Basic Bible: Abraham and Sarah

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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .

We’re still in Genesis, the first book of the Bible.  Did you know that the first five books of the Christian Bible are also the Jewish Torah? And are very similar to portions of the Islamic Quran? The three major religions on earth all share the same foundation—thanks to Abraham and Sarah.

Around 2100 BC, Abraham was living with his wife and family in Ur (modern-day Iraq.) He was very happy and prosperous there, but the Bible tells us that one day, God told him to pack-up everything and move to the land of Canaan—a large fertile area located in today’s Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and the southern portion of Syria.(Gen 12:1-3) God also told Abraham that he would make of him a great nation, and that he would have more descendants than there were stars in the sky. (Gen. 15: 2-5)

This was something of a surprise, since the couple had no children and were quite old—indeed, when Sarah was informed that she was to bear a son, she fell down laughing which is why, when the promise came true, they named their son Isaac, which means “laughter.” (Gen 18:9-15)

Abraham also had a pesky nephew named Lot, who caused no end of trouble (Gen 13: 5-12) and an illegitimate son named Ishmael, who was cast out but who also wound-up founding a great nation. (Gen. 21:14-20) 

Abraham and Sarah are significant because up to this time, the peoples of the world worshipped multiple gods for different things—think of the Greek Gods, the Egyptian Gods, etc.   But Abraham and his descendants were the first to understand that there was only one God, who was in charge of everything all at once. Indeed, Genesis tells us that God and Abraham often spoke to one another.

When Sarah died, Abraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah as her tomb, and it is still a holy site today. She is the only Biblical woman whose age at death was recorded, which seems to emphasize her importance.

Abraham is regarded as the father of all the righteous, and in the Parable of the Beggar and the Rich Man, Jesus describes the beggar’s death as being “carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham.”  (Luke 16:22)

Next post: even more Genesis!