Introduction
Growing up I had the privilege of being the youngest of three sons. If you are the youngest of multiple siblings then you know the some of the benefits that come with that position. The parents tend to spoil the youngest more than the other siblings is one of the benefits. Another benefit is leniency when it comes to discipline. Of course, now that I am older that does not seem like a benefit, but at the time it was, so I thought. Out of all the benefits that come from being the youngest sibling, the one that most benefited me in my development as an adult was the fact that I was able to watch my older brothers and learn from their example.
Having two older brothers go before gave me an idea of what choices I needed to make and what choices I needed to avoid. At the time of growing up I did not realize that they were examples for me, nor did I avoid all the mistakes that they made. But one thing I do know is that I was careful to avoid at all cost some of the mistakes they made. At the same time, I was careful to follow some of the good choices that they made. The most important choice I made in my life on the basis of one of my brother’s example was the choice to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Had it not been for a brother’s godly example I may not have made the choice I did for Christ.
As Christians, who live two milleniums beyond the cross, we also find ourselves in a privileged position. We contemporary believers, to some degree, are the younger brothers and sisters to those who have gone before us. And in the same way I was able to learn from my earthly brothers, we as Christians can learn from those fellow saints who have gone before us.
We are told in the twelfth chapter of the book of Hebrews “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us…” The command to lay aside the things that may entangle the life of faith is preceded by the fact that so many men and women of faith have gone before us. In short, we are to learn from those who went before us so that we do not become so easily entangled. When you look back to chapter eleven, where we see some of the names that went before us, you notice that each name is prefaced by the statement, “by faith.”
Those who went before us were men and women of faith. Were they perfect in their walk of faith? No! But they did remove the things that entangled them and they ran the race with endurance. The same is true of us contemporary Christians. We will never live a perfect life of faith, but we can learn from those who went before us and possibly avoid their mistakes and implement their good choices.
Although each name that is mentioned in chapter eleven of Hebrews is important, the most important, when it comes to lessons for a life of faith is the man Abraham. Why is Abraham’s life so important to the life of faith? One only has to study the New Testament to find out why. You cannot read Romans chapter four or Galatians chapter three or James chapter two or Hebrews chapter eleven without coming to the conclusion that Abraham was a man of faith. One could easily goes as far as saying that Abraham is the hero of faith found in the biblical records. One only has to read Hebrews eleven to notice that more verses are attributed to Abraham than any other person of faith mentioned in that great chapter.
Although Abraham is considered the hero of faith, he is in no way without his flaws. In fact, we will learn as much from his flaws as we will his virtues. As we observe the life of Abraham we will notice his struggle to trust God, especially when times get tough. This struggle to trust God is not isolated to the life of Abraham. Every true believer faces conflicts and trials that test our ability to trust God. Therefore, Abraham’s life gives us much to glean from concerning our own pilgrimage.
Our study will entail the life of Abraham as recorded in the book of Genesis. The life of Abraham makes up about thirteen chapters of the fifty chapters recorded in the book of Genesis. In these chapters we will learn lessons for the life of faith. The first lesson we learn about the life of faith is the lesson of origin. That is, we will learn how the life of faith begins and what it entails. One cannot understand the starting point of the life of faith and the significance of it without first observing the setting of the life of faith.
The Starting Point for the Life of Faith
Genesis 11:27-12:9
I. The Setting of the Life of Faith (11:27-32)
The last six verses of chapter eleven give us an introduction or setting for the life of faith and the life of Abraham, although at this point in the narrative Abraham is still named Abram for God has not changed his name yet. In these verses we are introduced to three aspects of the setting of the life of faith, aspects that are not positive in nature. In fact, these aspects reveal how important it is to live a life of faith.
“Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah becam the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. And Sarai was barren; she had no child. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.”
In these verses we see the setting of judgment, hopelessness, and worldliness, all of which are detrimental to life, all of which can only be overcome by a true life of faith.
A. Judgment
One cannot see the setting of judgement with just reading the text for the text does not explicitly detail judgement. Judgement is found when one begins to understand the nature of the narrative.
Moses, the author of the Pentateuch or the first five books of the Old Testament, places the call of Abram to a life of faith after the tower of Babel which is spoken of in the first nine verses of chapter eleven. In those nine verses God judges sinful man by confusing the language of the whole earth and scattering sinful man over the face of the earth. By placing the call of Abram after the judgement of Babel, Moses wants to give us a picture of God’s grace and salvation in the midst of judgement. This is parallel to the story of Noah where we have God’s grace and salvation in the midst of a terrible flood, a flood that came as judgement upon sinful man.
