Genesis And the earthly promised land was really only a temporary symbol of a better country, a heavenly one which God intends to give to all his children from whatever race or nation they have come Heb.
The really significant thing about him is that he promptly acted on his belief. He did what God told him. Listen again to the key foundation passage, Genesis And after that stirring command and those glorious promises, the very next verse v. In the final analysis what really determines whether our faith is genuine is not what we say but how we obey.
We could go on and on about the heroism of Abraham, the personal struggles he went through some of which indeed are described as his story unfolds in the book of Genesis. Faith, as the saying goes, is walking the walk. Here it is in plain language. This is what constitutes faith: faith is hearing and obeying what God tells us to do and believing what he promises to give. So Abraham is a great model of faith. His life demonstrates all the qualities of the man or woman who lives by trusting God, and for obeying God.
Would you like to have the infinite, eternal, holy God of the universe call you his friend? Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. He is the author of several devotional books. Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and four grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
Privacy Policy. Abraham: A Friend of God. David Bast January 5, Leave and Receive The whole process of grace and faith, call and response, seems wonderful to me.
About the Author. David Bast. Abraham , Genesis , Isaiah. What makes Abraham a remarkable man is that he obeyed God without hesitation Genesis The author of Hebrews uses Abraham as an example of faith.
Abraham and Sarah were childless yet God promised that they would have a son Genesis This son would be the heir of the covenant promise. God reiterated His promise to Abraham Genesis 17 , and his faith was rewarded Genesis 21 with the gift of Isaac as a son.
Again, Abraham faithfully obeyed God Genesis He believed that God was able to bring his son back from the dead Hebrews Seeing that he passed the test, God asked Abraham not to hurt Isaac and to sacrifice an animal instead. Yes, his hand was stayed at the last minute, yet in heart, intent and purpose Abraham committed the act.
As affirmed by Jesus in His sermon on the mount, actions are not necessary for the deed to be done. This is the second great lesson of the story—obedience is complete when inward surrender is complete. The outward act is not needed. We are what we think whether or not the action is taken. We are what we will to be, and all true action is in the submission of the will. This heart sacrifice was an act of obedience by faith, affirmed as such by God Hebrew Up to this point his faith had not been perfect.
He had twice shown distrust of God in concealing the fact that Sarah was his wife, and again his faith wavered in his marriage with Hagar. Sacrifice my son? As a father and as a believer in the one true God? Was he under some kind of a delusion? Dark whisperings of doubt pressed in to assault his path of faith. How could God be requiring the very thing He forbids? This story delivers an intimate look into the reality of the gospel by revealing to us the heart of the Father, making real His unconditional love for all humanity.
There are many who have thought that the Father had no part in the sufferings of the Son; but this is a mistake. The Father suffered with the Son. In this sense, the Father had it harder. There is a third lesson from this story, the lesson of friendship. God considers all humanity His friend, but with Abraham friendship was reciprocal Zechariah In this shared experience the mutual friendship deepened.
God the Father and Abraham the father gave their very all in a mutual solidarity of obedience and love. Jesus broached this same subject of friendship with His disciples, as He was about to lay down His life for the world:. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
A friend is one who stands closer than kin. Someone who laughs with you in the good times and supports you in the bad. Someone who feels what you feel, who hurts when you hurt. Friends experience a close bond of attachment and esteem through shared experiences, developing trust, loyalty and love. Abraham was called a friend of God because he knew what his Master was doing. Abraham knew by experience the heart of the Father. He knew because he did whatever was commanded him, even laying down Isaac, the love of his life, on the altar.
Through his terrible ordeal, Abraham experienced the very heart agony of God. Friends, true friends, good friends, are a rare commodity in this present fallen world, yet God found one among us. This same friendship is gifted to us in Christ. With a special interest in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, James has spent more than 30 years preaching the gospel around the world in revival seminars and evangelistic meetings.
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