Abraham

This edition is designed for leaders who are leading a Bible study group using our main book as a Bible study tool. It contains guidance and help for each stage of the study.

The story of Abraham is a journey through life. It is a journey all of us are called to make. The circumstances may be different, the location most certainly will not be the same route as Abraham took, but the journey we take will face the same problems and same distractions which would seek to sideline us. Therefore, it is crucial to study these characters. As Solomon said, "Nothing is new under the sun". We can learn from these scriptures, which God has provided for us.

Abraham starts his life in Ur of the Chaldeans, a godless place, and this is where we all start. We come into this life as sinners, and we must begin our journey there. Most people stay there, but some are called to start a journey. When Abraham reached Haran, he settled but was never going to stay there. Haran is Abraham's decision point, and we also will face a moment when we have to decide if we will press on towards the promised land or ignore the call of God.
Abraham then journeys towards and arrives in the promised land but can only see it by faith. He does not possess it at this point but believes God will fulfil his promise. We, too, will own nothing in this world as our sights should be set way beyond earthly realms. God has promised us the same reward as Abraham, and we must keep that in sight as we move through our earthly journey.

We should note that Abraham was called to leave his land, his family, and his homeland. We do not know what God will ask us to do, but you can be sure there will be sacrifices to make along the way, and we must be ready to make them. We must be prepared to lay aside everything that would burden us in our journey.

When Abraham arrives in Shechem, he builds his first altar, and we also must build an altar and make a sacrifice, but Abraham then moves on to Bethel, which in Hebrew means 'House of God'. Likewise, building our first altar and making a sacrifice is not the end for us. We need to press on until we reach the House of God. The House of God is where we must be found.