The only way sinful man can escape the judgement of God is by living a life of faith in God’s gift of grace and salvation. What was true for Noah and Abraham is true of you and I today. The setting we are born into and live in is a setting of judgment. This judgement can only be avoided by faith in God’s gift of salvation.
B. Hopelessness
The second aspect of the setting of the life of faith is that of hopelessness. This is revealed in verse thirty, “Sarai was barren; she had no child.” This verse describes the hopelessness that both Abram and Sarai experienced. Sarai was unable to have children. Barrenness was believed to be a major calamity in ancient times. It was believed that barrenness was a sign of God’s judgment, furthermore, it meant that the generational inheritance pattern would be disrupted and left no to care for a couple in their old age. One commentator described this verse in this way, “an effective metaphor for hopelessness…no human power to invent a future.”
For Sarai the greatest joy she longed for would not be experienced, at least in her mind it would not be experienced. For Abram there was no future for the family, no one to pass the family inheritance on to. A great deal of hopelessness consumed the aged couple, but soon and very soon a summons to a life of faith would change their hopelessness to hopefulness. Hope would be on the horizon, but only through a life of faith. God’s gift of grace and salvation not only frees one from judgement, but also brings hope and a future to the one who accepts that generous gift through faith.
C. Worldliness
The third aspect of the setting of the life of faith is worldliness, which is revealed not only in the geographical location of Abrams family, but also in the names given to certain family members.
We are told in chapter eleven that “Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran…Haran died in the presence of his father in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.” Terah was Abrams father and Abram had two other brothers, Nahor and Haran. Haran died before his father in the birthplace of all three brothers, the Ur of the Chaldeans.
After the death of Haran, Terah took his family and made his way to Canaan, but he would not make it to Canaan for we are told in verse thirty one that Terah and his family “went as far as Haran, and settled there.”
The city of Ur and Haran are significant in understanding the culture that Abram would be summonsed from. Both cities were known for their pagan worship and the chief god of both cities was the moon god Sin. The culture that they lived is not enough evidence to suggest that Terah and his family at one time were worshippers of the moon God sin, but it is highly likely that they were.
The reason for the likelihood of such a conclusion is substantiated in the names of some of Terah’s family members. Abram was married to Sarai, who in turn was his half sister. Most likely, Terah had more than one wife. In the Hebrew language Sarai’s name means “princess,” but in Akkadian language it means “queen,” which is the name of the mood god’s companion. Terah’s son Nahor married his niece Milcah. Milcah’s name is also another Akkadian term for “queen” and is the title of Ishatar, the moon god’s daughter.
When you weigh the cultural evidence as well as the evidence found within the naming of family members, it is a safe conclusion that Terah and his family were at one time worldly in their practice. They were pagan worshippers who not only worshiped the moon god, but also many other gods. Though the moon god was a prominent object of Abram’s family worship, the likely hood that they worshipped many gods is very high. Abram’s family was not monotheistic, but polytheistic. They worshipped many so called god who were associated with nature and was believed that they revealed themselves through works of nature. To obtain favor with these false gods worshipper would try to manipulate the gods through flattering and enticing the gods.
The setting of Abram’s life is the setting of all humanity. Every human born is born into judgment, hopelessness, and worldliness, and only God’s gift of grace and salvation can bring deliverance. Every one of us finds ourselves in this type of setting. The only hope of being delivered is to hear God’s summons to a life of faith and respond. That is exactly what happened to Abram; he heard the summons to a life of faith and he responded. What exactly does God’s summons to a life of faith consist of? Chapter twelve answers this question for us in the first three verses where we find the summons initiated by God, to a life of faith.
II. The Summons to a life of Faith
“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 shall be blessed.”
Chapter twelve is the beginning of the story concerning Abram and the Lord, but it is not the first time Abram heard the call of God. Evidence suggests that when Abram heard the summons from the Lord in verse one of chapter twelve that this was not the fist summons that Abram received, but instead it was renewed summons or a summons to renewal to the call of God upon Abram’s life.
A. A Summons to Renewal
We read in verse one, “Now the Lord said to Abram.” At first glance, it would seem that this is the first time that Abram had heard the call of God upon his life, but that is not the case. There are several reasons to believer that God is renewing is call upon Abram’s life. That is, God is calling Abram to rededicate his life to the journey of faith that started years before. What are some of the reasons to believe that this summons is a summons of renewal?
