Walk In Newness of Life Pt. 10 Abraham Took God at His Word.

Faith's first steps.

Genesis 12:1-4  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3)  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4) So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 

This text tells us about Abraham beginning to walk in the steps of faith. As we noted in our last post, he delayed his obedience by 15 years. After the death of his father, Abraham then obeyed God and departed "as the LORD had spoken unto him." 

Genesis 12:6-9  And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7) And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8) And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9) And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. 

Abraham brought his family into the land of Canaan just as Jehovah commanded him to do. He exercised faith and finally obeyed God. 

Notice the words indicating that Abraham took steps of faith as he walked in newness of life with Jehovah. He "passed through the land" followed by "he builded an altar" and "he removed from thence unto a mountain." Next we read that "he builded an altar unto the LORD" and he "called upon the name of the LORD."  Last in this text, we see that Abraham "journeyed, going on still toward the south." 

The idea here is that Abraham entered into a brand new relationship with Jehovah. He needed to learn so much about God, because he used to be an idolater. It is an interesting pattern. Abraham traveled and reached a destination where he built an altar. He followed this pattern twice in this text. 

The Bible tells us that the Canaanites dwelt in that land, which meant that Abraham was going to live there as a stranger and a pilgrim. It also implied that fulfilling the promise from God would be more difficult, because the inhabitants would have to be overcome and driven out.  This was a land full of idolatry and sexual perversion, yet God promised to give all of this land to the seed of Abraham. 

What this means to us is that there are very real challenges to walking by faith in the Lord. Yet, we are not to be distressed by the obstacles we face, nor are we to be filled with fear when we encounter the enemies of God. If God be for us who can possibly stand against us? (Romans 8:31).

The first, tentative steps of Abraham's faith were richly rewarded by God. Jehovah appeared to Abraham and restated His promises so that Abraham would have confidence and faith toward the One, True God of heaven and earth. The word "appeared" definitely refers to seeing something with your eyes. It means to cause one to see, to look at intently and gaze upon, to discern. It can also mean looking at each other face to face. 

In theological terms we would call this appearance a "theophany" which is God appearing or manifesting himself in a manner that we can perceive Him. What a blessing it must have been for the patriarch of our faith to see this glorious God who called him out of idolatry. 

Abraham was filled with love and loyalty for Jehovah, to the point that he constructed and built an altar and dedicated it to Jehovah. He then moved to a mountain where Bethel was located on the west side and Hai on the east side. 

He constructed a second altar to Jehovah and called upon His name. In fact the exact phrase "called upon the name of the LORD" is only used seven times in the Bible. This is an important phrase. 

The words "called upon" refers to calling for help, inviting and seeking an audience with the God of glory. The words "upon the name" is the idea of calling upon Jehovah, the Creator and Sustainer of all life; the promise making, promise keeping God of eternity. 

Jehovah is the God who inhabits eternity (I Am that I Am (Exodus 3) but he will dwell with those who repent of sin and have humble hearts and contrite spirits. He is the self existent, unchanging God and Abraham called upon Him. 

First time "called upon the name of the LORD" is used.

Genesis 4:25-26  And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26) And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. 

After Adam and Eve sinned, God gave them two sons but Cain killed his brother Abel. Abel was the chosen seed through which Messiah, the seed of the woman would be born. God then gave Eve another son named Seth. He became the chosen line through which Christ descended. 

Seth was a Godly man just as his brother Abel was. After God gave Seth a son named Enos, he obeyed God and was a faithful witness for Him telling men about sin, death and condemnation. He also witnessed about Jehovah's provision for their sins. God required them to offer a spotless, innocent, substitutionary animal and the shedding of it's blood for a covering for sin. As Seth witnessed, men called upon Jehovah.  

Think about this for a moment. Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve and he was a God fearing man. He knew very well what had happened in the garden of Eden and he knew the promise of God to cover his sins if he offered the specified sacrifice. 

A former pagan called upon Jehovah by faith.

Genesis 12:8  And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

In contrast, Abraham was raised to be an idolater. He may have heard accounts of the flood because most cultures had a "flood tradition" that was passed down to each generation.  Most of the ancient near Eastern cultures had foolish beliefs about creation and human origins, so it is not likely that Abraham knew much truth in these things. Yet, God called him out of darkness and into the light of fellowship with Himself. 

Abraham, a former idolater and pagan was now a believer and follower of Jehovah! The act of calling upon the name of the LORD is an act of worship, and act of prayer, and an act of seeking divine help, protection and guidance. Calling upon the name of the LORD is active thanksgiving, heartfelt praising and spiritual communing with God. 

Faith looks with hope at what God promised.

Hebrews 11:8-10  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. 9) By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10) For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 

The steps of faith walked by Abraham include obedience even when he had no idea where God was leading him. He obeyed even though he was told that his offspring would inherit the land and the promises. He lived in the land like a pilgrim  with no permanent dwelling place on earth. Why? Because he had faith that God would do what He said He would do. Thus, Abraham looked for that eternal city made by God. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Faith in Jesus Christ is not dormant. Abraham's faith resulted in him taking actions. He began journeying into the land of Canaan by faith. He did not know where he was going to end up and he lived in the promised land as a nomad or pilgrim. Faith in Jehovah is what sustained Abraham for the rest of his life. He would stumble at times, just as we do, but he kept on believing what God said. He took God at His word. 

Faith leads to a life of devotion to Jehovah. Abraham built altars in two different places as he traveled through Canaan land. He dedicated each site to the One, True God of heaven that he was learning about. 

Faith in Jesus Christ is active worship, prayer and witnessing. Abraham called upon the name of the LORD. He called out to God for help, for protection and for guidance. He invited Jehovah's presence so that he could worship Him and grow in his faith. 

What is our walk of faith like? Are we making progress in walking with the Lord? Are we actively worshipping, praying to, and communing with God? I hope that we all will actively seek out the Lord as we walk through our earthly pilgrimage. 

Bob