Chapter three -Abraham

"As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee."-Genesis 17:4,5. American Standard version.

Living in the city of Ur is like a dream come true for most people. This is a city where it is easy to make money and people come from far and wide just to trade. It is a very thriving city and anyone who decides to do business here never goes home empty-handed. 

I have lived here in this city almost my whole life. I started my life here as a child, and now, I can say I am a proud man of a good family and so many properties. I live here with my father and wife. We live in a very big house filled with servants who are always at our beck and call. Anyway, did I say it is a dream come true to be living in the city of Ur? Yeah, for some people. But it is also hard to live here if you truly want to live your life the way God wants you to. 

You see, the people of Ur do not worship God. They are idol worshippers. Whenever you walk on the streets, you will see idols being sold on the stalls of market people everywhere. It's that bad. But for me, I and my household have decided to serve the one true God. Yes, my father Terah isn't really a worshipper of God, but I am. And my wife is. Also, my nephew loves God. And oh, did I tell you that I am rich? Yes, yes, I am. I have everything a man can ask for but there is one thing I need that I do not have. And that is an heir. I need a child who will succeed me when I am gone. 

My wife Sarai and I have been waiting for so long for a child. We prayed day and night just to have one, but I guess, sometimes, you can't always have everything you wish for. Sarai is my half sister. She is a very beautiful woman. Even in her old age, she easily turns heads wherever she goes. I love her so much and I can't imagine my life without her. She has always been a strong and firm woman. But never has she disrespected me. She even calls me, 'My lord.' That's the kind of woman every man should have as a wife. 

I love being in this city. But I hate the idolatry that goes on here. As a young child, I had the opportunity to meet with Shem, Noah's son. It was through him I got to know more about God. As I grew up into a young man, I began to understand God more and that made the love I have for him grow. I made a promise to myself that I will never depart from what I learned from Shem. And that is exactly what I have been doing till now. 

The childlessness I suffer with my wife sometimes gets me thinking. I know it's not a crime to get another wife to give me a child but I love Sarai too much to do that to her. And besides, I'm too old to be dealing with drama. Yet, I can't shake off the worry out of my body. I am almost 76 years old and Sarai is almost 66, she is past childbirth now. Who will take care of all the lands and livestock when I'm gone? Where will all my money go? Let me not think about that now. 

I decided to get out of the house one day and clear my head. I walked around the city for a while and decided to get out of the city. I walked towards a huge stone, lazily sitting in the sun and sat down on it. I was just thinking when I felt a cold wind around me. Then suddenly, it felt like there was thunder clapping in the skies. I was scared and suddenly bowed my head out of fear. That is when I heard the voice. 

"Abram, Abram. Do not be afraid. It is me, your God. I have seen how you faithfully served me and it makes me happy. But, I would like you to do something for me. Please, move away from this city to a land I will show you. That is the land I will be giving to generations after you."

"Forgive me for asking, Lord. But, which land do you want me to go to?" I had my face still buried in the ground. 

"As I said, it's a land I will be giving to generations after you. You will have a son. And multitudes will come out of him. Don't be afraid, I will be with you."

With that, the voice left me. The skies became clearer and the cold wind stopped. I quickly ran back into the city and entered my house in a hurry. Sarai saw how I rushed in. She followed me inside and tried to find out what was wrong. I began to pace in our room. Sarai was looking at me with a look of confusion and worry. 

"My lord, what's wrong? You look pale. Did something happen on your way out?"

"I...It's…"

"What's wrong? You are ready scaring me." she held my hand and raised her hand to touch my cheek. 

"You know you can always tell me anything, right?" I sighed. 

"Something happened on my way out of the house. God… God spoke to me. He said, we should move out of this place and go to another land he will show us."

"Really? Is that why you are like this? My lord, if God spoke to you, don't think it could be he saw something special in you? And if he says we should move, then let's move."

"Aren't you worried we would be leaving all our friends and family behind? What about our businesses here? Moving will mean leaving everything we have ever known behind. Aren't you worried about that?" I looked at her not believing what she had just said. 

"Yes. Everything we know, everyone we have ever known lives right here. But, if God said we should move to another place, then let's listen to him and move. Isn't it better to listen to our Creator more than what we feel makes us feel good about ourselves?" she answered. 

"Even if we have no idea where we are going to?" I asked her. 

"Even if we have no idea where we are going to," she added. 

"I don't know what I would have done without you my love. Thank you," I hugged her. I could feel her smile against my chest. 

So, that's how we began to pack our things a few days later for our trip. My father, Terah and nephew, Lot, decided to go with us. So we set out with some of our servants and some of our flock. We had already said good bye to our friends so there was nothing left to be said and done. So we finally took a last look at our home, held hands and stepped out of the house. 

"What took you two? We have been waiting out here for hours," Terah complained

"Grandfather, come on… " Lot laughed. 

"Hahahaha… okay, we are here now. We can go now," Abram said. 

