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 James Tissot, 'Abraham's Caravan' (1896-1902), gouache on board, 7-7/16x3-5/16 inches, The Jewish Museum, New York. Larger image. |
His father was a moon-worshipper in Ur of the Chaldeans. But God began to speak and Abraham listened. He struck out from his home and his people to obey God's call to "go to the land I will show you." His wife was barren and old, but God promised Abraham a son. "He believed the Lord," Scripture tells us, "and he credited it to him as righteousness" and he became known as "the friend of God."
Abraham was a flawed man who followed a perfect God. What changed him was a constant belief that this God who spoke to him would keep his amazing promises. And God did.
Abraham is rightly called "the father of faith," for he blazed the trail for us. You and I walk that same path of faith today. We have vital lessons to learn from the faith of Abraham.
I invite you take a 11-week trek with me -- to go back nearly 4,000 years, cross deserts, ride camels, dwell in tents, acquire wealth, suffer childlessness, sacrifice much, receive promises, and catch a glimpse of the glory of God. You, too, will grow as you understand how God taught and formed Abraham to be like him.
This study can be used a number of ways. Individual laypersons who want a serious study of Abraham's life will find lots of materials to help them grow in their faith. Each lesson contains the text from the New International Version (NIV), an exposition of the passage, four or five discussion questions for thought, writing, or discussion with another person, a prayer, one or two key verses from the passage for meditation or memorization, and references I used in the study. Bible study leaders can use this book as the basis for a small group discussion, with discussion questions for each lesson included in an Appendix for copying and distribution. Pastors and teachers will find a great deal of material to serve as grist for lessons and sermons.
Abraham is a towering figure, mentioned hundreds of times in the Old and New Testaments. So rather than exhaustively covering every mention of Abraham in the Bible, we'll focus on the narrative of his life in Genesis 11-25, with occasional references in the New Testament illustrating how Abraham's powerful belief in Yahweh influenced the faith of the early church.
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I hope you'll forgive me the abundant Hebrew words and definitions that I've included in this study. If they're "Greek to you," feel free to just skip over them. However, I've found that sometimes the nuances of the Hebrew word definitions help me understand the verses better. And for those of you who are using this for preaching or teaching, I hope that having these definitions ready at hand will save you hours of work.
May God richly bless you as you study his Word deeply and meditate on it week by week.
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Loomis, California
November 10, 2004
Copyright © 2025, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
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