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 whither he went. Hebrews 11:11
Through our studies over the past several weeks, we have seen faith exemplified through the characteristics, actions and situations in the lives of several prominent Biblical characters. The Hall of Faith, as Hebrews chapter 11 is so eloquently referred to, records the events of a diverse people throughout hundreds of years of history. Today, the bottom line for us is that it will be our faith which will provide the needed encouragement in times of trials, testing, trouble and tribulations.
In the case of Abraham, previously called Abram before God changed his name in Genesis 17 and made him the father of many nations, we find that his faith was Tested very early. Abraham had been living with his family in Haran engaged in the daily struggles of anyone else in this rugged land. One day, however, God spoke to Abraham and called him to leave his home and come out from among his people. Abraham had no idea where he would be going, but trusted God in His promise that he would receive an inheritance which, from that vantage point, he could not yet envision. This would be a great test of anyone’s faith! Abraham was 75 years old when he departed Haran and travelled to Canaan where the Lord appeared to him and promised him that this land would become an inheritance for him and his descendants. Practically speaking, the inheritance of a land that would one day become his and passed down to his descendants required no faith whatsoever. In his current state, Abraham was lost and outside of God. The apostle Paul makes reference to this in the eighteenth verse of the fourth chapter in the book of Romans: Abraham was “against hope”. Yet the test of his faith brought him out of the comfort of his own land and took him hundreds and hundreds of miles toward an inheritance promised by God.
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. (Hebrews 11:17)
The testing of Abraham’s faith was measured by his separation from his family and his comfort zone. But now, the Trial of his faith became the sacrifice of his only begotten son. Whereas the test of separation may have been grave, the trial of sacrifice must have been grievous. One could only imagine the thoughts passing through Abraham’s mind as he trudged up the hill of Mount Moriah with Isaac, the promised seed, along side (Genesis 22:1-20). Now well into triple digits of age, Abraham by this point in his life understood that only by faith could he please God.
Abraham was tested by separation from his family. He was tenacious in his attempts to save Lot from the impending destruction of Sodom. He was tested in believing that God would provide him a son when he and his wife were well into their elderly years. In all these areas, even though Abraham made mistakes within the Hall of Faith, those mistakes are left unmentioned. Abraham’s faith is the picture of a saving faith. His faith is what gives us hope that even though we have sinned, those sins will be completely forgotten when covered by the blood of Christ. We can be encouraged today when we evaluate Abraham's faith with the intent of exemplifying his trust and dependence upon God. Picture Abraham with me, if you will, as he walked up that hill with his young son Isaac asking him, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?". We all know the end of this story. We know that just prior to Abraham and Isaac's departure from the servants, Abraham’s faith was fortified by the precious promise that through Isaac, his seed would be multiplied. It was Abraham’s words to the servants that morning that gives us a glimpse into his heart and the incredible faith he had in our Lord. For he told them that day, “Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you." Most would have thought that Isaac’s fate was sealed, but on that day it was not a fatality that was seen, but rather a future. Abraham’s trial of faith proved to God that there was nothing between him and his Maker. Rather than arguing with God or making excuses, Abraham simply obeyed Him. Abraham made the journey up Mount Moriah with the full intention of sacrificing his son, Isaac, but trusting that the Lord would resurrect him from the dead solely to fulfill His own promise to multiply Abraham's seed.
Abraham answered Isaac’s question about the lamb required for a burnt offering by assuring him that the Lord would provide Himself a sacrifice, which would ultimately be a ram caught nearby in a thicket by his horns. I am fully convinced that as Abraham and Isaac walked up one side of Mount Moriah, the ram was walking up the other side! The picture we are given in this episode of Abraham's life is that of a ram caught in a thicket, a gathering of thorns wrapped around his head and the sacrifice of a son, a picture that God gave us of the sacrifice He would make one day in that very same spot on Mount Moriah, which would eventually become the city of Jerusalem where our Lord and Saviour, the living Son of God, was crucified for our sins at Calvary.
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