As the life of Abraham comes to a close we see he didn’t just fade away, but left directions, gave gifts and inheritance, and imparted into his grandson Jacob. This is an active time before the death of Abraham. Today we make a will and wait until after we die to let people know what they inherited but Abraham did it before he died. It would seem he did so to initiate his wishes among his eight sons. Jubilees is the most detailed in its recording of Abraham’s last days on earth. In it we see hints of the commandments, the law, psalms, proverbs, and the gospels where Jesus gave instruction. If one took the time, the statements of Abraham could be paralleled throughout the bible. This gives us insight on how Abraham himself lived, how he thought and how he instructed others. What I find fascinating is that at the close of his life we see the instruction on how we should live under the Melchizedek Priesthood.
An extensive library existed in Alexandra Egypt. Everyone who entered the city with any written text was required to have a copy made for the library, even billing and shipping manifests. Sometimes the copies were given back and the originals kept at the library. At one time this was a world library until Julius Caesar burned it down. I have to wonder how many ancient texts we lost. When an ancient text is found in the Arabian Desert or in caves at Qumran, or in Ethiopia, we wonder about their authenticity. But at one point in time there was a central library that held the originals. If conquering nations did not try to exterminate all history of the peoples they were conquering, we would have a very rich world history. Yet the goal of a conquering army was to erase the history of the land and people so that there would be no uprising later. Those civilizations have no record of existence therefore they didn’t exist. Today we know that the loss of so many valuable historical records is tragic.
We established that Abraham was 175 years old when he died, as the bible states. (Remember a score is 20 years.) Therefore we know that Isaac was 75 years old when he died, and the twins were 15 years old. At this time Ishmael would have been about 90 years old, but the bible doesn’t record much else about Ishmael except the age he was at the time of his death. Again the bible states, as when Sarah died, that Abraham was gathered to his people. Wherever Abraham went when he died, it was with others he knew. He was buried in the cave he purchased when Sarah died which is still a tourist destination to this day.
Gen 25:7-18 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi.
Isaac went to live by the well that Abraham’s servants dug and the first Abimelech’s servants filled in, if we remember that contention. This is in the area of Beer-sheba.
Gen 25:12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.KJV
Ishmael lived 47 years after Abraham died. And again, he also was gathered to his people. His sons were considered princes in the land they dwelt in. Jasher mentions where all Abraham’s sons went before Abrahams’ death.
Jasher 26:19And Ishmael the son of Abraham went with his children and all belonging to them, and they returned there to the land of Havilah, and they dwelt there.20And all the children of Abraham's concubines went to dwell in the land of the east, for Abraham had sent them away from his son, and had given them presents, and they went away.
Abraham says a few words to Isaac.
Jasher 26:21And Abraham gave all that he had to his son Isaac, and he also gave him all his treasures.22And he commanded him saying, Dost thou not know and understand the Lord is God in heaven and in earth, and there is no other beside him?23And it was he who took me from my father's house, and from my birth place, and gave me all the delights upon earth; who delivered me from the counsel of the wicked, for in him did I trust.24And he brought me to this place, and he delivered me from Ur Casdim; and he said unto me, To thy seed will I give all these lands, and they shall inherit them when they keep my commandments, my statutes and my judgments that I have commanded thee, and which I shall command them.25Now therefore my son, hearken to my voice, and keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I commanded thee, do not turn from the right way either to the right or to the left, in order that it may be well with thee and thy children after thee forever.26And remember the wonderful works of the Lord, and his kindness that he has shown toward us, in having delivered us from the hands of our enemies, and the Lord our God caused them to fall into our hands; and now therefore keep all that I have commanded thee, and turn not away from the commandments of thy God, and serve none beside him, in order that it may be well with thee and thy seed after thee.27And teach thou thy children and thy seed the instructions of the Lord and his commandments, and teach them the upright way in which they should go, in order that it may be well with them forever.
Isaac responds.
