Abraham
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for
an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he went…. By faith Abraham, when
he was tried, offered up Isaac:and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten
son" (Heb. 11:8,17).
Abraham’s faith was tested by God in many different ways. Some of the tests he passed, some he
failed. In this article we shall focus on only the two tests mentioned in the verses just quoted.
These two tests represent the very first and the very last tests given by God to Abraham recorded
in the Scriptures. They are separated in time by about 50 years. Yet they have some features in
common. In both, Abraham was tested with respect to his willingness to be separated from persons
near and dear to him. In the first case, it was all of the relatives he grew up with in Ur of the
Chaldees. In the second case, it was his only begotten son. In the first case, it was separation by
leaving his relatives behind. In the second case, it was separation by slaying his son.
In the first case, Abraham was faithful in leaving his homeland, but he got stalled at Haran on the
way. Abraham’s father Terah had come with him, and apparently it was Terah’s desire to stay at
Haran, short of God’s goal for Abraham. For a few years, Abraham acquiesced to his father’s will
rather than to God’s commandment. But when Terah died, Abraham completed his journey to
Canaan, the land God had marked out for him (Acts 7:2-4).
The second test was much more severe for Abraham. It would have been difficult enough to get
up and leave his son Isaac behind, as he had earlier left his older relatives behind. But this time
he was asked to kill Isaac_to sever all ties with him, to give up all possibilities of seeing his
beloved son again. This time there was no stalling. Abraham did exactly what he was told to do,
until the angel of the LORD stopped him short of plunging his knife into Isaac. By this we can see
how much stronger Abraham’s faith was at the last than at the first.
Abraham, in the New Testament, is referred to as "the friend of God" (Jas. 2:23). By faith, he was
willing to be separated from earthly friends and relatives, counting it far more important and
satisfying to be the friend of God. Christians today may be called upon by God to separate
themselves from earthly friends and relatives. God may call some to go to far off countries to
serve as missionaries. Some may have to separate themselves from those near and dear to them
because of unjudged wickedness in the assembly (1 Cor. 5:13; 2 Tim. 2:20,21). Some may be
called upon the Lord to reprove a close friend or relative concerning a sinful behavior (Matt.
18:15; Gal. 6:1), at the risk of losing that person as a friend. Situations such as these may be great
trials for us. We may naturally shrink from doing anything that would cause us to be separated
from our friends and loved ones. But if the honey (Lev. 2:11) of natural affection is very strong
in a Christian, God may test that person to see if he or she will put human relationships ahead of
the relationship with God.
The lesson of faith here is this: Faith is willing to be separated from one’s earthly friends and
relatives in order to be a friend of God.
In Abraham’s second test, there was much more at stake than simply being separated from his
beloved son, Isaac. Decades earlier, God had made a promise to Abraham:"Look now toward
heaven, and tell the stars, if you be able to number them; and He said unto him, So shall your seed
be. And he believed in the LORD, and He counted it to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:5,6).
More specifically, the vast number of descendants promised to Abraham were to come through
Isaac (Gen. 17:19).
Did God know what He was doing when He asked Abraham to kill the very one who was to
provide him with a large number of descendants? Of course He did! And Abraham had gotten to
know God well enough that he had not the slightest question about what God was doing. In fact,
Abraham had gained such confidence in God that he assumed that God was going to raise Isaac
up from the dead (Heb. 11:19).
How could Abraham assume such a thing when he had never witnessed resurrection before? God
previously had introduced Abraham to the concept of resurrection when he brought life (Isaac) out
of "the deadness of Sarah’s womb" (Rom. 4:19) at the age of 90. By faith, Abraham was able to
take the lesson he had learned about the power of God in one situation and apply it to quite a new
and different situation.
Often, when God leads one of His children into a new area of service for Him, He will test that
person to see if he/she is truly trusting God totally in that service. Moses encountered frequent
opposition by the people whom God wanted him to lead. Joshua was deceived by the Gibeonites
while leading the armies of Israel against the Canaanites. The prophet of Judah was deceived by
the old prophet of Bethel while on a mission for the LORD. Both Old Testament prophets and New
Testament apostles were beaten, imprisoned, and murdered by those who opposed their testimony
for the Lord. So Abraham was tested_most severely_to see if he really still believed that God
would provide descendants for him through Isaac.
Therefore, let us not despair if we sense that God has guided us in a certain direction and
then_boom!_trouble comes in. He is only testing our faith to see if we are continuing to trust
Him totally.
Abraham thus provides us with another lesson of faith: Faith persists in depending upon the
Lord even when trials and opposition seem to be hindering God’s plans and purposes.
Sarah
"Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child
when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised" (Heb. 11:11).
The account in Genesis suggests that there was anything but faith in Sarah in this regard. "And
[the angels] said unto [Abraham] … Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the
tent door which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and
it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself,
saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said
unto Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh?… Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was
afraid" (Gen. 18:9-15).
Sarah sinned twice in this account. First, she laughed in unbelief at the words of the angelic
visitors. Then she denied that she had laughed. Where do we find faith in this?
While Sarah’s faith clearly was weak, at least at the outset, God saw in Sarah what man perhaps
failed to see, and her faith has been recorded for all to know.
We may despair of failing God so often, and having so little faith. But let us learn from Sarah this
lesson of faith: Even the weakest, tiniest bit of faith in a child of God is recognized and
appreciated by the Lord.
O Jesus, Lord, my Life, my All,
Hast Thou now set Thy love on me?
Then chain this heart, Thy captive thrall,
To beat forevermore for Thee!
I trust Thee_break my stubborn will;
I would not count the cost to me
If in the wine press love distill
From this poor bruised heart to Thee!
Yea, chasten through my pilgrim years,
In faithful, tender grace to me,
Till self shall melt to love and tears,
And lavish all its wealth on Thee!