Covenant with Abraham

Abraham is an important figure in Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

The story of Abraham can be found in the Book of Genesis - the first book in the Christian Bible and in the Torah of Judaism.

Abraham was first known as Abram but when he followed God, he had his name changed.

He lived with his family in Ur, believed to be in modern day Iraq.

At that time, it is likely that the people of Ur worshipped various gods including the Sun, Moon and stars.

However, God called Abraham to follow him and reject the gods of the people of Ur.

When God called Abraham, he made a special promise with him called a covenant.

A covenant is a two-sided promise when two people or groups make promises to one another; the most obvious example of a covenant is a marriage.

When a couple marry, they make promises to one another, for example, to love and care for each other.

In the covenant between God and Abraham, God promised Abraham three things:

1. He would have a son, even though he and his wife Sarah were quite old.
2. Through his son he would have many descendants and his family would become a great nation.
3. God would give him and his family a land of their own to live in.

In return, Abraham promised God two things:

• To be faithful to God.
• To reject the gods of the people of Ur.

God had promised Abraham that he and his wife Sarah would have a son. When Abraham told Sarah about this she laughed because she thought she was too old.

Without a son it would not be possible for God to make Abraham and his family into a great nation.

Instead of trusting God, Sarah came up with her own solution to the problem. She told Abraham to have a child with her servant Hagar.

Hagar and Abraham had a son called Ishmael.

This was not what God had promised and later Sarah and Abraham had their own son called Isaac.

Abraham now had two sons, one with his wife Sarah and one with his wife’s servant Hagar.

Even though Sarah had told Abraham to have a son with Hagar, she grew jealous of Ishmael and was concerned that Ishmael might try to claim part of Abraham’s inheritance which she wanted to go solely to her son Isaac.

After a few years Sarah told Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away.

Abraham was very sad but did as Sarah had asked.

God was true to the covenant and made great nations from both Isaac and Ishmael.

The story of Abraham is important to Jews as he is seen as the founder of their faith, the Father of Judaism.

Jews believe that because of the covenant God made with Abraham they, as his descendants, are God’s chosen people.

The covenant is evidence of God’s special love and care for the Jews and God’s desire to have a relationship with them which is different to his relationship with the rest of humanity.

Abraham’s legacy in Judaism helps us to understand why the land of Israel is so special to them.

Jews believe that the land of Israel was the land promised to Abraham by God.

As the founder of their faith, Abraham is referred to as a Patriarch (father). Jews will seek to follow his example of faithfulness to God in their daily lives.

Abraham remains a central figure in Christianity.

Christians point to Abraham as a figure who teaches them about what it means to follow God and how, just like Abraham, they will make mistakes and disobey God.

Writing in the New Testament book of Romans, Paul points to Abraham as an example of someone who believed in the promise of God, even though it took a long time to be fulfilled.

This sets an example for how Christians should live today.

Christians believe that God’s covenant with Abraham has now been replaced with a new covenant.

The old covenant was based on following laws, but the new covenant is based on following the teachings of Jesus.

For many Muslims, Abraham is a good example of faithfulness to God. He is repeatedly referred to in the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an.

Muslims often trace their ancestors to Abraham through Ishmael, the first son of Abraham with his wife’s servant, Hagar.

In the Qur’an it is said that Abraham and Ishmael constructed a shrine called the Kaaba. The Kaaba is a large cube-shaped building in Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, and it is the holiest place in the Islamic world.

Wherever they are in the world, Muslims will face the Kaaba when praying, and many will make a pilgrimage to it.