Jasher 26:28And Isaac answered his father and said unto him, That which my Lord has commanded that will I do, and I will not depart from the commands of the Lord my God, I will keep all that he commanded me; and Abraham blessed his son Isaac, and also his children; and Abraham taught Jacob the instruction of the Lord and his ways.29And it was at that time that Abraham died, in the fifteenth year of the life of Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac, and all the days of Abraham were one hundred and seventy-five years, and he died and was gathered to his people in good old age, old and satisfied with days, and Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him.
Everyone in the surrounding areas mourned Abrahams’ death along with all his sons. Remember this was a long way for some of them to travel. And the people in the area where they lived were all descendants of the Nephilim.
Jasher 26:30And when the inhabitants of Canaan heard that Abraham was dead, they all came with their kings and princes and all their men to bury Abraham.31And all the inhabitants of the land of Haran, and all the families of the house of Abraham, and all the princes and grandees, and the sons of Abraham by the concubines, all came when they heard of Abraham's death, and they requited Abraham's kindness, and comforted Isaac his son, and they buried Abraham in the cave which he bought from Ephron the Hittite and his children, for the possession of a burial place.32And all the inhabitants of Canaan, and all those who had known Abraham, wept for Abraham a whole year, and men and women mourned over him.33And all the little children, and all the inhabitants of the land wept on account of Abraham, for Abraham had been good to them all, and because he had been upright with God and men.34And there arose not a man who feared God like unto Abraham, for he had feared his God from his youth, and had served the Lord, and had gone in all his ways during his life, from his childhood to the day of his death.35And the Lord was with him and delivered him from the counsel of Nimrod and his people, and when he made war with the four kings of Elam he conquered them.36And he brought all the children of the earth to the service of God, and he taught them the ways of the Lord, and caused them to know the Lord.37And he formed a grove and he planted a vineyard therein, and he had always prepared in his tent meat and drink to those that passed through the land, that they might satisfy themselves in his house.38And the Lord God delivered the whole earth on account of Abraham.
Jasher 26:39And it was after the death of Abraham that God blessed his son Isaac and his children, and the Lord was with Isaac as he had been with his father Abraham, for Isaac kept all the commandments of the Lord as Abraham his father had commanded him; he did not turn to the right or to the left from the right path which his father had commanded him.
Jubilees gives us further insight as to what Abraham told all his sons when he gave them gifts and sent them out.
Abraham's Last Words to his Children and Grandchildren (xx. i-ii).
Jubilees 20:1 And in the forty-second jubilee, in the first year of the †seventh† week, Abraham called Ishmael, and his twelve sons, and Isaac and his two sons, and the six sons of Keturah, and their sons. 2. And he commanded them that they should observe the way of the Lord; that they should work righteousness, and love each his neighbour, and act on this manner amongst all men; that they should each so walk with regard to them as to do judgment and righteousness on the earth. 3. That they should circumcise their sons, according to the covenant which He had made with them, and not deviate to the right hand or the left of all the paths which the Lord had commanded us; and that we should keep ourselves from all fornication and uncleanness, [and renounce from amongst us all fornication and uncleanness]. 4. And if any woman or maid commit fornication amongst you, burn her with fire, and let them not commit fornication with her after their eyes and their heart; and let them not take to themselves wives from the daughters of Canaan; for the seed of Canaan will be rooted out of the land. 5. And he told them of the judgment of the giants, and the judgment of the Sodomites, how they had been judged on account of their wickedness, and had died on account of their fornication, and uncleanness, and mutual corruption through fornication. 6. "And guard yourselves from all fornication and uncleanness, And from all pollution of sin, Lest ye make our name a curse, And your whole life a hissing, And all your sons be destroyed by the sword, And ye become accursed like Sodom, And all your remnant as the sons of Gomorrah.7. I implore you, my sons, love the God of heaven, And cleave ye to all His commandments. And walk not after their idols, and after their uncleannesses,8. And make not for yourselves molten or graven gods; For they are vanity, And there is no spirit in them; For they are work of (men's) hands, And all who trust in them, trust in nothing. Serve them not, nor worship them, 9. But serve ye the Most High God, and worship Him continually: And hope for His countenance always, And work uprightness and righteousness before Him, That He may have pleasure in you and grant you His mercy, And send rain upon you morning and evening, And bless all your works which ye have wrought upon the earth, And bless thy bread and thy water, And bless the fruit of thy womb and the fruit of thy land, And the herds of thy cattle, and the flocks of thy sheep. 10. And ye will be for a blessing on the earth, And all nations of the earth will desire you, And bless your sons in my name, That they may be blessed as I am."11. And he gave to Ishmael and to his sons, and to the sons of Keturah, gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, and he gave everything to Isaac his son.
