(Shortened version)
(The History of Ancient Israel)
The beginning of Israel starts with one man that was chosen by God to be the start of his special bloodline that would give rise to this special nation and people; and this one man would change the course of history forever:
His name was Abram
Abram was a Shemitic (a descendant of Shem: a son of Noah) Hebrew (a descendant of Eber which was a Descendant of Shem) who lived in Northern Mesopotamia around 2000-1900 B.C.
Abram lived with his wife Sarai here and this is where God was first recorded to speak to Abram and called him to do something that would change not only his life, but all of history:
Genesis 12:1
“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’ ”
So God commanded Abram to leave Harran (his country) leave his Hebrew Kinspeople in Harran/Mesopotamia and leave his father’s family in Harran to go to a new land where God would show him.
This is a massive command! He was told to leave everything he knew and loved for a foreign land: why?
He immediately tells him why:
Genesis 12:2 -3
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
(Woundering why certain words are colored?)
So, God immediately tells Abram he has special plans for him:
He would become a great nation
God would bless him
He would become famous
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong/hates him) or blessed him (treats him well/loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
So, Abram obeyed God and left Harran:
Genesis 12:4-5
“So Abram went, as the Lord had told him;...He took his wife Sarai, ...[and]...all the possessions they had... in Harran, and they set out…”
Eventually the land that they were led to was identified as The Land of Canaan:
Genesis 12:5
“… the land of Canaan,…they arrived there.”
This land, however, was already occupied by other people called Canaanites: these people were descendants of Canaan; which was a son of Ham which was also a son of Noah.
He went into this occupied land as a foreigner in the middle of all these Canaanites.
Genesis 12:6
“At that time the Canaanites were in the land.”
When he got there, God immediately told him why he led him there:
Genesis 12:6
“The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’…”
The land of Canaan was going to be his new home; for his children and to him as a colonist!
Promise added:
The whole land of Canaan was given to his Children
He would become a great nation
God would bless him
He would become famous
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong hates him) or blessed him (treats him well and loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
God later confirmed he wanted Abram and his future descendant to have Canaan: God confirmed and clarified his promise of this new land to Abram:
Genesis 13:15-17
“All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, …Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
His Children would be a large uncountable number
The whole land of Canaan was given to him and to his Children forever
He would become a great nation
God would bless him
He would become famous
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong hates him) or blessed him (treats him well and loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
Abram believed him, and lived and moved around in this new land that was given to him and went on many adventures along the way and through them all God blessed him, made him famous, and blessed and cursed those who blessed and cursed him. This happened until God spoke to him again; this time ,though, Abram was not so confident in these promises:
Genesis 15:1-5
“After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
‘Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.’
But Abram said, ‘Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.’ Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.’ He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ ”
So Despite Abram’s doubt on the situation, God confirmed that he would eventually have his very own child: a son that would fulfill all these promises. And Abram choose to believe:
Genesis 15:6
“Abram believed the Lord,..."
Promise added
He will have 1 genetic son from his own physical body to be the heir of all these promises [that would be his Birthright: click here to find out more]
His Children would be a large uncountable number like the stars in the night sky
The whole land of Canaan was given to him and to his Children
He would become a great nation
God would bless him
He would become famous
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong hates him) or blessed him (treats him well and loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
This is what God is saying to Abram: his descendants were going to eventually become many MANY people that would over time form large groups of people! (This will be an important detail to remember later)
Despite Abram’s belief of God giving him offspring, he still had doubts that the land he was in truly would belong to his descendants:
Genesis 15:7-10
“ He also said to him, ‘I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.’ But Abram said, ‘Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?’ So the Lord said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.’ Abram brought all these to him,..."
He then gives Abram a vision for his obedience to confirm his descendants will indeed possess the land from the Canaanites, and in more detail of when this and how this would happen:
Genesis 15:12-16
“As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here[To finally possess it],….’”
God in the vision tells the future [prophecy] of his descendants that they will at first go to a strange nation and live enslaved to these people for 400 years. After 400 years God will punish this nation. They then after leaving with great possessions from this nation to go back to this “promised” land. In the 4th generation in being in captivity will finally claim the land that belongs to them. But by this time God said Abram will long since be dead and never get to see all this.
God also makes a promise at this time that he would completely assure this land to his descendants and specifies how much land he would give to his descendants:
Genesis 15:18-21
“On that day the Lord made a covenant[promise] with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi[Or river] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— ....' "
Though this land does include Canaan it includes much more than just Canaan: it includes much of the middleast and even parts of Egypt and even the beginning of Mesopotamia!
