Practicing What We Teach

Who Was Abraham?

According to tradition, Abraham of the Old Testament lived in the land of Ur around the time of 1900 BCE. Ur was in Mesopotamia- the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. This land is now known as Iraq. In ancient times this area was a crossroads for travelers from many countries. When we first encounter Abraham in the book of Genesis his name is Abram. Abram lived in a polytheistic world, which means that people believed in many gods. Some say that Abram's father may have even been a maker of idols-small images of the gods carved from stone.

When Abram was 75 years old, God told him to leave his country, his relatives and his father's house and go to the land that God would show him. God told him that if he did this then God would bless him and make his name great and make of his offspring a great nation. Furthermore, God said that those who blessed Abram would be blessed and those who cursed Abram would be cursed. This was quite a leap of faith for Abram because until now Abram's culture did not believe in a monotheistic god, or 'one God,' but many gods. Now Abram was choosing to follow the voice of the one God. Abram and his descendants would be monotheistic from now on. The three religions that call him father, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, are all monotheistic religions.

Abram took his wife, Sarai, and his nephew and all of their possessions and followed God to Canaan. Canaan is the land now known as Israel. Abram's family pitched their tents there and Abram built an altar to God. God kept promising Abram that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky but Abram and Sarai were both old and had no children so Abram decided to take a second wife who might bear him children. Sarai suggested Hagar, her maid. Hagar did conceive and bore Abram a son and Abram called him Ishmael. After Ishmael's birth, God repeated the promise that Abram would be the father of many nations and God changed Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's name to Sarah. God also promised to bless Sarah with a son. Eventually God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and allowed Sarah to conceive and bear a child. They named him Isaac.

After Isaac was born, Sarah became jealous of the older Ishmael and insisted that Abraham send Ishmael and his mother, Hagar, away from their home. The Hebrew scriptures say that God allowed Abraham to send them away and promised Abraham that Ishmael's descendants would also be a great nation because he was Abraham's son. When Hagar and Ishmael were wandering in the desert without water, God took care of them and led Hagar to a well so that they could drink. God stayed with Ishmael and he lived his life in the wilderness of Paran.

One of the most famous stories about Abraham is the story of God's testing him by asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. According to the story, Abraham took Isaac and some wood for a fire and went to Mount Moriah to carry out the sacrifice. When young Isaac asked his father where the lamb was for the burnt offering, his father told him that God would provide the lamb for the sacrifice. Abraham laid his son on the altar he had made and was about to raise his knife to kill his son when God called Abraham's name and told him not to harm his son. When Abraham looked up he saw a ram with its horns caught in a bush. Abraham killed the ram and made a burnt offering of it to God instead of Isaac. According to the Koran, the son that Abraham takes up the mountain is Ishmael and instead of keeping the truth from his son, Abraham tells his son what God has asked him to do and they both submit to the will of God. Many Muslim commentators say that Isaac's birth was a reward for Abraham and Ishmael's faithfulness to God.

Isaac grows up and marries. Later Isaac's son, Jacob, eventually fathers twelve sons, which become the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve tribes of Israel are the ancestors of the Jewish people. Ishmael also grows up and marries and he is the ancestor of the Muslims. The Koran says that Ishmael became the father of twelve princes. Christians look to King David for their spiritual heritage, but David's ancestry can be traced back to Abraham as well. All three religions also trace their lineage back to Adam, the first man created by God, because it was with Adam that God made the first covenant. The most important element of all of these covenants is the acknowledgement of the one God.

NOTE TO PARENTS: The story of Abraham's Sacrifice is a difficult one for young children. By just telling the story to young children a parent may introduce the fear that their parent may also be called upon by God to do the same thing to them. One way to preface the story may be to explain to young children that this story is about trusting God to do the right thing. It is also about promises. God promised that Abraham's descendants would be numerous. In order for that to happen, Abraham's children had to live. Because Abraham trusted God, he did as God asked knowing full well that God would give him a way out when the time came because God was faithful to his promises.

Activities For All Ages To Do At Home This Week

1.     Check out the book : Abraham and His Family: A Man of Faith, by John D. Morris from your public library.

2.     Look at a map of modern day Iraq to learn more about the area that was once ancient Mesopotamia. You can find a map at the public library or on the internet at: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/iraq_pol99.jpg

3.     Test your knowledge of the geography of the Middle East by playing an interactive map game on the internet at:   www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html

4.     Rent or purchase the movie, Abraham, and watch it with family and friends.

Emmy winner Joseph Sargent brings us the first in a series of magnificent Biblical epics from Turner Home Entertainment. Abraham is a powerful film, based on the most dramatic and moving tale from the Old Testament in which an ordinary shepherd is called upon by God to show his abiding faith in extraordinary ways. Abraham (Richard Harris) and his wife Sarah (Barbara Hershey) heed a divine command to leave home and embark on a difficult journey. Abraham is a powerful and moving Biblical epic with timeless appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds. NOTE: Contains scenes of war and animal sacrifice. Preview the movie first before showing to younger children.

5.     Visit http://www.explorefaith.org/stepstones/feiler.html   and read the interview with author Bruce Feiler entitled: In Abraham's Footsteps.

6.     Learn about a polytheistic religion such as Hinduism, Shinto or Wicca.