Abraham reminds his sons that the seed of Canaan will be rooted out. It seems that Abraham understood that things God said would happen may take a period of time before they come to pass. The Canaanites were to be wiped out by the children of Israel, during the time of Joshua, but they were not completely wiped out. Abraham reminds his sons of the judgment of the giants. Keturah was a Canaanite who bore six of Abraham’s sons, which may be why Abraham sent his six sons south into Arabia instead of north into Canaan. Although Abraham lived among the descendants of the Nephilim, the fate of the Angels that cohabitated with the women that created the race of giants was put into remembrance. Years later we know Aaron was to make a sacrifice for those fallen angels in the desert.
The Dwelling-places of the Ishmaelites and of the Sons of Keturah (xx. 12-13).
Jubilees 20:12. And Ishmael and his sons, and the sons of Keturah and their sons, went together and dwelt from Paran to the entering in of Babylon in all the land which is towards the East facing the desert. 13. And these mingled with each other, and their name was called Arabs, and Ishmaelites.Abraham specifically instructs Isaac.
Abraham's Last Words to Isaac (xxi. 1-25).
Jubilees 21:1 And in the sixth year of the †seventh† week of this jubilee Abraham called Isaac his son, and commanded him, saying: "I am become old, and know not the day of my death, and am full of my days. 2. And behold, I am one hundred and seventy-five years old, and throughout all the days of my life I have remembered the Lord, and sought with all my heart to do His will, and to walk uprightly in all His ways. 3. My soul hath hated idols, (and I have despised those that served them, and I have given my heart and spirit) that I might observe to do the will of Him who created me. 4. For He is the living God, and He is holy and faithful, and He is righteous beyond all, and there is with Him no accepting of (men's) persons and no accepting of gifts; for God is righteous, and executet judgment on all those who transgress His commandments and despise His covenant. 5. And do thou, my son, observe His commandments and His ordinances and His judgments, and walk not after the abominations and after the graven images and after the molten images. 6. And eat no blood at all of animals or cattle, or of any bird which flieth in the heaven. 7. And if thou dost slay a victim as an acceptable peace-offering, slay ye it, and pour out its blood upon the altar, and all the fat of the offering offer on the altar with fine flour (and the meat-offering) mingled with oil, with its drink-offering--offer them all together on the altar of burnt-offering; it is a sweet savour before the Lord. 8. And thou wilt offer the fat of the sacrifice of thank-offerings on the fire which is upon the altar, and the fat which is on the belly, and all the fat on the inwards and the two kidneys, and all the fat that is upon them, and upon the loins and liver thou shalt remove together with the kidneys. 9. And offer all these for a sweet savour acceptable before the Lord, with its meat-offering and with its drink-offering, for a sweet savour, the bread of the offering unto the Lord, 10. And eat its meat on that day and on the second day, and let not the sun on the second day go down upon it till it is eaten, and let nothing be left over for the third day; for it is not acceptable [for it is not approved] and let it no longer be eaten, and all who eat thereof will bring sin upon themselves; for thus I have found it written in the books of my forefathers, and in the words of Enoch, and in the words of Noah.
We know that Shem, the son of Noah, had a school in Hebron and was teaching the service of the Lord. Remember Isaac went there for three years after Sarah died. We need to change our thinking a bit to understand that there was written commandments, as we saw with Noah and Enoch, God instructed them both to write things down and Noah was to take the books into the ark with them. While we don’t know everything that was lost we do know that some instructions that seem similar to the Levital Laws were already in practice before Moses wrote them down. We might wonder how all of the things Abraham spoke of were recorded. Abraham had many servants; more than one servant would have been recording what Abraham wanted to communicate. This is how, at that time, the servants followed the will of their masters. If we remember, Abraham’s servants spread out over 40 miles from Beersheba to Hebron. How could they all know the will of Abraham if they didn’t have someone giving them written instructions?
