Once again, we see each of our aforementioned themes play out. We see God calling Abraham to do something that requires a great deal of faith. In this particular scenario, it involves trusting that God would give him a son from his own wife. We see God blessing Abraham with His covenant, using language such as “I will shield you, and your reward will be great.” We know the story continues beyond Abraham’s life, and that his blessing of a large amount of children did not occur in his lifetime. We also see that Abraham’s faith is not perfect, as he attempts to go about fulfilling the promise in his own way.
In our discussion, we took some time to consider this aspect of God’s people being flawed—more specifically, we discussed the idea of Abraham taking the promise into his own hands. God promised him that he would become the father of a multitude so great, that they would be like the stars in the sky. His first response was to believe God, and therefore have it credited to him as righteousness. This example is given us as one of great faith, and certainly Abraham is upheld by traditions everywhere as one of the premier examples of faith.
However, Abraham displayed a moment of humanity in his understanding of exactly how this promise would be fulfilled. He had already left his homeland to receive God’s promise; we would imagine that he would continue this pattern of believing God when logic would sway otherwise. However, at Sarah’s behest, Abraham chose to go about fulfilling God’s promise in a way that made sense to him. The results are familiar: he enters into a sexual relationship with his wife’s maid, she has a son, his wife becomes jealous, and Hagar and Ishmael are kicked out of the house. Though they eventually came back, Ishmael’s descendents and Abraham’s other descendents were typically at odds (at best) with one another.
Lest we judge Abraham sharply, how many of us have, in moments of uncertainty regarding God’s plans, attempted to go about achieving his promises ourselves, without waiting for Him? Abraham’s issue in this scenario may sound familiar to many of us: control. Abraham thought that, in order for God’s purposes to be achieved in his life, he had to be the one controlling the situation.
For those of us who were present at this discussion, control is certainly an issue in our lives. We see all around us a drive to be in control, to prepare for the unexpected, and to plan for our own futures. In the meantime, we are in complete denial of the fact that, despite what we would choose to believe, we are not actually in control.
God’s promise to Abraham, defying reason, is fulfilled in chapter 21, as Sarah herself gives birth to a son. They name this son Isaac, which means “laughter,” based on their reaction when God insisted that Sarah would bear a child. In that scenario, God’s messengers sum up one major theme in this story: “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?”
So we are left to consider this challenge: Is anything too difficult for the Lord? In the midst of burning ourselves out attempting to find solutions to our dilemmas, we fail to sit still for a moment and hear His voice as He whispers, “Cease striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The first part of that verse could also be translated, “Let go,” “Relax.” Let go of this delusion that we can be in control of our own lives. Relax, and stop worrying about the future; trust that God will deliver what He has promised.
We claim to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. However, if we actually believed that, would we not be more likely to trust that He will bring resolution and fulfillment to our situations? Can we let go, stop striving, and trust that the one who conquered death just might be able to help us? If He already overcame the most impossible situation, what does this mean for us when we feel there is no apparent solution for what we face?
God calls His covenant people to do more than simply believe: trust. He makes such promises as “I am with you always,” and “I have a plan for you,” promises to which we can cling, even—no, especially—when there is no other logical evidence for the promises to be true. If He is able to overcome death, He can certainly overcome anything that stands in our way.
Take some time in this upcoming week to consider what promises God has made in His Word, and ask yourself, “If this promise is true, what does that mean for me?”
8.28.2010
Genesis 12-15: The Faith of the Father
This section continues the themes which we have tracked in recent chapters. In a way, it even introduces a broader story in which these themes are played out in a significant way. That story is Abraham’s story, and his story begins with a journey:
¬¬“Now the Lord said to Abram,
‘Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him…”
One theme which we see immediately is Abraham’s acting faithfully in response to God’s prompting. Just for perspective, take time to consider exactly what Abraham was being asked to do: In a time when travel and interconnectedness were not nearly as prevalent as today, Abraham was being asked to leave people he knew. He was being called to forsake everything that was comfortable, everything that was familiar, in order to go somewhere he never had been and he did not know. He was willing to do it because of his trust in the legitimacy of God’s promise.
Hebrews 11:1-16 commemorates a number of the people with whom we have become familiar in our study, including Abel, Enoch, Noah, and especially Abraham. Abraham gets a fairly special treatment in this chapter, and his trek is commemorated here.
One thing that stands out in this chapter is mentioned in verse 13: “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” We are familiar with stories of God’s people who receive a tremendous reward for their faithfulness. However, particularly in this case, the reward does not happen in the person’s lifetime. Abraham took the steps in faith, with increasing awareness that he may never directly see the results of his faithfulness!
Here is where this particular aspect of Abraham’s life speaks to us: the fact that Abraham never saw the results of his faith. We have explored the theme of God’s people being rewarded in some way for their faith. However, Abraham’s reward was never given to him in his years on earth. As Hebrews tells us, “he was looking for the city…whose architect and builder is God” (11:10). He lived so as to achieve a reward that would last beyond his lifetime, an eternal reward.
Abraham was obedient to God, even to the point at which he accepted a promise he would never see in his lifetime! This brings us to a very important point about our own faith: Faith often calls us to remain hopeful despite promises as of yet unfulfilled. It challenges us to trust that God will execute his plan for our lives, especially when it seems that nothing is happening. It motivates us to move on, believing with all our hearts that someday God can bless our efforts…even if we do not even see it in our own years on earth.
¬¬“Now the Lord said to Abram,
‘Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him…”
One theme which we see immediately is Abraham’s acting faithfully in response to God’s prompting. Just for perspective, take time to consider exactly what Abraham was being asked to do: In a time when travel and interconnectedness were not nearly as prevalent as today, Abraham was being asked to leave people he knew. He was being called to forsake everything that was comfortable, everything that was familiar, in order to go somewhere he never had been and he did not know. He was willing to do it because of his trust in the legitimacy of God’s promise.
Hebrews 11:1-16 commemorates a number of the people with whom we have become familiar in our study, including Abel, Enoch, Noah, and especially Abraham. Abraham gets a fairly special treatment in this chapter, and his trek is commemorated here.
One thing that stands out in this chapter is mentioned in verse 13: “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” We are familiar with stories of God’s people who receive a tremendous reward for their faithfulness. However, particularly in this case, the reward does not happen in the person’s lifetime. Abraham took the steps in faith, with increasing awareness that he may never directly see the results of his faithfulness!
Here is where this particular aspect of Abraham’s life speaks to us: the fact that Abraham never saw the results of his faith. We have explored the theme of God’s people being rewarded in some way for their faith. However, Abraham’s reward was never given to him in his years on earth. As Hebrews tells us, “he was looking for the city…whose architect and builder is God” (11:10). He lived so as to achieve a reward that would last beyond his lifetime, an eternal reward.
Abraham was obedient to God, even to the point at which he accepted a promise he would never see in his lifetime! This brings us to a very important point about our own faith: Faith often calls us to remain hopeful despite promises as of yet unfulfilled. It challenges us to trust that God will execute his plan for our lives, especially when it seems that nothing is happening. It motivates us to move on, believing with all our hearts that someday God can bless our efforts…even if we do not even see it in our own years on earth.
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