Random Thoughts About Abraham

I recently did some studying on the character of Abraham—not in preparation for a lesson or a sermon, but purely for personal reasons. Several thoughts came to mind, and I wanted to share them.

Abraham was a contemporary of his great-ancestor Noah. The Bible reveals that Noah lived 350 years after the flood (Gen. 9:28). A simple calculation from Genesis 11:10-26 reveals that Abram lived during the last fifty-eight years of the life of Noah. I have always marveled at the great faith Abram had developed, in spite of the fact that many of his immediate family members “served other gods” (cf. Josh. 24:2). In view of such, I have speculated as to whether or not Abram ever met his ancestor, Noah. Could it even be possible that little Abram sat on the knee of elderly Noah and asked, “Could you please tell the story again of the Ark? What was it like to see a rainbow for the very first time?” I can only imagine that the legacy of godliness somehow made its way from Noah to Abram during the final 58 years that Noah lived until the point in time within the first 75 years of Abram’s life when God called him to leave Ur (cf. Gen. 12:4).

Abraham had to leave his family, not once, but twice. When God called Abram out of Ur in Mesopotamia to leave for the land of Canaan, he stopped for a brief time and dwelt in Haran far to the northwest. Simple mathematics reveals that his father, Terah, was seventy years old when Abram was born (Gen. 11:26), which makes him 145 when Abram left Haran (Gen. 12:4). Yet, Terah died in Haran at the age of 205 (Gen. 11:32). Thus, the only possible explanation for this is that he lived his final sixty years in Haran. In other words, not only did Abram have to leave his family in Ur (Gen. 12:1), but he later left his father behind in Haran, taking his nephew Lot with him. Thus, he had to leave his family on two different occasions—once was difficult enough, but twice must have been painful, especially with his father getting older. The pains of separation are never easy, and it only reinforces how much love Abram had for God, even more than that he had for his own flesh and blood (cf. Luke 14:26).

Abraham needed to learn patience. As I mentioned above, Abram was at least 75 years old when God called him and gave him the great Messianic promise through his seed (Gen. 12:1-3). Yet, his wife, Sarai, was barren (Gen. 11:30) at the time God gave the promise. After his stay in Egypt and separating from his nephew, Lot, God reinforces His promise (Gen. 13:14-18). Yet again, after the Great War among the nations, Abram still has no child, and wonders if God is going to count his steward, Eliezer, as his child (Gen. 15), which prompts God to reinforce His promise once more. Thus, by the time that we arrive to Genesis 16 where Sarai suggests that Abram have children through her handmaid, Hagar, a full ten years has passed, since Abram is now 85 (Gen. 16:3). Ten years is a long time, especially when waiting on the promise of children! Ishmael is born, but God stipulates that he is not the son of promise, and Abram and Sarai have to wait another thirteen years, when Abram is 99 and Sarai is 90. In other words, from the time that they initially receive the promise, they waited at least twenty-five years! Abraham learned the hard way what it means when the psalmist cried, “I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope” (Psa. 130:5). Abraham not only needed to develop faith, but he also needed to learn patience!

This previous point only reinforces the difficulty of the test that Abraham faced when God told him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah in Genesis 22. The words could not be truer, but yet are so inadequate to convey truly their meaning—“Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest…” (Gen. 22:2). To have to endure what he went through just to get Isaac, and to have the time he did to enjoy him, now to be told by God to sacrifice him is a challenge that I am not sure any of us really can understand fully. Nevertheless, Abraham listened to God and intended on doing exactly what God said. No wonder we know him for his great faith!

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Memorial Stones

Early in our life, my wife and I lived in Springfield, Oregon.  When my wife and I lived there, we lived in an undesirable location.  We were young, in college, and couldn’t afford any better.  The apartments we lived in certainly did not house the upper echelon of society.  Drugs, foul language, fights, crime, and yes, even shootings were characteristic of the area.  Despite the chaos surrounding us, we created two little 5×8 strips of lawn next to our back patio.  We tried to make lemonade out of lemons.  Years after having moved, we would drive by where we once lived. Amazingly enough, things became filthier, rougher, and more run down.  The return trips we made each time served as memorial stones to us.  They were reminders of how God had blessed us and delivered us away from those former times.  Man observes many memorials, even marking their own graves with memorial stones.  The practice of memorializing an event or entity does not correspond only to modern day observances.  The Bible records many memorials.

