THE PATRIARCHAL AGE (PART 3) : Abraham

In Lesson 4, we studied about Noah and the tower of Babel. In this lesson we will study about a great man of faith, Abraham.

In the same chapter (Genesis 11) where we read about the tower of Babel, we meet Abraham, then called Abram. Abraham was a great and good man, one who placed his trust on God. God promised Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his seed [descendants] (Genesis 22:18).

In Genesis 12:1-3, God told Abraham to go to a foreign land that He would show him. Abraham did not know where God is leading him to but he obeyed God and was blessed in return.

In Romans 4:19-21, the Bible tells us that when God told Abraham that Sarah his wife would give birth to a son, “he did not consider his own body, already dead [since he was about a hundred years old], and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform”. Later, Sarah did conceive and bear a son just as God had promised. You can read this in Genesis 21:1-5.

As we mentioned earlier, Abraham was a man of great faith. God tested his faith one day by telling Abraham to take his son Isaac, and offer him as a sacrifice on an altar. Abraham did as God told him to but just as Abraham was ready to kill Isaac, God stopped him. God sent a ram to be offered instead of Isaac. God was very pleased with Abraham because he had demonstrated that he trusted God to the extent where he would not even spare his only son, Isaac (Genesis 22:1-14).

When Abraham was very old, he told his oldest servant to return to his homeland and find a wife for Isaac. With God’s help, the servant brought Rebekah back as a wife for Isaac.

Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau became a hunter and Jacob was a plain man or a man who lived in tents. Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob and Rebekah loved Jacob more that Esau.

As a result of this jealousy, Rebekah deceived Isaac into pronouncing a blessing on Jacob instead of Esau (a blessing for the firstborn of the family) and this angered Esau to want to kill Jacob.

Out of fear, Jacob left home and went to live with his uncle. He fell in love with his uncle’s daughter, Rachel and asked permission to marry her. His uncle will only consent if Jacob promised to work seven years for him.

Jacob did this but he was only to be tricked by his uncle. His uncle gave his older daughter Leah to Jacob as a wife instead. Jacob had to work for a further seven years before Rachel was given to him as his wife.

After a long while, Jacob took his wives and children and return to his homeland. He was reunited with Esau, his brother.

Jacob had thirteen children altogether. In the next lesson, we will study about one of these in particular, the son named Joseph.

Section I
Fill in the blanks

Question 1
God promised Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his __________ (Genesis 22:18).

Question 2
Abraham was fully __________ that what God had promised, He was also able to __________ (Romans 4:21)

Question 3
God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to offer his son, __________ as a sacrifice

Question 4
Isaac loved __________ more than __________.

Question 5
Jacob fell in love with his uncle’s daughter, __________.

Section II
True Or False

Question 1
Abraham believed that God would bless him with a son even though he and his wife were already advanced in age.
TrueFalse

Question 2
Abraham’s servant brought Rachel back as a wife for Isaac
TrueFalse

Question 3
Jacob had to work seven years for his uncle in order to marry Rebekah
TrueFalse

Question 4
Rebekah and Jacob tricked Isaac and Esau. Years later Jacob was tricked by his uncle
TrueFalse

Question 5
Jacob had thirteen children
TrueFalse

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