Genesis 11 - 15

As we are first introduced unto Abram or Abraham, the Lord said to him -

"...Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Old Testament Genesis 12:1 - 3)

The old testament doesn't tell us much about Abraham living in Ur of the Chaldees, but one must assume that if the the Lord is was speaking to Abraham and promising great blessings, you would have to assume that Abraham had lived a life of obedience and sacrifice as Noah, Enoch, and many of the great patriarchs. By modern revelation, we learn the true character and desires of Abraham as he lived in Ur of the Chaldees where Abraham records -

"...finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers..." (Pearl of Great Price Abraham 1:2)

Prayer must have been a significant part as Abraham sought for righteousness and the blessings of the fathers for as the priests of Elkanah -

"...lifted up their hands upon me, that they might offer me up and take away my life, behold, I lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened and heard, and he filled me with the vision of the Almighty, and the angel of his presence stood by me, and immediately unloosed my bands;
16 And his voice was unto me: Abraham, Abraham, behold, my name is Jehovah, and I have heard thee, and have come down to deliver thee..." (Pearl of Great Price Abraham 1:15 - 16)

And with this deliverance the Lord tells Abraham -

"...and to take thee away from thy father's house, and from all thy kinsfolk, into a strange land which thou knowest not of..." (Pearl of Great Price Abraham 1:16)

And this because his kinsfolk -

"... have turned their hearts away from me, to worship the god of Elkenah, and the god of Libnah, and the god of Mahmackrah, and the god of Korash, and the god of Pharaoh, king of Egypt..." (Pearl of Great Price Abraham 1:17)

The righteousness of Abraham becomes apparent as he -

"...Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth..."(Old Testament Genesis 14:18 - 19)

And then to Melchizedek, after Abraham had -

brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people...he gave him tithes of all." (Old Testament Genesis 14:16 - 20)

And then Abraham after having freed all these goods from those who had taken them, he declines to accept the spoils of conquest as he tells the other kings -

"...I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me..." (Old Testament Genesis 14:23 - 24)

It is understandable that to Abraham the Lord promises -

"...I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered..." (Old Testament Genesis 13:16)

And -

"..Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." (Old Testament Genesis 15:5)

I think if the Lord promised me such great blessings, I would tend to think - "sure thing!" But not Abraham for -

"...he believed in the LORD..." (Old Testament Genesis 15:6)

And because of his great faith, the Lord -

"...counted it to him for righteousness...." (Old Testament Genesis 15:6)

Speaking of faith, as Paul wrote the Galatians -

"...Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness...." (New Testament Galatians 3:6)

We begin to understand what the Lord meant in the innumeration of his seed -

"Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." (New Testament Galatians 3:7 - 9)

"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (New Testament Galatians 3:14)

"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (New Testament Galatians 3:29)

It is then through faith in Jesus Christ that -

"...all families of the earth be blessed." (Old Testament Genesis 12:3)