The message of God came to Abraham, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." In order that God might qualify him for his great work as the keeper of the sacred oracles, Abraham must be separated from the associations of his early life. The influence of kindred and friends would interfere with the training which the Lord purposed to give His servant. Now that Abraham was, in a special sense, connected with heaven, he must dwell among strangers. His character must be peculiar, differing from all the world. He could not even explain his course of action so as to be understood by his friends. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and his motives and actions were not comprehended by his idolatrous kindred.

Abraham fik et løfte, som var særlig værdsat af datidens mennesker, nemlig løftet om talrige efterkommere og national storhed: "Så vil jeg gøre dig til et stort folk, og jeg vil velsigne dig og gøre dit navn stort, og vær en velsignelse." Og til dette føjedes den dyrebareste af alle velsignelser for troens arvtager, nemlig at verdens forløser skulle nedstamme fra ham: "I dig skal alle jordens slægter velsignes!" Men som den første betingelse for opfyldelsen skulle der komme en trosprøve; der krævedes et offer.