Chapter eleven gives indication that the Lord had called Terah, Abram’s father, to leave Ur and go to Canaan, “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan…” Now we don’t see the Lord speaking to Terah or Abram for that matter in this text, but we do see God directing them to leave Ur for the purpose of going to Canaan. This indicates that some form of God calling Terah and his family took place.
Further evidence that Terah and Abram heard the summons to a life of faith in Ur is found in two passages, one in the Old Testament and the other in the New Testament. In Genesis chapter fifteen verse seven it reads, “And He (God) said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.’” The Lord clearly declares that his first summons upon Abram came about, not while he was in Haran, but while he was in the place of his birth, Ur of the Chaldeans.
This truth is also substantiated by Stephen in the book of Acts chapter seven verses two through four, “And he said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ’Depart from your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ "Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God removed him into this country in which you are now living.”
Another reason to believe that this is a summons of renewal is found in the tense of the verb “said.” The tense is past perfect tense, which suggests that that this in not the first time that God has spoken, but is a reminder that he has already spoken to Abram and now he is calling Abram to renew his commitment to a life of faith.
Recognizing that this summons to a life of faith in verse one of chapter twelve is actually a renewed summons gives us a few lessons for our own life of faith. One such lesson is found in the life of Abram’s father Terah. We can only speculate what Terah heard from the Lord, but we do now that he did set out with his family for the purpose of going to Canaan. Whatever the case, it is safe to say that Terah never made it to the Canaan, instead he settled for what life had to offer in Haran. It is very possible that Terah started a life of faith, but became a castaway. He was no longer useful to the world because he wanted to hold on to the world, while still wanting God’s blessings upon his life. The tell of Terah is the tell of many of God’s people who start the journey of faith well, but somewhere down the road they settle for what the world offers and fail to enjoy the blessings of God that come upon a life of faith.
Another lesson to be gleaned from the summons of renewal is found in the life of Abram. Abram heard the call of God while he was in Ur, but like his father was willing to settle in Haran until he heard the summons of renewal. Even Abram at first had a hard time believing God. The truth gleaned from this is that the life of faith is a process. That is, when we begin the journey our ability to trust in God is not perfect. In fact, the journey of faith is really a journey of maturity. Abram’s life of faith will mature over the years because the life of faith is a process. Likewise, when you and I start the journey of faith it is a process of maturity. And just as Abram had his moments of struggling to trust God, so do we. Just as Abram wanted to hold on to the comfortable and worldly, so do we. It’s moments like these, when we are struggling to trust God and holding on to the comfortable and the worldly, that we need to hear the summons of renewal once again to remind us that God has something better for us than what the world has to offer.
Several years ago, while working on my undergraduate, I had the opportunity to spend three weeks at the Stephen Olford Center for Biblical Preaching for their summer institute for biblical preaching. One of the greatest joys was meeting and spending time with Stephen Olford. While there Dr. Olford told us of a time in his life where he was holding on to the comfortable and the worldly. He was drifting away from Christ and was spending his time racing motorcycles. One winter night Dr. Olford had a motorcycle accident that left him within weeks of death. As he was in the hospital his father, Fredrick Olford, who was a missionary in Africa, sent him a letter that read, “Only one life it soon shall pass, only what is done for Christ will last.” That was the Lord’s summons of renewal upon the life of Dr. Olford and he would go on to become one of the greatest preachers ever to live.
The summons to renewal is also a summons to relinquish. If Abram were going to enjoy the blessings of God he would have to relinquish the comfortable and the worldly and follow the Lord. The remainder of verse one reveals that this summons to a life of faith was and is a summons to relinquish the things that will hinder the journey.
B. A Summons to Relinquish
The summons given to Abram is stated simply “go forth.” The Imperative verb means to “go out.” The Hebrew imperative emphasizes the subjects need to leave, “You (Abram) go forth.” The picture that this command gives is one of leaving and relinquishing. One person has said that the Hebrew verb “lekleka,” which we translate “go forth,” is a Hebrew expression that has the idea of one “determinedly disassociating oneself.” With great determination Abram is commanded to disassociate himself and relinquish the things that he may put his trust in instead of the Lord.
Three prepositional phrases describe the things that Abram must relinquish if he is going to continue the journey of the life of faith, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you…” What is the significance of the things that God commanded Abram to relinquish? What exactly was the Lord asking Abram to give up?
The Lord was asking Abram to give up his past and his present situation and to trust the Lord to give him hope and a future. In a sense the Lord was asking Abram to give up the things that might hinder his progress in the journey of faith.
