April 19, 2022
Are you not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 2 Chronicles 20:7
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. James 2:23 (see also Genesis 15:4-6)
Without questioning, Abraham accepted God’s promise to him of a son. That acceptance in and of itself, was an act of obedience on the part of Abraham, no less than his departure from the largest and most glamourous culture of that time: the land of the Chaldeans. For God had said:
“Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 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.” Genesis 12:1-3
God permitted a delay regarding the promise of a son (15:4), in order to test Abraham’s faith. In this particular case, Abraham failed the test. Sarah, going on the assumption that it was an impossibility to conceive, suggested bringing Hagar into the family as a secondary wife (16:2). The pagan tradition of polygamy had become so widespread in the cultures of the day that it had ceased to be regarded as a sin. Nevertheless, it was a violation of God’s established law (2:24) for the human family, which He had given in love for the peace and happiness of people. This violation had the effect of shattering the sacredness of the exclusivity of marriage. Note the obvious spiritual application regarding our betrothal to Jesus: sacred, exclusive!
One of many proofs that God’s Word is not propaganda is the inclusion of unflattering facts. The weaknesses and failings of God’s chosen leaders are quite prominent. The dark influence of Satan notwithstanding, we repeatedly see God’s power of love at work: forgiveness and restoration, accompanied by His loving guidance toward the light. Too often Satan’s principles are accepted as “normal.” Our enemy incessantly endeavors to undermine Biblical teachings and obscure God’s divine precepts, replacing them with perverted deviations. It happened in the minds of the most prominent leaders! The transparency of our God in His written Word involves an inherent risk: that people will point to the failures of God’s people and use them as an excuse for their own wrong choices, or worse, cite them as examples for us to follow. Many accounts in the Word are given to us as examples of what not to do. Oh, the woes ushered into Abraham’s household because of his failed test! Not only his immediate family, but future generations were affected as well.
When Jesus delivered His first public address, the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7), He often said: “You have heard it said… But I say…” Jesus was in no way undoing foundational, divine precepts. His sublime message brought clarification, as well as set it apart from the endless list of man-made laws taught by the religious leaders. Love for the precepts of God is accompanied by a desire to live by them. Our God, who is the Lawgiver, is love!
And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Matthew 7:28-29
Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119:165
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15