We set out to the place God had said he will show us. We did not know where we were going but we had hope that God will give us a better place to stay. We met a lot of obstacles on our way, yet we overcame them all. My father could not make it all the way throughout our journey. He died before we could get to Canaan. That is the name of the place God gave to us. 

We settled there and built our tents there. This is the place we are going to start our new lives. Still, we did not have any child. One night, I was walking around when I felt a presence beside me. The voice. I heard the voice again. 

"Abram, I promised to give this land to you and your entire generation. And that is exactly what I will do. You will have a son and through him, you will be a father to many nations. Look up to the skies, and tell me what you see."

I looked up and saw stars. A lot of stars. I told him what I was seeing. 

"The stars are a lot in the skies. That is how your generation will be. They will be many and uncountable. From now on, you will no longer be called Abram but instead, Abraham. Because, you will be a father to many nations. And your wife will no longer be called Sarai. From now on, she will also be known as Sarah. I have said it and it will happen."

Days went by and everything was going on as usual. Little by little, life has been a lot easier than the first time we came here. I have a lot of livestock now. And I have extra people working for me. I and the boys working for me decided to take care of the sleep and help maintain their physical health. We were seated outside working on them when I noticed three men approaching us. I hurriedly ran to them and met up with them. 

"You should come over to my place. My wife will prepare something for you so that you can continue on your journey. Please, come over to my house, I beg you."

The men agreed and came over to my tent. They sat down and I got water to wash their hands and feet. Then rushed out to the kitchen to ask Sarah to prepare food for them. After the meal was done, the servants served the men and they ate to their satisfaction. When it was time for them to go, they had one last message for me. 

"Your wife Sarah will have a child next year by this time." 

Then they asked me a question that left me a bit surprised. One of them asked me, "Why did Sarah laugh when we said she will have a child? Is there anything too hard for God to do? Why does she say she is too old to have a child?"

That was when I realised who this men really were. I knew at that very moment that they were angels. The men went their way and I never saw them again. 

Some months later, Sarah came to the tent to have a talk with me. 

"Good day, my lord. Can I please have a word with you?"

"Yes dear. Come, please, sit down."

Sarah sat beside me on the bed. She looked a bit worried. 

"Is everything okay? You look worried."

"My lord. Please don't take what I have to say the wrong way. But, you know you and I are no longer growing any younger. And you need to have an heir who will succeed you when you are gone. So, I have decided to give my servant girl, Hagar to you as a second wife. Have children with her. That girl is a good girl and she is trustworthy. If you have children with her, it will be like they are my children." she said. 

"Do you know what you are saying? You want me to get a second wife? How can I do that to you? I promised myself that I will never take another woman apart from you. Please, don't ask that of me."

"My lord. I know you made a promise to me. But, I am asking you to do this for me, please. Take her as your second wife and have children with her. Please, my lord."

After much convincing from Sarah, I gave in. 

"Fine.  I will do as you have said. I will take her as my second wife and have children with her."

"Thank you, my lord."

So, I married Hagar as my second wife and had a child with her. We named the boy Ishmael. I raised him along with Sarah. But somehow, his mother began showing some odd behavior towards Sarah. I did not think much of it till one day, Sarah also became pregnant. 

I was so happy when Sarah told me the news. I was by her side all the time till my second son, Isaac, which means laughter, was born. Isaac is my life. He is the son I have with Sarah, my most beloved wife. You can imagine the joy I felt when he was born. Isaac and Ishmael grew up together as brothers, but things started to go wrong. 

I began to have reports of Ishmael and Hagar showing disrespect towards Sarah and Isaac. I did not like the way things were going and it bothered me a lot. What even broke me was when Sarah decided she had had enough. She came to me one afternoon and asked me to send Hagar and Ishmael away. How could I do that? That is my firstborn. My first son. I love him so much and there was no way I was going to send him and his mother to the streets. No, I can't do that. 

I prayed about the matter just to seek the face of God on the matter. 

"Listen to your wife and send the mother and her son away. The promise I gave you, will come through Isaac not Ishmael. Yes, the body will also be strong. He will be a father to strong nations, but he will not be the one from whom the Messiah will come from. Listen to Sarah, and send them away."

The situation was hard for me. But, I had to listen to God. So, I did exactly what Sarah had asked of me. I sent the boy and his mother away. My heart was breaking into pieces when I did this. But, I had to. And there was no turning back from this. 

Years later, something happened that almost made me loose my mind. I almost sacrificed my son to God to prove to him that I was obedient and will always be obedient. God had asked me to do it and I was willing to do exactly that. I knew at the back of my mind that if I lose Isaac, God will give him back to me. I knew he would give him back to me. All of that was a test though. A test to prove my loyalty and faithfulness. 

Isaac has now grown up into a wonderful young man who also loves God. I am so happy he chose to walk with God. I know God will never forsake him just as he never forsaked me.