May 13: FRIEND OF GOD

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

The evil that man willfully chose prior to the worldwide flood deeply grieved the heart of God. It is mentioned in Scripture as an aid in helping us understand the gravity of sin and the danger that man’s fallen nature poses: The LORD saw that . . . every intent of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). After the flood, this downward pull manifested itself on a broad scale: at the plain of Shinar men again came together in unity against God. His action to scatter them was for their good, that they might look to Him for their needs rather than to the world. The unity on the plain of Shinar (11:6) was based upon mistrust of God and rebellion against Him, leading to spiritual error, the by-product of disobedience (compare 11:4 to 9:1).

Following the dispersion from building the city called Babel on the plain of Shinar, various patterns of idolatry powered by cruel coercion came to dominate the entire landscape. The cultures willingly adopted and developed many forms of superstition and heathenism. This was the atmosphere in the land of the Chaldeans where Abraham had grown up. Even the household of his father, Terah, was affected. This was the line through which the knowledge of God had been preserved, but they had begun mixing pagan worship practices with the worship of Jehovah. It came about through gradual yielding to the seductive influences that pressed in from every direction – intended by Satan to engulf and snuff out the worship of the true God.

But true faith has never become extinct in the world. There is an unbroken line of faithful ones whose relationship with the LORD has constituted the remnant of His servants. From age to age, the will of God has been revealed and preserved. Even though idolatry relentlessly invited him at every turn, the son of Terah steadfastly adhered to the worship of the true God, uncorrupted by the prevailing apostasy. Abraham understood that the discernment he possessed was by the Spirit of God.

God’s call to Abraham was to become the inheritor of the holy trust of passing the knowledge of God to future generations. He is called a friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23) and a father of our faith (Romans 4:11,16; Galatians 3:7,29) because he had recognized his own need of God and called upon Him in faith. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18). God had called Abraham to separate himself from his country, his family and his father’s house leading to an amazing promise: And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3b). This is an explicit assurance that through his lineage, the promised Redeemer of the world would come!