I worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What does that mean? Who were they and why did he care about them? Why are they important to him and to Christians today? Here is a chronological review of the scriptures to help you grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18).
- God called Abram to leave his country and go to the land that I will show you (Genesis 12)
- By faith Abraham lived in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise (Hebrews 11)
- God promises an everlasting unconditional covenant blessing to Abram (Genesis 15)
- God promises the covenant will be confirmed through Isaac’s descendants (Genesis 17) instead of through the first-born Ishmael
- God confirms the covenant to Jacob and his descendants (Genesis 28)
- Jacob makes a treaty with Laban in the name of the God of his ancestors, Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 31)
- Jacob prays to the God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac (Genesis 32)
- Jacob returns to Hebron (in modern northern Israel), where Abraham and Isaac both sojourned in tents (Genesis 35)
- Jacob asks the God before whom my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac, walked—the God who has been my shepherd all my life, to bless his children (Genesis 48)
- Joseph reminds his children of the promise of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 50)
- God heard his children groaning and remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 2)
- God reveals himself to Moses as “the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Exodus 3; Matthew 22; Mark 12; Luke 20)
- God proves himself to Moses as “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 4)
- God identifies himself to Moses as “I am Yahweh—‘the LORD’ who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’” (Exodus 6)
- Moses reminds God of his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 32)
- The LORD recommissions Moses to take the people to the land he swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 33)
- God says it is time to go to the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants (Deuteronomy 1)
- Moses calls for wholehearted commitment to the LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 6)
- God warns the people of punishments for disobedience and reminds them of his everlasting covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Leviticus 26)
- Moses fights for unity among the children of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Numbers 32)
- Promise of victory because of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 9)
- Moses reaffirms the covenant God swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 29)
- Moses reminds the people of the choice between life and death by your choice to love and obey the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 30)
- Moses sees the whole land God promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 34)
- Elijah prayed, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel when he battled the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18)
- When King David had gathered all the materials for the temple, he prayed “O LORD, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes.” (1 Chronicles 29)
- After King Hezekiah reopened and rededicated the temple, he sent word to all Israel, “Return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel” (2 Chronicles 29)
- The LORD was gracious and merciful to [unbelieving and rebellious children of Israel] because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day he still has not completely destroyed them or banished them from his presence (2 Kings 13)
- Jeremiah prophesied peace and prosperity when the children of Israel return to God and are called “The LORD Is Our Righteousness” (Hebrew Yahweh Tsidqenu) because God will never change his plans or abandon the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Jeremiah 33)
- The history of Israel starts with the genealogy from Adam and Eve through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through to all the tribes of Israel (1 Chronicles 1-8)
- The Lord Jesus Christ descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 1; Luke 3)
- Peter preached the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by healing a crippled beggar (Acts 3)
- Stephen was stoned to death for preaching the whole history of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dealing with Israel in one chapter (Acts 7)
- The Apostle Paul makes a plea for Israel to understand the faithfulness, righteousness, justice, and grace of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in selecting Israel for his special people (Romans 9)
- The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has never rejected his own people, and someday the Jews will accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah and all Israel will be saved (Romans 11)
- Many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 8; Luke 13)
God has revealed himself to everyone throughout history (Psalm 19) as the great “I AM” not the “I WAS” because he is a living and powerful God.
But Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as angels in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. (Matthew 22:29-33 ERV)
We have 2 choices: come unto the author of our salvation or fall into the hands of the living God.
- And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:9)
- It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31)
For deeper study:
- Are you a child of Abraham by promise?
- The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4)
- How to share the gospel to Jews
- http://britishbibleschool.com/biblos/abraham-isaac-and-jacob-a-chronology — Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: a chronology
- https://biblehub.com/timeline/ — Complete Biblical Timeline
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terah – Terah son of Nahor, son of Serug and father of the Patriarch Abraham, all descendants of Shem’s son Arpachshad
- Who Is This Man?: The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus by John Ortberg — Jesus’ impact on our world is highly unlikely, widely inescapable, largely unknown, and decidedly double-edged. It is unlikely in light of the severe limitations of his earthly life; it is inescapable because of the range of impact; it is unknown because history doesn’t connect dots; and it is doubled-edged because his followers have wreaked so much havoc, often in his name.
He is history’s most familiar figure, yet he is the man no one knows. His impact on the world is immense and non-accidental. From the Dark Ages to Post-Modernity he is the Man who won’t go away.
And yet … you can miss him in historical lists for many reasons, maybe the most obvious being the way he lived his life. He did not loudly and demonstrably defend his movement in the spirit of a rising political or military leader. He did not lay out a case that history would judge his brand of belief superior in all future books.
His life and teaching simply drew people to follow him. He made history by starting in a humble place, in a spirit of love and acceptance, and allowing each person space to respond.
His vision of life continues to haunt and challenge humanity. His influence has swept over history bringing inspiration to what has happened in art, science, government, medicine, and education; he has taught humans about dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and hope. - The Wall Chart of World History: From Earliest Times To The Present by Edward Hull — Six millennia of world history at a glance, in more than 400 illustrations.Through thousands of dates, facts and quotes, all in chronological sequence, a 30-foot, visual panorama of history literally unfolds, revealing untold treasures inside. Great empires, dynasties, rulers from King Solomon to the present day, exciting inventions, and dramatic discoveries: this magnificent, fully updated chart covers 40 centuries before Christ and 20 centuries after his birth. Based on the famous and now very rare Victoria wall chart, first published in 1890, it maintains the traditional design, but with new maps, charts, and information that go right up to the 21st century. With coverage of the Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Worlds; Geochronological Timecharts; images of sculptures and costumes; ethnologies; and lots more, this one-of-a-kind item can be displayed on the wall or used as a handy educational reference.
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