Doubting Abraham

What is faith? The writer to the Hebrews gives us the definition in just a few simple words: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” [Heb 11:1] And then he goes on to list, one after another, the heroes of the faith. Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David. . . . The list goes on and on. And note that Abraham gets 13 verses while Moses only gets 9. But no matter how many verses they got, they all have one important thing in common. “All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them.” [Heb 11:13]

But it’s not just the number of verses that tells us where Abraham stands in the honor roll. Abraham isn’t just a great model, he’s also the one whose example assures us that faith alone justifies us as well. The church in Galatia was struggling with what it meant to be justified by faith alone, struggling with the idea that non-Jews could be acceptable to God. And Paul points out that Abraham was the first to be justified by faith. “Abraham ‘believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’” and goes on to reassure these Gentiles that “those who believe are the descendants of Abraham." [Gal 3:6-7]

But do we have enough faith? Many of us wonder if we do. How much is enough? Do you ever find yourself hedging your bets, you know, trying to believe that God will “work all things together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,” [Rom 8:28] and yet keeping a little bit of yourself back for your own use, just in case things don’t work out? Or saying to yourself, “God helps those who help themselves,” and going ahead with your own plans to control your future? A lot of people are surprised to find that that’s not in the Bible. The Greek fable-spinner Aesop said it first, but we Americans get it from Benjamin Franklin, probably in Poor Richard’s Almanac. What the Bible says on the subject is a little different: “Those who trust in their own wits are fools.” [Pr 28:26a] But following Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight,” is easier said than done.

But guess what? If you’re one of these wobbly-faithed people, you are far from being alone. In fact, Abraham is right down there in the weeds with us. Even though God made Abraham a specific promise, right out loud, with details.

This is the vow God made to Abraham way back in the 12th chapter of Genesis.

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. . . . When they had come to the land of Canaan, . . .the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." [Gen 12:1-7]

God made seven promises to Abram in this short passage, but not one of them can come true unless Abraham has a son. What’s a blessing worth, anyway, if you can’t pass it on so that your name won’t be forgotten? At least that’s what the people of that time and place thought. And you certainly can’t become a great nation without offspring. And here we are three chapters later, and Abram has not exactly covered himself with glory so far. All right, he did get up and take his household and flocks and set off for Canaan. And he did let Lot have his first choice of what part of the land he got when they had to split up. But look what he did in Egypt! He tried to pass off his wife Sarai as his sister so that Pharaoh wouldn’t kill him when he took her for his harem. It’s a good thing that Abram’s faith was counted as righteousness, because he was occasionally a little short in the actual righteousness department.

But even with all that faith, Abram keeps badgering God. “When are you going to live up to your part of the bargain?” is how our passage begins.

It’s a good thing - for all of us - that God is patient. He doesn’t berate Abram for wavering. In fact, he repeats the promise, and the Bible tells us that Abram believed. This is, in fact, where the phrase Paul quotes comes from: “Abraham ‘believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ [v. 6] This very same attitude is shown later on in Jesus’ ministry, when a man who wanted Jesus to heal his daughter cried out "I believe; help my unbelief!" [Mk 9:24] Because, you see, it is not the size of our faith that matters, it is the infinite faithfulness of God - who gives us faith enough to ask.