Tag Archives: By faith Abraham

BY FAITH, ABRAHAM…

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BY FAITH, ABRAHAM…

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. Hebrews 11:8-12

Abraham’s story is a fascinating account of one man’s journey into faith and obedience. Since he is the father of faith and the man God chose to be the recipient of the New Covenant in embryo, there are many lessons from his life that can help us understand our journey of faith in Jesus.

In the past, as I have journeyed with Abraham in the book of Genesis, two aspects of his life have emerged.

Abraham made many decisions which did not come from any interaction with God but they impacted directly on fulfilling God’s plan for his life. He left Ur of the Chaldees with his father, went to Haran and stayed there until his father died. This was his first step towards Canaan but he was not aware of God’s purpose for him at this point.

Then God told him to leave Haran but left Abraham to find the way under His silent direction. Abraham chose Canaan, not knowing that Canaan was to be his destination.

Abraham moved from place to place in Canaan, setting up altars and worshipping God as he went. His godly influence impacted the Canaanites and especially the Canaanite kings of the city states so that he became well known all over the country. By setting up altars, he was claiming the territory by faith for God.

Although Abraham made the choices to do as he did, apparently without clear instruction from God, his developing God-awareness allowed him to be open to divine guidance without being aware that he was being led by God.

How often we, too, make choices which, on hindsight, are exactly what God wanted us to do or where He planned for us to go without being told.

If we allow God-awareness to guide our thinking, we need never be afraid of making decisions without specific direction from the Holy Spirit. As God’s children, we are led by the Spirit if we are more concerned about God’s kingdom than about pandering to our flesh.

A mature son will not pester daddy about every tiny detail of his life because he knows that daddy trusts him to make wise decisions. Likewise, our Father trusts His mature children with everyday decisions and guides him along His chosen path as His children acknowledge Him in all their ways.

Abraham also has much to teach us about prayer. The Bible does not explain how God came to him on the many occasions interaction with Him are recorded. There is one record of the Lord appearing to him as “the angel of the Lord”. This phrase occurs often in the Old Testament. This “angel” speaks and acts as God and so, we assume that He is the second person of the Trinity, the pre-incarnate Jesus.

However, on this occasion, when the angel prophesied of Isaac’s birth and the imminent destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham took the cue  and “prayed” for his nephew, Lot’s deliverance by entering into a discussion with the Lord.

Why did God even want to share His decision to destroy the wicked cities of the plain with Abraham? It was all about relationship.

This was no “dear Lord Jesus, here’s my prayer list” kind of prayer. This was Abraham’s opportunity, through humble but bold negotiation with God for the protection of the righteous, to share in what God was about to do. Abraham’s real concern was for Lot and his family but his plea for the Lord to change his mind encompassed any other God-fearing people who we in danger of being destroyed.

I learn from this incident, and many other times when God held a conversation with Abraham, that prayer is so much more than a one-way string of “gives” and “do’s” that we daily present to Him.

I am also becoming wary of the daily “quiet time” that is so ingrained in us from the time of our new birth that we feel guilty if we miss out even one day. How often I have begun my day feeling bad because I have not had a quiet time because of circumstances. Does that mean that God feels so short-changed that, for spite He messes up the rest of my day?

What a tragically low view of our Father whose love for us is beyond measure and deeper than our wildest imagination or understanding. He is so entwined in the fabric of our lives that He wants much more than a hurried “quiet time” in the morning, only to be forgotten for the rest of the day.

Paul said, “Pray continually.” That means, stay in contact with God all day. Abraham shows us that we can converse, even negotiate with God in every detail of everyday life, from the most significant to the most mundane and unimportant details of being human.

In the end, it’s about cultivating a God-awareness that keeps us in God’s presence instead of our trying to bring Him to us when things go wrong or needs arise. It is surprising how much He talks to us of which we are unaware because we are so preoccupied with getting on with the business of living.

So, let’s meander through the Bible, stopping a moment here or there to ponder on the stories of people’s lives. Let’s tarry to smell the fragrance of a holy moment or to shrink from the words or actions that grate on our sensitive souls. Let’s slow down and learn from God’s great saints how to be in every way, God’s beloved sons and daughters.

PATRIARCHAL FAITH

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PATRIARCHAL FAITH

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instruction concerning the burial of his bones (Heb. 11: 17-22).

As little as the patriarchs knew of God, they were men of faith. Oops! What did I say? They probably knew God far more intimately than many of us do. Who was this God whom they worshipped? He introduced Himself to Abraham as el, the one who, to the Hebrew person, was not some unique being who was holy, eternal and unknowable except through revelation, although these facts are true.  God was, to them, the one who had power and authority. When He spoke, they obeyed and when He promised, He acted.

Later on, He added another dimension to Abraham’s understanding of Him – El Shaddai – the Mighty One who nourishes. He is the one who has strength and authority and who provides for those who trust Him. These were the simple, everyday experiences of the early fathers because they trusted God and did what He told them to do, even to the near-killing of Abraham’s only son-of-his-old-age who brought him joy and laughter.

God said, ‘Go, sacrifice Isaac,’ so Abraham went without hesitating or questioning. How about that for trust! He had no Bible to check up on God. He had no history of a people who knew and followed El. He was a pioneer who had left home and kindred to go where this God had told him to go, and he went. In his going, he discovered that his God was able to exactly as He had promised. Wasn’t Isaac proof of that? Whoever heard of a ninety-year-old woman having a child, and that after she had gone through menopause?