One can only understand the significance of the Lord asking Abram to leave his country by understanding the country that he was asking Abram to leave. I remind you the call of Abram came while he was in Ur of the Chaldeans. Scholars believe that in ancient times Ur was a port city. It was a city that flourished with prosperity because there was a great deal of trade taking place along the coastal waterways. Two great rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris, made their home in Ur. The rich soil produced corn, date-palm crops, apples, grapes, pomegranates, and tamarisks growing wild. Canaan did not compare to the luxurious comforts of Ur, yet the Lord was asking him to relinquish his country for the sake of Canaan.
Abram was also commanded to leave his relatives or his people. The Lord is commanding Abram to leave his people group and to potentially move to different place and a different culture where the people could possibly be his enemies. This command is like asking an American to leave the comforts of America and go live with the people of Iraq. By Abram living among his own people he would find acceptance, affluence, and protection, but now the Lord was asking him to leave it all behind.
Not only was Abram to leave the comforts of his country, not only was he to leave the comforts of his culture, but he was also to leave the blessings and comforts of his clan. Abram was to leave all of his immediate family. To leave his father’s house meant that Abram would have to leave his identity for the ancient world identified people with their household. Not only would Abram have to leave his identity with his father’s house, but he would also have to leave his inheritance and his right to family property. Had Abram and his family been able to move as a clan he could have kept his identity and inheritance. Had Abram and his family been able to move as a clan there would have been a small group to lend support and protection in a new country and a new culture, but no God commanded Abram to leave his immediate family behind.
This seems harsh when we look at all that God was asking Abram to relinquish, but God knows what is best when it comes to the journey of faith, and he knows what is best for our spiritual development and progress in our life of faith. For Abram and all his people throughout the ages God has consistently called us to leave the things that we may find safety and security in and place our total trust in him.
This summons to relinquish is consistently given by God to his followers throughout the Bible. Our Lord Jesus said the same thing, but in a different way, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The summons to a life of faith is always a summons to relinquish, to relinquish a life of judgement, a life of hopelessness, and a life of worldliness. The summons to a life of faith is a summons to total commitment to the Lord.
I am reminded of the humorous conversation between a chicken and pig. The pig asks the chicken, “What shall we have for breakfast?” “Let’s have ham and eggs,” replied the chicken. The pig said, “Oh no, not ham.” “Why not,” said the chicken, “I will supply the eggs and you supply the ham.” The pig then responded, “For you it only means involvement, but for me it will take total commitment.” In the same way the summons to a life of faith is not a summons to involvement, but a summons to total commitment to the Lord.
The summons to a life of faith is a summons to relinquish everything we find our security and safety in, everything we put our trust and reliance on, and trust the Lord to be our security and safety, our protection and prosperity.
But so many times when people hear the summons to a life of faith they focus on the fact that the Lord calls them to relinquish all to follow him. Even the disciples had a hard time with the summons to relinquish. The struggle on the part of the disciples to relinquish is demonstrated after Jesus’ encounter with the Rich Young Ruler. After Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” Peter responds by saying, “Behold we have left our homes and followed you.” Jesus assures Peter that though he relinquished all to follow him that he would receive a greater blessing to come.
What many people fail to understand is that though the summons to a life of faith is a summons to relinquish, it is also a summons to receive. For when we relinquish all to follow the Lord we in return the greatest blessings that do not come close to comparing to the things we give up. Abram’s summons to relinquish was also a summons to receive.
C. A Summons to Receive
Abram was to leave his country, his culture, and his clan and go “to the land which I (God) will show you…” This would take a great deal of faith and trust on the part of Abram, but God would not leave him clueless on what he would do for Abram when he responded to the summons to a life of faith. The Lord, in verses two and three, declares what Abram will receive when he complies to the command to “go forth.” In theses verses we see seven statements or promises of what God is going to do when Abram responds to the summons to the life of faith.
It is important to note a few things about these seven statements before we understand the significance of the statements. First, the fact that the Lord gives Abram seven statements or promises should not be overlooked. The number seven in the Bible often has the connotation of “completeness” or “wholeness.” The implication is that when one starts the journey of faith they start the process of becoming complete and whole as God intended for his creation.
Second, the word “bless” appears five times in verses two through three. The word “bless” appears only five times in the first eleven chapters of Genesis. By using “bless” five times in two verses, scholars believe that Moses is linking the promises given to Abram with the creation account, thus confirming that Abraham is of the seen of the woman referred to in Genesis chapter three verse fifteen. One can see that Abraham is a key figure in God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Furthermore, God’s blessing of redemption always brings a power to live life the way God intended, it enhances life, and brings about the increase of life.
