Monday, June 12, 2017
Genesis 15:1-6 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." But Abram said, "Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
ABRAM'S FAITH, A TYPE OF OUR OWN (1)
Under the Spirit's divine guidance, many of the New Testament writers, and the apostle Paul in particular, refer to Abraham and events in his life. In both the Old and the New Testaments Abraham (or Abram) is referenced 230 times. Let's take a bit closer look at the "father of believers" this week.
To begin with, we note that the Bible doesn't mask or hide the fallacies of its heroes of faith. It tells us (for example) that Noah got drunk, Moses murdered an Egyptian, David committed adultery and murder, Peter cursed with an oath, Jacob deceived his aged father Isaac to receive a blessing, and Paul before his conversion was a persecutor of Christians. And as this text reveals, Abraham is shown to be one who at times doubted God, His Word and His ways.
Yet all these men were great in the eyes of God, not because of but in spite of their failings. They were great because they acknowledged their sins and their sinfulness, trusted in God and His Son Jesus Christ, and for their faith were counted as righteous before God.
These heroes of faith would happily sing along with us:
Thy works, not mine, O Christ,
Speak gladness to this heart;
They tell me all is done,
They bid my fear depart.
To whom save Thee, who canst alone
For sin atone, Lord shall I flee?
Thy righteousness, O Christ,
Alone can cover me;
No righteousness avails
Save that which is of Thee.
To whom save Thee, who canst alone
For sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 380:1, 5)