Israel had not yet separated itself as a nation when God called Moses to deliver them from Egypt.  When Moses addressed Israel he was to declare he was sent by “The God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”.  This moniker stands as a memorial stone to all generations (Exodus 3:15).  It represents the loving kindness of God and those who would be faithful to Him.  He offered Israel salvation from Egypt if they would obey His Words and follow Him.  The name of God memorializes the fulfillment of God’s promises and the rescue from despair.  There are a number of items in the lives of the Israelites that served as memorials.  Feasts such as the feast of Passover and feast of Unleavened Bread, stones in the high priest’s ephod, sacrifices, offerings, written testimony, altars, these are a few of the memorials that Israel kept.

In the land of Canaan, the Promised Land, there exists a great border from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea.  That border is the Jordan River.  When the children of Israel came out of the Wilderness of Sinai to the Jordan River they were not able to cross by their own efforts. In Joshua 3-4, God commanded Joshua to direct the Levite Priests to carry the Ark of God to the Jordan.  When their feet touched the waters, the river piled back in a heap.  This enabled the children of Israel to cross to the other side as they did when leaving Egypt by the Red Sea.  They crossed from a wilderness of loss to a promised land of plenty.  In memorial of this event, God decreed that the people set up two sets of twelve memorial stones.  The first set was placed in the midst of the Jordan and the second set in the city Gilgal.  When future generations would ask what the stones memorialized, they were to be told of the mighty deeds of God in that place.  The purpose of the memorial stones was that all men of the earth would know of God and revere Him.  God blessed and delivered his people.

The evening of His betrayal, Jesus sat with his disciples.  He knew he would not be able to partake of the Passover with them.  With knowledge of this, He partook of a Passover meal with them at that time (Luke 22).  During this time, he gave them unleavened bread which they were to partake in memory of Him.  This memorial serves as an ordinance for the Christian of Christ’s life.  The apostles partook of it (Acts 20:7) and commanded Churches to keep it (I Corinthians 11:23ff).  During the time Christ gave the apostles unleavened bread, he also gave them grape juice which signified His blood which would be shed.  To this day, the faithful of God keep this memorial each first day of the week.  Christians understand Christ’s sacrifice as God’s offer of salvation to those who would obey His Words and follow him.  The memorial of the Lord’s Supper causes people to remember the deliverance provided by Christ from the captivity of sin and death.  Through this memorial, men of the earth know of God and revere him.  Christ is not just a memorial stone, but he is the cornerstone and foundation of Christianity (Ephesians 2:20, I Corinthians 3:11).

While there are many memorial stones in our lives and examples of such within the Bible, have you ever considered yourself to be a memorial stone?

1 Peter 2:1 -6 – Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation; if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious: unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious, ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  Because it is contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame.

Every Christian is a living stone in the temple of God (I Corinthians 3:12-16).  Each Christian stone stands as a memorial of the life that is given in Christ (Galatians 2:20).  Christian stones imitate the strength of the cornerstone which stands strong, good, and true (3 John 1:11).  Following the example of Christ, as living memorial stones, Christians cause the world to know God and revere Him (John 13:15, I Peter 2:21-25).  They demonstrate the blessing of God in their lives.  What an amazing responsibility and honor it is to be memorial stones of God!

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Looking for Signs from Heaven?

So they came to Jesus to ask for a sign. He had already turned water to wine, healed every sick person brought to Him, fed the multitudes on two occasions and spoken life changing words. Yet, they were not satisfied. What more could God do to show the authenticity of Jesus and the new covenant He was revealing? His answer was, “No sign will be given . . . except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matt. 12:39; 16:4). Now think about this for a moment. The resurrection of Jesus is God’s ultimate sign to Christians that we are His people.

The resurrection of Jesus was at the heart of preaching at the beginning of the church in the book of Acts. The apostles proclaimed His resurrection, and one could not be an apostle unless he had seen the risen Christ (1:22). The central theme of the first sermon which gave birth to the church was His resurrection—it is mentioned four times in that one sermon (2:24, 30, 31, 32). It is mentioned twice in the next recorded sermon (3:15, 26). The first persecution came about because they proclaimed this sign from heaven (4:2), and it was defended by Peter and John in both of the trials before the Jewish council (4:10; 5:30-31). God’s grace was poured out on the infant church as it preached the resurrection (4:33).

