ABRAHAM AND THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH

Heb. 11:8-10

Morning Meditation 9/9/2013

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

Dixon said, "The first really great character of whom we read in the Bible is Abraham. Abraham has been called the Columbus of Faith. So wide and comprehensive was the range of his faith that he was called by God Himself 'the father of all them that believe, as Romans 4:11 tells us. "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:" So Abraham is an example to all those who believe in God and exercise their faith in Him.

One day, Abraham, who lived in the city of Ur, heard God speaking to him. We find this in Genesis 12:1, "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:"

Let us notice some of the aspects of the obedience of faith as illustrated at this period in Abraham's life.

ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE WAS NOT IMMEDIATE IN THE BEGINNING

This is brought out in Genesis 12:1, "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy family. The reason that God called Abraham to separate from his family and kindred is that they were idolaters. I overlooked a word in Genesis 12:1 for a long time. It is the word "had." It says, "The LORD had said to Abraham "Get the out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy family. This means when we begin to read the story of Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 God had in the past spoken unto him about leaving his country and kindred. We do not know how long ago it was. But there was delayed obedience here.

We are told in Genesis 11:31-32, "And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran." It was Terah who took the lead in the first part of the journey. It is my guess that Terah ruled the roost. When Abraham told his dad that God had called him to move into Canaan, Terah said, "Ok, we'll go." Well that was not the way it was to happen. So they went as far as Haran and went no further until Terah died.

Gills says in his commentary: "What detained Terah and his family here, when they intended to go further, is not said. Aben Ezra suggests, that the agreeableness of the place to Terah caused him to continue there; but it is very probable he was seized with a disease which obliged them to stay here, and of which he died."

God had specifically told Abraham to separate himself from his kindred and his father's house. So Terah died in Haran. This is where Genesis 12:1 begins.

ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE WAS PROMPT

After the death of his father Abraham tarried no longer. God made some great promises to Abraham in these verses. Genesis 12:1-4, "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran."

It seems to me that God reappeared to Abraham in Haran. We are not told that but we have on this occasion some special promises the LORD makes to Abraham. The LORD said:

1. "I will make of thee a great nation." He said this and at this point he had no children.

2. "I will bless thee and make thy name great." Abraham's name is great in the Jewish nation, among the Christians, and the Muslims. This is a large part of the world's population.

3. "And thou shalt be a blessing." Everyone who came into friendly contact with Abraham in his day were blessed.

4. "And I will bless them that bless thee."

5. "And curse him that curseth thee."

6. "And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." This is taken by scholars to refer to Jesus who was a Son of Abraham after the flesh. It is true that all nations of the earth have been and are being blessed by the gospel of Jesus when it is believed.

Prompt obedience is what God is pleased with. However, most Christian's struggle with the will of God for their lives. When one is called to preach, he goes to every preacher he can think of with the question, "What does it feel like when you are called to preach?" I did it myself. But the answer is always the same. You'll just know it. God has a way of speaking to us that we know His voice. We need to be careful how long we put off our obedience under the guise of "making sure."

ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE WAS PRACTICAL

We are told in Genesis 12:4 that when God spoke to him, "Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken to him." That is what faith is. It is simply doing what God says. Abraham's faith was not a hazy, nebulous belief. It was active. Hebrews 11:8-10, "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

Abraham is not complimented in the Scriptures for being theologically correct. He is held up as an example of one who obeyed God when He spoke. Faith is acting on what God says. This makes faith practical. While Abraham made some of what we might call serious mistakes, He was also a man of great faith. When God asked him to do something he did it.

ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE WAS PROGRESSIVE

Abraham reached the goal of being called the father of all who believe. This is brought out in Romans 4:16, "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,"

When you read in Chapter 12:1-9 of Genesis about Abraham's call and his obedience, you do not expect to find what you do in Genesis 12:10-20. When Abraham arrived in the land of Canaan that there was a famine in the land. We do not find Abraham praying about this matter.. He begins to reason that the best thing to do was to go down into Egypt for help. Egypt is always a type of the world. What a picture of most of us. When a great need arises we go to the world for help and if we don't find it, we go to God in utter desperation and call upon Him. Why is it always last that we go to Him? It is like your little child who when you try to help says, "I'll do it myself."

Before Abraham entered Egypt he talked to Sarai his wife and said in Genesis 12:11-13, "And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee." Sarai cooperated but it makes you wonder about a man who would do that. There certainly was no faith involved in that. He figured this out all by himself and cased the Egyptians to get in trouble with God because if it. Verse 17 says, "And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife." Abraham actually got run out of Egypt because of this. I have always believed that had Abraham prayed, God would have ended the famine in the land of Canaan. But as all of us have to grow in grace so did Abraham.

ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE WAS PECULIAR

By all human standards, it was a very strange thing that Abraham did--suddenly to pick up all his belongings, gather his family together, leave his home, his family and friends, and go off to an unknown destination. That didn't make a bit of sense to his friends and family. From all indications Abraham was well established in Ur. He was a prosperous sheep owner. He had all the equipment that it takes to make a good living and he was making it. Genesis 12:16 reveals some of what Abraham had: "And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels."

But God had something else in mind for Abraham. He was going to begin a new family. When God wanted a nation that would be His and He would be important to them, He chose Abraham and started with him. He did not choose to start with Terah Abraham's father. That is the reason that God called Abraham to separate from his family.

The lesson we learn from this is that becoming an obedient Christian will make us peculiar to the world around us. First of all, friendship with this world is forbidden for the Christian. James 4:4 says, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James is talking to believers who have gone back to the world and he wants them to know they are out of place, out of line, and committing spiritual adultery against their heavenly Bridegroom.

John is strict when it comes to the love of the world: 1 John 2:15-17 says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

Paul tells Titus in Titus 2:14, "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:"

ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE WAS PRODUCTIVE

Through Abraham's obedience all the nations of the earth have been blessed: Genesis 22:18, "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

Abraham's obedience to God when he was asked to offer his son as a burnt sacrifice on one of the Mountains of Moriah was no doubt one of the greatest acts of faith and obedience that is recorded in God's Word.

One of the things that is wonderful about the Bible is that it does not only portray the greatness of a man but it will also reveal his weaknesses. Abraham was a man like us. He made mistakes like us. But he was a man of faith. When he knew the will of God, he was not afraid to trust God. When he offered Isaac, Abraham had no doubt that if Isaac died that God would raise him from the ashes of that burnt offering and that he would come back down off that mountain with him. Hebrews 11:16-19, "But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."

Faith for today is faith that obeys the written Word. When we do this we please God. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

May the Lord encourage us through the obedience of Abraham's faith to exercise our faith in acts of obedience.

In Christ

Bro. White