Jubilees 21:11. And on all thy oblations thou shalt strew salt, and let not the salt of the covenant be lacking in all thy oblations before the Lord. 12. And as regards the wood of the sacrifices, beware lest thou bring (other) wood for the altar in addition to these: cypress, dêfrân, sagâd, pine, fir, cedar, savin, palm, olive, myrrh, laurel, and citron, juniper, and balsam. 13. And of these kinds of wood lay upon the altar under the sacrifice, such as have been tested as to their appearance, and do not lay (thereon) any split or dark wood, (but) hard and clean, without fault, a sound and new growth; and do not lay (thereon) old wood, [for its fragrance is gone] for there is no longer fragrance in it as before. 14. Besides these kinds of wood there is none other that thou shalt place (on the altar), for the fragrance is dispersed, and the smell of its fragrance goeth not up to heaven. 15. Observe this commandment and do it, my son, that thou mayst be upright in all thy deeds. 16. And at all times be clean in thy body, and wash thyself with water before thou approachest to offer on the altar, and wash thy hands and thy feet before thou drawest near to the altar; and when thou art done sacrificing, wash again thy hands and thy feet. 17. And let no blood appear upon you nor upon your clothes; be on thy guard, my son, against blood, be on thy guard exceedingly; cover it with dust. 18. And do not eat any blood, for it is the soul; eat no blood whatever.
Here Abraham explains a bit about human blood. There is something remarkable about human blood, as we saw with Abel’s blood crying out from the ground.
Jubilees 21:19. And take no gifts for the blood of man, lest it be shed with impunity, without judgment; for it is the blood that is shed that causeth the earth to sin, and the earth cannot be cleansed from the blood of man save by the blood of him who shed it. 20. And take no present or gift for the blood of man: blood for blood, that thou mayest be accepted before the Lord, the Most High God; for He is the defence of the good: and that thou mayest be preserved from all evil, and that He may save thee from every kind of death..21. I see, my son, That all the works of the children of men are sin and wickedness, And all their deeds are uncleanness and an abomination and a pollution, And there is no righteousness with them.22. Beware, lest thou shouldest walk in their ways And tread in their paths, And sin a sin unto death before the Most High God. Else He will [hide His face from thee, And] give thee back into the hands of thy transgression, And root thee out of the land, and thy seed likewise from under heaven, And thy name and thy seed will perish from the whole earth.23. Turn away from all their deeds and all their uncleanness, And observe the ordinance of the Most High God, And do His will and be upright in all things.24. And He will bless thee in all thy deeds, And will raise up from thee the plant of righteousness through all the earth, throughout all generations of the earth, And my name and thy name will not be forgotten under heaven for ever. 25. Go, my son, in peace. May the Most High God, my God and thy God, strengthen thee to do His will, And may He bless all thy seed and the residue of thy seed for the generations for ever, with all righteous blessings, That thou mayest be a blessing on all the earth." 26. And he went out from him rejoicing.
Abraham’s name has not been forgotten to this day.
Isaac, Ishmael and Jacob join in Festival with Abraham for the Last Time. Abraham's Prayer (xxii. 1-9).
Jubilees 22:1 And it came to pass in the †first† week in the †forty-fourth† jubilee, in the †second† year, that is, the year in which Abraham died, that Isaac and Ishmael came from the Well of the Oath to celebrate the feast of weeks--that is, the feast of the first-fruits of the harvest--to Abraham, their father, and Abraham rejoiced because his two sons had come. 2. For Isaac had many possessions in Beersheba, and Isaac was wont to go and see his possessions and to return to his father. 3. And in those days Ishmael came to see his father, and they both came together, and Isaac offered a sacrifice for a burnt-offering, and presented it on the altar of his father which he had made in Hebron. 4. And he offered a thank-offering and made a feast of joy before Ishmael, his brother: and Rebecca made new cakes from the new grain, and gave them to Jacob, her son, to take them to Abraham, his father, from the first-fruits of the land, that he might eat and bless the Creator of all things before he died. 5. And Isaac, too, sent by the hand of Jacob to Abraham a best thank-offering, that he might eat and drink. 6. And he ate and drank, and blessed the Most High God, Who hath created heaven and earth, Who hath made all the fat things of the earth, And given them to the children of men That they might eat and drink and bless their Creator.7. "And now I give thanks unto Thee, my God, because Thou hast caused me to see this day: behold, I am one hundred three score and fifteen years, an old man and full of days, and all my days have been unto me peace. 8. The sword of the adversary hath not overcome me in all that Thou hast given me and my children all the days of my life until this day. 9. My God, may Thy mercy and Thy peace be upon Thy servant, and upon the seed of his sons, that they may be to Thee a chosen nation and an inheritance from amongst all the nations of the earth from henceforth unto all the days of the generations of the earth, unto all the ages."Abraham’s has instructions for 15 year old Jacob.
