July 16: Human Logic Over Future Blessings

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.” Genesis 17:1

Abram was 86 when Ishmael was born. After thirteen years, Yahweh reconnected with Abram to bring his attention back around to the covenant He had made with him earlier (see Genesis 15:18).

Let us compare God’s counsel to human ideas. When Abram and Sarai were yet childless, Sarai presented Hagar, her maidservant, to her husband (see Genesis 16:2). This pagan practice was so widespread that it was not looked upon as a sin. Even Abram did not question it at the time, but passively went along, in a similar way to that of Adam when he accepted the forbidden fruit from Eve. It is beyond the scope of this devotional to explore all of the reasons why this was a terrible idea. But suffice it to say that it is imperative to cooperate with God and align one’s life according to His ways. To defy divine instructions in order to “help” Yahweh fulfill His promises is elevating human logic above Infinite Wisdom. Any human logic that overrides the instruction of Yahweh is inspired by Satan.

Before Isaac was born, the LORD brought about some changes, each one pointing to the necessity of heeding divine counsel over that of humans: He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, introduced circumcision, changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, and utterly destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities of that plain. There are many valuable lessons to learn in God’s actions between the births of Ishmael and Isaac, but among the most obvious are the sanctity of marriage and the role of the family unit for growth and development of children, equipping them to overcome the devices of the great deceiver.

God is working patiently to extricate each of us from a worldly culture under heavy-handed pagan influences. To this very day, pagan ideas which were presented under a manmade premise of honoring God are still accepted and practiced. While there may seem to be an immediate reward that follows a human work, it is a fact that human work outside the will of God ushers in future troubles. On the other hand, present obedience brings future blessings!

Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us. Deuteronomy 6:23-25