The central figure of patriarchal worship is Abraham, who received Yahweh’s promise of land and descendants.
The book of Genesis records the history of Israel’s ancestors from their nomadic beginnings. Abraham was called by Yahweh to leave his country and travel to a new land. A promise was given to Abraham that his name would be great and his family would become a mighty nation (Gen. 12). These themes originate in Genesis and weave throughout the whole of Israel’s history. The fulfillment of these promises became the impetus for the people’s response of worship and thanksgiving.
At Hebron, Abraham built the first altar to Yahweh in thanksgiving for the promise of the land (Gen. 13:18). Worship was offered to Yahweh after Abraham defeated the four kings (Gen. 14:17–24). The worship was “led” by Melchizedek, “the priest of God Most High.” Bread and wine were part of the worship. Melchizedek pronounced a blessing on Abraham (cf. Heb. 7:1–3). Abraham responded by giving the high priest a tithe of everything he had. At this early offering of thankful worship to Yahweh, the basic elements of Israel’s worship form were present. From its nomadic beginnings, Israel’s worship included theophanies, or appearances of the Lord, promises of the land, the practice of marking important places with an altar, the figure of a high priest, and a cultic celebration using bread and wine. The following chapter (Gen. 15) and the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22) rooted the cultic practice of sacrifice in Israel’s tradition, though as a protest against human sacrifice.