The Bible Story of Abraham

Abraham lived in the Old Testament days but is mentioned 72 times in the New Testament. The Hebrews Hall of Fame (in Hebrews 11) says, “From this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and countless as the sands on the seashore. He is called “God’s friend” (James 2:24), a moniker with special meaning because of the covenant God initiated with him. He was just a human like you and me, but Abraham’s story is part of our story and one we all should know.

Where Was Abraham Born?

Abraham (first known as Abram) was born the son of Terah, who lived near the southern Mesopotamian city called “Ur of the Chaldees.” Christianity.com contributor Maddy Rager explains this city (located in modern-day Iraq) worshipped a moon god called Sin. Abram went north because God had a plan for eternity that included this man and didn’t include worshiping Sin.

The fact that one day, of all of his 175 years, Abram heard God call out to him is more than amazing. The idea that God told him to “leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you” demonstrates a relationship of trust or at least knowledge of God before this time (“God had said”). Abram had a simple faith in who he understood to be the God of all gods. 

When Did Abraham Move Away from His Family?

God makes seemingly unbelievable promises to Abram—especially for a man with no children. God vows to him in Genesis 12:2-3 that He will make Abram a great patriarch with a large and blessed nation. He also said that as a result of these blessings, Abram and his line would bless all the people on the earth.

Therefore, in response to God’s call, Abram (at 75 years of age) left Haran with his wife Sarai and nephew Lot and all the people and things they had accumulated. They moved away to the land of Canaan, says Rager. God had given them the land, but Abram went and settled near Bethel, north of Jerusalem.

Sometime later, there is a famine in the land, so Abram decides to go to Egypt with Sarai to get food. But in his fear that God would not protect him, this man of God tells Sarai to pretend she is his sister so that he won’t be killed and Sarai carried away. His plan backfires, and Sarai is indeed taken to be one of Pharoah’s wives. We don’t know how long she was with him, but God brought great distress on Pharaoh to send her back to her husband, to whom Pharaoh gave great gifts to make up for the mistake (Gen. 12:10-20). The text doesn’t mention how traumatic this must have been to Sarai (though I suspect Abram experienced plenty of her anger in later years to make up for this trauma).

What Happened After Abraham Split from His Nephew Lot?

When Abram, Sarai, and Lot returned to Canaan, they realized their livestock herds had grown too great, and there was not enough land to support all of them. Abram left for Mamre near Hebron (Gen. 13:1-18), and Lot pitched his tents near Sodom. Sometime later, Abram and Lot got caught up in a battle between several kings of various nations, and Lot was taken captive. So Abram took 318 trained men from his household, recovered Lot, and defeated the kings allied against him.

Abram and the King of Sodom met in the Valley of Shaveh when the battle ended. There, they encountered Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18), king of Salem, who brought bread and wine. He was “priest of God Most High” (meaning he already knew Yahweh). He declared, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth. And blessed by God Most High who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything he had.

A surprising encounter indeed. As mentioned in an article on the Order of Melchizedek, the Rev Dr. Amy Peeler describes this encounter as showing God’s continued blessing to the man (Abraham) with whom God is making a covenant:

“This person [Melchizedek] serves God Most High at the time that God has called Abram to begin the covenant,” Peeler explains. “Although the story is not told as it is with Abraham, the biblical text is suggesting that God has established a relationship with Melchizedek as well.” In that case, God had already launched the Order of Melchizedek.

The image below is a panel from the east doors of Florence’s Baptistery of San Giovanni. Made from gilded bronze in 1425 CE by Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455 CE). This panel shows the angels appearing before Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac. Michelangelo called the doors the 'Gates of Paradise.'

Photo credit: Getty/SaskiaAcht

God’s Covenant with Abraham

After this, Abram begins to question how he will be the father of a great nation when he has no children. God still tells him that his heir will come from his own body, and “Abram believed the Lord and He credited it to him as righteous [being right in the eyes of God]” (Gen. 15:6). Abram still questions God–this time about the promised land, so God has him bring a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove and a young pigeon that are sacrificed. 

According to the Christianity.com article on the Abrahamic Covenant, “The cutting of the covenant involved the sacrificing of animals. Animals would be literally cut in two. The person who had to keep the promises would walk through those animals, basically saying, ‘If I don’t keep my end of the bargain, may be done to me what has been done to these animals.’ Typically, in a covenant, the great king would force the lesser party in the covenant to walk through those animals. It was up to the junior member of the party to keep the terms of the covenant.”

What’s so amazing in the Abrahamic Covenant is that God Himself takes the threatened curses upon Himself, guaranteeing, as He walks through those animals that are cut in two, that He will certainly bring this promise to pass.”

Why Did Abraham Have a Son with Hagar?

Eleven years roughly had passed since God had told Abram that God would make him a great nation. Sarai gets the mistaken notion that maybe God meant that Abram could have intercourse with her servant Hagar and have a baby that way. Abram goes along with it, and she has a son with Hagar, whom they name Ishmael. Sarai starts to become jealous of this woman carrying her husband’s child, and Abram permits Sarai to treat her poorly. Perhaps God planned to make them wait longer originally, or perhaps they didn’t take God at His word, meaning they would have to wait another 13 years for a son through Sarai.

When Abram was 99 years old, and his son Ishmael was 13, God appeared to Abram again to confirm His covenant with man. He fell on his face as God said his name would now be Abraham (Gen. 17:5), and His covenant would be everlasting with Abraham’s descendants in the land He promised to Abraham. Man’s part of the covenant was to be the initiation of circumcision, so Abraham, Ishmael, and every other male among them was to be circumcised. This would be a sacrifice to God for all generations. 

What Happened When Sarai Had a Son?

God then tells Abraham that he is to call his wife Sarah, and he will have the promised child with her. Abraham couldn’t help but laugh that his 100-year-old body and Sarah’s 90-year-old body could have a child. “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing,” Abraham says (Gen. 17:18). God tells Abraham that the eternal covenant would be established through the son of He and Sarah. Still, He would also bless Ishmael in answer to Abraham’s prayers.  

A year later, that son is born and named Isaac, or “one who laughs”—no doubt referring to both Abraham and Sarah laughing at the prospect of having a baby. Sarah began to see Ishmael mocking Isaac and wanted him and his mother to be sent away. Abraham cared enough to be upset at this prospect (how do you give up a child after 13 years?), but God assured Abraham that they would be cared for. And God does provide for Hagar and Ishmael in the desert and a line of descendants through Ishmael (Gen. 25:12-18). But God would keep the line of descendants pure all the way to Jesus.

“God’s Friend” was not a perfect man. He questioned God, ran ahead of God, and didn’t make all the right moves. But he was the one that God chose to be the patriarch of all Jews and Christians. He trusted God and was considered righteous by him. God used him to begin His story, leading to redemption through Jesus Christ.

Read the full text of the Abraham Bible story in the scriptures below and find related articles about Abraham's significance in Christianity:

Photo credit: Getty/sedmak

Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).