Monday: By Faith Abraham
Hebrews defines faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV). Then it provides a list of faithful people from the history of Israel who exemplify what faith is, and it shows how they manifested that faith by their deeds.
Read Hebrews 11:1-19. What did these “heroes” of faith do that exemplified their faith? How are their actions related to hope of things not seen?
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Abraham is probably the most important character in this chapter. Abraham’s last act of faith is especially instructive regarding the true nature of faith.
Hebrews notes that God’s instruction to Abraham that he offer Isaac as a sacrifice seemed to imply a contradiction on God’s part (Hebrews 11:17-18). Isaac was not the only son of Abraham. Ishmael was the firstborn of Abraham, but God had told Abraham that it was all right for him to accept Sarah’s request and cast Ishmael and his mother out because God would take care of them, and also because Abraham’s offspring would be named through Isaac (Genesis 21:12-13). In the next chapter, however, God asks Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. God’s instruction in Genesis 22 seemed to flatly contradict God’s promises in Genesis chapters 12-21.
Hebrews concludes that Abraham amazingly solved the conundrum by arriving at the conclusion that God would resurrect Isaac after he had offered him. This is amazing because no one had yet been resurrected. It seems, however, that Abraham’s previous experience with God led him to that conclusion. Hebrews 11:12 notes that Isaac was conceived by the power of God from one who was “as good as dead.” Paul also noted that, despite Abraham’s being “as good as dead” and Sarah barren, Abraham believed “in hope … against hope, that he should become the father of many nations” because he believed that God “gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Romans 4:17-20, ESV). Thus, Abraham must have assumed that if God in some sense had already given life to Isaac out of the dead, He could do it again. In God’s leading in the past, Abraham saw an intimation of what He could do in the future.
| Why is meditating on how God has led our lives in the past so crucial in maintaining our faith and trust in Him now? |
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The story of Abrahan and Sarah is not a fairy-tale "Once upon a time..." "...and they lived happily ever after" story. The Bible records not only the faith-affirming events but also the times when they tried to do things their own way. How many times did Abraham try to pass off Sarah as his sister? Who developed the home-grown contingency inheritance insurance plan?
The big picture story though is one of growing faith and trust. Abraham learned from his mistakes and as a consequence, his faith grew. When God tested that faith towards the end of his life, Abraham's trust was implicit.
Faith is not a theoretical concept. It grows through experience and exercise.
Remember the failed weightlifter!
Maurice - Yes, I remember your weightlifter who never actually became a true 'weightlifter'! The person continuously thought about becoming one but got stuck at learning everything he could find about the 'weightlifting'.
No matter how much he learned about weightlifting, it was never enough to convict him to actually involve himself in the activity, finding out for himself what a 'weightlifter' actually is or experiences.
(replace 'weightlifter' with 'believer', and the learning about 'weightlifting' with always studying and never coming to actually live the Truth by faith- 2Tim.3:4-7 )
"Hebrews concludes that Abraham amazingly solved the conundrum by arriving at the conclusion that God would resurrect Isaac after he had offered him."
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Many OT passages offer lacunae--gaps in the text that later writers can fill in with speculations or explanations. Genesis is full of them, from the first to last chapter. These "explanations" were collected by Jewish scholars in Midrash, Targums (notes accompanying translations) and later Gemara (medieval commentary).
This text is an example of early Christian midrash. There is nothing in the text of Genesis which supports it, yet for any reader with Christian assumptions, it makes sense. Christianity made great headway in the Jewish cultures of the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD by offering similar "explanations" of biblical conundra. These in turn shaped Christian theology into what it is.
The question that must be asked: is there any other way to understand the story in Genesis?
Jordan River,
How do I interpret what you said versus 2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
It sounds like to me that you are discounting the authenticity of the bible.
Agreed. The New Testament is inspired commentary of the Old Testament. I can think of many examples of the NT expanding on the OT saying more than what is in the original OT. Any “midrash” that made it into the NT must have God’s approval and should be considered truth.
Jordan, you may not see this message, but there IS another way to understand the story in Genesis, a way that does not make God look like He divinely changed His mind to make a point to Abraham. But a way that vindicates the character of God, who does NOT ask for child sacrifices, neither have it come into His mind.
If you read this, please respond, that way I know I have your ears before giving an explanation. God Bless!!
On the third day Abraham caught sight of the place in the distance. So he] said to his servants, “You two stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go up there. We will worship and then return to you.” (Genesis 22:4 NET.)
So if Isaac was actually made a burnt offering, that is, the flesh completely consumed (incinerated) by fire, was Abraham delusional when he said, “We will worship and then return to you.”? I think not—no lacunae here. It looks to me as if Abraham believed that God would resurrect Isaac from the charred bones.
Just a thought.
The writer of Hebrews had this to say about Abraham:
Thus, the writer explicitly says that Abraham believed that God was able to raise Isaac up from the dead to fulfill the promise previously given to Abraham.
In view of what you wrote earlier, it is important to ask whether you regard the New Testament as mere "speculations" or "explanations"? If you do, there's not much of value those of us who believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Bible can say to you.
Abraham said to Isaacc, God will provide. He had faith, which led to trust, that He most suredly would provide, even with a resurection. We learned yesterday's lesson that we can have that faith also. If we can't enter in because of unbelief, Hebrews 3:19. we truly can enter in because of belief. John 8:31-32.
Hebrews11:3 is the dividing line between the faithful, and the faithless. Our very existence, the existence of our planet, our only moon, solar system, Milky way galaxy, and the universe all exist and sustained by the Word, and will of God. This is our understanding, and knowledge that is obtained by faith.
Those without faith, the faithless, are searching for something tangible, a "god particle" a physical substance that they can identify as the beginning of all matter in the universe. If we did not have the sacred scriptures, what would we left with? We would only have various origin theories based on mathematical calculations, experiments, all based upon the observable universe. In effect" Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil". Genesis 3:5 NKJV. Or as William Earnest Henley wrote in his poem, Invictus,"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul".
If Hebrews 11 we're then written as a faithless chapter, who would it include? Perhaps the likes of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Herod the Great, Nero, all of the Popes, Napoleon, Stalin, Hitler, Mao Zedong, and lastly Putin, along with a description of their crimes against humanity.
Our faith in the Word of God is our only hope. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" Luke 4:4 NKJV.