The promise of blessings can be put into two categories: the first four blessings are fulfilled in the context of God making Abram a “great nation.” The last three blessings are fulfilled in the context of God enabling Abram to become an instrument that “all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
The first four promises can be considered God’s promise of provision for Abram. In this promise of provision God would provide Abram with hope and a future, with divine favor, and with character and success. The provision of hope is found in the Lord’s promise to Abram, “I will make you a great nation.” How would God make Abram into a great nation when Abram’s wife Sarai was barren? It takes ancestry to start a great nation, and Abram did not have any to offer. The provision of hope is a promise to Abram that relinquishing all would bring about a hope and a future. The very thing Sarai longed for was now hopeful instead of hopeless.
The provision of divine favor is found in the Lord’s statement, “I will bless you.” This promise of provision is not specific as the preceding and following promises. God will bless Abram both spiritually and physically. This blessing would be realized in the gift of fertility and fame. This promise is a promise of personal blessing, a blessing that will bring about prosperity upon Abram’s life. God would prosper Abram in his family, in his business, and ultimately in his faith and his journey of faith.
The provision of fame and character is found in the Lord’s statement, “and make your name great.” The Lord’s statement in this promise is in contrast to humanities statement in chapter eleven verse four at the Tower of Babel, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name.” Humanity strives to make name and become successful, but true success is found in a life of faith. It is only by trusting in the Lord and following the Lord that one can truly have a great name. The idea of a great name goes beyond fame. In ancient times a great name was a “revelation of character.” A great name referred to one who had “superior character.” A life of faith produces a life of righteous character, a character that can only find its source in God.
The final promise of provision that will be fulfilled is the promise of Abram becoming “a great nation,” is, “you shall be a blessing” or “be a blessing.” It is difficult to understand because the verb is a Qal imperative. Is this a promise or a command? I contend that for practical purposes it is both. The grammar suggests that the verb form in this promise is a command that subordinates to the command for Abram to “go forth.” Therefore this promise is a promise of purpose or consequence. As Abram obeys the Lord by relinquishing all he will then be a blessing for all to see. He would become an example a life blessed of God. The implication of this promise of purpose goes beyond just being an example. One should not negate the imperative force of the verb in this promise. If God is going to bless all the families of the earth then Abram and his descendants would have to the message bearers to the rest of the world. Thus, be blessed by God has its responsibility of letting the rest of the world know about God’s blessings. This promise of purpose comes to a climax in the seventh promise given in these verses.
The last three promises fall into two categories: the promise of protection and the promise of purpose. Both of these promises are fulfilled in the fact that “all the families earth will be blessed” through God blessing Abram.
The promise of protection is found in the Lord’s statement in verse three of chapter twelve, “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” This promise for Abram is a promise of God’s protection has he made his journey of faith. This promise is significant when you realize that the Lord was asking Abram to leave the security and safety of his country, of his culture, and his clan, and go to a place of uncertainty and hostility. God is promising Abram that though he is relinquishing what seems to be safety and security, true protection is found in the Lord. Those who would bless Abram in his journey of faith would be enriched, but those who hindered and became an enemy of Abram would be cursed. One only has to observe the life of Abram as well as the life of Israel to see that the Lord has been faithful to fulfill this promise.
The promise of purpose is the seventh and final promise, “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” This seventh and final promise of blessing brings this great passage of promises given to Abram to a climactic end. The ultimate purpose of God calling Abram to a life of faith and blessing him with so many blessings is summed up in the great promise. God was calling Abram from a life of judgment, a life of hopelessness, and a life of worldliness, not only for the purpose of Abram being an example of God’s divine blessings to the world. But ultimately God was calling Abram to a life of Faith so that through him the whole world would be blessed with the same summons to a life of faith as Abram. How would the Lord bless all the families of the earth through Abram?
The promise given in this climatic ending is a promise that is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. The Lord summonsed Abram to a life of faith and blessed him so for a purpose, that Abram may be the blessing bearer to the entire world. From Abram would come not only the Messiah for the Jews, but also for the whole world. It is through Christ that we are truly saved from the setting of judgment, hopelessness, and worldliness.
The promise of purpose is in some sense of promise of responsibility. When God blesses with those blessings come a great responsibility. Abram as well as his descendants, the people of Israel would have the responsibility of communicating the truth of the Lord to the Gentile nations. In the same way, we who are spiritual heirs of Abram through faith in Christ have the same responsibility. The Lord Jesus communicated this responsibility in this way, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." The Great Commission, as we call it, is really the Great Recommission. God summons people to a life of faith and blesses them with salvation and eternal life, but with that blessing comes a responsibility. God’s people are to communicate the blessings of salvation and life to those who find themselves in the setting of judgment, hopelessness, and worldliness. This is true for Abram according to this promise of purpose and it is also true of the church.
