OT Characters: Abraham

<p>For more notes and resources check out Douglas' <a href="https://www.douglasjacoby.com/ot4-abraham/" target="_blank">website</a>.</p><p><strong>Hebrew words:</strong></p><ul><li><i>Avram </i>(Abram) -- great (exalted) father</li><li><i>Avraham </i>(Abraham) -- sounds like "father of many" (<i>Ab[ram]-hamon</i>)</li><li><i>Avram </i>and <i>Avraham</i> are mentioned 345 times in the Bible:<ul><li>He appears not only in Genesis 11-25, but also in Exodus-Joshua, 1 Kings-2 Chronicles, Nehemiah, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Malachi.</li><li>He also appears in Acts, Romans, 2 Corinthians, Hebrews, James, and 1 Peter.</li></ul></li><li><i>Sarah</i> -- princess. (Note: in Genesis 11:29-17:15, she is <i>Sarai,</i> or "my princess.")</li><li><i>Yishma'el </i>(Ishmael) -- "God hears" -- a natural response when at age 86 Abraham finally became a father.</li></ul><p><strong>Abraham, the man of faith:</strong></p><ol><li><strong>Faith keeps moving</strong> (Genesis 12)!<ol><li>Though the main application is to moving <i>spiritually,</i> still the question remains: Have I ever moved for spiritual reasons? How willing am I to step out of my comfort zone -- even literally stepping out?</li><li>We go forward, or we go backward! Am I stepping out in faith?</li><li>Where am I, spiritually?<ol><li><strong>Ur? </strong>Spending time with worldly people, in worldly activities? Holding back?</li><li><strong>Haran?</strong> Gone only part-way to the faithful life God has called me to? In a compromise position?</li><li><strong>Canaan? </strong>Gone all the way? Delighting in radical decisions, willing to push myself, open to taking risks?</li></ol></li></ol></li><li><strong>Faith embraces God's promises.</strong><ul><li>The Triple Promise (Genesis 12:1ff):<ul><li>Land -- fulfilled in Joshua 21:43.</li><li>Nation -- fulfilled in the Exodus. See Exodus 14; 19:6.</li><li>Spiritual -- fulfilled in Jesus Christ. See Psalm 117, Zechariah 8, Isaiah 49:6, etc.</li><li>This is a key passage for biblical study.</li><li>The theme of the