In this video, we'll look at the great patriarch Abraham, the central figure in the Old Testament.

You can't really understand the Bible without knowing about Abraham and the vital role that he plays in God's plan for world redemption.

He's that important.

Watch this 10-minute video and learn how his life impacts you in ways that you probably have never considered.

Abraham is the great patriarch of Judaism.

He is the father of the Jewish nation.

He is, arguably, the most important figure in the Old Testament, because it is he who God approaches to initiate his covenant with mankind.

His role cannot be overstated.

You can't really understand the Old Testament without knowing about Abraham.

We first read of Abraham in the early part of Genesis, in the area of the Middle East known as Ur, which is just north of modern-day Kuwait.

And as the scriptures introduce him, his name is Abram.

He's 75 years old.

He's married to his wife, Sarai, who's 65.

He's wealthy and successful, but childless.

And like all men of that time, he desperately wanted a child.

To have no children at the time was considered a major economic and social disadvantage.

More than anything else, he and Sarai desperately wanted children.

So God approached Abraham and made him an offer, a deal, an agreement.

God told him that if he would leave his own family, his father…

The Lord had said to Abraham, "Leave your country, your people, and your father's household, and go to a land that I will show you.

I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you.

I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

And I will bless those who bless you.

And whoever curses you, I will curse.

And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Count the stars if you can.

No man can count them.

In the same way, no man will be able to count the number of your descendants.

Nothing that you have will pass to strangers.

The heir to your house will be your own son.

My own son?

Do you believe this?

Yes.

I trust in you.

Now remember, at this time there was no Bible, no scriptures, only the oral tradition that had been passed down from Adam through Noah and the people of that time.

And so Abram didn't know much about this God who had made him this offer.

But even so, Abram obeyed God.

He left his family, took his wife and all of his possessions, and he followed after God.

It was very much an act of faith.

And God led Abram far away to the land of Canaan.

And after about ten years, Sarai, impatient in waiting for a child that God had promised him, decided that the way that they were going to have a baby was through a surrogate mother arrangement.

So she offered Abram her servant, Hagar.

Well, Abram, initially reluctant, he eventually agreed to this, and the baby Ishmael was born.

But Sarai grew to regret that decision, eventually resenting Hagar and her son Ishmael.

Well, after about 15 more years went by, God gave Abram and Sarai a miracle child.

Abram and Sarai finally had a child of their own, a baby boy, Isaac.

Isaac was born when Abram was 100 years old, and his wife was 90.

And Abram loved Isaac, and the boy grew up strong and proud to be his father's son.

Isaac was the fulfillment of all of his hopes and dreams.

It was through Isaac that the Jewish nation would come.

God told Abram that he would make Ishmael into a mighty nation, but it would be through Isaac that his covenant would be established.

And God changed Abram's name to Abraham, which means father of nations, and Sarai's to Sarah, which means princess.

Well, after several years, God put Abraham to a test.

Abraham?

I am here!

Take your son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to a place I will show you, and offer him there as a burnt offering.

My son?

Yes, your son.

Why do you command this?

Why?

Why?

Sacrifice was the prominent form of worship during that time.

The common practice of the time was to offer something valuable in sacrifice to God or the gods.

Now, why would God require this in Abraham?

Can you imagine how much this must have hurt to hear?

He must have thought, excuse me, you want me to do what?

What pain he must have felt.

We know, of course, that God was testing Abraham.

But not only that, God wanted to give Abraham and his future children a snapshot or a picture of what was coming in their future.

Did Abraham love Isaac more than life?

Was this easy for him to do?

Not at all.

Abraham loved Isaac more than anything else in the world.

And that's why God asked Abraham to give him Isaac.

Because God knew it was the hardest thing for Abraham to give up.

Yet he was willing to take his only son up to Mount Moriah and offer him to God as an act of worship.

That kind of obedience pleased God.

Abraham passed that test.

Do not lay your hand on the boy, or do any harm to him.

Now I know that your faith is perfect, because you would give to God what is most precious to you, your only son.

Turn now, and you will see a sacrifice pleasing to God.

Well, God not only wanted Abraham to pass the test; God also had another purpose in mind in asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah.

In making this request, God revealed to him and to the whole world a picture of what God would do 2,000 years later, when he would send his only son, Jesus,

to die for us — right there, just beside Mount Moriah.

Just as Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac upon the altar of wood, God would offer up his only son upon the wooden cross for us.

Only here, the son was not spared.

The son, Jesus, would indeed die as a sacrifice.

So what are we to learn from the life of Abraham?

Well, Abraham's covenant with God is the basis for God's plan for world redemption.

Abraham's obedience to God and his faith in God's goodness and God's provision is the basis of his relationship with God.

Just as Abraham was called away from the things that made him secure in his life, and to follow God alone and to hold nothing back, you and I are called to follow God alone, to make his will our highest priority in life, and to withhold nothing from him.

If you seek to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then you too are called to hold nothing back.

What do you love most in this world?

Your possessions, your spouse, your home, your reputation?

It's okay if you value these things, but do you value them more than God?

Are they an idol in your life that keeps you from obeying God?

Most of us want God and our baggage.

We want both-and.

We want to be okay in God's eyes, and we want our stuff also.

But that is not what God allows.

He wants to be first place in our lives.

He wants our allegiance to be to Him and to Him alone.

And then, and only then, in the context of complete obedience, He wants to give us His blessings, His provision, and His will for our lives.

Is there anything you're holding back from God?

Is there anything you're not willing to give control over?

A relationship, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a fiancée, a reputation, what others think of you, or maybe a possession?

God wants us to give Him control over everything.

And like Abraham, He is looking for open hearts, open minds, open ears, and willing for you.