Less than a century ago, man have questioned as to whether there ever existed a city called "Ur of the Chaldees," or if there was such a person called "Abraham." History has revealed there were men with the desire to know the answers to these questions. During the late 1920's and early 30's archaeologist and their hired helpers discovered "Ur of the Chaldees," the area where Abraham grew up. They found tablets of stone engraved with the inscription "Nebuchadnezar King of Babylon." They also found many other names of kings and places mentioned in the Bible.

The Bible is not a history of the human race at large, but of one family or distinct people amongst all the family of races on the earth. All other races of people are spoken of only in the context of their interaction with this one particular family. This one family and its pilgrimage began when Abraham, in obedience to God, separated himself from the pagan surroundings of "Ur" and went out as the Bible relates in Hebrews 11, known as the "faith" chapter. "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went" (Heb.11:8).

When searching into Abraham's history, we learn Abraham was born around 2,160 B.C.. God chose him to become the founder of His kingdom on earth. And it was in Ur of the Chaldees, a land that is now called Iraq, that he married Sarah. Sometime after the marriage, Abraham was told to move out of his father's house. "Now the Lord had said unto Abram (Abraham's name before God changed it), ‘get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, unto a land that I will show you: and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.' So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran [a suburb of Ur]. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came" (Gen.12: 1-5).

During the years which followed, God blessed Abraham, "And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold" (Gen. 13:2). The area of Ur that he left behind, where he grew up was not a poor area. Excavations in that area have shown gold helmets, exquisite jewelry, gold bowls and flower vases beautifully designed and engraved. This was a wealthy area Abraham was reared and educated in. It was city of fine culture and a civilization for more than ten centuries!

The archaeologist, Dr. C. Leonard Wolley, who discovered "Ancient Ur," reports in a variety of articles, "In Abraham's day the citizens of Ur lived in brick houses that were both plastered and whitewashed. The houses were two stories high, containing a dozen or more rooms grouped around a central paved court-yard. The inside of these dwellings was surprisingly like our own homes. There was a lavatory behind the brick staircase, a kitchen with a fireplace, a reception room with wider doors, a servants hall, a chapel for worship; and under the floor of the chapel, a vaulted tomb for family burial. Cuneiform clay tablets found inside these homes provide a clue to the type of education pursued in that day. Some of the tablets were historical, some were hymn-books, others dealt with mathematics. Among the latter there were formulas for extracting both square and cube roots. Regarding evidence of ancient arithmetic, one writer makes the following amusing comment: ‘It comes as a shock to us that besides being able to read and write, Abram and even Sarah, in the days of their youth might have suffered the same perplexities regarding cubic roots as our present-day students.'"

When the Lord entered into a covenant relationship with Abraham, He stipulated one requirement; and that was complete separation from Abram's environment, including his father Terah's house. We might ask, why this move? Joshua, Moses successor, supplies us with the answer. "And Joshua said unto all the people, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods" (Josh. 24:2).

It is a historical fact, Ur of the Chaldees, was the center of moon god worship. You can read about this pagan crescent moon god worship in our "Prove All Things" magazine, Calendar Edition, dated February 2001, in the article titled "Faint Crescent ? New Moon? or Pagan Symbol?" Let's recall at this point how Paul stresses the importance of complete separation from evil. "Now for a recompense in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be you also enlarged. Be you not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what concord has Christ with belial? [Christ with evil], or what part has he that believes with an infidel [unbeliever]? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be you separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:13-18).

Following Abraham's separation from his sinful native country and doing what was asked of him, God was now ready to start and carry out the remainder of the contract that we read in verses 2 and 3 of Genesis 12. "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed."

After God revealed this to Abraham, in whatever area Abraham would stop, he would build an altar and talk with God. This is why Abraham was called a "friend of God." We see this recorded in both the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament we find Jehoshaphat praying to God, "Art not you our God, who did drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and gave it to the seed of Abraham your friend for ever?" (2 Chron. 20:7). A second example is in Isaiah 41. Here, God is telling Jacob that his grand father Abraham is His friend. "But you, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The seed of Abraham my friend" (Isa. 41:8). For the third example we turn to the New Testament, in the second chapter of James, where James has so much so say about righteous works. "And the scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: And he was called the friend of God" (James 2:23).

An important thing to watch for when studying the covenant God made with Abraham, is what God told him. "And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward" (Gen. 13: 14). Why is the Lord telling Abraham this? "For all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed for ever" (Gen.13:15). How many of Abrahams descendants share in this possession of the land? Vs.16, "And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall your seed also be numbered." This same thought was expressed in Genesis 15 as the stars in heaven. "And He brought him forth abroad, and said, look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if you be able to number them: and He said unto him, so shall your seed be"(Gen 15:5). In Genesis, chapter 12, that we read earlier, God stated simply, "I will make of you a great nation." But notice how the "boundary" is enlarged in chapter 17. "And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, ‘as for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shalt be a father of many nations [plural]. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you. And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto you, and to your seed after you. And I will give unto you, and to your seed after you, the land wherein you art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God'" (Gen. 17: 3-8).

Sarah was also included in this sacred contract. It was through her and her only, that this covenant would continue down through the centuries. "And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai your wife, you shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be [Sarah means princess- she is to be a mother of kings]. And I will bless her, and give you a son also of her: yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her" (Gen.17:15-16). These very clear verses tell us to recognize Sarah as a princess and a progenitor of nations.

Sarah, in her old age, became impatient in waiting for God to produce a son from her 90 year old body. So she came up with a plan of her own and insisted that God's promises proceed through her handmaid Hagar. The results were Abraham fathering Ishmael through Hagar. It was not long after this that Abraham and Sarah learned that God uses no substitutes for His plan. "And God said, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed; and you shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto you at this set time in the next year" (Gen. 17:19-21).

