Background on Abraham

This post contains information on both the overall history of Abraham, and some hints about his metaphysical meanings from Charles Fillmore.



Background on Abraham

BIOGRAPHICAL

[This information is copied from the Anchor Bible Dictionary. It is kind of the Cliff Notes version of Genesis 11:31 through 25:11. Knowing the outline of his entire story helps place Chapter 15, which we are reading, in its historical context.]

1. Outline of Abraham’s Career. Abraham is portrayed as a member of a family associated with city life in Southern Babylonia, moving to Haran in Upper Mesopotamia en route to Canaan (Gen 11:31). In Haran, God called him to leave for the land which he would show him, so he and Lot, his nephew, went to Canaan. At Shechem in the center of the land, God made the promise that Abraham’s descendants would own the land (Gen 12:1–9). Famine forced Abraham to seek food in Egypt, where the Pharaoh took Abraham’s wife, Sarah, who Abraham had declared was his sister. Discovering the deception, the Pharaoh sent Abraham away with all the wealth he had acquired, and Sarah (Gen 12:10–12). In Canaan, Abraham and Lot separated in order to find adequate grazing, Lot settling in the luxuriant Jordan plain. God renewed the promise of Abraham’s numberless descendants possessing the land (Genesis 13). Foreign invaders captured Lot, so Abraham with 318 men routed them and recovered Lot and the booty. This brought the blessing of Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem to whom Abraham paid a tithe (Genesis 14). Following a reassuring vision, Abraham was promised that his childless condition would end and that his offspring would occupy the land, a promise solemnized with a sacrifice and a covenant (Genesis 15). Childless Sarah gave Abraham her maid Hagar to produce a son, then drove out the pregnant maid when she belittled her barren mistress. An angel sent Hagar home with a promise of a harsh life for her son, duly born and named Ishmael (Genesis 16). Thirteen years later God renewed his covenant with Abraham, changing his name from Abram, and Sarai’s to Sarah, and imposing circumcision as a sign of membership for all in Abraham’s household, born or bought. With this came the promise that Sarah, then ninety, would bear a son, Isaac, who would receive the covenant, Ishmael receiving a separate promise of many descendants (Genesis 17). Three visitors repeated the promise of a son (Gen 18:1–15). Lot meanwhile had settled in Sodom, which had become totally depraved and doomed. Abraham prayed that God would spare the city if ten righteous people could be found there, but they could not, so Sodom and its neighbor were destroyed, only Lot and his two daughters surviving (Gen 18:16–19:29). Abraham living in southern Canaan encountered the king of Gerar, who took Sarah on her husband’s assertion that she was his sister. Warned by God, King Abimelech avoided adultery and made peace with Abraham (Genesis 20). Now Isaac was born and Hagar and Ishmael sent to wander in the desert, where divine provision protected them (Gen 21:1–20). The king of Gerar then made a treaty with Abraham to solve a water-rights quarrel at Beersheba (Gen 21:22–34). When Isaac was a boy, God called Abraham to offer him in sacrifice, only staying the father’s hand at the last moment, and providing a substitute. A renewal of the covenant followed (Gen 22:1–19). At Sarah’s death, Abraham bought a cave for her burial, with adjacent land, from a Hittite of Hebron (Genesis 23). To ensure the promise remained within his family, Abraham sent his servant back to his relatives in the Haran region to select Isaac’s bride (Genesis 24). The succession settled, Abraham gave gifts to other sons, and when he died aged 175, Isaac and Ishmael buried him beside Sarah (Gen 25:1–11).

METAPHYSICAL

Charles Fillmore's book, "Mysteries of Genesis," has two chapters about Abraham. Fillmore presents a remarkable amount of metaphysical insight into the story. The following two paragraphs from page 116 give some idea of what you can find here, and I highly recommend reading these chapters (I've generalized some of Fillmore's masculine terms):

"Every detail in Abraham's experience has a definite counterpart in the life of each one who is bringing forth the Christ in [their humanity]. A study of these things is therefore of great importance to all who seek the realization of [their inner Christ]. To them it is given to understand "the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations" [Colossians 1:26, referring to "Christ in you, the hope of glory"].

"Abraham represents faith, the first great faculty developed or "called out" by [a person] in the unfoldment of [their] spiritual nature or Christ Mind. Faith is that faculty by which we know God as omnipresent Spirit substance. This substance is [humankind's] supply, as discerned by the author of Hebrews when he said, "Fath is the substance of things hoped for" [Hebrews 11:1]. By faith we appropriate the spiritual substance of whatever things we desire, thus taking the first step necessary to their manifestation. Abraham, rich in faith, increased his substance until it was very great."

He goes on to say (page 118), "All the people and places mentioned in connection with his history have a symbolical meaning. They represent other faculties and phases of mind that are called into expression along with faith." He proceeds to identify the metaphysical meaning of nearly every person and place.