah 34:18). Here only God passes through, binding himself alone.

Key passages

Genesis 12:1-3The call and the promise Genesis 15:1-21God cuts a covenant Genesis 22:1-18The binding of Isaac Romans 4:1-25Paul on Abraham’s faith

How the Bible connects it

Every cross-reference in Lampstead says why it’s linked. A few from this page:

Genesis 15:6 → James 2:23Why: James quotes "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness" as faith shown by deedsSo the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.Genesis 15:6 → Galatians 3:6-14Why: Paul quotes this verse: Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousnessEven so, Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness …Genesis 15:6 → Romans 4:3-6Why: Paul quotes the same verse to prove Abraham was counted righteous by faith, not by worksFor what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness …Genesis 15:6 → Romans 4:9Why: Paul quotes Genesis 15:6: faith was credited to Abraham as righteousnessIs this blessing then pronounced only on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.Genesis 12:3 → Galatians 3:8Why: Paul quotes "In you all the nations will be blessed" as the gospel announced to Abraham in advanceThe Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.”Genesis 12:3 → Genesis 22:18Why: The promise that all nations will be blessed is restated after Abraham's testAll the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’Genesis 12:3 → Acts 3:25-26Why: Peter tells Israel that the blessing promised to all families through Abraham comes first to them in JesusYou are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘All the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.’ God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to you first to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your wickedness.Genesis 12:3 → Genesis 26:4Why: God passes the blessing for all nations on to IsaacI will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed…

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Sources behind these notes: Nuzi and Old Babylonian adoption and surrogacy contracts; Mari texts on covenant animal-cutting; Josh 24:2.; Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (1866–91); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706); International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), "Covenant". Bible text: World English Bible (public domain).