The Number Three
Abraham, after God promises to give him the land of Canaan as an inheritance, asks how he will know he will receive it. The Lord's response is to have him perform a unique sacrifice where a three year old heifer, she-goat and ram are split in two in sacrifice to him (the two birds he also offers are not split).
God then passes through the sacrifices in the form of a smoking furnace and burning lamp. He then unilaterally promises Abraham that he will receive land and even goes as far as defining its boundaries!
"Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon." . . .
And it came to pass - when the sun went down and it was dark - behold, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between those pieces. In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram (Abraham), saying, "I have given this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates . . ." (Genesis 15:9, 17 - 18).
The Number Ten
Abraham, when Isaac is forty, sends his most trusted servant to find a suitable mate for him in Haran. The servant ends up taking a decent sized caravan of 10 camels for his journey. When he arrives in Haran he meets Rebekah and gives her bracelets made of ten shekels worth of gold.
And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed . . . And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; (Genesis 24:10, 22).
Rebekah's parents, after they agree that she can marry Isaac, requests that she stay with them for ten more days before leaving for Canaan. The servant, eager to fulfill Abraham's tasks, pleads to leave as soon as possible. Rebekah ultimately decides to quickly depart from her parents (Genesis 24:55 - 61).
Number Milestones
70
God, according to Stephen, contacted Abraham while he was still living in his hometown and told him to leave (Acts 7:2 - 4). When he finally turned 70 he left Ur of the Chaldees with his ultimate destination being the land of Canaan.
The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran (Haran), and said to him, "Leave your land and your kindred, and come into the land that I will show you." (Acts 7:2 - 3, HBFV throughout).
Moses, a number of years later, would write that a full life constituted living to 70 (Psalm 90:9 - 10). It is interesting to note that God choose to begin directly dealing with Abraham when he reached this level of maturity as a human.
75
The patriarch, now 75, leaves Haran for Canaan after His father Terah dies (Genesis 11:32 - 12:5).
85
God makes an unconditional promise to Abraham that he will produce an heir out of his own body. He is also promised an inheritance of land (Genesis 15:1 - 7).
86
Sarah, Abraham's wife, is unable to have children. Her solution for giving her 86 year old husband an heir is to allow him to produce one through her Egyptian slave Hagar. The child produced is named Ishmael (Genesis 16).
99
God makes a covenant with Abraham which requires him, as a sign of their agreement, to circumcise himself, Ishmael and all the males of his household. His future descendants are also required to circumcise their males when they are eight days old (Genesis 17).
Jesus, in the form of a human, along with two angels, visits Abraham an unknown time after they made their Genesis 17 covenant. The Lord asserts twice that Sarah will become pregnant and give birth within a year.
And He (the Lord) said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and lo, Sarah your wife shall have a son." . . . (Genesis 18:10, see also verse 14).
100
Abraham is 100 when Isaac is born to him through Sarah (Genesis 21:5).
102 to 103
Isaac is weaned when the patriarch is between 102 and 103 years old (Bible Knowledge Commentary). It is also at this time that, due to the behavior of Ishmael, that he and his mother Hagar are permanently cast out.
And she (Sarah) said to Abraham, "Cast out this maidservant and her son, for the son of this maidservant shall not be heir with my son, with Isaac." . . .
And God said to Abraham, "Let it not be grievous in your sight because of the boy and because of your maidservant. In all that Sarah has said to you, hearken to her words, for in Isaac your seed shall be called." (Genesis 21:10, 12).
115
God tests Abraham, now 115 years old, by commanding he sacrifice to him his 15 year old son Isaac (Genesis 22).
137
Sarah dies at the age of 127 when the patriarch is ten years older (Genesis 23).
140
Abraham, when Isaac turns 40, has a trusted servant travel back to Haran to find a wife for his son among his relatives. The servant finds Rebekah and brings her to Isaac (Genesis 24).
175
Abraham, the father of the faithful, dies at the ripe old age of 175 (Genesis 25:7).
The Number 318
King Chedorlaomer of Elam, along with several other kings, cuts a swatch of destruction and pillaging traveling south on the King's Highway. When they overcome the Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah they take Lot, Abraham's nephew, and his family as prisoners. When Abraham hears what happened he musters 318 highly trained servants and pursues Chedorlaomer. After catching up with him near the city of Dan he overcomes Chedorlaomer's forces and saves Lot (Genesis 14:11 - 16)!
The Number 400
God informs Abraham that his descendants will be afflicted for 400 years before they will be able to claim their inheritance in the Promised Land (Genesis 15:13 - 16).
Abraham pays 400 shekels of silver for a cave and nearby land on what would become the outskirts of Hebron. His purpose for purchasing the property is to bury his beloved wife Sarah.
And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, as is current among the merchants. (Genesis 23:16).
Bargaining with Numbers
Abraham, upon discovering that Sodom is likely destined to be destroyed by the Lord, decides to bargain with him to see if there was a way to spare the city. He starts his bargaining by asking a question then proposing the city be saved for the sake of 50 righteous folks found within it.
"Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Perhaps there are fifty righteous within the city. Will You also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?" (Genesis 18:23 - 24).
Abraham then humbly asks the city be spared if 45, then 40, 30 or 20 righteous are found. The Lord ultimately agrees he will spare Sodom if only 10 God-fearing folks live within it! This number of people, sadly, are not found and it is destroyed, along with Gomorrah and several surrounding villages, by heavenly fire and brimstone (Genesis 19).