The story of Abraham is captivating for any believer or non-believer. This is because Father Abraham is a central figure in the Bible and is considered by many to be the father of faith, and the Bible describes Abraham as the patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. That is, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
In this article, you will find 10 interesting facts about Abraham in the Bible, so here they are:
1.Called by God
Abraham, originally called Abram at the beginning of the book of Genesis, was called by the Almighty God to leave his homeland and relatives in Ur of the Chaldees and go to a land that God would show him later (Genesis 12:1-3).
It was certain that the land that Abraham was going to inhabit was a land cursed by Noah. Therefore, God did not mention the name of the land, but rather that He would show him the land along the way.
Here we can learn from Abraham that we do not need to ask where we will go – but rather to place our faith and trust in God. Abraham was one of the chosen ones among many calls. In the beginning God calls – and along the way our actions will determine who we will be in God.
2.Promise of Descendants
God made a promise to Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation. This is – even when Abraham and Sarah were old and childless. Considering that Sarah was not only old – Sarah was barren. Furthermore, this promise that God envisaged that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:2-3).
Here we can learn that no matter the circumstances of life – God is above all and can make the improbable become probable with just a simple word.
3.Change of Name
Just as God changed the names of Sarah and Jacob throughout the sacred writings, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Abraham’s name, which means “father of many nations,” speaks a little about the promise God made about Abraham’s life. Also, his wife Sarai’s name for Sarah, which means “princess” (Genesis 17:5, 15).
Here we can learn that when we have an encounter with God, nothing we saw in the past matters. Everything starts again when we have an encounter with God – it would be like baptism in water, a new story or being born again as Jesus Christ describes.
4.Covenant of Circumcision
As a sign of his covenant, all the men in his house, including himself, were to be circumcised (Genesis 17:10-14).
Circumcision was the covenant that God determined for Abraham and his family – this would be baptism in water, the new birth of every believer who accepted God’s gift, which in turn is salvation. We, as believers in Jesus, do not need to be circumcised, because we are in Jesus and if we are in Him, we live for Him.
Jesus is the head and we are His body (church), so it is not necessary to be circumcised or even anoint our heads with oil (when the Bible talks about anointing our heads with oil, it is about seeking knowledge of God and protecting ourselves from satanic attacks).
5.Miraculous Births
Despite their advanced age, Abraham and Sarah had a son, whom they named Isaac. This was the fulfillment of God’s promise. Before that, Abraham was forced to pursue God’s promise and had a son with Hagar, Sarah’s servant, named Ishmael (Genesis 16:21-3).
Here we can learn that when God promises, God does not need our help to fulfill a promise in our lives. Wanting to run after the blessing will hinder more than help – everything has a time and everything will be concluded in the time determined by God.
God works differently than we do, when we forget the promise – God goes there and fulfills His promise.
6.Abraham Intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah
Father Abraham interceded with God for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. That is, because his nephew Lot was in those regions, he asked God to spare the cities if there were at least ten righteous people in them (Genesis 18:22-33).
If you are passionate about the Holy Bible – you will see in other writings that everyone who was in Sodom and Gomorrah was a believer and that their sin was so terrible that God destroyed the entire city (Ezekiel 16). The apostle Peter goes further and says that the only righteous person among those wicked people was Abraham’s nephew, Lot (2 Peter 2:7).
7.Sacrifice of Isaac
God called Abraham to offer a burnt offering. God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac, his only son, the son he loved. Abraham obeyed God with a heavy heart, but God intervened at the last moment and provided him with a ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-13).
God will never ask for something we don’t love – it will always be what we love most. Peter loved to fish – and Jesus told Peter that from that moment on Peter would become a fisher of souls. In other words, Peter had to give up fishing to live something supernatural with God.
8.Abraham Lived as a Stranger
Abraham During his great journey in the land of the living, Abraham lived as a stranger in the land of Canaan. Abraham lived moving from place to place and in pure dependence on God’s promise that his descendants would inherit the land (Genesis 12:6-9).
Here we can learn that sometimes it will not be us who will enjoy the promise, but our children and our children’s children. Abraham was the agent God sent to bless the land of Canaan—that is, to undo the curse that Noah placed on the land of Canaan.
9.Wealth and Influence
Abraham was a very prosperous man and very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. He had great influence at that time and formed several alliances with some local kings, such as Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and Abimelech, the king of Gerar (Genesis 13:2, 14:18-20, 21:22-34).
Abraham was a man full of faith, but he lacked the ability to be a good husband. He practically gave his wife to Abimelech, just to do well in that land.
Prosperity may surround the life of the believer, but sometimes God puts much in place to reveal the heart of man.
So you have to put your heart in God and let the rest happen. Solomon initially put his heart in God and was blessed with wisdom and wealth.
10.Death and Legacy of Abraham
The patriarch Abraham died at 175 years of age and was buried in the cave of Machpelah, a tomb he bought as a burial place for Sarah, his wife. Abraham had his legacy through his descendants, both through Isaac and Ishmael (Genesis 25:7-10).
Therefore, Abraham was marked by God and had his name spread throughout the centuries, his name has been remembered for thousands of years.