Promise added
He will have 1 genetic son from his own physical body to be the heir of all these promises [his Birthright]
His Children would be a large uncountable number like the stars in the night sky
The whole land of Canaan was given to him and to his Children and all the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates was given to his Children.
He would become a great nation
God would bless him
He would become famous
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong hates him) or blessed him (treats him well and loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
However, after many years from when God promised them, they would have children Sarai and Abram still did not have any children, however, during this time Abram had a child with Sari's slave Hagar (which was what women did in the ancient Middleast if they were not able to have children)
Genesis 16:1-4
“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. "
Genesis 16:2-4
“...So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. "
His name was Ishmael
Genesis 16:15-16
“So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael..."
Genesis 17:1-8
“ ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant[promise] between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.’ Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, ‘ As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram [Hebrew for ‘exalted father’.]; your name will be Abraham,[ Hebrew for ‘father of many’ ] for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.’ ”
So, God is confirming and expanding on his promise to Abram: he actually for the first time makes all these promises for his descendants in the form of a covenant[agreement]. Abram’s name was forever changed to Abraham; to show the impact of what this man would become: Abraham would become the ancestor of many future nations! This is where he got the famous name “Father Abraham”, which literally means “father [ancestor] of many nations!”
For one thing this covenant (or promises) would be eternal (last forever) his children would no longer just become a great nation but would become MANY nations and some of them would even become great kings!
Then Sarai was given a new name and a share in the covenant as well and he also confirmed that the son he was talking about was definitely going to come from his wife and NOT from any other woman:
Genesis 17:15-16
“God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’”
Since the son would be Sarah’s as well, she would also be the mother [Ancestor] of many nations and would have many descendants form into many nations and kings. So her name was changed as well.
Promise added
He will have 1 genetic son from his own physical body by his wife Sarah to be the heir of all these promises [his Birthright]
His Children would be a large uncountable number like the stars in the night sky and then possibly even more greatly multiplied than that.
The whole land of Canaan was given to him and to his Children forever to be their land and all the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates was given to his Children.
He would become a great nation and then the father of many nations he and Sarah would be the ancestor of all of them
His children would become many kings
God would bless him
He would become famous
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong hates him) or blessed him (treats him well and loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
God would be Abraham’s personal God and his children’s personal God
All these promises to Abraham and his children would be eternal and permanent from every generation of his descendants if Abraham walked in faith towards God
All Abraham needed to do in this covenant agreement on his part is walk faithfully in obedience to God:
And primarily, that obedience was a physical sign of the convent called circumcision:
Genesis 17:9-11
“Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for you(This is what Abraham was to do), you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.’ “
However, after hearing that God wanted Sarah and Abraham to have the chosen son instead of what he expected to be Ishmael; he feel down and began to laugh:
Genesis 17:17-22
Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’ And Abraham said to God, ‘If only Ishmael might live under your blessing (Be the birthright heir instead)!’ Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.[Hebrew for ‘he laughs’] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him;… But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.’...”
Promise added
He will have 1 genetic son from his own physical body a year from this time by his wife Sarah to be the heir of all these promises [this child’s Birthright] his name would be Isaac.
His Children would be a large uncountable number like the stars in the night sky and then possibly even more greatly multiplied than that.
The whole land of Canaan was given to him and to his Children forever to be their land and all the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates was given to his Children.
He would become a great nation and then the father of many nations he and Sarah would be the ancestor of all of them
His children would become many kings
God would bless him
He would become famous
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong hates him) or blessed him (treats him well and loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
God would be Abraham’s personal God and his children’s personal God
All these promises to Abraham and his children would be eternal and permanent from every generation of his descendants if Abraham walked in faith towards God and Isaac would inherit these same promises for eternity [His Birthright].
So, God said though Ishmael was Abram’s son, he was not the one he was talking about; he would indeed have another son by his true wife Sarah! And his name would be Isaac.
So, after God got through speaking with him, Abraham obeyed what God told him to do:
Genesis 17:23
“On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.”
A year later after these events; Sarah finally got pregnant and gave birth to a son just as God promised, they named him Isaac:
Genesis 21:1-14
“Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac [Hebrew for “he laughs”] to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.’ And she added, ‘Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’"
So finally after over 20 years of waiting for the promised son they were told about: he was finally born! Abraham and Sarah finally had a child of their own!