Abraham's Last Words to and Blessings of Jacob (xxii. 10-30).
Jubilees 22:10. And he called Jacob and said My son Jacob, may the God of all bless thee and strengthen thee to do righteousness, and His will before Him, and may He choose thee and thy seed that ye may become a people for His inheritance according to His will alway. And do thou, my son, Jacob, draw near and kiss me." 11. And he drew near and kissed him, and he said:"Blessed be my son Jacob And all the sons of God Most High, unto all the ages: May God give unto thee a seed of righteousness; And some of thy sons may He sanctify in the midst of the whole earth; May nations serve thee, And all the nations bow themselves before thy seed. 12. Be strong in the presence of men, And exercise authority over all the seed of Seth. Then thy ways and the ways of thy sons will be justified, So that they shall become a holy nation.13. May the Most High God give thee all the blessings Wherewith he hath blessed me And wherewith He blessed Noah and Adam; May they rest on the sacred head of thy seed from generation to generation for ever.14. And may He cleanse thee from all unrighteousness and impurity, That thou mayest be forgiven all (thy) transgressions; (and) thy sins of ignorance. And may He strengthen thee, And bless thee. And mayest thou inherit the whole earth,15. And may He renew His covenant with thee, That thou mayest be to Him a nation for His inheritance for all the ages, And that He may be to thee and to thy seed a God in truth and righteousness throughout all the days of the earth.Abraham tells Jacob to take authority over all the seed of Seth, Jacob’s sons were to rule the people of the world so that they may be a holy nation. Yet they were to keep themselves separated. Abraham reminds Jacob not to take a wife from the Canaanites because they will be rooted out because of the transgression of Ham, Canaan erred. If we remember the Levital Laws were moral, hygienic, spiritual, & social, so that if all people would follow these laws, people of the world could lead healthy peaceable lives. The Israelites were to teach the world how to live.
Jubilees 22:16. And do thou, my son Jacob, remember my words, And observe the commandments of Abraham, thy father: Separate thyself from the nations, And eat not with them: And do not according to their works, And become not their associate; For their works are unclean, And all their ways are a pollution and an abomination and uncleanness.17. They offer their sacrifices to the dead And they worship evil spirits, And they eat over the graves, And all their works are vanity and nothingness.18. They have no heart to understand And their eyes do not see what their works are, And how they err in saying to a piece of wood: 'Thou art my God,' And to a stone: 'Thou art my Lord and thou art my deliverer.' [And they have no heart.] 19. And as for thee, my son Jacob, May the Most High God help thee And the God of heaven bless thee And remove thee from their uncleanness and from all their error.20. Be thou ware, my son Jacob, of taking a wife from any seed of the daughters of Canaan; For all his seed is to be rooted out of the earth. 21, For, owing to the transgression of Ham, Canaan erred, And all his seed will be destroyed from off the earth and all the residue thereof, And none springing from him will be saved on the day of judgment.22. And as for all the worshippers of idols and the profane There will be no hope for them in the land of the living; And there will be no remembrance of them on the earth; For they will descend into Sheol, And into the place of condemnation will they go, As the children of Sodom were taken away from the earth So will all those who worship idols be taken away.23. Fear not, my son Jacob, And be not dismayed, O son of Abraham: May the Most High God preserve thee from destruction, And from all the paths of error may He deliver thee.24. This house have I built for myself that I might put my name upon it in the earth: [it is given to thee and to thy seed for ever], and it will be named the house of Abraham; it is given to thee and to thy seed for ever; for thou wilt build my house and establish my name before God for ever: thy seed and thy name will stand throughout all generations of the earth."25. And he ceased commanding him and blessing him. 26: And the two lay together on one bed, and Jacob slept in the bosom of Abraham, his father's father and he kissed him seven times, and his affection and his heart rejoiced over him. 27. And he blessed him with all his heart and said: "The Most High God, the God of all, and Creator of all, who brought me forth from Ur of the Chaldees, that He might give me this land to inherit it for ever, and that I might establish a holy seed--blessed be the Most High for ever." 28. And he blessed Jacob and said: "My son, over whom with all my heart and my affection I rejoice, may Thy grace and Thy mercy be lift up upon him and upon his seed alway. 