We Are Chosen
GENESIS 17
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord
appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be
blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly
increase your numbers.” 3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for
me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No
longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you
a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations
of you, and kings will come from you. 7 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.
8 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.” 9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant,
you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. . . . 15 God
also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her
Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 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.”
Abraham (Abram) 2000BC was the founding father of the Jewish
nation, was a man of great faith and obedience to the will of God. He was the "Father
of many nations" … Father of Jews (chosen people), Islam & Christians.
His wife Sarai could not bear children. When Abraham was 86
he had his first son Ishmael with her servant Hagar. An angel told Hagar her
son would be "a wild mule of a man;
his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he
shall dwell in the face of all his brethren.”
Afterwards, he had three visitors from God. One said Sarah
would conceive. They also revealed the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah due to sinful
ways. Lot, Abraham's nephew, lived in Sodom. Abraham pleaded and God agreed to
spare the two cities if ten righteous people could be found. God destroyed the
2 cities
Abraham was 99 yrs old (see above) when Isaac was conceived.
Sarah was 90 yrs old ("Mother of nations and kings"). He had a vision
of God telling him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in
the night sky. When Isaac was a youth, God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac but
was stopped by an Angel. For his obedience he received another promise of
numerous descendants and abundant prosperity. Side note: Isaac & Rebekah
begat Jacob who with Rachel begat Joseph (owner of the multi-colored coat and became
a leader in Egypt).
God eventually told Abraham to let Hagar and Ishmael leave.
Ishmael was to become a patriarch of the Arab nation (the Islam religion says
that Mohammed was a descendent of Ishmael who is mentioned ten times in the
Quran). The Angel Gabriel provided water for them in their travels. A well
appeared in the desert, which is known today as Mecca.
Abraham lived to be 175 yrs old and was buried by Isaac and
Ishmael.
Islamic
view of Abraham: Islam (Arabic) is a monotheistic and Abrahamic
religion articulated by the Qur'an, an Islamic holy book considered by its
adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Allāh), composed of traditions of Muhammad
(600AD) considered to be the last prophet of God. An follower of Islam is
called a Muslim. Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and that the
purpose of existence is to worship God. Muslims also believe that Islam is the
complete and universal version of an ancient faith that was revealed through
prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. They maintain
that the previous messages and revelations have been partially misinterpreted
or altered over time, but consider the Arabic Qur'an to be both the unaltered
and the final revelation of God. In the Islamic religion, Abraham is a link
between Adam and Mohammed (mentioned in 35 chapters of the Quran). Muslims
regard him as a prophet and patriarch, an example of the perfect Muslim, who with
Ishmael, constructed the original Kaaba, a cube shaped building at the center
of Islam's most sacred mosque, Al-Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It
is the most sacred site in Islam. Wherever they are in the world, Muslims are
expected to face the Kaaba, i.e. to face toward Mecca when performing salat
(prayer).
Jewish
view of Abraham: The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country,
your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 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” (Genesis 12:1-3).
Christian
view of Abraham:
Paul wrote: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave
nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
If you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal.3:28–29)
* We Are Chosen *