So confident he was in God that he was willing to put Isaac’s life on the line, as much as he loved him, for the sake of obeying God, and leave the outcome to Him. The writer commented that Abraham even credited God with the power to raise Isaac back to life after he had plunged in the knife and taken his life. Why did he believe that? He knew Him. His past was spread out in front of him like a panorama of everything he had experienced, and God was in it from the moment he first heard His voice.

Abraham lived up to God’s expectation.

Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about what He has promised Him (Gen. 18: 18-19).

Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, Abraham’s descendants, all eventually followed the way of Yahweh because Abraham obeyed God and taught his offspring to do the same. Although the Bible does not mention his influence on his grandchildren, he was still alive long after they were born. He lived to the ripe old age of one hundred and seventy-five years.

Abraham’s son, Isaac and grandson, Jacob received the same promise that God gave to Abraham (Gen 26: 3-5; Gen 28: 13-15). Joseph, although he died in Egypt, was so sure of the fulfilment of God’s promise that he left instructions for his bones to be take back to Canaan when the people eventually left Egypt to take possession of the land of Canaan (Gen 50: 24-25; Ex 13: 19).

These were momentous days. Think of what this meant to these families. Abraham was uprooted from a stable life in Ur to spend the rest of his life as a nomad, with no land of his own, living in tents and moving from place to place, always at the mercy and goodwill of the local inhabitants.

Isaac and Jacob never knew what it was like to live in a house and have land of their own. Jacob twice had to relocate hundreds of miles from where he was born, ending up in a land where the ruler eventually turned hostile and enslaved his descendants.

Joseph was sold into slavery by jealous brothers, ripped from his beloved father’s side and carried off to a heathen land where he served for thirteen years before God promoted him to a position of power and authority. Even there, in spite of the honour he had received, he was still alone, without family and heritage until his brothers came and he was reunited with them.

What a story! And yet, God was in it and behind it all, working out His will to bless and provide for His people. How did they know that? He had promised and they trusted Him and did what He instructed. What about us? Would we have done what they did at the command of someone they could not see? That’s real faith!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

TEMPORARY DWELLINGS

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TEMPORARY DWELLINGS

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Heb. 11: 7-10).

Two more great heroes of faith! What did they do? Different things, obviously. There is no formula for faith and obedience.

Noah was instructed to build a boat. What? A boat in the middle of nowhere! Why? Because it’s going to rain, Noah! Rain? What is rain, God? Never mind. Just build the ark and you’ll find out soon enough.

So, Noah and his three boys got busy and began to build the boat. They had no power tools. It was a long and tedious task. They had to cut and fashion each piece and put them all together as instructed, to the exact design and dimensions given them by God. How did God give them the details? Did He put pictures in Noah’s mind? Did He write down the description and measurements on tablets of clay just like He wrote the Ten Commandments on stone? We have no idea how He did it.

How long did it take Noah and company to build the ark? The Bible gives no answer – long enough for people to repent, but they didn’t. ,

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Noah was described as a “preacher of righteousness.” He did not keep quiet while he worked. He obviously told the curious onlookers what he was doing. They scoffed at him until the rain fell, but it was too late. The ark was sealed, shut by God and they perished in the flood. Who was right and who was wrong? The ark became his home for a whole year – unstable in the wind and waves, but safe because God was there, protecting them because Noah believed God.

Abraham, another of God’s heroes! His circumstances were different from Noah’s. He didn’t need an ark. He needed a tent. God told him to get out of town. Ur was a place of idolatry – the aftermath of Nimrod’s rebellion and the false religion he set up at Babel. If he stayed there, he would perish in his idolatry and unbelief. Where, God? Never mind, Abraham. No directions; no explanations; just go!

So, Abraham packed up and went. Which way, God? Just keep going, Abraham. So, Abraham followed the river. He needed water for his household and livestock. Miles and miles of desert, wind and sand, living in tents. Day after day he had to pack up and move on, uproot his home, fasten everything securely on camels, only to do it all over again tomorrow. How much time did it take to do all that? How much travelling time did he have each day? But had kept going.

How much further, God? Just keep moving, Abraham. I’ll tell you when you have arrived. What faith to keep going! What patience to persevere! Why did he do it? Why didn’t he turn around and go home after the first few weeks? Because he believed God! Imperfect, faltering faith, but somewhere up ahead he knew that God had a permanent place for him. How did he know? Because God said so.

And God was pleased with Noah and Abraham, because they believed Him. Imagine that! They were counted as righteous before God because they believed what He said and did what He told them to do. There was no Jesus to save them, yet, but they were accounted righteous anyway, acceptable before God because they trusted Him.

Isn’t that what God requires of us? To trust Him with our eternal destiny because His word tells us that Jesus died in our place? To trust Him with our day to day lives because He is with us and will never leave or forsake us? To trust Him when He tells us what to do because He is in charge? He isn’t looking for great exploits. He’s looking for simple trust that issues in prompt ad implicit obedience – that’s all!

We are also in our temporary dwelling, but God has a permanent place for us, in His eternal home – if we believe and obey.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.