Promise fulfilled:
He will have 1 genetic son from his own physical body a year from this time by his wife Sarah to be the heir of all these promises [this child’s Birthright] his name would be Isaac.
(Fulfilled in Genesis 21:2 around 1800 B.C.)
His Children would be a large uncountable number like the stars in the night sky and then possibly even more greatly multiplied than that.
The whole land of Canaan was given to him and to his Children forever to be their land and all the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates was given to his Children.
He would become a great nation and then the father of many nations he and Sarah would be the ancestor of all of them
His children would become many kings
God would bless him
He would become famous
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong hates him) or blessed him (treats him well and loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
God would be Abraham’s personal God and his children’s personal God
All these promises to Abraham and his children would be eternal and permanent from every generation of his descendants if Abraham walked in faith towards God and Isaac would inherit these same promises for eternity [His Birthright].
But not everyone was happy about this: Abraham’s now teenage son Ishmael, who was thought to be the promised son, was very jealous of Isaac for replacing him and began bulling him:
Genesis 21:8-14
“...Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham [Ishmael] was mocking, and she said to Abraham, ‘Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.’ The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. But God said to him, ‘Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.’ Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.”
So, Hagar and her son Ishmael were sent off from Canaan to never return again.
However, many years later after spending some time with his dear promised son, God said something very unexpected and disturbing:
Genesis 22:1-2
“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.’ “
“WHAT!? The promised son Abraham and Sarah had been waiting for over 20 years to fulfill God’s promises to Abraham and his descendants was now going to be KILLED AND BURNED to God to never have children and never form into a great nation! What are you doing God!?”
Is some of the thoughts that must have crossed Abraham’s mind and those who would hear about this later would think about this situation. God had promised Isaac was the one that would be the chosen son and become a great nation and many nations, but how could he do any of that now if he were to be killed?
However, unknown to Abraham at the time and to those who don’t read closely to what this text is saying: This was all a test!
This suggest that God was not really going to kill and burn Isaac BUT was seeing if Abraham was really willing to murder his chosen son in obedience to him. However, it’s important to know Abraham was not told this was all a test; he might have really though he was going to have to kill his son, but despite the hardship of this command he was willing to do this anyway:
Genesis 22:3-19
“Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac...he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.’ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, ‘Father?’ ‘Yes, my son?’ Abraham replied. ‘The fire and wood are here,’ Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord Will Provide’...”
So God confirmed to Abraham this is what he wanted: HE wanted to see if Abraham was willing to give up his chosen son and he showed through his actions that he was. His intention was not really to kill Isaac but as a test for Abraham, and because Abraham had proven he loved and obeyed God even when he did not fully understand the confusion, God was going to officially make the covenant everlasting, no longer if Abraham obeyed ,but by his own oath because of Abraham's obedience, and he even expand on the promises of the covenant:
Genesis 22:15-19
“The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.’ Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together…”
Promises added:
He will have 1 genetic son from his own physical body a year from this time by his wife Sarah to be the heir of all these promises [this child’s Birthright] his name would be Isaac.
(Fulfilled in Genesis 21:2 around 1800 B.C.)
His Children would be a large uncountable number like the stars in the night sky and then possibly even more greatly multiplied than that.
The whole land of Canaan was given to him and to his Children forever to be their land and all the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates was given to his Children.
He would become a great nation and then the father of many nations he and Sarah would be the ancestor of all of them
His children would become many kings
God would bless him
He would become famous
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong hates him) or blessed him (treats him well and loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
God would be Abraham’s personal God and his children’s personal God
His descendants would control the cities of their enemies (would dominate their enemies)
So with this, Abraham finally got all that he could ever ask for: He got a son from his wife Sarah, his descendants through Isaac were going to be blessed as well as become many many nations, he would be forever be famous as father Abraham, and he himself was blessed with riches, power, honor, fame, and a long life:
Genesis 12:7
“Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.”
At the end of his life, Abraham was blessed in every way God could bless a human:
Genesis 24:1
“Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way.”
So, God fulfilled what he promised Abraham when he first called him:
He would bless him, and he did!
Sadly, Sarah eventually died:
Genesis 23:1-19
“Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. She died at Kiriath Arba… in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her… Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre…in the land of Canaan.”
After all this, Abraham at the old age of 175, this amazing chosen man of God finally died:
Genesis 25:7-9
“Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre,…”
And because of this one man and his obedience and belief in what God had promised him and told him to do, the world would be forever changed, and that change would begin with the promised son Isaac.