The resurrection of Jesus was at the heart of preaching as the church spread in the book of Acts. When the gospel first spread to the Gentiles, the resurrection was preached (Acts 10:41-42). The resurrection was preached in the synagogues of Asia Minor (13:30, 33, 34). As the church began in Europe, His resurrection was preached at Thessalonica (17:3) and at Athens (17:18, 31, 32). Add to this the fact that Paul mentions the resurrection at least 31 times in his epistles.

The resurrection of Jesus should be in the heart of every Christian. The sign given to the Jews was a day of rest to remind them of their days of slavery in Egypt (Ex. 31:16-17; Deut. 5:15). We were not slaves in that land, but God has given us a far greater sign. It is this sign which is at the heart of Christianity. We pray to our Father by the authority of a risen Savior (John 16:23). Our risen Savior is the only Mediator between us and God (1 Tim. 2:5). We sing in the assembly of the church with Him who was raised from the dead (Heb. 2:12). Every week we come together as a church (1 Cor. 11:18) to eat at the Lord’s table (1 Cor. 11:20) remembering Him (1 Cor. 11:25)—that it was every week is show in 1 Cor. 16:1-2). The empty tomb is God’s sign to us!

The resurrection is the only sign we need! We do not serve a lifeless idol, but a living Savior. Thank God for this sign!

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What Should Brotherly Love Encourage Us to Do?

Concerning this subject, the apostle Paul wrote some quite enlightening things to the brethren in Thessalonica about which I would like to note. Contemplate carefully the passage under consideration and the following observations:

But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. [1 Thess. 4:9-12]

First, note the priority of growing in brotherly love (4:9-10). Paul commends them due to the fact that he does not need to teach them to do so, but in fact, praises them in their fine example of loving one another (cf. Rom. 12:10; Heb. 13:1-3; 1 Pet. 1:22; 3:8; 2 Pet. 1:7). The apostle John declared that we are to see such through actions (1 John 3:18; 4:19-21), and Paul sets forth that they have done just that, not only to the brethren there in Thessalonica, but even to their brethren in Macedonia. However, note that he encourages them regarding such to “increase more and more….” In other words, though they were exemplary in practicing brotherly love, they could always improve upon such and grow. As we seek to implement such in our lives, no matter how loving we may be to our brethren, this does not indicate that we have arrived at a place of self-sufficiency. Rather, we are to realize that we can always improve regarding brotherly love. Thus, this denotes the priority it is to be to every child of God. It disturbs me at times to read of the ugliness of some of our brethren in some of our publications. While we need to learn that we do not need to compromise truth at the sacrifice of brotherly love, we also need to learn how to discuss the differences we may have with brethren without questioning their integrity or losing our love for them. We might have too much of some things, but we can never have too much of brotherly love (cf. Gal. 5:22-23)!

Second, note the process of branching out from brotherly love (4:11). He additionally commands them to “study to be quiet.” The literal rendering would showcase an interesting paradox, “Make it your ambition not to be ambitious.” Of course, this is in reference to their occupations—they were to be ambitious to work, but they were not to work as those in the world, because Christians are to have a different perspective on the world and their occupations (cf. Acts 20:35; Eph. 4:28). In other words, they were to go about their business in a quiet and restful way, serving God and using their opportunities to do good wherever they arise. Then, he commands them to “do your own business.” In his second epistle to them, he mentions busybodies (2 Thess. 3:11-12; cf. Col. 3:22, 24; Tit. 3:8, 14). The fact is that idlers become meddlers. Therefore, he tells them to stay busy doing their own work. In addition, he commands them “to work with your own hands.” He also mentions this again in the aforementioned second epistle. For some reason, some of the brethren were not working, and it is not clear as to the exact reason why. Was it because they had left idolatry and had become so enthused with their new religion that they just quit their jobs? Was it because they thought that Christ would return soon and simply quit their jobs? I am not sure that we know, although some certainly speculate. Here, it literally refers to not overseeing the matters of other people. This is not necessarily easy—many times, it is easier to run the business of others than our own business, because we know how others are to do so! Therefore, let us be ambitious to be quiet in order to take care of our own business, not trying to run the affairs of other people. This is good advice for everyone.

