Bible - Role of Abraham
Abraham stands as one of the most important figures in the Hebrew Bible, and is central to the understanding of God's solution to the problem of mankind. Man, the mysterious creature that God wraught as a semi-experiment, is constantly prone to believe he is self-sufficient and capable of survival without God, the central problem God must deal with in the Hebrew Bible. To solve this problem, God decides to strike fear in the heart of man and to revolutionise his lifestyle by creating laws and empowering a chosen group of people, who will spread the word of God by example. These people are the Hebrews, and Abraham is the father of their race, the man from whom all Hebrews descend. He is chosen for this crucial position because he already possesses all the qualities God desires for his people. God says of Abraham, "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment". Thus, a study of Abraham's character is a study of the Hebrew people's character, and, ultimately, a study of the qualities God desires for all people. At the time of Abraham, the world appears to be a violent, immoral place. Chapter
Another of Abraham's remarkable qualities is his generosity, and lack of greed. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah offer Abraham a reward for him vanquishing their foes when he rescues Lot, Abraham tells them, "I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine". And when Sarah dies and Abraham finds a place to bury her, the owner of the land tells him it is unnecessary to pay, but Abraham does so anyway. This generosity is desired for God's plan because it is another demonstration of self-sacrifice for others. A community like the Hebrews is better able to survive if its members are willing to share their wealth, and be charitable to one another. God's plan is complex and difficult to interpret. After vowing to never again destroy humanity after the Flood, God decides to attempt a new method to moralise the human race. Abraham and his descendants are an engineered experiment in moral evolution; God's chosen people are able to survive and breed and create a nation that will possess the qualities God sees fit. Rather than destroying, God is creating. Rather than striking out against the bad qualities of human nature, God is finding those who possess the good qualities and ensuring their success. In this way, the world will eventually be full of those with only good qualities. God and Darwin eerily coincide here, in a way neither of them would have been comfortable with. 14 of Genesis describes the many bloody wars that are occurring around Abraham, and cities like Sodom and Gomorrah are full of men who are "wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly". Abraham stands as a unique figure for his time, avoiding fights whenever possible and always following God's orders, meant as an example to the rest of the world. Instead of the mass destruction akin to the flood, God's new plan is to change the world through Abraham's and his descendants' good deeds and righteous living, effectively a moral evolution. Every extraordinary quality that Abraham possesses is desired by God for everyone. A major thread of all these qualities is self-sacrifice for the good of others; through the promotion of these ideals, God is creating a society capable of existing in peace. Abraham's continual obedience to God is central to his character and the desired character
Some common words found in the essay are:
God Abraham's, Genesis Abraham, Abraham Unto, Sodom Gomorrah, God God, Lord God, Hebrew Bible, Flood God, God Abraham, Abraham Abram, god's plan, obedience god, qualities god, thy seed, thou shalt, sodom gomorrah, thee thy, tells abraham, hebrew bible, qualities god desires, thine son, son thine son, family god's plan, wife unto son, thy son thine,
Approximate Word count = 1641
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
