Abram was no paragon of virtue, however as we see, he did have two great virtues; Faith to believe God, and obedience to follow His word. I believe if we cultivate these two virtues they will lead us on a journey that will bring us right into the centre of God’s Will. God doesn’t take the perfect of this world, to accomplish His Will, but, those who believe and follow His directions... So keep reading.
After this... after what?... After Abram had rescued His nephew Lot, all his relatives, food & loot from the battle of the five kings, and after meeting with the king of Salem (Melchizedek) who shared bread & wine with Abram saying “Blessed be God most High who has delivered you out of the hands of your enemies” and “Abram gave him a tenth of his booty” (Gen 14 & 15).
After all this, The Lord appeared to Abram in a vision saying “Don't be afraid I am your shield, I am your reward.”
Now, Abram who was a very wealthy man answered, “Sovereign Lord I have all I want, except for a son; -------- I'll have to leave my fortune to my servant Eleizer from Damascus, He is not even a Jew let alone my own flesh and blood.”
Then the Lord took him outside and said, “Count the stars if you can, You shall have a son of your own flesh and blood and your descendants will be as numerous as those stars” v. 2-5
ABRAM BELIEVED THE LORD, AND IT WAS COUNTED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS v. 6
(When we believe what God says, it’s counted to us as RIGHTEOUSNESS)
This however, was not the end of the conversation, God continued, “I brought you out of Ur, of the land of the Chaldeans for you to take possession of it.”Abram then asked God “How will I know this will happen?”
There is nothing wrong with asking God to confirm His Word to us, in fact I believe it is necessary. We need to be sure we are hearing from God and not the world, the flesh or the Devil, so seeking confirmation through His Word, another Christian’s advice or discernment, or ones Pastor and sometimes God even uses other peoples speech or conversations. So we need to keep our wits about us at these times to truly know what God is talking to us about...
God used a Covenant to confirm His Word to Abram.
THE COVENANT:--- This was made when God told Abram to bring Him a Heifer, a Goat and a Ram (each 3 years old) also a Dove and young Pigeon. Abram cut the beasts in half lengthways, arranged them opposite each other (he did not cut the birds), He then spent the rest of the day keeping the wild birds away from the exposed flesh.
(When a covenant was made in those days the two people making it, walked through between the pieces of the carcase this validated the deal.)------- As night fell Abram fell in to a deep sleep and God gave him two prophecies. First, God told Abram of the four hundred years the Jews would be enslaved in Egypt and secondly, that he himself would have a long life then go peacefully to his ancestors. What a great thing to have God Himself confirm your eternity!!!
While Abram was still asleep and darkness had fallen, Almighty God, in the form of a smoking pot with a blazing fiery torch approached the pieces of animals (God often appeared to His people in fire).
Two examples are the Burning Bush, and the Pillar of Fire, I wonder if that is because fire is so hot we can't get too close to it. God, in Old Testament times kept Himself unapproachable, this way. He approached man on His terms, in His way. In this case God was making a point, this was His Covenant, HE was making it, He alone went through the pieces of flesh. He didn't need any help, input or assistance from Abram there were no conditions or requirements needed by God, it was His unconditional Covenant. A usual Covenant was different, it says, “You do this and I'll do that.” Not this one, God alone made this Covenant, on the bases of Abram's faith. Just four words, AND ABRAM BELIEVED GOD.
The importance of our outspoken faith in God is crucial for both our eternal happiness and our Christian identity here on earth. Remember, when Jesus said whoever confesses me before men, him will I confess before my father in Heaven.
Everyone believes in something or someone, even if they say they don’t. The problem is not that people don’t believe but, in identifying who or what they do believe, this necessitates coming to terms with, finding out and facing facts like our own mortality. Either we think we are a body that has a Spirit which also deteriorates when our bodies die like an animal bird or fish, or, that we are a Spiritual being that has a body and that there is a God who cares enough for us to have provided a place for us to spend eternity. I am convinced some people are too afraid to make that identification because if and when they do, they then have to make some further decisions. However as we grow older and closer to death, this identification process pushes for recognition and there comes a question “What is going to happen to me? (The real me) after death?” I know my body will be cremated or go back to the earth, but, what about my Soul, Spirit or the Real Me, What happens to that? These are questions we all face and need answers to.
Abram recognised and believed God, perhaps he went outside his tent one day and saw a daisy growing and said, where did this come from? or who made this?
Now to go back to the covenant. And what was this covenant? The land the Lord had given Him from the Wadi (Nile) in Egypt to the Euphrates river (that is the whole land of Cannan) would belong to Abram and his descendants forever. That's why even to this day, the Jews will not give up their land, because God gave it to them in an everlasting Covenant and He will make sure they keep it forever.
After ten years had passed since God had told Abram he would have a son of his own, no son had arrived. So Sarai his wife thought God had either forgotten or changed His mind, and she decided to do something about it herself----- God wont be pushed, bullied, or blackmailed, He will do as He decides in His own time and in His own way. However, she talked Abram in to taking her servant girl (Hagar) to conceive a child for her (quite legal in those days), but that's not what God said, just see what happens when we don't wait for God to fulfil His promises.
As soon as Hagar the servant girl was comfortably pregnant she began taunting her mistress “I did what you couldn't do” This is what happens when we take things into our own hands, a whole lot of side issues take over and give us unnecessary hassles.
