The Bible Book

45

See also: The Fall 30–35 ■ The Flood 40–41 ■ The Testing of Abraham 50–53 ■

The Ten Commandments 78–83

GENESIS

A 16th-century Brussels tapestry

dramatizes the calling of Abraham

and his journey. In fact, the biblical

passage mentions neither the setting

nor circumstances of the calling.

The Abrahamic Faiths

Abraham is one of the most

important figures in the

religions of the Middle East

and the Western world. He

is universally recognized as

the father of the three great

monotheistic faiths: Judaism,

Christianity, and Islam. To

the Jewish people, Abraham

was the founder of Israel

and their first patriarch. He

taught them that there is only

one God and inspired their

faith with his unquestioning

obedience and unwavering

loyalty to God.

Christians view Abraham

as possibly the greatest

exponent of a human

relationship with God. They

believe that it is through

Abraham’s descendant, Jesus,

that all God’s promises are

fulfilled. In Islam, where he is

known as “Ibrahim,” Abraham

is regarded as a great prophet

whose son Ishmael, by Hagar,

became the father of the Arab

peoples and the ancestor of

the Prophet Muhammad, the

founder of Islam. Muslims

celebrate Abraham on the

festival of Eid-al-Adha, held

in memory of Abraham’s

willingness to obey God’s

command to sacrifice his son

(see pp. 50–53).

God reiterates his promise on

several occasions. The basic

components always remain the

same: that Abraham’s descendants

will become a great nation, live in a

fruitful land, be blessed, and be a

blessing to all the peoples of the

Earth. The nation God promises is

one of generations of worshippers

in their own land. This is the

“covenant”—binding contract—that

God and Abraham make. God offers

divine promises in return for the

continued faith of Abraham and his

descendants. The covenant is part

of God’s plan of establishing a

nation of people free from sin.

A momentous journey

In a clear demonstration of his

faith, Abraham obeys God’s call

to leave his homeland. He is ❯❯

The Five Great

Covenants of

the Bible

Noah

Genesis

9:11

Abraham

Genesis

12:2–3

David

2 Samuel

7:12–17

Jesus

Luke

22:20

Moses

Exodus

19:5

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