Abraham’s Heir
Introduction: Terah took Abram, Sarai, and Lot from Ur of the Chaldees to go to Canaan, but when he arrived in Haran he remained there. The LORD called Abram from Haran to leave his father’s house and to go where the LORD would direct him, and he would receive many blessings. Before the scripture continued the story of Abram, the text confirms that Terah remained in Haran and died at the age of 205. While in Canaan, Abram first thought that his heir would be a servant, next he petitioned the LORD to bless his son Ishmael through Hagar, and finally Isaac was born of Sarah when she was thought to be past childbearing. The son of promise came to Abram after the LORD had changed his name, and later he faced yet another major trial of faith about Isaac.
NOTE: Scripture passages are from the American King James Version.
A — A Move from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran
Genesis 11 “24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran, and dwelled there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.”
Comments: Terah took some of his family members with him to go into Canaan without a stated reason, but they stopped at Haran. Sarai is referred to as Abram’s wife and also as the daughter-in-law of Terah, but neither of her parents is identified. A close family relationship in marriage is recorded: Nahor’s wife Milcah was also his niece, the daughter of his brother Haran. The Levitical law that prohibited marriages within a variety of close family relationships was not established until many centuries later. The only indication we have about the parents of Sarai is found in two later passages in Genesis. The scripture gives no more detail about Terah after the Genesis chapter 11 passage closes by giving his age as 205 when he died in Haran.
B — The Lord Called Abram to Canaan with a Promise
Genesis 12 “1 Now the LORD had said to Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you: 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.”
Genesis 13 “1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle. 8 And Abram said to Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray you, between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we be brothers. 9 Is not the whole land before you? separate yourself, I pray you, from me: if you will take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
Comments: When Abram left Haran he had possessions and servants with him that he had gained in that land. After he had been in Canaan for a time, he went down into Egypt for relief from a famine. Over the period of time in Egypt Abram and Lot both increased their possessions. When they returned to Canaan, the amount of possessions and servants led to strife among their servants, and Abram offered Lot his choice of locations. Lot chose to move away eastward toward Sodom while Abram remained in Canaan.
C — The Promise of an Heir for Abraham
Genesis 13 “14 And the LORD said to Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed for ever. 16 And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall your seed also be numbered.”
Genesis 15 “1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward. 2 And Abram said, LORD God, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, see, one born in my house is my heir. 4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, This shall not be your heir; but he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be your heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if you be able to number them: and he said to him, So shall your seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Comments: We are not given Abram’s age when the LORD promised him that he would possess the land where he remained, and that his exceedingly numerous offspring would possess it after him. In chapter 15, Abram was assured by the word of the LORD in a vision that the LORD was his shield and also his reward. Abram asked what the LORD would give him since he remained childless, so his steward Eliezer would become his heir. The LORD did not chastise Abram for his statement, but instead reassured him that the heir would come from his own body. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Abraham’s faith was a key point as the apostle Paul later compared works of the law with God’s grace:
Romans 4 “3 For what said the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
D — Hagar Bore a Child for Abram
Genesis 16 “1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bore him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, Behold now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing: I pray you, go in to my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelled ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.”
Genesis 16 “10 And the angel of the LORD said to her, I will multiply your seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the LORD said to her, Behold, you are with child and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael; because the LORD has heard your affliction. 15 And Hagar bore Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.”
Comments: When Abram had been in the land ten years, Sarai was still barren and she gave her handmaid to Abraham, believing that the child born of her handmaid would be considered to be hers. When Hagar conceived she “despised” her mistress Sarai, and when Sarai complained to Abram he allowed Sarai to drive Hagar away. After Hagar received her own promise from the LORD, she obeyed him and returned and submitted to her mistress, and apparently Sarai accepted her at that time.
E — The Covenant of Circumcision
Genesis 17 “1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be you perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly. 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you, and to your seed after you. 8 And I will give to you, and to your seed after you, the land wherein you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your seed after you; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant between me and you.”
Comments: When Abram was 99 and the LORD appeared to him and began to talk with him, Abram fell on his face in submission and worship. The LORD changed his name to Abraham to signify that he would be the father of many nations. The LORD also promised the land of Canaan would be an everlasting possession to Abraham and to his descendants, and that the LORD would be their God. Therefore the LORD required that the everlasting covenant of circumcision be kept for all generations. Any males not circumcised had broken the covenant and were to be cut off from the people.
F — The Promise Made for Sarai by the Lord
Genesis 17 “15 And God said to Abraham, As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give you a son also of her: yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born to him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said to God, O that Ishmael might live before you! 19 And God said, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed; and you shall call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear to you at this set time in the next year.”
Comments: When the LORD changed Sarai’s name to Sarah and told Abraham that she would bear a child for him, he fell on his face and laughed — a response from his inner thoughts that he and Sarah could conceive a child at their advanced age. He then asked the LORD to bless his son Ishmael, and Abraham was not chastised for his laugh or for his request. The LORD said Ishmael would have a blessing by fathering twelve princes, but Sarah’s child would be named Isaac and the LORD would establish his covenant with him for an everlasting covenant.
G — The Son of Promise Is Born
Genesis 21 “1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born to him.”
Genesis 22 “1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said to him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and get you into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar on the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called to him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not your hand on the lad, neither do you any thing to him: for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.”
Comments: The son of promise was conceived in Sarah after Abraham had been circumcised, and when Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day as commanded by the LORD. When Isaac was weaned and Abraham held a feast for the occasion, Sarah told Abraham that Ishmael could not remain with them because he had mocked Isaac. The LORD directed Abraham, and Abraham obeyed and sent Hagar and Ishmael away. After several more years, while Isaac was a young man, the LORD commanded Abraham to take him to an appointed place and to sacrifice him. Abraham demonstrated his strong faith by following the command to the very point where the LORD stopped him from plunging the knife into Isaac. The LORD commended Abraham for his faith, and provided a substitute sacrifice to save the life of Isaac. The New Testament declares this to be a picture of resurrection:
Hebrews 11 “17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall your seed be called: 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from where also he received him in a figure.”
Reflections in Prayer
Lord I have been blessed as I have reviewed the series of events in the various passages that described the long life of Abraham. His wife Sarah was reported as barren even before they left Ur of the Chaldees, and she remained such until she was of an age that she could not expect to conceive. Your grace to Abraham was demonstrated Lord even when it seems his faith had weakened as he represented his wife as his sister to Pharaoh. You spared him from harm and even increased his possessions before he returned to Canaan. Even after you LORD had told Abraham that you were his shield and reward, he represented his wife as his sister for a second time because of his fear. This also was after scripture recorded that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. I am comforted knowing that even as I have believed in Christ, there are times when my faith is very weak, so I claim your grace to draw me back to you. Abraham believed that Eliezer would not be his heir, but his son Ishmael through Hagar also was not to be the promised heir. Though Abraham loved his son Ishmael, he trusted you LORD as he sent Ishmael and Hagar away without any gifts after Isaac was weaned. Even when Isaac was a young man, Abraham demonstrated his faith as he was willing to offer this precious son as a sacrifice to the LORD. When I realize how little you have asked of me and how much grace you have given, I can only thank you Lord for bringing me to your word and teaching me through your Spirit so I can be blessed by your gift of faith. Hallelujah to the ever faithful and only true God! Amen.
Published 17 May 2013