Sarai soon realized there was a major problem looming, after the birth, Hagar would have to nurse the child, and the bonding would be established with her rather than with Sarai and it wouldn't be long before maybe Sarai might even loose her husband. Once we stop trusting in God, things go awry, Sarai went to Abram thinking attack is the better form of valour and she blamed him for allowing this problem to occur, even though it was her idea to push Abram into this decision. A thought here for the men, YOU are the head of the house, the buck stops with you. While your wife is there to help and give you the benefit of her advice and opinion, she may even be right most of the time, but, it's you who will often have the most balanced and unemotional opinion, thus the ultimate decision and final responsibility is yours. Now, no matter what you ladies may think, God made the rules, not me, and since He is the Creator, He's entitled. Look on the bright side, if you don't have the responsibility, you don't get the blame either.
So what happened, Abram said, “She's your maid, do whatever you like with her (peace at any price), so Sarai mistreated the girl Hagai so much so that she ran away (sometimes it costs you even if you think you are doing the right thing). She had done as her mistress had told her and here she was, depressed, tired, pregnant and no job, not knowing what to do.... Ever felt like Hagai? She sat on a desert road, by a spring no doubt pondering her options.
Scripture says, An angel came to her, How did she know he was an angel? He addressed her by name and occupation, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, Where have you come from? and where are you going?”
Hagar answered, “I'm running away from my mistress.” When we want to come right with God, He very often sends us back down the same road we ran away from, Think of the “Prodigal Son” nothing goes unnoticed, unseen or swept under the carpet with God, everything is above board and laid bare before Him, only then does He deal with it, He doesn't work in the dark or in shadows. And that's just what happened here, the Angel told Hagar to go back to her mistress and submit to her, in other words humble yourself.
(This is not easy, especially after you've been mistreated by someone, but as Christians that's exactly what we're asked to do “Love your enemies, do good to those who mistreat you” (not easy but the reward is worth it).
Then the angel added; “I will increase your descendants so that they will be too numerous to count. You are now pregnant, and will have a son, You shall call him Ishmael.” Now read Gen 16. v 12. Although it isn't in the Bible and may not even be true but is Historically and generally Theologically believed that is where the Arab nations came from and the Arabs & Jews have been adversaries ever since.
Hagar named that well “Beer Lahai Roi” which means “The Lord who sees me.” It is there to this day between Kadesh & Bered. We too need to remember that God has His eye on us, even when we are in the depths of depression like Hagar and think He has forgotten us or too busy with world affairs, we are never out of His sight, His hands or His mind.
So Hagar had a son to Abram who was then eighty six years old and he named him Ishmael. Isn't it interesting that the children who God named and I can think of at least four: Ishmael, Isaac, John the Baptist and Jesus, there were several others, were chosen to do specific tasks and I Praise and thank Him for that, particularly for the name of Jesus which was chosen for our Redemption.
When Abram was ninety nine years old and Ishmael was thirteen, God again appeared to Abram with a new covenant, “IF YOU WALK FAITHFULLY AND BLAMELESS WITH ME I WILL INCREASE YOUR NUMBERS.” Abram fell face down on the ground before God and God said, “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH YOU; YOU WILL BE THE FATHER OF MANY NATIONS, NO LONGER WILL YOU BE CALLED ABRAM; BUT ABRAHAM.” Read Gen 17. 3-16. and Sari which means Bitter, God changed to Sarah, which means Princess, I wonder if some of us ladies feel bitter about things that have happened in our lives, or about the way God has dealt with us in certain areas and somehow we've lost a bit of our faith and trust in Him. Are we a Sari? or a Princess? God loves us enough for us to trust Him with every facet of our lives, He really does know best, time and space are no problem to Him.
God also told Abraham that Sarah would have a Son in a years time and he was to be named Isaac, The Word says Abraham laughed, but I think his laugh was one of wonder and surprise rather than ridicule, as different from that of Sarah's laugh which was a laugh of faithlessness & impossibility.
God made many other promises to Abraham, including circumcision. These can be found in the remaining verses in chapter 17 & 18 of Genesis.
Not long after the circumcision of Abraham, his thirteen year old son Ishmael and all his household, he saw three men approaching his tent. (I'd like to talk a little here about the gift of Hospitality)
Remember that this was a desert and water was very precious, but Abraham ran to them and offered them rest and water to wash their burning hot feet, not only that, but He asked Sarah to get some of her best flour, which means they must also have some second grade flour, and make some bread for them, then he gets his best calf, kills it and makes a meal for them. giving them milk and cheese for afters. This tells me two things, firstly God gives us His very best and secondly He requires us to do the same. And what a reward Abraham received from the Lord. The son he had been promised over twenty five years earlier, was at last going to become a reality. In spite of the laughing, the unbelief and ingratitude of Sarah, it’s interesting here to read, that after their meal two of the men “angels” went on in the direction of Sodom, while the Lord stayed talking to Abraham. About Sodom, I wonder if those two angels were the two that turned up at Lots door in Sodom. As verse 16 of the same chapter indicates,--- “They walked towards Sodom” It's a thought.
In my opinion, Abraham’s Faith and Obedience to God’s Word is what carried him through to be the great man of God that he was. In spite of his many failures he maintained his integrity with God through these two characteristics.
Thank you for reading my thoughts on Abraham and Sarah, I pray God reveals something of Himself to you through it.
God bless you all
Phaline.
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