ABRAHAM
God selected Abraham to be the father of the His people. The bible does not directly state why God selected him, but after reading scripture one can conclude that God selected Abraham due to his great faith. Abraham's life lends itself as an example to all who desire to walk with God.
EARLY LIFE
Abraham was one of three sons born to Terah in the city of Ur of the Chaldeans. Research conducted by Elmer Towns indicates that Abraham was younger than his two brothers, Nahor and Haran, although the bible does not specifically indicate that (56). The exact date of his birth cannot be determined, but it is estimated to have been between 2100 and 1800 B.C. (Davis, 159). He was born after the flood and through the family line of Shem, ten generations from Noah. Through his ancestry Abraham can be traced back to Adam and God's creation. His given name at birth was Abram which means "Exalted Father" (Alter, 73). Later, God would change his name to Abraham, meaning "Father of the Multitudes", in order to amplify the call that God had placed upon his life (Towns, 108-109).
Growing up in Ur was not the ideal location for a believer in the one true God, Ha Elohim. Ur was located in what is now southern Iraq near the waters of the Persian Gulf. It was a Babylonian city which meant it was a polytheistic society due to the fact that the Babylonians worshiped many gods. Exposure to this surrounding lifestyle may have been the impetus behind Abraham's father serving other gods as revealed in Joshua 24:2. The influences of idolatry were evident in Abraham's upbringing; however the bible does not mention that Abraham himself entered into such practices. It can then be inferred that Abraham was able to ...