There are events in each of our lives that are pivotal moments. These are those 'what if' moments where we make decisions that eliminate some outcomes and lead us to new outcomes.
"What if" I would have married my childhood sweetheart? What if I would have joined the military instead of joining the Peace Corps? "What if" I had continued to ignore the gospel call to be saved? "What if" my birth parents would have chosen to have me killed in my mother's womb instead of bravely given me up for adoption?
While each of these decisions had a profound impact on the trajectory of my life, none of these decisions would have had the slightest impact on world history.
Yet as far as Abram's experience, as a man of wealth he would make many decisions every day that would have an impact on the lives and the families of those that he interacted with. Yet there was no decision so impactful as his decision to turn to God from idols.
'What if' Abram had ignored God's call upon his life? The name Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees would have been lost in obscurity. He would have died a wealthy, childless shepherd. Certainly God would have found someone else.
However, his decision to believe God was so extraordinary that it is not an overstatement to say that all of world history centers on this one decision of Abram.
We are never told what disillusionments or tragic events led Abram to re-evaluate his position in light of eternity. We know that his older brother Haran died and this passed the inheritance of the first born down to Abram.
Their father Terah's wealth would have likely been attributed to their faithfulness to the gods of the Chaldees. Yet the price of that allegiance would most certainly have involved some degree of human sacrifice. More than likely this would have meant sacrificing a human infant, someone's child, in the fires of Molech.
One wonders if Abram's molested conscience led him to seek answers outside of such demonic portals. Whatever, the reason, Abram's encounter with God did take place outside of these evil contrivances.
He was made to see the eternal God, (Genesis 12:7; 17:1) an eternal Kingdom (Hebrews 11:8-10) and an eternal Savior-King. (John 8:56) He was caused to fear the loss of these more than his ingrained fear of the Chaldean deities.
To the reader of this post: Whatever chance occurrence may have led you here, consider how in the ordinariness of life we give scant consideration as to how our decisions have any eternal impact.
Yet think of how impactful your decision to either embrace or ignore God's revelation of Himself to you may be. The pages of our Bible reveal God's eternal purpose to restore His creation back to the Kingdom of God for which it was intended.
Each of us must decide whether the opportunities of this world can compare with the opportunity to become an heir of God's Kingdom. It all hinges on your choice to trust in the eternal God's eternal goodness or deny it all in favor of the deceitful gods of this world.
When I write here of God's eternal goodness, I am speaking of an unconditional promise of eternal life. That is, it's fulfillment depends entirely on God rather than on us. All that we are required to do is trust Him to fulfill what He has promised.
Abram was given unconditional guarantees of land, seed, blessing. As evidence of their unconditional quality, we see that the promises are restated even with Abram’s partial obedience.
"And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine [was] grievous in the land."
Genesis 12:10 KJV
Abram had been promised all of the land in Canaan and yet he journeyed into Egypt fearful of his livelihood in Canaan. Fearful for his life in Egypt, he and Sarai conspired to lie to Pharaoh by telling him that Sarai was his sister.
God proved the unconditional nature of his promises to Abram by preventing Pharaoh from taking Sarai into his harem. This led to their expulsion from Egypt and they returned back to Bethel where Abram had made his first altar unto the Lord.
This is the drawing power of the Holy Spirit and the evidence of the Divine Nature that He imparts to the believer. Even when we walk in unbelief and fear, God does not fail to keep us. Pharaoh's rebuke and expulsion of Abram and his family from Egypt served to teach Abram and Sarai of God's faithfulness.
Have you ever been rebuked by an unbeliever and it caused you to return to God’s Word? Although painful and embarrassing, it is oddly assuring of the friendship that God condescends to grant those who come to trust in Him.
"Open rebuke [is] better than secret love. Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful." Proverbs 27:5-6
It was after their return to Bethel and back to the promised land that the unconditional nature of the covenant was confirmed. The seed of Abram's faith germinated upon their return to the land. Yet God recognized the frailty of faith that is enticed out of the satanic religious systems of this world.
Condescending to human weakness, God went beyond the sufficiency of His Word in which He could not lie. He gave the greatest assurance possible to Abram by performing the blood covenant of the ancient near east.
"Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"
Hebrews 6:17-18 KJV
This custom left no uncertainty as to the commitment of the promisor. (i.e. the one making the promise) By passing between the animals that were cut in half, the promisor is graphically stating that if he fails to fulfill his oath, then he must be slain and divided as these animals are.
Abram's offering from the flocks acknowledged that all that Abram had rightly belonged to God. Beyond this, the deep sleep that God imposed upon Abram kept Abram from participating in this covenant ratification ceremony. It's fulfillment would be guaranteed entirely of God.
God' commitment to the covenant is amplified by the oven and torch emblems. These illustrated His future dealing with the descendants of Abram. His presence in the midst of His people would be evident in both the furnace of affliction as well as their restoration from darkness.
The promised seed of the woman would one day appear from Abram's descendants. That chosen nation would become that torch of God's light beckoning every other nation to come and see the salvation of the Lord. That salvation would come through one whose blood must be shed as payment for sin. The efficacy of this sacrifice is confirmed by His resurrection from among the dead.
The presence of the church today temporarily fulfills that role to which Israel was called. In this present age, the King of Israel is in exile and the appearance of His Kingdom is postponed, but not cancelled. The Kings presence in His church now serves to provoke Israel to jealousy through her temporary fulfillment of Israel's role.
"I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but [rather] through their fall salvation [is come] unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy."
Romans 11:11 KJV
Summary:
God's authority over satan is demonstrated by snatching out one from satan’s dominion and single him out for blessing. Abraham’s character was developed by God to be a channel for blessing to others in need. God chose Abram to be the source of blessing to all of the nations by challenging satan’s authority over those nations.
The Divine Nature (righteousness) was given to Abram when he believed. God's commitment to restore His Kingdom through Abram's descendants is confirmed in the ancient near east covenant ratification ceremony.
It shows us that God’s unconditional promise of land, seed and blessing is God's desire for all men everywhere to enjoy. In this way, Abraham becomes the father of faith to all who likewise believe.
smc
No comments:
Post a Comment