Genesis Notes: Abraham's Resume

As always, I love these resumes which give such a good overview of a person's life, often with unexpected insights. Believe it or not, I often look to his example, especially when I am struggling with obedience to God.

Aert de Gelder, Abraham and the Angels

Abraham could hardly have been expected to visualize how much of the future was resting on his decision of whether to go [follow God's direction] or stay, but his obedience affected the history of the world. His decision to follow God set into motion the development of the nation that God would eventually use as his own when he visited earth himself. When Jesus Christ came to earth, God's promise was fulfilled; through Abraham the entire world was blessed.

Strengths and accomplishments:

• His faith pleased God
• Became the founder of the Jewish nation
• Was respected by others and was courageous in defending his family at any cost
• Was not only a caring father to his own family, but practiced hospitality to others
• Was a successful and wealthy rancher
• Usually avoided conflicts, but when they were unavoidable, he allowed his opponent to set the rules for settling the dispute

Weaknesses and mistakes:

• Under direct pressure, he distorted the truth

Lessons from his life:

• God desires dependence, trust, and faith in him -- not faith in our ability to please him
• God's plan from the beginning has been to make himself known to all people

Vital statistics:

• Where: Born in Ur of the Chaldeans; spent most of his life in the land of Cannan
• Occupation: Wealthy livestock owner
• Relatives: Brothers - Nahor and Haran. Father - Terah. Wife - Sarah. Nephew - Lot. Sons - Ishmael and Isaac
• Contemporaries: Abimelech, Melchizedek

Key verse:
"Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6)

Abraham's story is told in Genesis 11-25. He also is mentioned in Exodus 2:24; Acts 7:2-8; Romans 4; Galatians 3; Hebrews 2, 6, 7, 11.

All material quoted is from the Life Application Study Bible. This series first ran in 2004 and 2005. I'm refreshing it as I go. For links to the whole study, go to the Genesis Index. For more about the resources used, go here.