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Chapter 7

The History of Abraham

1. The Birth of Abraham (Gen 11:26), 2166 BC

Noah’s age, 892; Shem’s age, 390; Terah’s age, 70

Abraham and Noah lived contemporaneously for 58 years.

Ten generations of patriarchs, from Noah to Terah, were alive at his birth: Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah (Gen 10:21–25; 11:10–26).

Abraham lived about 2,000 years after Adam, and Jesus Christ was born as a descendant of Abraham approximately 2,000 years after him (Matt 1:1). Thus, Abraham lived during the junction in the work of salvation between the first man, Adam, and Jesus Christ.

Abraham was born as a descendant of Shem in 2166 BC in the fertile land of Ur of Chaldeans located southeast of what is now Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. By this time, it had been 292 years since the judgment of the flood, so the land enjoyed a period of great prosperity. Since Ur was especially fertile, even among the lands in the Mesopotamian region, it had flourished into an advanced civilization and enjoyed a luxurious material culture. According to archeological discoveries, Ur was a city in which the worship of objects found in nature, such as the moon and the stars, was widespread. Even Terah, Abraham’s father, was influenced by the practices of the land, and he, too, worshiped idols (Josh 24:2–3, 14–15). Ur and Haran, where Abraham lived, were central places for the worship of a moon-god named “Sin.” Thus, some of the names found in Abraham’s household, such as Terah, Sarai, Milcah, and Laban, are associated to moon-worship.12 When Abraham was called out from Ur of the Chaldeans, a place of splendid material civilization and idol-worship, he moved to Haran and dwelt there until he finally departed to the land of Canaan at the age of 75, in 2091 BC (Gen 12:1-4; Acts 7:2-4).

2. The Calling of Abraham (Gen 11:26–32; 12:1–5; Acts 7:2–4), 2091 BC

Abraham’s age, 75

According to the chronology of the patriarchs, Noah was still alive when Abraham was born, so they lived 58 years contemporaneously.13

Shem actually outlived Abraham. Abraham surely inherited the faith of his godly ancestors—Noah, Shem, and Eber—directly and indirectly through various channels. The faith of these godly ancestors was the light of salvation for Abraham during the dark times in which he lived. These ancestors helped kindle Abraham’s faith as he grew up in an environment immersed in idol-worship.

God’s calling of Abraham from an idol-worshiping pagan family was not just the calling and salvation of one individual. It was actually a fresh start in God’s work—the work to establish one individual as the father of faith in order to advance His greater plan to save mankind.

There were two instances where Abraham had left his hometown. First, he left Ur of the Chaldeans along with his father Terah (Gen 11:31; Acts 7:2–3). Second, he departed from Haran at the age of 75, after dwelling there for quite some time (Gen 12:4; Acts 7:4).

Hebrews 11:9 states, “By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise,” revealing that Abraham spent lonely days in a foreign land as a sojourner with no one in the land to warmly embrace him. In Acts 7:5, Stephen preached, “And He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground.” Abraham must have suffered greatly as a sojourner after leaving his father’s house and his relatives. Because he was a stranger in a foreign land, he silently had to endure unfair treatment and persist through tear-filled days.

However, Abraham believed in God’s promise, and he placed his hope in that promise. Wherever he went, he built an altar for God, and he lived according to God’s commands (Gen 12:7–8; 13:4). He lived his life with God, Immanuel.

3. The Ratification of the Covenant of the Torch (Gen 15:7–21), 2082 BC

Abraham’s age, 84; ten years since his arrival at Canaan (Gen 16:3)

Among the covenants of God established in Genesis, there are three that were given with visual signs that have a strong impact. These are the “covenant of the rainbow” that God made with Noah and his sons after the judgment of the flood, the “covenant of the ladder” that God made with Jacob at Bethel, and the “covenant of the torch” that God made with Abraham in Genesis 15.

Among these three covenants, only the covenant of the torch involved a sacrifice offering as proof of the covenant (Gen 15:8–10). This offering is a foreshadowing of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ who would come in human form to be offered as a sacrifice for the salvation of the chosen people (John 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7).