The summons to relinquish on the part of the Lord is always a summons to receive. Just as Abram was promised the blessings of provision, protection, and purpose; so are we who have been summonsed to a life of faith this side of the cross. When we leave all to follow Christ we can be assured that God will provide, God will protect, and that God has given us a purpose. The greatest promise that we have when we follow Christ is that God will provide us forgiveness of sins, salvation, and eternal life. But he also will provide for our daily needs as we make our way to our heavenly home. For all the promises of God are answered in the person of Jesus Christ. And we who are blessed by the life of faith have the responsibility of communicating our blessings from God to others.
One cannot help but wonder at the great promises that the Lord gave to Abram. But as great as the promises are, they would mean nothing apart from Abram’s proper response to the summons to a life of faith. If Abram was going to enjoy the blessings of God and pass those blessings on he would have to respond to the summons to a life of faith and that he did. In his response to the summons to the life of faith Abram gives us a picture of what a life of faith looks like. Abram reveals in verses four though nine the substance of a life of faith.
III. The Substance of a life of Faith
“So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. And Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him. Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.”
A key theme found in these six verses is the theme of obedience or compliance on the part of Abram to the word of God. One must understand that at the heart of the life of faith is obedience. Faith and obedience in the Bible are synonymous terms. Biblical faith is not a mere adherence to a set of beliefs. Biblical faith obeys and complies with the word of the Lord. Abram reveals this key theme in his response to God’s command by complying with the word of the Lord.
A. The Substance of Compliance
Abrams compliance is first stated in verse four, “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him…” The verb “went forth” corresponds with the verb “go forth” in verse on of this same chapter. Again we see Abram’s compliance stated in verse five, “they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.” To further state the compliance on the part of Abram, verse for says, “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him…” This was not a natural migration on the part of Abram. Abram did not get up one morning and decide to go to Canaan. Abram’s response was a response to the word of the Lord. Abram is complying with the spoke word of the Lord. This is significant because all compliance in the life of faith is compliance to the word of the Lord.
The late Danish theologian and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, in his teachings stressed the significance of “the personal experience of faith” and the importance of commitment and obedience in truly knowing God. In teaching the importance of commitment and obedience in truly knowing God he created a parable that he called “The Domestic Goose.”
In the parable Kierkegaard told of a flock of geese that lived in a barnyard. Every Sunday the flock of geese would gather together under the shade and listen as one gander preached of the glorious hope and destiny of the goose. The great goose would proclaim and remind the geese of their purpose—namely flying. Each week they would here the messages of flying and souring high above the earth. But each week the geese, instead of putting the great message of flying into practice, they would instead return to the barnyard and to their daily routine of eating. At Christmas time the now plump and delicious geese were eaten. They never knew the joy of ascending into the blue skies and souring in the clouds. Why would they never now the joy of flying? Kierkegaard contention and point of the parable is the lack of commitment and obedience to the message of flying.
The summons to a life of faith must be responded to with compliance and obedience. So many people here the summons to the life of faith Sunday after Sunday, only to go back to the barnyard and eat, never knowing the blessings that God has promised to those who follow him. Abram would do more than just listen; he would put the Lord’s word into action by doing as the Lord said.
Does your life demonstrate the substance of obedience? Do you do more than just listen to the word of the Lord? Do you comply with the words of the Lord and put them into action? The kind of faith that pleases the Lord goes beyond just a belief that God exist. In fact the writer of Hebrews put it this way, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.” In the same manner of Abram we must not only believer that God exist, but also we must also believe that God blesses the life that steps out in obedience to his word.
The key theme and key substance to the life of faith is obedience, but there are other things revealed in these verses that show us the substance of a life of faith. The second thing we can notice is that the life of faith will bring about conflict.
B. The Substance of Conflict
When one starts the journey of faith and desires to live the life of faith on a daily basis one will experience conflict. What I mean by conflict is that there will be many obstacles to the life of faith. One obvious obstacle to the life of faith is found in the fact that Sarai was barren. Of course, Abram, unknowing how God would bring it about, trust the Lord to provide him with a child. These are struggles and conflicts that each believer will face. We, who are on the journey of faith, will find ourselves at times struggling to trust in God in hopeless situations. We become paralyzed and fail to move in obedience to God’s command. But we must learn from Abram that when conflicts come of this nature we must believe in the promises of God and trust fully in God.
