After Babel, idolatry again became nearly universal, and the Lord finally left the hardened sinners to follow their evil ways, while He chose Abraham, a descendant of Shem, and made him the keeper of His law for future generations. God has always had a remnant to preserve the precious revealings of His will, and Abraham inherited this holy trust. Uncorrupted by the widespread apostasy, he faithfully persisted in worshiping God. The Lord communicated His will to Abraham and gave him a knowledge of His law and of salvation through Christ.1TC 70.2

God promised Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” To this was added the assurance that the Redeemer of the world would come from his descendants: “In you all families of the earth shall be blessed.” Yet, as the first condition of fulfillment, there was to be a test of faith; a sacrifice was demanded.1TC 71.1

The message of God came to Abraham, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” Abraham must be separated from the influence of relatives and friends. His character must be distinct, differing from all the world. He could not even explain his action so that his friends would understand. His idolatrous family did not understand his motives.1TC 71.2

Abraham’s unquestioning obedience is one of the most striking evidences of faith in all the Bible (see Hebrews 11:8). Relying on the divine promise, he abandoned home and family and native land and went out to follow where God would lead. “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob” (Hebrews 11:9).1TC 71.3

There were strong ties to bind him to his country, his relatives, and his home. But he did not hesitate to obey the call. He did not ask questions concerning the land of promise—whether the soil was fertile, the climate healthful. The happiest place on earth was the place where God wanted him to be.1TC 71.4

Many are still tested as Abraham was. They do not hear the voice of God speaking directly from heaven, but He calls them by the teachings of His Word and the events of His leading. They may be required to abandon a career that promises wealth and honor and to separate from family in order to start out on what appears to be a path of self-denial and sacrifice. God has a work for them to do; the influence of friends and family would hinder it.1TC 71.5

Who is ready, at the call of God, to renounce cherished plans, accept new duties, and enter unfamiliar fields? Those who will do this have the faith of Abraham and will share with him that “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17. See also Romans 8:18).1TC 71.6

The call from heaven first came to Abraham in “Ur of the Chaldeans,” and in obedience he moved to Haran. His father’s family accompanied him this far and Abraham remained in Haran until the death of Terah.1TC 72.1

Into the Unknown

But after his father died the divine voice called him to go forward. Besides Sarah, the wife of Abraham, only Lot chose to share the pilgrim life. Abraham possessed large flocks and many servants. He was never to return to his homeland, and he took all that he had with him—“all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran.” In Haran both Abraham and Sarah had led others to the worship of the true God. These went with him to the land of promise, “the land of Canaan.”1TC 72.2

The first place where they stayed was Shechem. Abraham made his camp in a wide, grassy valley, with its olive groves and gushing springs.. It was a beautiful and fertile country, “a land of brooks of water, ... of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey” (Deuteronomy 8:7, 8). But a heavy shadow rested on the wooded hills and fruitful plains—the altars of false gods were set up in the groves, and human sacrifices were offered on nearby hills.1TC 72.3

Then “the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’” His faith was strengthened by this assurance. “And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” Still a traveler, he soon journeyed to a spot near Bethel and again built an altar and called on the name of the Lord.1TC 72.4

Abraham set us a worthy example. His was a life of prayer. Wherever he pitched his tent, close beside he set up his altar, calling everyone in his camp to the morning and evening sacrifice. When he moved away, the altar remained. Roving Canaanites were taught by Abraham, and wherever any of these came to that altar, they worshiped the living God there.1TC 72.5

Why God Permitted Abraham to Suffer Famine

Abraham continued to travel southward, and again his faith was tested. The heavens withheld their rain, and the flocks and herds found no pasture. Starvation threatened the whole camp. Everyone was eagerly watching to see what Abraham would do, as trouble after trouble came. As long as his confidence appeared unshaken, they felt that there was hope; they were assured that God was his friend and that He was still guiding him.1TC 73.1

Abraham clung to the promise, “I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” He would not allow circumstances to shake his faith in God’s word. He went down to Egypt to escape the famine. In his great trouble he did not turn back to the Chaldean land from which he came, but looked for a temporary home as near as possible to the Land of Promise.1TC 73.2

The Lord in His wisdom had brought this trial on Abraham to teach him lessons for the benefit of everyone after him who would be called to endure affliction. God does not forget or cast off those who put their trust in Him. The trials that test our faith most severely and make it seem that God has forsaken us are to lead us closer to Christ. We may lay all our burdens at His feet and in exchange experience the peace that He will give us.1TC 73.3

The heat of the furnace is what separates the dross from the true gold of Christian character. By difficult, testing trials God disciplines His servants. He sees that some have powers that may be used in the advancement of His work and in His wisdom He brings them into positions that test their character and reveal weaknesses of which they were unaware. He gives them opportunity to correct these defects showing them their own weakness and teaching them to lean on Him. In this way they are educated, trained, and disciplined, prepared to fulfill the grand purpose for which their powers were given to them. Heavenly angels can unite with them in the work to be accomplished on earth.1TC 73.4

Abraham’s Sad Mistake

In Egypt, Abraham showed that he was not free from human weakness. His wife, Sarah, was “very beautiful,” and he was sure that the Egyptians would covet the lovely stranger and kill her husband. He reasoned that he was not guilty of lying in describing Sarah as his sister, for she was the daughter of his father, though not of his mother.1TC 73.5

But this was a deception. Through Abraham’s lack of faith, Sarah was placed in great danger. The king of Egypt ordered her to be taken to his palace, intending to make her his wife, but the Lord, in His great mercy, protected Sarah by sending judgment on the royal household. It was through these judgments that the king learned he had been deceived. He reproved Abraham, saying, “What is this you have done to me? ... Why did you say, ‘She is my sister?’ I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.”1TC 74.1

Pharaoh’s dealing with Abraham was kind and generous, but he told him to leave Egypt. He had ignorantly been about to commit a serious injury against Abraham, but God had saved the monarch from committing such a great sin. Pharaoh saw in this stranger a man whom God honored. If Abraham remained in Egypt, his increasing wealth and honor would likely excite the envy or covetousness of the Egyptians, and some injury might be done to him which might again bring judgments on the royal house.1TC 74.2

The matter could not be kept secret. It was seen that the God whom Abraham worshiped would protect His servant and that any harm done to him would be avenged. It is a dangerous thing to wrong one of the children of the King of heaven. The psalmist says that God “rebuked kings for their sakes, saying, ‘Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm’” (Psalm 105:14, 15).1TC 74.3

When Languages Were Changed

Abraham, a Good Neighbor in Canaan