The first Book of the Bible provides us with contrasting stories of two men, each of whom can rightfully be said to be our physical and spiritual fathers — Noah and Abraham.\u00a0 Noah was told to build an ark, because the world as he knew it was going to come to an end.\u00a0 Abram (he would be re-named later) was told to come out of the world he knew.<\/p>\n
It is from the patriarch Abraham that all of the twelve tribes of Israel descend.\u00a0 It was to that same father Abraham that some of the most important and dramatic promises in all of history were made.\u00a0 And it was arguably Abraham who was the first man in Scripture to be given the CHOICE to “come out of her,” as Revelation 18:4 later admonishes us.<\/p>\n
The fundamental elements of the entire story are outlined in the first three verses of Bereshiet (or Genesis) chapter 12:<\/p>\n
“And YHVH said unto Abram, ‘”Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.<\/em> These are the first recorded words spoken by YHVH to him.\u00a0 And Abram was already 75 years old, to boot.\u00a0 Why does Scripture make the point to tell us that?\u00a0 Perhaps in part it’s to help us understand that what is being asked of him.\u00a0 At an age that now marks a time for many men to have settled into retirement, such a request might be considered out of our “comfort zones”.<\/p>\n But the story of Abraham was only beginning.\u00a0 He left, “as YHVH had spoken<\/em>,” and went where he was directed.\u00a0 What followed has been described as a sequence of “tests” in the life of the first Hebrew…to leave the land he knew, to learn kindness and hospitality and strength, to manage his house, and ultimately culminating in the “Akeida” — the offering up of his son Isaac:<\/p>\n Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” <\/em> Many people have been troubled by this final test of Abraham, even though it appears to foreshadow the Son of God.\u00a0 How could Scripture countenance what appears to be a command for human sacrifice?\u00a0 We know that Abraham believed YHVH, and his “faith was counted for righteousness.<\/em>”\u00a0\u00a0 (Romans 4:1-5)\u00a0 I tend to think the answer is so simple that we overlook the obvious:\u00a0 Abraham’s faith, and his willingness to hear and obey YHVH so great, that he never even considered the possibility that Isaac’s life would end.\u00a0 He knew — and had SEEN! — that this was the son he had been promised.\u00a0 This was the son whose miraculous birth was marked with joy, and even whose name meant “laughter”.\u00a0 This was the son through whom the promises of Elohim would be fulfilled!<\/p>\n I believe that Abraham “rose early<\/em>” to start his journey, and that “both of them went together<\/em>” to “the place Elohim had told of<\/em>” because And it was truly one of the most striking, and important, and JOYFUL, in all of history.<\/p>\n Our choice is in some respects even similar, and may even sometimes seem almost as difficult to each of us as individuals.\u00a0 Most of us, arguably, have not heard the promises of YHVH spoken to us directly, although we do have His Word.<\/p>\n We, too, are told to leave behind the things of this world, and “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness<\/em>“.<\/p>\n And we, too, are tested — by the challenges of the world, and by the chastening of our Creator.\u00a0 Also like father Abraham, we are told to “come out of her<\/em>,” so that we do not partake of those sins, nor the coming plagues.\u00a0\u00a0 (Revelation 18:4)\u00a0 The Book of Revelation if filled with similar admonitions in the letters to the seven churches as well — telling us to “persevere” and be “Overcomers”.\u00a0 Yet the ‘world’ is pervasive, and persuasive, and certainly threatening to those who seek to “follow Him, and Him alone”.\u00a0 Weren’t we even warned that the world would “hate us”, for His sake?\u00a0 (John 15:18-23; Luke 6:22, 1 John 3:13, etc)<\/p>\n The key is to learn to “fear not”, and develop the KIND of trust in YHVH and His promises that enabled Abraham to simply walk in obedience, and accept His blessings with joy.\u00a0 Yaakov (James 1:2-3) put it this way:<\/p>\n “…\u00a0 count it all joy,<\/strong><\/em> <\/em><\/strong>my brethren,<\/em> <\/strong>when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience [perseverence]…so that you might be complete, lacking nothing.”<\/em><\/p>\n Even when our testing seems too much to bear, He assures us it is not, and reminds us that those He loves, He chastens.\u00a0 But even so, testing is a lot easier when we can learn to focus on the joy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Count it all JOY – when you encounter various trials. YHVH ‘tests’ us for a reason. Continue reading
\n<\/em>And I will make of you a great nation; and I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. <\/em>
\n<\/em>And I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'” <\/em><\/p>\n
\nThen He said, “Take now your son, your only [son] Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell yo<\/em>u.” <\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 (Genesis 22:1-2)<\/p>\n
\nhe was excited to see just what miracle the Almighty would work in their lives this time!<\/p>\n