Another obstacle is found in verse six, “Abram passed through the land as far as the sit of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the Land.” The Hebrew word “Moreh” means “teacher.” Scholars believe that this was a place where pagan shrines were assembled and pagan teachings would be proclaimed. The oak of Moreh indicates to us that the Lord was sending Abram to a place and a culture where pagan teachings and ideas were handed down. This culture would become a constant conflict to the life of faith. This is further indicated by the statement, “Now the Canaanite was then in the Land.”
Abram was commanded to go to the land of promise and he complied, but this journey of faith would not be without its conflict. Abram would find himself in a land filled with antagonist. The Canaanites throughout the Old Testament are constant antagonists to Abram and his descendents. Furthermore, the pagan worship of the Canaanites would become a constant temptation for the people of Israel. This summons to the life of faith and the blessings of the life of faith would not be come without difficulties.
In the same manner, as we make our journey of faith to the “heavenly city” we too will find many obstacles that will try to hinder our progress in the life of faith and our continuation of the life of faith. The obstacles will come from within and from without. Those that come from without come from a world that is antagonistic to the things of the Lord. The world around us will do all it can to lay obstacles in our path, obstacles that appeal the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
One of my favorite books is the allegory Pilgrims Progress. In it the main Character, whose name is Christian, is making his way to the celestial city. But to get to the celestial city, Christian and his companions must go through the city of Vanity. In the city of vanity is a fair that goes on every day and all hours. If one is not careful walking through Vanity Fair one can be sidetracked in the journey to the celestial city.
The world that we live in is a constant Vanity Fair. As Christians we have to pass through Vanity Fair, but we must be careful not to be sidetracked by the Vanity Fair. We must avoid the obstacles to the life of faith. And this we can be sure of, a true life of faith will face conflict to that life of faith.
C. The Substance of Communication
The substance of communication takes place on the part of both God and man. In verses seven through eight we have God communicating his confirmation of his promises and his reward in response to Abram’s obedience. We also find Abram communicating his faith and God’s blessings to the dying world around him.
In verse seven is where we see the Lord communicating his confirmation and reward upon Abram, “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendents I will give this land.’” Scholars believe that the appearing of the Lord to Abram in this verse is a visible appearing, thus making this what is called a theophany, an appearing of the pre-incarnate Christ. In his appearance to Abram the Lord declares his pleasure with Abram’s obedience and confirms his promise to give him the land that he said he would. It is interesting to compare the Lord’s statement in verse one “to the land which I will show you” with the statement here in verse seven, “to your descendants I will give this land.” The Lord went from showing Abram the land to giving Abram the land. His giving of the land was conditioned on his complying with the command of the Lord. Abram complied and the Lord communicated his confirmation of the promise by giving Abram the land that he said he would show him.
We see two aspects of Abram communicating his faith and God’s blessing to those around him: his walk and his worship. Abram, by the way he lived his life seem to influence others to take this journey of faith with him. We see this truth revealed in verse four, “Now Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him.” Verse four tells us that Abram nephew, Lot, went with him. Some have suggested that this was disobedience on the part of Abram because he was to leave his father’s household and go the land of promise, but that that should not be the conclusion of this statement. The text suggests that Abram went with his uncle voluntarily. It would be safe to conclude that Abram’s life of faith had such an influence on Lot that Lot himself was willing to leave it all and follow Abram and the Lord.
The substance of true faith communicates to those around the hope that is found in the Lord and influences those we come in contact with. The way we live and walk communicates to those around us the hope that we have. I am a Christian today because one of my older brothers communicated his life of faith to me by the way he lived his life. True faith communicates through the way one lives.
We also see Abram communicating his faith and God’s blessing through worship. In verses seven and eight it is recorded twice that Abram built an altar and worshipped the Lord. There significance of Abram building altars goes beyond the act of worship and truly moves to the act of witnessing. The altar was built for the purpose of having a sacrificial platform for worship. It was common in the pagan religions to have an altar as a sacrificial platform. Building an altar for the purpose of worship communicated to the Lord both gratitude and devotion, thankfulness and consecration.
Abram’s response to the Lord’s communication of confirmation of promise and reward in the first part of verse seven was one of gratitude and devotion. But it was also a declaration and proclamation to those around of the goodness and mercy of God. The building of altars was also a means of introducing the worship of a god in a new land. In the case of Abram he was introducing the worship not of a new god, but instead the only true God to a pagan nation, steeped in judgment, hopelessness, and worldliness. The altars that Abram built were flags that the stuck in the ground claiming the land for the Lord, but also proclaiming the name of the Lord.