An important characteristic of the covenant of the torch is the flaming torch, which represents God’s presence and passed between the pieces of the offering (Gen 15:17). According to the customs of those times, both parties involved in a contract would have to pass between the pieces of the offering. However, God was the only One to pass between the pieces in this covenant. The reason is that man has fallen and become totally inept and incapable of entering into a covenant with the almighty and holy God. Thus, in His boundless compassion, mercy, and love, God entered into a unilateral covenant with His people. This is evident of God’s love and grace because He loved us first (1 John 4:10, 19). Our salvation today rests upon God’s unilateral love and grace, not upon our deeds, achievements, or merit (Eph 2:8–10).

4. Abraham Takes Sarah’s Maidservant Hagar (Gen 16:1–3), 2081 BC, First Year of the Covenant of the Torch

Abraham’s age, 85

Abraham was about 85 years old when he took Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian maidservant, as his concubine in 2081 BC (Gen 16:3).

There was a time when Abraham and Sarah went down to Egypt because of a famine. There, Abraham deceived people by claiming that Sarah was his sister, and Pharaoh almost took her (Gen 12:10–20). As a result of this episode, Pharaoh gave Abraham gifts of sheep, oxen, donkeys, male and female servants, and female donkeys and camels. Hagar is thought to have been one of these female servants.

Before departing from Haran at the age of 75, Abraham received a promise from God: “I will make you a great nation” (Gen 12:1–4). He then waited ten years. When he was 84 years old, before God initiated the covenant of the torch, God showed him the stars in the heavens and said, “So shall your descendants be” (Gen 15:5). However, less than one year after receiving this promise, he listened to his wife Sarah rather than God. He committed the grave mistake of taking Hagar as his concubine (Gen 16:2). There was much discord in Abraham’s family as a consequence of this action. As soon as Hagar had conceived Abraham’s son, she despised her mistress, Sarah (Gen 16:4); and in return, Sarah treated her harshly (Gen 16:6).

Likewise, those who do not have faith in God’s promise and listen to other people’s words make their own paths in life more difficult and painful.

5. The Birth of Ishmael through Hagar (Gen 16:1–16), 2080 BC, Second Year of the Covenant of the Torch

Abraham’s age, 86.

Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born to him through Hagar in 2080 BC (Gen 16:16). Abraham had foolishly attempted to fulfill God’s promise regarding his descendants, “…but one who shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir” (Gen 15:4), through Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar. At one time, even before the covenant was made, Abraham had foolishly considered making his servant, Eliezer of Damascus, his heir (Gen 15:2–3). We must not attempt to fulfill God’s promise through human means. God’s promises are fulfilled only through His ways (Isa 55:8–9).

Abraham and Sarah’s unbelief led to Ishmael’s conception through Hagar, an event that ignited the family discord. After Hagar conceived, she despised her mistress in her sight (Gen 16:4). Sarah, realizing this, complained against her husband and treated Hagar harshly (Gen 16:6). In Hebrew, “to treat harshly” (Gen 16:6) is in the Piel form of This word was also used to describe the oppression that the Israelites were to endure in Egypt (Gen 15:13). Sarah was so severe with Hagar that Hagar fled from the presence of her mistress (Gen 16:6).

Abraham’s impatient and imprudent action brought great strife to the family—a hostility that did not end in his lifetime, but continues to affect his descendants even today. Both Jews, the descendants of Isaac, and Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael, trace their ancestry back to Abraham. Hagar’s son, Ishmael, is the ancestor of today’s Arabs. Thus, the ongoing war in the Middle East is a continuation of the conflict between the Jews and the Arabs dating back to Abraham’s time. In reality, the war in the Middle East is the result of Abraham’s lack of patience regarding God’s promised descendant and his attempt to fulfill the promise by human design. His human thoughts, ways, and actions became a great thorn for himself and his descendants.

6. Abram and Sarai Renamed (Gen 17:5, 15–16); The Covenant of Circumcision (Gen 17:9–14), 2067 BC, Fifteenth Year of the Covenant of the Torch

Abraham’s age, 99; Sarah’s age, 89

God kept His silence and did not appear to Abraham for 13 years after Abraham became Ishmael’s father at the age of 86. This can be understood as God’s response to Abraham’s unbelief.

