As we move through Genesis, we meet Abraham. Here's a little information on an important Old Testament figure. Also, take some time to read through his story in the Bible, beginning with Genesis 11:27.
I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you... and all peoples will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:2-3
After scanning centuries, Genesis changes dramatically at Chapter 12. Leaving the big picture of world history, it settles on one lonely individual-not a great king or a wealthy landowner, but a childless nomad, Abraham.
At God's call, Abraham had uprooted himself from civilization and begun wandering in the wilderness. With a few changes (cattle substituted for sheep, Conestoga wagons for tents), you could make a cowboy movie out of his life. Moving his flocks from place to place, fighting skirmishes and pitched battles with hostile local people, Abraham had to be tough to survive. But this hardly made him unique; lots of tough nomads wandered the Middle East. What made this particular wanderer so important?
God's New Way of Working
Abraham was important, first of all, simply because God chose him. Shortly after the destruction caused by the great flood, God picked Abraham as the foundation of a new humanity. On several remarkable occasions God spoke directly to him, promising to make his family great in the land he roamed. The promises were hard to believe: Abraham's wife was barren, Abraham was getting too old to have children, he owned no land and had no prospect of any. Nonetheless, God asked Abraham to trust Him.
Taken from The Student Bible
The second reason why Abraham matters follows from the first: when God spoke to him, Abraham listened. He was far from perfect. Sometimes he strayed from the path God put him on, lying and trying to make the promises work out in his own way. Yet in the decisive moments of life, he listened to God and obeyed. He was willing to sacrifice anything for Godeven his only son. God put His brand on Abraham, the mark of circumcision. His descendants were to be forever known as "God's people."
Uncensored Truth
The life of Abraham is a fascinating story, true to life, full of bad moments as well as good. He was hardly a theologian: a more comprehensive understanding of God would have to wait for Moses. But Abraham's faith is the root of Judaism and, thus, of Christianity. In his encounters with God we get raw, uncensored truth, not religion invented by a philosopher but religion as it really happens when God meets man.
No wonder the New Testament cites Abraham more than 70 times, and Paul tells
Christians they are the true descendants of Abraham (Galatians 3:6-9). Abraham's
life began to unfold the story of God's long-range plans. Two thousand years
later, Abraham's descendant Jesus came to fulfill the promises made to Abraham
and his descendants.