In fact, what Abram is doing is fulfilling his responsibility of communicating the blessings of God to a dying world around him. Yes, the Lord was going to bless him, but with that blessing came a responsibility, to proclaim the name of the Lord to the ends of the earth. We see this taking place at the second altar that Abram built, “Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.” Abram built an altar and he “called upon the name of the Lord.”
The expression “called upon the name of the Lord” is used in Genesis chapter four verse twenty six and has the meaning of public proclamation of faith in the one true God. It refers to expressing one faith through prayer and praise. Martin Luther went as far a translating this phrase, “preached the name of the Lord.” Abram stuck a flag in the ground and started preaching the name of the Lord to those around him.
True faith must communicate to others the grace and mercy of God. The Lord told Abram in verse two that he would make his “name great” or “famous,” and Abram’s response was to make the Lord’s name famous to all around him. The substance of a life of faith is communication, both on the part of God and man. God communicates his favor upon a life of faith, and a man or woman who lives a life of faith has the responsibility of communicating their faith and the blessings of God through their walk and their worship, through their practice and their proclamation.
Every child of God must communicate to others the blessings and hope that are found in Christ. Charles Spurgeon communicated this need very well, “Having joined the church of God, are you content to let those around you sink to hell? What! Never tell of Christ’s love? What! Never speak of salvation to you own children? Can this be right? In God’s name wake up! What are you left on this earth for? If there is nothing for you to do, why are you in this sinful world?” The Lord has blessed us through faith in his Son and we must in turn communicate that blessing to others. That is what we are here for church!
D. The Substance of Continuation
The fourth and final observation concerning the substance of a life of faith is that of continuation. That is, a life of faith is one that perseveres and continues the journey of faith. This is what we see in verse nine, “Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.” The Hebrew verb that we translate “journeyed” literally means to “pull up the tent and move to another place.” The picture that the verb communicates is a journey that continues to take place and this journey takes place in stages.
The continuous aspect of Abram’s journey of faith should characterize every journey of faith. This continuous aspect is important when you realize that Abram had not received most of the blessings that God would provide. In fact, many of the blessings that God promised to Abram, Abram himself would not see fulfilled, but his descendents would. The writer of Hebrews declares that Abram and those men and women of faith like him “died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance.” In spite of this, Abram continued to trust the Lord day by day to take care of him. Abram patiently made his journey of faith as he waited for the Lord to act on his promises, some of which were at a distance. What kept Abram going? Abram had a greater vision, not of an earthly city, but a vision of a heavenly city “whose architect and builder is God.”
The substance of continuation on the part of the life of faith finds its source in patients and submission; patience in the will and timing of God and submission to the sovereignty of God. Those who understand that “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much” cultivate the substance of continuation
Another aspect that helps God’s people in the journey of faith is understanding that the journey takes place in stages. As we study the life of Abram we will notice the many stages of his journey of faith. Abram’s journey is represented by stages of failure and well as stages of success. There are times in Abram’s journey where he fails to trust God and take things in his own hands. There are times in Abram’s journey where God asks Abram to do something great and he responds with a great trust in God’s ability to take care of him.
What stage do you find yourself in? For some of you the journey has not begun because you have never responded to the summons to a life of faith. For some you have started the journey, but somewhere along the road you have been sidetracked. For some you are right where you need to be and God is stretching you and maturing you in ways you never experienced before. You keep trusting for the Lord will provide you every need.
One of the most influential men that really made a difference in my life and ministry is a man by the name of David Hamilton. I met David while serving at First Baptist Church of Dallas. David was the right hand man of Dr. O.S Hawkins, a working relationship that started in Ada, Oklahoma and lasted some twenty something years. When David came on staff at First Baptist something started to take place in his life that would change his life forever. His vision started going bad and he was having terrible headaches. It was soon after the appearing of these symptoms the doctors found a baseball-sized tumor in the middle of his brain. Doctors were not giving him much hope concerning surgery. If he made it through surgery it was highly likely that he would be in a vegetable state for the rest of his life. There was a slim ray of hope, that he would live and that he would be able to function with some sense of normalcy. David made it through the surgery. His vision will never be the same and his speech was affected, but God pulled him through.
Because David’s eyes were never the same he could not drive, so I had the responsibility of driving David to visit hospitals, nursing homes, and shut-ins. One day as he and I were talking about his surgery and condition I asked him how he was able to make it through such trying times. His answer was short and simple, “You look up to Jesus, for Jesus is always faithful to his promises.” That is what kept him going in this stage of his journey, the faithfulness of a loving savior. Though at times we are unfaithful to God we can always be assured that God will be faithful to his promises.
