One of the most intriguing
stories in the Bible for me is the
story of Abraham. His life as
chronicled by the Bible and
accepted as truth and fact by
Jews, Christians and Muslims
was one that exemplified ‘Total
Submission’ to YAHWEH’s will.

In the account from the 12th Chapter of Genesis we are told that
when Abram (as he was
originally called which meant
‘Exalted Father’) was Seventy-Five
years YAHWEH said to him:

”Get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy
father’s house, unto a land that I
will shew thee:
And I will make of thee a great
nation, and I will bless thee, and
make thy name great; and thou
shalt be a blessing.
And I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth
thee: and in thee shall all families
of the earth be blessed.”

We are told that Abram
promptly obeyed and departed
just as YAHWEH had instructed
him after his father Terah’s
death. He didn’t however leave
Haran (where his father had
afore settled after leaving Ur of
the Chaldees, his birthplace)
alone, but with his wife Sarai
and his brother’s son Lot, all
their property and servants they
went into the land of Canaan.

He didn’t question the
authenticity of this message,
neither did he find ridiculous the
wordings of same. You would
expect that a man of whom a
great nation will be made
should have many children, like
bows in a quiver, but at this
time, he had none and was
advanced in age. Though the
possibility of having a child
remained, that of having many
to make the possibility of a great
nation a reality wasn’t too easy
to envisage especially if same
was to come from one woman
who at present was confirmed
or better still thought to be
barren.

Though Abram was well off he
couldn’t be considered to be
Great at that time, yet a promise
of future greatness was made to
him despite his situation. If you
also consider that he would
have to move from his comfort
zone ‘unto a Land that YAHWEH
will show him’, you may then
begin to wonder how this can
be so, considering that one is
likely to make it in a place he’s
familiar with than in a strange
place.

As for blessing, in an age (as is
also obtainable today) where
barrenness was considered
curse, regardless of the amount
in wealth the individual might
possess, it appeared that in the
case of Abraham it should mean
only one thing.

Finally, there’d be repercussions
for those who curse him and
blessings for those who bless
him.

But then, the first act of FAITH
must be taken, which was to
‘move’, and like Noah before
him, Abram obeyed the voice of
YAHWEH, though he knew not
where he was to go, which is
very instructive for us today,
because really if we harken to
HIS voice today to do HIS will,
many of the things we do today
won’t be what we’ll be doing.

Abram in his journey passed
over several lands currently
inhabited by the Canaanites, and
at a point YAHWEH again
appeared to him and said:
” Unto thy seed will I give this
land”

Remember, that at this time
Abram had no kid(s), and the
promise here referred only to ‘a
seed’, not two or more. It may
be true that many lived well into
old age as biblical records show,
but biblical, archaeological and
historical records also showed
that infant mortality was also
high, so many a married couple
tended to have as many children
as possible do that a remnant
will remain should pestilence,
famine, war and disease claim
the lives of others. If one was
also promised that of him will be
made a great nation, then it
becomes imperative that his
quiver be filled with the arrows
that children represented, yet
the promise was of ‘A SEED’.

Like most couples who’ve
experienced childlessness or are
currently experiencing it, it
wouldn’t have bothered Abram
that ‘seed’ was used as in that
situation, he’d have considered
that ‘Half Bread was Better than
One’ and that ‘A Bird in Hand
was worth Two (or more) in the
Bush’.

Hence, Abram was made a
promise of of a land currently
occupied by others (probably
well established and quite
unfriendly to him) to a seed
(most likely a son) which he
didn’t as yet have.

Because of a famine however,
Abram had to travel to Egypt
(the dominant world power at
the time). For fear that he might
be killed by the Pharaoh or his
men by reason of the beauty of
his wife, Abram and Sarai
agreed that they should tell
them they were siblings, and
before you could say Ab-, Sarai
was whisked away to the
Pharaoh’s palace on the
recommendations of the
Princes.

The Pharaoh later came to know
about the treachery after
YAHWEH visited upon him and
his house great plagues for their
actions, and banished ‘Abram
and company’ from Egypt.

It wasn’t easy for Abraham, as
the fact that he was following
instructions that will lead to
fulfilment of promise did not in
any way reduce the challenges
inherent in making the journey.

Many a time we lose the path
to our ‘Land Of Promise’ just
because we failed to see the
obstacles on our path as
‘Necessary Evils’. The challenges
Abram faced thus far and others
he’ll encounter later did not
deter him or spur him to make a
U-turn to his place of origin. He
trusted THE ONE, who asked him
to embark on this journey and
he was rewarded in good
measure.

**Hebrews Chapter 11 gives an insight into the possible thoughts of Abram which may help us understand why he could persevere for so long to earn the nomen, 'The Father Of Faith'.

We are admonished that it was,
'By Faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
should after receive for an
inheritance, obeyed; and he went out,
not knowing whither he went.
By faith he sojourned in the land of
promise, as in a strange country,
dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and
Jacob, the heirs with him of the same
promise:
For he looked for a city which hath
foundations, whose builder and
maker is YAHWEH.'

Unlike many of us he caught the vision from a perspective that wasn't pedestrian, something that’s so very lacking in many of us who think ourselves ‘Children Of Abraham’.

‘kovich

References:
*Genesis 12 verses 1 – 20
** Hebrews 11 verses 8 - 10

BIBLE STORIES V: ABRAM AND THE LAND OF PROMISE | madukovich's cogitations - http://madukovich./2013/09/03/bible-stories-v-abram-and-the-land-of-promise/