29. And do not forsake him, nor set him at nought from henceforth unto the days of eternity, and may Thine eyes be opened upon him and upon his seed, that Thou mayest preserve him, and bless him, and mayest sanctify him as a nation for Thine inheritance; 30. And bless him with all Thy blessings from henceforth unto all the days of eternity, and renew Thy covenant and Thy grace with him and with his seed according to all Thy good pleasure unto all the generations of the earth."
In the east, the culture was that the grandparents would sleep in the same bed as the children and teach and instruct them. This is called an orientalism a custom of the culture of that day and time. Bishop K.C.Pillai wrote a couple of books on orientalisms which are quite helpful in understanding the customs and ways of the people of bible times. http://www.biblecustoms.org/home This especially clears up misunderstandings in the gospels when Jesus spoke to the disciples.
The Death and Burial of Abraham (xxiii. 1-8; cf. Gen. xxv. 7-10).
Jubliees 23:1. And he placed two fingers of Jacob on his eyes, and he blessed the God of gods, and he covered his face and stretched out his feet and slept the sleep of eternity, and was gathered to his fathers. 2. And notwithstanding all this Jacob was lying in his bosom, and knew not that Abraham, his father's father, was dead. 3. And Jacob awoke from his sleep, and behold Abraham was cold as ice, and he said: "Father, father!"; but there was none that spake, and he knew that he was dead. 4. And he arose from his bosom and ran and told Rebecca, his mother; and Rebecca went to Isaac in the night and told him; and they went together, and Jacob with them, and a lamp was in his hand, and when they had gone in they found Abraham lying dead. 5. And Isaac fell on the face of his father, and wept and kissed him. 6. And the voices were heard in the house of Abraham, and Ishmael his son arose, and went to Abraham his father, and wept over Abraham his father, he and all the house of Abraham, and they wept with a great weeping. 7. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the double cave, near Sarah his wife, and they wept for him forty days, all the men of his house, and Isaac and Ishmael, and all their sons, and all the sons of Keturah in their places, and the days of weeping for Abraham were ended. 8. And he lived three jubilees and four weeks of years, one hundred and seventy-five years, and completed the days of his life, being old and full of days.Josephus does not add any insight to our study.
JOSEPHUS CHAPTER 17. CONCERNING THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM.
A little while after this Abraham died. He was a man of incomparable virtue, and honored by God in a manner agreeable to his piety towards him. The whole time of his life was one hundred seventy and five years, and he was buried in Hebron, with his wife Sarah, by their sons Isaac and Ishmael.
The days leading up to Abraham’s death were filled with instructions. As we can see Abraham was a hospitable man to all who traveled by his tents. He also feared God, not just respect, but in concern, which is why he did the things God asked of him. Abraham also had a set of specifications to offer sacrifices to God. When he was going to take Isaac up the mountain, Abraham told Sarah he was going to teach him to sacrifice to the Lord. There had to be instructions that made the offerings acceptable to God. Abraham also instructed his sons to circumcise according to the way he did. From sending his sons out we see that they would be known as Arabians, and Ishmaelites. Because Isaac and Jacob kept Abraham’s ways, we now see that Abraham is still known throughout the world. His name has made it through history because he served God.
