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Known without dispute as the Father of the Jewish Nation,
Abraham is not just a hero of faith but a truly
towering example of one. In all the patriarchs mentioned in Hebrews 11,
Abraham is more than just a few lines long (vv8-19). We are looking at a
biblical giant who provided the roots for a Jewish nation.
Of all that we know of Abraham, one notable feat stands taller
than almost anything else others might have done that is recorded in the Bible.
In his unstinting obedience to God, Genesis 22:2 recorded that he would carry
out the inexplicable sacrifice of his one begotten son:
“Take your son, your only son – yes, Isaac, whom you love so
much – and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering
on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
Abraham’s trust in God lays the foundation for a few things.
Many see this as a foreshadow of how God the Father sacrificed His Own Son and
wishes us to understand the significance of losing one’s child for the sake of
saving all of us. The act of going forth with the sacrifice says much about
Abraham’s faith in God that He would resurrect Isaac or provide a substitutionary
sacrifice. But just like any cliff hanger, God intervened at the very last
minute and supplied the necessary ram.
While the death of Isaac would have made God’s promise to
Abraham a mockery, it was more about the patriarch’s preparedness to trust and
obey that truly exemplifies his ultimate faith in God that makes him stand out
from the rest of the heroes of faith.
From Abram, the name change to Abraham underscores God’s
intention with him. That he would be the founding father of the Jewish nation,
Abraham’s name reflects his change of role from “exalted father” (Abram) to the
“father of a multitude.” This change symbolises God’s covenantal promise to
pave the way through Abraham in multiplying his descendants and thus build the
great nation of Israel to which God can then call His Own.
And of course the cornerstone of all of these was His blessing
that Abraham would have an offspring that would be the wellspring of the whole
nation in the making. All the patriarch had to do was simply obey and follow
all of God’s instructions.
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It was therefore with Abraham that God established His covenant
and with this all-important step came his first test. As Sarai (later, Sarah)
his wife was barren, they were childless but Abraham displayed great faith and
trust by first leaving the comfort of their home and leading his clan in
accordance to God’s instructions to an unknown territory called Canaan. With
his wife, nephew Lot and his entire family, Abraham prospered under God, making
their new home in the Promised Land amidst surrounding pagans.
Even so Abraham was not without his vulnerabilities and he had
his own moments of wavering where his faith was severely tested. For example
when famine struck harshly, Abraham failed to hang on and await God’s provision
but instead he packed his family up and went looking for his own solution. This
took him all the way to Egypt where more troubles awaited him.
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While the lie was, in his eyes, well placed, it was also a sign
of his lack of trust in God. In succumbing to sin, Abraham’s faith had
fractured – he failed to believe that God would protect and provide for him and
his family. And of course while it all backfired for Abraham, God was there to
deliver him from an otherwise disastrous piece of decision-making. Hence the
covenant promise remained intact, no thanks to Abraham. Not just that; the Lord
brought skin afflictions upon Pharaoh and his family as a way of telling him to
return Sarah to her husband untouched.
(above) Hagar and Ishamel are sent away
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That was not the only point of human weakness for Abraham and/or
his wife. More years had gone pass and both had taken turns to question God’s
promise. When God promised a child would come into their lives, it was Sarah
who not only disbelieved but again decided to take matters into their own
hands. Fate was sealed when she failed to understand that God’s promise of a
child would be fulfilled through her. Instead Sarah compelled her husband to
sleep with their Egyptian slave, Hagar, from whom Ishmael was then born.
But that was not the covenant God struck with Abraham. The
promise of deliverance was not through an Egyptian maid but through Sarah,
Abraham’s Jewish wife. The promised son would eventually be born – against
Sarah’s disbelief – a year after Abraham had turned 99 years of age.
Still the tests kept coming. Still Abraham failed them. To King
Abimelech, Abraham again resorted to lying concerning Sarah’s identity but of
course none of these could hold a wick to the ultimate test, which Genesis 22 (and
Hebrews 11:17-19) faithfully recorded as also his greatest triumph simply
because he chose to obey no matter what it might or might not mean to him as a
father.
This alone elevated Abraham’s show of faith in ways that
belittle every other trait of weakness he might have had before.
Achievements
God made him the great
patriarch of Israel and to New Testament believers, “He is the father of us
all” (Romans 4:16). Despite his earlier failures, in the end, God was pleased
with his faith. Also among his achievements, Abraham was visited upon by God – once
in a vision and another in the form of three visitors to their tent. Biblical
studies suggest that the mysterious “King of Peace” or “King of Righteousness”
is Melchizedek, who not only blessed Abram who offered tithe but was also the
theophany of Christ. Let’s also not forget how Abraham rescued Lot from
captivity following the Battle of the Valley of Siddim.
Lessons in Life
It was only after a
protracted period of time that Abraham understood the gravity of God’s purpose
and promise invested in him; that despite his weaknesses, nothing will stop God
from using anyone He appoints to be his servant. We might be foolish but when
steeped in faith, God will find us useful and His calling will come to us in
stages.
Personal Strengths
Tested several times,
Abraham’s ultimate show of faith to the will of God including the time when he
found courage to overcome a powerful enemy coalition.
Personal Weaknesses
Impatience, fear and
inclination to lie when under pressure
Hometown
Born in the city of Ur of
the Chaldeans, which is present-day Iraq; he travelled 500 miles to Haran (now
in south-east Turkey) with his family as God instructed and stayed until his
father’s death. In the next calling, Abraham moved a further 400 miles south to
reach the Promised Land and lived there till his final days.
Occupation
Head of a semi-nomadic clan
of herdsmen; highly successful as a rancher and shepherd; raised plentiful livestock
and farmed the land.
Family Tree
Terah (father, who is a
direct descendant from the line of Noah via Shem); Nahor (brother); Haran
(brother); Sarah (wife); Ishmael (son); Isaac (covenant son); Lot (nephew)
Biblical References
Genesis 11:25; Exodus 2:24;
Acts 7:2-8; Romans 4; Galatians 3; Hebrews 2, 6, 7, 11
Key Verses
Genesis 15:6 > “And
Abram believed the Lord and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his
faith.”
Hebrews 11:8-12 > “It
was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to
another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without
knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him,
he lived there by faith – for he was like a foreigner – living in tents. And so
did Isaac and Jacob who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently
looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built
by God. It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she
was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And
so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead – a nation
with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the
seashore, there is no way to count them.
Next Up
Heroes of Faith Part 4 - Sarah; November 21 2014
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