God asks Abraham and Sarah, "Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son" (Gen. 18:14). A year later, Genesis 21 tells us of the promised event: "And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac" (Gen.21:1-3).

Skipping ahead to when Isaac was a little older; God spoke to Abraham in a vision and made an unusual demand. "And He said, take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and get you into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of " (Gen. 22:2). This strange event on Mount Moriah was a true testing ground of Abraham's faith. Isaac was a young man of about 20 years of age, raised fully by Abraham and Sarah, his father and mother. He did not quarrel with his dad's actions. He was reared knowing, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John15:13). We all know how that incident on Mount Moriah turned out.

Isaac was now the inheritor of the covenant and it's attendant blessings. "But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. Then Abraham gave up the spirit, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, the field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: There was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi" (Gen.25:6, 8-11).

Let's follow through with the extension of Isaac's family, to the birth of Esau and Jacob. "And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac: and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife. And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord heard of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, if it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, two nations are in your womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from your bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them"(Gen.25:6,8-11). Verses 27-34, reveal to us, that when the two boys grew up, Esau was willing to sell the birthright to Jacob for a simple bowl of soup and Jacob was cunning and deceptive enough to acquire it that way. Neither of them discerned that the destiny of the birthright was in God's hands, it was not theirs to buy, sell or to negotiate. "And Esau said, behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?" (Gen 25:32). So Esau sold his birthright to Jacob. Verse 34 tells us that "Esau despised his birthright." God, after seeing this happen, was not unfair; He merely selected the man best qualified to fulfill His plan. As time passed, when Isaac was old and blind, Rebekah was ambitious for Jacob, her favorite son. Rebekah conspired to obtain the paternal blessing for Jacob through deceit. It seems Rebekah must have forgot what the Lord told her. "The elder shall serve the younger"(Gen.25:23). But like her mother-in-law, Sarah, Rebekah was impatient with God!

Picking up the covenant story again, "And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, ‘my son' and he said unto him, ‘behold, here am I..' And he said, ‘behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: now therefore take, I pray you, your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; and make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless you before I die.' And Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau their son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. And Rebekah spoke to Jacob their son, saying, ‘behold, I heard your father speak unto Esau your brother, saying, Bring me venison, and make me savory meat, that I may eat, and bless you before the Lord before my death'" (Gen.27:1-7). While Esau was hunting for venison, "Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: and she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: and she gave the savory meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came unto his father, and said, ‘my father' and he said, ‘here am I; who art you, my son?' And Jacob said unto his father, ‘I am Esau your firstborn; I have done according as you asked me: arise, I pray you, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me'" (Gen.27:15-19).

In the following verses, the blind Isaac questions Jacob, while smelling, kissing, and feeling him for body hair in order to convince himself that this was truly Esau. The thoroughly deceived Isaac then pronounces the blessings on Jacob, "Therefore God give you of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: let people serve you, and nations bow down to you: be lord over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you: cursed be every one that curses you, and blessed be he that blesses you" (Gen 27:28-29).

As the life of our fore father Isaac comes to a close, we will see the next transfer of the covenant. Jacob had a dream on his way to Padananram to comply with his father Isaac's request, to seek a wife from the household of Laban. During his journey, as he slept, God appeared to Jacob in a dream and laid on him the responsibility of his grandfather's covenant. "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon you are lying, to you will I give it, and to your seed; and your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and will bring you again into this land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken to you of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, how dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's House: and of all that you shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto you"(Gen.28:12-17).

This visitation from the Lord was the beginning of Jacob's spiritual awaking, but it was short lived. It took twenty years of frustration, disappointment and double-dealing, in the house of Laban, for Jacob to live up to the vow he made to God at Bethel. During this twenty years, Jacob had built no altar to the Lord as his faithful father and grandfather had done. Neither had Jacob any contact with God through prayer. But, at the end of those difficult 20 years, Jacob hears God's voice speaking to him again. "I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, and where you vowed a vow unto Me: now arise, get you out from this land, and return unto the land of your kindred" (Gen. 31:13). Jacob was ready by this time to obey the Lord. He began to set his house in order, so he could move back to his native land. But there was one problem about the move that bothered him. He had to cross the land of Seir where his brother Esau lived. He had not forgotten Esau's feelings toward him. "And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, ‘the days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob'"(Gen.27:41).

Jacob remembering this, did something he had not done before, he prayed for protection! "And Jacob said, ‘0 God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which said unto me, return unto your country, and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which You have showed unto Your servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray you, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. And You said, I will surely do you good, and make your seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.' And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother" (Gen.32:9-13). Previously, God had talked to Jacob, but Jacob had not taken the time and energy to talk to God in prayer. It took fear to make him realize his need for the Lord. Does this not sound like an "Israel" family trait?

Jacob's prayer marked the turning point in his life. Read now another major event in Jacob's life that happened during his return to his home country. "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when He saw that he prevailed not against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with Him. And He said, let Me go, for the day breaks. And he said, I will not let thee go, except You bless me. And He said unto him, what is your name? And he said, Jacob. And He said, your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince has you power with God and with men, and has prevailed. And Jacob asked Him, and said, tell me, I pray you, your Name. And He said, wherefore is it that you ask after My name? And He blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved"(Gen. 32:24-30).

Jacob's name was changed as a symbol of his changed nature. Jacob the common man, became Israel the spiritual man, who could now be trusted to cooperate with God. Now that Jacob had a spiritual nature, we can read of another experience in his life with God when he was told to return to Bethel. "And God said unto him, your name is Jacob: your name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be your name: And he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of you, and kings shall come out of your loins; and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to you I will give it, and to your seed after you will I give the land" (Gen.35:10-12).