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The Faith of Abraham
Read Genesis 12:1–8. What do these verses reveal about Abram (later Abraham) and his calling by God?
Abraham, a descendant of Seth, was faithful to God, even though some of his relatives had begun conforming to the worship of idols, that was so prevalent in their culture. But God called him to separate from his kindred and his comfortable surroundings in order to become the father of a nation of worshipers who would uphold and represent the true God.
No doubt he and Sarah influenced many to accept the worship of the true God. But there was another reason, too, why God called Abraham to father a new nation. “ ‘Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws’ ” (Gen. 26:5, NKJV). And another as well: “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).
At the same time, however, Abraham had some crucial and painful lessons to learn.
Read Genesis 22:1–18. Why this terrible test for Abraham? What was the real message God wanted him to understand? vss. 8, 13, 14.
As we have seen, the plan of salvation centers around the death of Jesus, God’s son, and from the start this death was symbolized by the sacrificial system of worship. While the Lord wanted people to use only animals, in the pagan cultures folk actually sacrificed their own children, something that God said He hated (Deut. 12:31). Whatever powerful personal lessons about faith and trust Abraham learned through this trial, this act stands through the ages as an incredibly powerful symbol of the centrality of the death of Christ for salvation. Abraham, we could imagine, got a small taste of the pain that the death of Christ must have caused the Father, yet only through Christ’s death could humanity be saved.
Dwell on the kind of faith that Abraham exhibited there. It is truly amazing; one hardly can imagine it. What should this teach us about the weakness of our own faith?
| WEDNESDAY | June 29 |
Read Genesis 12:1–8. What do these verses reveal about Abram (later Abraham) and his calling by God?
Abraham, a descendant of Seth, was faithful to God, even though some of his relatives had begun conforming to the worship of idols, that was so prevalent in their culture. But God called him to separate from his kindred and his comfortable surroundings in order to become the father of a nation of worshipers who would uphold and represent the true God.
No doubt he and Sarah influenced many to accept the worship of the true God. But there was another reason, too, why God called Abraham to father a new nation. “ ‘Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws’ ” (Gen. 26:5, NKJV). And another as well: “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).
At the same time, however, Abraham had some crucial and painful lessons to learn.
Read Genesis 22:1–18. Why this terrible test for Abraham? What was the real message God wanted him to understand? vss. 8, 13, 14.
As we have seen, the plan of salvation centers around the death of Jesus, God’s son, and from the start this death was symbolized by the sacrificial system of worship. While the Lord wanted people to use only animals, in the pagan cultures folk actually sacrificed their own children, something that God said He hated (Deut. 12:31). Whatever powerful personal lessons about faith and trust Abraham learned through this trial, this act stands through the ages as an incredibly powerful symbol of the centrality of the death of Christ for salvation. Abraham, we could imagine, got a small taste of the pain that the death of Christ must have caused the Father, yet only through Christ’s death could humanity be saved.
Dwell on the kind of faith that Abraham exhibited there. It is truly amazing; one hardly can imagine it. What should this teach us about the weakness of our own faith?
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