The Faith of Abraham

In Genesis 22, Abraham obeys God even though it appears God is asking him to sacrifice his son Issac. Issac was the son of promise - the one from whom the great nation (Gen 12:2) promised to come from Abraham was to come and, ultimately, the line through which all nations would be blessed (Gen 12:3).

Abraham's confidence in God has not lost its impact on us thousands of years later. We still marvel that he could obey the Lord even as he expressed unwavering confidence in God's ability to provide a lamb for the sacrifice (Gen 22:8). Hebrews 11:19 suggests that Abraham even considered that God might have him go all the way to the point of sacrificing his son but that God could raise his son from the dead. What amazing confidence in our Lord! He has no evidence of a resurrection, but he knows the Lord can be trusted no matter how grim the circumstances. God's power to save and His power to honor his covenant cannot be thwarted, and he proves this once for all in the redeeming work of Christ on behalf of all who call upon the name of the Lord.

Genesis 22 is often called the "faith chapter" of Genesis, but strong demonstrations of Abraham's faith continue into chapters 23 and 24. He does not just have a "mountaintop experience." He continues expressing his faith in very concrete ways. God had not simply promised to make Abraham a great nation but also to give him a specific land (Gen 12:1). When Sarah dies, he jumps through the appropriate hoops to secure a proper burial place for her in the land that the Lord has promised to Abraham's descendants. Though God has not yet given the land, Abraham believes so strongly that He will give it that he buries Sarah there.

In Genesis 24, Abraham sent a servant back to his family to find a wife for Issac. He does not allow Issac to return there lest he be tempted to return to the safety of family and neglect God's plan. Yet, he also selects a woman from among his family and sets up Issac for success by ensuring that he avoids the intermingling with the Canaanites which in later years lead the Israelites to accept other gods and compromise in their worship of the One, True God. In setting up Issac for success, Abraham is continuing to demonstrate true faith in God by taking practical steps of obedience.

The evidence of authentic faith is obedience. In Genesis 22-24, we see a man who believes God and obeys Him without the benefit of looking back on the cross of Christ. When we consider the faithfulness of God on our behalf as demonstrated at the cross, how can we falter in believing God? How can we not obey?

Lord give us the kind of faith that obeys you in the face of seemingly insurmountable circumstances. Let us remember and truly believe that there is no greater blessing than knowing You, and let us live our lives in anticipation of Your return.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:1-3