Weakness, Perseverance and Posterity

Abraham was ordinary except for his faith. He was not perfect but it is too easy to over-estimate his weaknesses if we do not consider the context in which he daily faced trials. Abraham was called to be a sojourner in a land, whose wickedness was so great that God had decreed to destroy its inhabitants and to give the land to his descendants half a millennium later when the sins of the Amorites were complete. Moreover, he was told to walk all over the land to claim every part by faith for his descendants. From city to city where they travelled, he requested Sarah to say that she was his sister, lest the people there were godless enough to kill him for her, for she had exceptional beauty. Once, under Pharaoh in Egypt where they sought refuge during a famine, and again under Abimelech in Gerar of the Philistines, this tactic proved a useful preventive. Both Pharaoh and Abimelech in turn took Sarah and when chastised by God, pointed at Abraham in turn who was only being wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove.

Abraham’s faith knew no anti-climax or turning back. When very old, after God had blessed him with all things, he forgot not God’s Covenant extending to his Seed and sent his eldest servant to Haran to take a wife for Isaac, seeing that the Canaanites were under God’s judgement. One cannot read this account without being touched by God’s goodness in leading this faithful servant straight to Rebecca and completely answering his prayer outside Nahor’s city, even as he was still praying! Abraham lived to see Jacob born. Isaac and Jacob in their turn took Abraham’s God as their God. Jacob’s descendants sojourned in Egypt until God raised Moses to lead them out, accompanied with mighty acts of wonders, “for God remembered His holy promises and Abraham his servant.” 14 generations from Abraham, God raised up King David, a man after God’s heart! 28 generations later, Jesus Christ was born.

It is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a bondmaid and the other by a free-woman. Human weakness made Abram yield to Sarai’s insistence to have Hagar bear them a child. In their days, powerful men and kings were allowed to have more than one wife, and this was not considered adultery so long as the wives were not another man’s , but it is not so today with progressive revelation of God’s perfect will for one man to have one wife. As a result, Ishmael was born, who became the father of 12 princes and Arab states that till today are still enemies of the descendants of Isaac, the child of promise. After Sarah’s death, Abraham married Keturah, whose descendants and those of his concubines were also sent to the East, adding to the Arab nations. This would be difficult to understand except that God’s promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations was to have physical fulfilment. But as for the multitude of children by the free-woman, we all are who follow in Abraham’s footsteps and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory!
Is Our Faith Right?
Dear friends, are we sojourners in the steps of faith in which Abraham walked, leaving behind Ur’s worldliness, idolatry and ecumenical compromise to be separate and holy unto the Lord? Biblical faith is not visions and positive visualising commonly found in today’s religious circles, that do not result in godly living but only stimulate base senses and serve no spiritual value . Rather faith is simple and sincere and starts with a grateful, seeking heart that will respond in obedience to God’s revealed truth and will. And that is all there is to it, as Abraham’s life and faith shows!

Today the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every believer, for therein the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. If we in faith obey Jesus’ commands, we too shall be accounted His friends. Trials and tribulations that may come shall only serve to perfect our faith for we shall have sanctified the Lord God in our hearts as our blessed hope ! O may we yearn to enter into that experience of fellowship that Abraham found with God!