Did Abraham and Sarah always have consistent faith or showed their obedience towards God and did they always take God’s words and promises into consideration? The book of Genesis reveals that prior to God making the promise to bless both Abraham and Sarah with an offspring of their own, Abraham and Sarah displayed the lack of faith that they had in God prior to his promise.
The opening book of Genesis from [Gen.17] which describes the promises that God made to both Abraham and Sarah that he was going to bless them with a descendent, God mentioned the following to Abraham and Sarah “As for Sarai your wife, you should not call her Sarai, but Sarah should be her name. I will give you a son by her, and she should give rise to nations; kings of peoples should come from her" [Gen.17: 15].
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God showed Abraham and Sarah his plan to offer them their own descendent by his words “Kings of people should come from her.” This is an indication from God that as long as Abraham and Sarah had faith and obeyed God, God’s plans were to offer them the life long blessing which they have been waiting for. Abraham is considered as a man of faith; however, Abraham had not always been a faithful human or somebody who obeyed or had faith in Gods actions and promises at all times. Abraham and Sarah was both human beings and man was made in the image of God [Gen.1: 27] by God’s creation that was both learning to live up to the standard of God, yet Abraham and Sarah did not fully learn to trust in God through their
Nathaniel Abraham was eleven years old when he committed the act of murder. Under a 1997 Michigan law a child of any age may be tried as an adult for severe crimes. Abraham was the first juvenile to be tried under this statute. Accused in the murder of Ronnie Lee Greene Jr., Abraham faced first degree murder charges. Now, at the age of fourteen, Nathaniel has been sentenced to a juvenile facility until the age of twenty-one. Oakland County Probate Judge Eugene Moore hopes that rehabilitation will put an end to Nathaniel’s criminal activity. Nathaniel, a black youth from the slums of Pontiac, Michigan, grew up with out a father, or a strong family unit. He, in turn, never learned the responsibility of his actions; he was not privy to an upbringing that reinforced positive ideals. Crime & Criminology describes, in depth, the relation between family and criminal activity in youths. Page 126 (chapter four) sited two relevant facts; 1) Blacks have much higher rates of illegitimacy and female headed house holds. 2) Blacks have a much higher rate of crime than their white counterparts. In Nathaniel’s case, it can be said that his lack of a positive role model, or father figure lead to his involvement in criminal activities. His mother, Gloria, was struggling to raise three children by herself. Nathaniel’s father had left when he was born, leaving her with no one to depend on. The family moved in with an older couple who offered to help them. With limited supervision Nathaniel was a constant source of aggravation for his mother. Police reported that Nathaniel was suspected in over 22 local crimes, ranging from assault to armed robbery. He, in fact, had been arrested five days before Greene’s murder on the charge of robbery. All this by the age of eleven. In families where there is no male role model a child is far more likely to become involved in crime. The data that exists suggests a direct correlation between youths raised without a father and criminal activity.
Up until and during the mid -1800’s, women were stereotyped and not given the same rights that men had. Women were not allowed to vote, speak publically, stand for office and had no influence in public affairs. They received poorer education than men did and there was not one church, except for the Quakers, that allowed women to have a say in church affairs. Women also did not have any legal rights and were not permitted to own property. Overall, people believed that a woman only belonged in the home and that the only rule she may ever obtain was over her children. However, during the pre- Civil war era, woman began to stand up for what they believed in and to change the way that people viewed society (Lerner, 1971). Two of the most famous pioneers in the women’s rights movement, as well as abolition, were two sisters from South Carolina: Sarah and Angelina Grimké.
For instance; God made a covenant with Abraham as evident in the book of Genesis, Chapter 15 verse 18, where God had promised that he would give Abraham and his descendant the land from the river of Egypt unto the great river Euphrates. I also believe Sarai was a significant beneficiary of the blessings of God's covenant with Abraham. However, I believe Sarai and Abram broke the marriage vows established in Genesis Chapter 2 Verse 24, which clearly states the reason why a man should leave his father and mother to form a unity with his wife. Because of the human nature and how we perceive situations, I believe Sarai could not exercise any more patience for God's appointed time, nor could she imagine to have a child in her old age. I also believe the reason she gave up on God's appointed time was that she had already experienced her
One of the biblical allusions that continue to surface is the connection to Abraham and Sarah in Old Testament Genesis. Abraham and Sarah were nearly 100 years old when they attempted to bore a child together, however, it was unfeasible
Abraham and Odysseus Abraham and Odysseus are two men of two different eras, yet they both have a common goal. This common goal which links the two men together is to get to their ultimate destination; whether it is Odysseus journey to his native land or Abraham's journey to the land God promised him. On the way both suffer hardships on their own accounts; whether it was Odysseus arrogance to his gods or Abraham's defiance to God's will. After they both have struggled on their journey and faced much tribulation, they both come to face with the error of their ways and in the end after learning a few important lessons they succeed in their goal. Odysseus, king of Ithaca has been away many years from the land he loves, the wife he cares for, and the son he never knew (Homer 2).
