It's really easy to idealize our heroes. Somehow it just isn't enough that their behavior was heroic, we need to believe that they are special, different, unique in their heroism. Of course maybe our intentions aren't so grand. Possibly we want to believe that there is something special about them that gave them the strength, or ability so we don't have to turn the mirror back on ourselves.
Hebrew lore is full of stories about Abraham. Many of the stories center around his righteousness even as a child. Abraham grew up in Ur, one of the capital cities for moon-god worship. His father Terah, according to Joshua 24:2, worshipped other gods, and many of his family member's names were associated with the moon-god. Yet according to tradition Abraham was supposedly defiant against his father's idol worship and chose to worship the LORD.*
It isn't impossible that Abram worshipped the LORD, after all Shem, Noah's son was still alive, maybe he preached the one true God to Abram. Yet it is equally likely that having grown up in a pagan home, surrounded by idolatry and moon-god worship, that Abram too worshipped idols. Still the Bible is completely silent on Abram's faith prior to God's call. Whether Abram was a pagan idol worshipper or the only faithful among idolaters,what is most important is that when he came face to face with the LORD, he didn't just worship Him, he obeyed.
"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...So Abram left, as the LORD had told him." Genesis 12: 1 & 4a The Bible makes no claim that Abram was unique, only that he was willing to obey God. God honored him for his obedience with the greatest blessings mankind could imagine.
"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you." Genesis 2a
Abram's wife Sarai was unable to have children. Infertility can be devastating. A woman's body was created to make babies. Few things can make a woman feel less womanly and more insecure than infertility. In ancient times people believed fertility was a gift from the gods, and being barren a curse. Children were not just important as heirs and symbols of status, but they were vital to keep the family line going. Abram had every right, in his culture, to abandon his wife for her failure, and she could have been shunned by society for having angered the gods.** Sarai may have been one of the most beautiful women in the world, but her inability to give Abram an heir put her on shaky ground.
God's very first promise to Abram is that He will bless him with so many children that they will be their own nation. God promised to take one of Abram's (and his cultures) biggest insecurities and turn it into countless blessings. God's promise not only blessed Abram but also demonstrated God's love for Sarai and the importance of fidelity in marriage.
"I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing" Genesis 12:2b
Even in ancient times everybody wanted to be somebody. The whole point to the tower of Babel was that the people wanted to make a name for themselves. I heard the most depressing survey a few months ago. Most teens (who took the survey) no longer want to grow up to doctors, astronauts, actors or musicians, they just want to be famous. They want to live the life of the people they see on TV and in movies, yet they don't have desire to accomplish anything. God cannot honor our selfish desire to be famous, yet when we are willing to follow Him, He will make a name for us. When we are willing to be used by God to bless others, He sets us apart and makes us special. God made Abram's name so great that we're still talking about him thousands of years later. God wants us to have a legacy, but one based on obedience to Him.
"I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse" Genesis 12:3a
Fear can be debilitating. Abram would be an alien in Canaan. He would not have any of the rights of a citizen, and he would require the kindness and permission of the local landowners when he wanted to settle in any area or let his flocks and herds graze.*** He would have no rights, and no protection by the laws of the land.
God promised Abram that He would provide his protection. He had nothing to fear when he entered into Canaan because God was going before him. God alone has the authority to protect and provide, and He gave His word to Abram.
"And all peoples on the earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12:3b
The greatest blessing that God has given was Jesus. Nothing even comes close to how amazing it is that the God of the Universe would send His only Son to die so that we could have a relationship with Him! Jesus is the most loving, most generous, most unbelievable gift God could give and He promised Him to Abram.
I don't know whether Abram understood right away what God meant by the whole "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you," but certainly over time we'll see that he figured it out. Either way, Abram believed that God had something awesome in store for him and he packed up his wife, nephew and all their stuff and set out right away for Canaan. When they arrive God had one more promise to add, He promised Abram that someday his descendants would be given the land.
Abram left his home, his extended family, a country were he could most certainly thrive to follow after the LORD. In return God gave him a new home, with the promise of vast descendants and land that they would someday thrive in. God doesn't just take things away, He replaces them with things that are better.
I don't know what kind of boy Abram was. Maybe he was he did stand out as righteous in a pagan land, but I tend to think he was just like anybody else on his block. It might be nice to think that he was righteous from birth, it certainly would give us a little scapegoat, but the Bible tells us that only Jesus was righteous and He is who makes us righteous. In Him we can be heroes of our faith just like Abraham.
* Moore, Beth. The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Nashville, TN. LifeWay Press. 2005. pg. 12
** Walton, John H. Zondervan Illustarted Bible Backgrounds Commentary Volume 1. Grand Rapids, MI. 2009. pg. 68-69
*** Staliman, Robert. "A Wandering Aramean" in They Spoke From God: A Survey of the Old Testament. Edited by William C. Williams. Springfield, MO. Gospel Publishing House. 2003. pg 184-185
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