What role did Abraham play in earth Hebrew history?

Answer 1

Abraham is the Patriarch, meaning founder, of the Jewish religion.

ANOTHER ANSWER:

Abraham "IS" a most important figure for "all of mankind" to this day and into our future... not just for the Jews. It's Abraham's descendants, the tribe of "Judah" [the Jews] through whom the Messiah is traced. The One through whom "all the families [nations] of the world shall [eventually] be blessed" [receive Salvation; saved from the Second Death].

"...in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Gen.12:3 KJV)

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh [the wicked pulls of the flesh and the world - through Faith] shall not be hurt of the Second Death." (Rev.2:11 KJV)

The Salvation of the whole earth [not just the Jews] was made possible through Faithful, Obedient Abraham and the LORD's [Jesus Christ's - see John 1:1-3] original covenant [agreement] with him:

"Because that Abraham OBEYED MY VOICE, and kept My charge, My COMMANDMENTS, My statutes, and My Laws." (Gen.26:5 KJV)

Mankind [all of mankind] traces his salvation through the Faithful man, Abraham:

"For the Promise [from Jesus Christ, the Creator God of the Old Testament], that he should be the HEIR OF THE WORLD, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the Law, but through the Righteousness of Faith." (Rom.4:13 KJV)

"KNOW YE THEREFORE that they which are of Faith, THE SAME ARE THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM." (Gal.3:7 KJV)

"And IF YE BE CHRIST's [through Faith], then are ye Abraham's seed, and HEIRS according to the Promise." (verse 29)

Abraham's importance isn't "past tense" -- it looks forward to the FUTURE! For the whole world; to all the generations of man.

"Because the Scripture [the Divinely-revealed Living Word of God - The Bible] foresaw that God would bring the heathen into Right Standing with Himself on condition of Faith, He beforehand proclaimed the Good News to Abraham in the Promise, 'It is through you that all the heathen will be blessed." (Gal.3:8 WNTWilliam's New Testament)

"For assuredly it is not to angels that He [God] is continually reaching a helping hand, but it is to the descendants of Abraham. And for this purpose it was necessary that in all respects He should be made to resemble His brothers, so that He might become a Compassionate and Faithful High Priest in things relating to God, in order to atone for the sins of the people. (Heb.2:16-17 WEY Weymouth's New Testament)

It's mankind that needs to learn to emulate the Faith of its Faithful father, Abraham, by its actions, deeds, works:

"...Take the case of Abraham our forefather. Was it, or was it not, because of his actions that he was declared to be Righteous as the result of his having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar? You notice that his Faith was co-operating with his actions, and that by his actions his Faith was Perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'And Abraham BELIEVED God, and his Faith was placed to his credit as Righteousness,' and he received the name of 'God's friend.' You ALL see [not just 'you Jews see'] that it is because of actions that a man is pronounced Righteous, and not simply because of Faith." (James 2:20-24 WEY)

Abraham's Faith and Actions are important to the whole world; because when God opens up the books of the Bible, His written Word, to Judge all of mankind on Judgment Day... Abraham's Faith and Actions will be the example God will cite regarding Righteousness and Right Character and Right living, which shall be the "measuring stick" by which all of mankind's deeds shall be weighed.

"...I saw a Great White Throne, and I saw the One who was sitting on it... And the books [of the Bible] were opened, including the Book of Life. And the [resurrected] dead [all of mankind] were Judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done... They were all Judged according to their deeds. And death and the grave were thrown into the Lake of Fire. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH - the Lake of Fire. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the Lake of Fire." (Rev.20:12-15 NLT New Living Translation)

Abraham's example on how to live in Peace with God and one's fellow man is exemplary with our Creator and worthy of emulation. The whole world can benefit from his importance to God. All of God's Children should behave as well as Abraham... instead of embracing every form and depth of wickedness as it actually does.

"Try to live in Peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the LORD. Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favor of God. Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison." (Heb.12:14-15 NLT)

Abraham's life; his Faith and Actions, is important to all of mankind... past, present and future... whether they know it or not. He is the Faithful, Righteous man through whose descendants, the Jews, God chose to be born and save the world.

"Let the one who is doing wrong continue to do wrong; the one who is vile, continue to be vile; the one who is good, continue to do good; and the one who is holy, continue in holiness. See, I AM coming soon, and My Reward is with Me, to repay all according to their deeds." (Rev.22:11-12 NLT)

In the Judgment, how many people will "measure up" to Abraham's important Righteous examples of Faith and Works?

Answer 2

According to tradition, Abraham founded Judaism, and Moses later received the Torah from God.

Abraham, tenth generation descendant of Noah, of Hebrew lineage, was the son of Terah, uncle of Lot, father of Isaac, grandfather of Jacob, and ancestor of the Israelites. His story is in Genesis ch.11 (end), through ch.25. Jewish tradition states that he was the first to teach belief in One God; and it is in his merit that Jews continue to exist (Genesis 18:19, and ch.17).

Abraham (18th century BCE) came from ancestry that had been God-fearing a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2). Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the conjunction of the Balikh and the Euphrates, and instated him in a position of power in his army in the royal Babylonian city of Ur, where Abraham was born. Nimrod persecuted any who would question his idolatrous cult.

The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12). As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.

Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).

Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where Abraham raised his family.

He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses.

Abraham, with God's help, singlehandedly trounced the supremacy of the evil Nimrod. He received God's promise of inheriting the Holy Land (Genesis 13). He strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19); and God eventually blessed his efforts, granting him many children (ibid., ch.16, 21 and 25), as He had promised (Genesis ch.17). Abraham founded the Jewish people and lived to see his work live on in the persons of Isaac and Jacob; and he taught many other disciples as well (Talmud, Yoma 28b). He saved the population of the south of Canaan from invading foreign kings (Genesis 14); and he was feared by neighboring kings (ibid., ch.12 and 20). Abraham gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), entered into a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15 and 17), welcomed guests into his home (Genesis ch.18) unlike the inhospitable Sodomites (Genesis ch.19), prayed for people (Genesis ch.18), rebuked others when necessary (Genesis ch.20), eulogized and buried the deceased (Genesis ch.23), and fulfilled God's will unquestioningly (Genesis ch.22). He became renowned as a prince of God (Genesis 23:6).

All of these forms of behavior were based upon the ways of God, which Abraham comprehended through his contemplations. These, and similar personality traits, were the teachings of Abraham and his descendants (unlike idolatry, which had tended to go hand in hand with cruel, licentious and excessive behavior, since the caprices which were narrated concerning the idols were adopted as an excuse to imitate those types of behavior).

It is therefore clear why God expresses His love for Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and calls Himself the God of Abraham (Genesis 26:24), and says that Abraham obeyed Him fully (Genesis 26:5). And this is why, according to our tradition, Abraham is credited with having begun the religion which became known as Judaism. However, Abraham and his descendants observed their traditions voluntarily, until the Giving of the Torah to Moses 3325 years ago, when God made it obligatory.