At last, when Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him and proclaimed, “I am God Almighty” (Gen 17:1), in Hebrew. This was a reminder that God would still fulfill His promise although Abraham did not believe, even in the most improbable circumstances.

God Almighty appeared to Abraham when he was 99 years old and gave him a new name before entering into the covenant of circumcision (Gen 17:9–14). God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, which means “father of a multitude of nations” (Gen 17:5). The name Abram has a meaning of “exalted father” with a narrow significance of an individual father. However, the name Abraham, which means “father of a multitude of nations,” is more embracing and universal. This foreshadows how Abraham will become the father of all who believe in Jesus Christ without regard to their blood lineage (Rom 4:16; Gal 3:7, 29).

Then, God commanded the covenant of circumcision to Abraham. The word circumcision is in Hebrew and in Greek. It refers to the Israelite practice of cutting off a male child’s foreskin eight days after birth (Gen 17:12; Lev 12:3; Luke 2:21).

In Genesis 17:10 God commanded, “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.” Thus, circumcision was a sign of becoming God’s people (Gen 17:14) and their promise that they would adhere to the covenant. As proof of the covenant between God and the Israelites (Gen 17:11), the physical mark on the flesh was to serve as a constant reminder of the everlasting covenant with God (Gen 17:13).

After God renamed Abraham and instituted the covenant of circumcision, He renamed Sarai and said that she would have a son (Gen 17:16). Abraham’s wife, whose original name was Sarai, was given a new name Sarah (Gen 17:15-16). The name Sarai means “a woman of high rank” or “my princess,” which pertained only to herself. However, the name Sarah, which means “mother of nations,” is more embracing of others. This act of renaming Sarai also foreshows God’s redemptive plan to have Jesus Christ come in the line of Isaac, who will be born of Sarah, and that there will be many nations which will come to believe in Jesus Christ (Gal 4:26).

Although God Himself gave Abraham the promise of descendants through the covenant of circumcision, Abraham did not believe that he could have a son, and he confessed his wish for Ishmael to live before God (Gen 17:17–18). However, God clearly said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him” (Gen 17:19). He reconfirmed that He would fulfill His covenant only through Isaac and not through Ishmael.

7. The Birth of Isaac, the Covenantal Son (Gen 21:1–5), 2066 BC, Sixteenth Year of the Covenant of the Torch

Abraham’s age, 100; Sarah’s age, 90 Ages of the godly ancestors at the time: Shem, 490; Arpachshad, 390; Shelah, 355; Eber, 325

Twenty-five years after God first made His covenant with Abraham, He took note of Sarah and did for her as He had spoken in accordance with His promise. At last, when Abraham was 100 years old, God gave to him Isaac, the son of the promise (Gen 21:1–7; Matt 1:2). The phrase “took note” in Genesis 21:1 means that God “looked after,” “cared for,” and “had affection” for her. The Hebrew word for “took note” is and is used 285 times in the Old Testament alone. However, it is used for the first time in Genesis 21:1 and indicates that God visited Sarah, and looked after her. At the age of 90, Sarah was well advanced in years and beyond the age of childbearing, but God remembered His covenant, visited her, and looked after her so that she experienced the miracle of giving birth to Isaac. Abraham waited for 25 years after he first received the promise and blessing of . Today, miraculous blessings also await those who believe in God’s promise and wait patiently until the fulfillment.

There were a few occasions when Abraham did not completely believe in God’s promise. However, Romans 4 praises Abraham’s faith. Romans 4:20–22 states, “Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore also it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

Here, the phrase “grew strong in faith” seems to contradict the accounts of Abraham’s unbelief. However, the phrase “grew strong in faith” in Greek is an indicative aorist passive rendering of which shows that it is God, not man, who made Abraham’s faith strong. By the work of God, Abraham’s faith grew increasingly strong, that he was able to possess the kind of faith that God had desired. Although there were times in Abraham’s life when he did not believe, his life ultimately concluded in faith.

Although we may have our past marred by unbelief, God will acknowledge our lives as lives of faith if that past is concluded in faith and repentance by the grace of God.