Abraham, a man of faith

Abraham, a man of faith

ABRAHAM – A MAN OF FAITH

The dictionary defines faith as: belief without proof, trust.

As man of faith Abraham set a very high standard.  Scripture tells us that he walked with God all his life and we also find that the Word of God also has a bit of humor in it.  If we read Gen. 12:1-3  we find God  asking Abram (his early name) to basically pack up all his things and leave home, friends, family, and his native land and go to a country that God would show him.  Just like that.  Pack it up and leave.  Don’t look back.  Don’t worry.  Just do what I ask.  Wow,   Abram was married to Sarai and that meant that she would have to be content to move wherever!  Wherever?  Yeah, as if.  But God was the one doing the telling and Abram was the one listening and obeying.  He packed it all up and they took off for parts unknown.  Think of what your response would be if you were told to move (the M word!) somewhere.  No data on where – just move.  Most wives would be a tad upset.  I suspect that the husband would be just a bit concerned as well.  I mean, it would mean a new home, new job, new friends, new town, and new environment.  NEW EVERYTHING!

  Abram did as he was asked.  In Gen. 15: 1-6 we see that God made a covenant with Abram that promised protection and rewards.  God even promised to provide Abram with an heir……actually God had Abram try to count the number of stars in the sky to give him an idea of how many descendants he would actually have.  Talk about a large family!  Well, good old Abram listened again and ” Abram put his trust in the Lord” (Gen. 15:6)

  Time slipped away as it usually does and Abram got to be the ripe old age of ninety nine and the Lord appeared to him and said to him again that He would give him many descendants.  He, God, even had Abram change his name to Abraham, which meant father of many nations.  God told him that the covenant would be kept with all the descendants in the future generations.  The sign of the covenant with God would be that all the men would be circumcised and baby boys would be circumcised at the age of 8 days.  This would be a blood covenant with God and He would bless them.  Any male that was not circumcised would no longer be considered one of God’s people.  God also told Abraham that his wife would now be called Sarah and not Sarai.  God said He would bless her and she would the mother of nations and there would be kings among her descendants.

  Abraham bowed down with his face touching the ground and here is where the Word shows some humor.  Abraham began to laugh when he thought of his age, 100 years old, and Sarah’s age of 90.  The whole idea of starting a family now was a rather incredible idea…..even for God.  Abraham even asked God if Ishmael, his son by a servant woman, could be his heir.  God told him that He would give him an heir of his own flesh and blood and his name would be Isaac and God would keep His covenant with Isaac and his descendants forever.  Isaac was to be the father of twelve princes, and his descendants would make up a great nation.

  In Gen. 18 we read that three men appeared to Abraham one day.  Abraham invited them to come into his home and allow him to serve them.  He told Sarah to get the best flour and bake bread and his servant to select a prime calf and prepare a meal.  One of the men inquired of Sarah and then presented Abraham with a life changing promise.  He said that Sarah would deliver a boy child in nine months!  Sarah was listening at the door.  Both she and Abraham were very old and she had stopped her monthly periods.  She laughed to herself and thought “now that I am old and worn out, can I still enjoy sex?”  The Lord asked Abraham why Sarah had laughed and questioned her ability to have a child.  Sarah was afraid and denied that she had laughed.

  Isaac was indeed born as promised.  Abraham and  Sarah were blessed .  God had delivered on His promise.  Time passed and God called to Abraham again. (Gen 22.) It was time to test Abraham.  Abraham was told to take his son and go to the region of Moriah.  There on a mountain Abraham was to offer Isaac to God as a sacrifice.  We know that most sacrifices in those days called for some blood to be shed.  This time it was the blood of the only son of Abraham and Sarah.  The delivered promised son from God was to be offered up to Him as a sacrifice.  How devastated could Abraham have been.  His response was no different than all his other responses.

  The next morning Abraham cut some wood for the sacrifice, loaded the donkey, and took Isaac and two servants and started out for the place that God had told him about.

This is the part that gets interesting.  Abraham did what he was told.  He again went out in blind faith to do what God asked of him.

  The third day they came to the place where God had said to go.  Abraham said to the servants. (Gen. 22:5) “Then he said to the servants, “Stay here with the donkey.  The boy and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.”

  Abraham had Isaac carry the wood (a picture of Christ carrying the cross) for the sacrifice and he himself carried the knife and the live coals for starting the fire.  Isaac had to know that there was something that was not quite right here.  He was no dummy.  He knew what was needed for a sacrifice.  They had everything for the sacrifice but no animal.  He asked his father about the lack of a lamb for the sacrifice.  Abraham answered him this way.  “God himself will provide one.”  They continued on until they came to the place which God had told him about.  Here Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it.  He tied up Isaac his only son and placed him on the altar.  Abraham then took the knife to kill him.  But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said “don’t hurt the boy or do anything to him.”  Abraham had proven himself to God to be obedient even unto the sacrifice of his only son.  God provided a ram caught in a bush for the sacrifice.

  Abraham knew that his God, the God of love, the God whose promises never fail, would not fail him this time either.  God had blessed Abraham all those years and finally with a son.  If you read again Gen. 22;5 you will see the faith Abraham had in God.  He told his servants WE WILL COME BACK TO YOU.  WE will come back to you.  He even had the witnesses that he needed to prove to those who would doubt Gods grace.  Witnesses were valuable then as now to convince others of what could not be real.

  What would you be willing to sacrifice to God?  If He was to ask you to go somewhere that  only God knew, would you just get up and go?  If He asked you to stop smoking or give up dope or the alcohol or……..your car, would you?  What sacrifice would be too great for you?  How about just giving your life to Him, body , mind and spirit.  How about living a life for Him rather than dying for any temptation of satan.  Is life eternal with God worth even a moment with the enemy.  Something to think about.  Something to pray about.  Something to LIVE about.

In HIS Name……Amen.

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