A messenger of God comes to tell her to “return to your mistress and suffer abuse at her hand,” for if she does this God “will surely multiply your seed” (79). Hagar, an Egyptian, who has had no previous contact with God, blindly follows His instructions and returns to an abusive situation. She trusts that God will eventually provide and care for her, naming her son Ishmael or “God has heard” (79). Abraham on the other hand doubts God. Even after He has continuously promised He will multiply Abraham’s seed to be as great as the stars in the sky, Abraham and Sarah both laugh when they hear Sarah will conceive a son. When God hears Sarah’s laughter from behind a curtain He questions her and when she denies it, sternly reprimands, “Yes, you did laugh” revealing that He is always listening and making note of their doubts and fears even when He is not physically present. Although Abraham has followed God’s instructions thus far, he and his wife have revealed their doubt in His ultimate divine plan. In contrast Hagar fully accepts that a great nation will spring from her and returns back to a place of suffering in order that God’s plan might be carried
17:2 suggests that God has fixed our life span, and so if we are to
Unique favor to Abraham’s offspring: According to the Book of Genesis it is indisputable how God vowed to make a great nation out of Abraham, which turned out to be Israel. (Christian, Messaianic, and Jewish Research into Israel’s Two Houses) It has been christened as Kingdom of God or Christendom. The earth multiplied and even today many descendants of Abraham exist.
A covenant has been defined as an agreement by two groups of people, one more powerful than the other, and the inferior group held accountable until the agreement or bond has been fulfilled or satisfied by the lesser of the two. The lesser of the two also agrees to remain loyal to the powerful or dominant and by the same token the powerful has the obligation to provide protection. In Abrahams late age God came to him with a covenant making him fertile and is to become the father and ancestor of many nations and which will bear many kings from generation to generation. The covenant included the circumcision of every man and child that was 8 days and older which gave everyone including God sign of acceptance of the covenant and those who did not accept the circumcision will be considered as not in agreement and will be cut from the covenant. God needed a figurehead and a strong willed person to lead his chosen people of Israel. Abraham was a strong authoritative figure in his family and had the qualities of a leader and teacher of good character. Abraham set the tone in the household and never let his children take control of any situation that demanded his attention. God was seeking for a man who would embrace the responsibilities of what God willed and would be faithful to the end.
One day, Abram had a vision. In the vision God tells Abram to leave his father’s house which is today’s Iraq, and travel to a place that God will show him. God said that if Abram who becomes Abraham obeyed this command, his descendants would become a great nation, and that he will bless thee,...
Unfortunately, Sarah was unable to bare children for many years. She even assigned blame, asserting, “The Lord has kept me from having children (Genesis 16:1).” God had promised Sarah she would bear children but Sarah grew impatient, as she often did. Now, Sarah turned to her Egyptian servant, Hagar. Sarah rendered Hagar to Abraham so that she could bear his child. Abraham consented to his wife’s wishes and later Ishmael was born. [The Book does not mention whether Hagar consented to this arrangement or not.] Now, both Sarah and Hagar were connected to Abraham. After Hagar conceives a child with Abraham, Sarah holds a certain level of antipathy towards her servant. Sarah feels that her servant holds her to a lower esteem because she cannot conceive, and Sarah starts to feels insignificant. In return, Sarah treats her servant harshly until finally Hagar flees from her. While in exile, an angel proposed that Hagar return to Sarah and Abraham and be subservient; in return, blessings would be bestowed upon
According to the book of Matthew, “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,” indicating he was born between 6 and 4 BCE (Matthew 2:1). The Bible refers to this as the virgin birth because Joseph and Mary never conceived him. He was a human being in which God took his form. Very little is known about his childhood and the Bible only reveals a picture of Jesus and his teachings when he was approximately 30 years of age. Whatever happened to Jesus during these years is a mystery to us all, but whatever happened transformed him into the divine being which he is today.
The book of Genesis focuses on six persons and their families: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. God blessed man and all of his creations. For a moment, God’s creation was as He intended: paradise. Man sinned and God became unhappy, but he still provided for his people. God wants man to repent.
In the Old Testament, Abraham and Moses were two very prominent leaders chosen by God to do his will. Throughout Genesis and Exodus, both men play important roles in fulfilling God’s will. They are put to many tests, given covenants, and communicate constantly with God. Although they have many similarities such as being leaders and men of God, there are also many differences between the two.