Bible Study Online Article
With the obedience of Abraham's chief servant Eliezer, and the favor of the Lord that Eliezer had found on his wife finding mission, Abraham was finally able to see his son Isaac get married. Isaac would marry a young lady from his father's homeland of Mesopotamia that went by the name of Rebekah. A short while later, we are now told that Abraham would find himself too, another wife who went by the name Keturah. It's believed that maybe she was one of the maidservants that had already lived within Abraham's household. Now Abraham would have six more children with his new wife Keturah. The names of these children are, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian (father of the Midianites), Ishbak and Shuah. These sons of Abraham would become the forefathers of various different civilizations that dwelt in the areas of Arabia and Syria. As Abraham enters into his last years, he begins to get things into official order when it came to his estate and children. Wefind that he would officially make Isaac the heir to his entire household. As for his sons that he had with is other wives outside of Sarah, which was Hagar and Keturah: he gave them valuable gifts and sent them to the eastward lands of Arabia and Asia the Greater, which would place their households far away and separate them from his son Isaac. This was done because of the divine promise that God had placed on Isaac. For we must understand, that out of all the children that Abraham would end up having, Isaac was the only that was conceived within God's perfect will. "Yes, but your wife will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him." (Genesis 17: 19) This does not mean that his other children weren't blessed themselves in a great way, because they were. "And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him: I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation." (Genesis 17: 20) But it would be within Isaac's genealogy that the Abrahamic Covenant would be sustained and the promised Messiah, (Jesus Christ) would eventually come from. Now we find ourselves in the last days of Abraham, in which he was one hundred and seventy-five years old. He reached a good old age, and became an elder man who was full of years before he breathed his last breath. Abraham died thirty eight years after the death of his first wife Sarah. Abraham's body would be gathered amongst his people, in which his sons Isaac and Ishmael put aside their differences for that moment, so that they could buried their father in the cave called Machpelah, which was located near Mamre. Abraham would be buried along side his first wife Sarah in the cave of Machpelah, which is now known as -- The Tomb of the Patriarchs. Start at the Beginning: The Introduction of Abraham 16) King Abimelech Confronts Abraham 18) Hagar & Ishmael - Sent Away 20) Abraham & The Well of Oath 21) Abraham & The Great Sacrifice 25) Rebekah gets Permission to Leave 27) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 28) The Twelve Rulers of Ishmael  CrossDaily.com Web Search where you can VOTE FOR THIS SITE & other great ones. Christian search engine, directory & voting index. You'll find Bible, chat, churches, jobs, music, reviews, software, theology, & more. See the best sites!
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