Third, note the product of having brotherly love (4:12). Because brotherly love extends to the point of living and working properly, they would even gain the respect of those who are not Christians. In our jobs and daily living, our activities are to be done in an honorable way so that we can reflect the fact that we are Christians. Thereby, we can gain the respect of those who are out of Christ (cf. Tit. 2:6-10; 1 Pet. 2:11-12). The truth is that we are teaching and preaching the love of God and Christ as people see us in the workplace and in our daily lives! This was not only important for the pagan society of Thessalonica, but it is just as important today! The world needs to see us making a difference! When we demonstrate the intended product, we can indeed have the peace and hope of eternal life (4:13-18)!

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The Promise of God to Abraham

In Genesis 12, we have the fundamental and critical account of God calling Abram out of the idolatrous land of Ur of the Chaldeans in Mesopotamia (cf. Josh. 24:2-3; Acts 7:2-4). In His call lies an extremely important promise:

Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. [Gen. 12:1-3]

Later, after God leads Abram to the land of Canaan, a rift develops between his herdsmen and those that belong to his nephew, Lot. After Abram wisely deals with this situation—allowing Lot to choose which portion of land to inhabit—God reiterates this wonderful promise to him again:

Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. [Gen. 13:14-17]

We may learn some important lessons from this great Old Testament promise that God made to Abram.

First, we learn that God was interested in the salvation of humanity, and planned such through this promise. It was according to the divine plan that God designed “before the foundation of the world” (cf. Eph. 1:4-5) that God, the Word, would come to earth in human form (cf. John 1:1-14). The promise of redemption through the seed of woman (Gen. 3:15) would narrow to the seed of Abraham (which later would be narrowed through the seed of Judah [Gen. 49:10] and the seed of David [2 Sam. 7:12-13; Matt. 1:1]), and the apostle Paul explains in depth that the fulfillment of this was Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:16). Therefore, after Jesus came to provide redemption from sin to humanity, he fulfilled the salvation portion of the promise that God made to Abraham. Thus, there is no more distinction between Jew and Gentile, and we need not offer any more special treatment to the Jews/Israel as a godly race. “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham…And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:7, 29). Many religious (and even political) people need to understand this today.

Second, we learn that the false doctrine of premillennialism builds itself on a false platform. One of the basic tenets of premillennialism is that the land promise that God made to Abraham was unconditional. Thus, they argue that the promise has never seen its fulfillment. However, the Bible proves otherwise. Indeed, God promised the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham. Through the efforts of Moses and Joshua, God leads these descendants out of more than four hundred years of slavery in Egypt to this Promised Land. After the twelve tribes possess and divide the land, an important statement appears in Joshua 21:43-45:

And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he swore to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he swore unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.

One problem that many have is the use of the term “forever” with respect to the promise to Abraham in Genesis 13:15. However, one must understand that the Bible does not always use the term “forever” in a completely unlimited sense. For example, circumcision was an “everlasting covenant” (Gen. 17:13), but its significance died along with the Law of Moses (cf. Gal. 5:2-6). Likewise, the observance of the Passover was an ordinance “forever” (Ex. 12:15), but its importance also ceased with the inclusion of the new covenant (Heb. 4:1-11). Thus, the land promise has already seen its fulfillment, and the fighting over in Palestine today (much less since the Crusades) only shows a lack of understanding of spiritual truths and results from the fruits of wickedness (cf. Jas. 4:1).

Third, we learn from this that we may rely upon the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His promises. In Joshua 21:43-45, we see the emphasis of God giving the land to them and the blessings associated with them receiving the land. Thus, the faithfulness of God becomes the inspiration of their faith, which is a shadow of the inspiration of our faith (cf. Gal. 3:11). The only way to trust God is to believe that God will do what He said He would do. His delay in answering the promise did not mean that He was unfaithful. Nevertheless, when I fail to see the faithfulness of God, I will fail in being faithful (2 Tim. 2:13). Any failure on the part of a promise of God is not His fault, but my fault (cf. Ps. 77:10).

May we learn these valuable lessons from this great promise of God to Abraham, and may we teach these lessons to an unlearned people who desperately need to know these things!

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