The Example of Faithfulness in Abraham
While his biography only covers about a dozen chapters in Genesis, the rest of the Bible says quite a bit about the great man named Abraham, listing his name over 300 times, including numerous references to his covenant with God and his seed. The Bible even refers to “the God of Abraham” almost twenty times. In Genesis 17, we may well remember that God changed his name from “Abram” (exalted father) to “Abraham” (father of multitudes). One of the many compliments that the Bible attributes to him is his reference, “the friend of God” (2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8; James 2:23).
The one quality of life that separates Abraham from so many others was his faith. He is the epitome of faithfulness—literally, full of faith. Notice that Abraham believed God. The apostle Paul penned, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). Faith necessitates itself upon believing: “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” (Heb. 11:6). One cannot have faith without believing that God exists, but this is not sufficient, because even the devils believe (James 2:19). Thus, we see further that Abraham believed God when he believed the word of God. Paul later wrote of him, “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, ‘So shall thy seed be’” (Rom. 4:18).
Therefore, when God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees in Genesis 12 and established His divine covenant linked with certain promises, Abraham believed God. Nevertheless, notice what Paul noted about the faith of Abraham: “…against hope believed in hope.” This simply means that his faith in the word of God was such that he believed God, even when what God said was literally and completely unbelievable from a human standpoint. He distinguished himself from his wife, Sarai, when God told him that the fulfillment of his promises would be in the birth of a child at a very old age. In fact, the next verses describe such:
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. [Rom. 4:19-21]
Therefore, if we are to follow the example of the faithfulness of Abraham, we must develop the type of faith that Abraham had. How tragic that some think that they have faith in God, although they refuse to believe what God teaches when such contradicts human reasoning (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18-29).
Many years before Nik Wallenda most recently televised his act, a great crowd gathered in 1859 to watch a European daredevil by the name of Jean Francois Gravelet (professionally referred to as “The Great Blondin”), attempt to go across Niagara Falls amidst swirling winds on a wet, slippery wire. As he picked up his balance pole and began to cross, the crowd became silent. When the wind suddenly shifted, causing “The Great Blondin” to come so very close to certain death in the icy waters below, their breathlessness turned to gasps. As the crowd chanted his name, he walked safely across amidst the deafening roar of the crowd. Legend states that when “The Great Blondin” announced that he was going back across, the crowd of spectators went crazy. He asked the crowd if they believed he could do it, and they responded, “Yes, we believe!” Then he asked, “Which one of you will ride on my shoulders?” The crowd went silent—no one breathed. Finally, after three requests, a man responded—his manager, Harry Colcord. This time, the crowd watched silently as the pair walked through the mist and winds, over the slippery wire, and safely to the other side. In like manner, God asks, “Who has the courage to ride on my shoulders through the dangerous winds, over the slippery wire of life?” Abraham did—will you?