God called Abraham, and prospered and honored him; and the patriarch's fidelity was a light to the people in all the countries of his sojourn. Abraham did not shut himself away from the people around him. He maintained friendly relations with the kings of the surrounding nations, by some of whom he was treated with great respect; and his integrity and unselfishness, his valor and benevolence, were representing the character of God. In Mesopotamia, in Canaan, in Egypt, and even to the inhabitants of Sodom, the God of heaven was revealed through His representative.

Gud kaldte Abraham og velsignede og ærede ham, og patriarkens troskab var et lys for folkene i alle de lande, hvor han kom til at bo. Abraham isolerede sig ikke fra de mennesker, der boede omkring ham. Han havde venskabelig forbindelse med de omkringboende folks konger, og nogle af dem behandlede ham med stor respekt. Hans retskaffenhed og uegennytte, hans mod og velvilje repræsenterede Guds karakter. I Mesopotamien, i Kanaan, i Ægypten, ja selv over for Sodomas indbyggere åbenbaredes Himmelens Gud gennem sin repræsentant.