Old Testament: on Abraham and Faith

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The first book in the Old Testament, Genesis, is the storyline of the ancient family tree which was Jesus’ lineage. Because Jesus was Jewish, his ancestry can be traced all the way back to Abraham. One day, God called upon Abraham and asked him to pack up everything he owned but requested that he leave his family behind. In return, God offered Abraham (then named Abram) land and a nation under his name which would be his to rule over as king and father and which would be set aside and blessed by God. Abraham was tremendously faithful and although he had some misgivings, overall proved his faith in the Lord. Therefore, he is often called the “Father of the Faith”. Abraham was only human. People have been known to make mistakes and so did Abraham when he brought along his nephew, Lot: “So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him.” (Gen 12: 4) Abraham and his wife Sarah (who was then Sarai) were old. He only brought Lot in the first place as a backup plan in the event that he could not have a son. But he never should have brought him, as it was a sign that he was doubtful of God and lacking faith. Soon however, Abraham and Lot were forced to split and go separate ways because they had too much livestock between them. And God could again resume making a covenant with Abraham: “And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” (Gen 13: 14-15) Another test of Abraham’s faith can be seen when he was talking to God, who ordered him to go out and look at the sky: “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” (Gen 15: 5) The only problem is that it was day time. Therefore, Abraham could not see the stars, but he must have
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