18 November 2021 — Obedience #2

                I think I am going to be writing about the topic of Obedience for a while; because I want to instill into my own heart the significance of the results of my own disobedience or obedience.  I need to challenge myself with the daily struggle of hearing our Father’s voice and doing what He asks of me.

                Both disobedience and obedience have consequences.  What we observe in other people’s lives can be lessons for us.  Through Abram, three expressions of religious faith came into the world Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  This is because his impatience which led to family trouble.  However, his compliance and honoring of what God asked him to do brought blessing to others.

                Abram wanted a son.  Sarah, his wife, wanted to give him a son.  But after years of barrenness, Sarah made a choice to take action.  She said to Abram; “The Lord has withheld providing children through me.  Therefore, with my permission, take Hagar into your bed, and have intercourse with her.  Maybe, by her, I will obtain children.” 

                Abram did not consult with God first.  Abram listened to his wife.  Abram loved Sarah and wanted her to have her heart’s desire—children.  Sarah gave Abram the “gift” of a concubine. 

                The result was a son, a child.  Good? Right?  Unfortunately, Hagar sneered at Sarah, full of contempt for her mistress.  Tension palpable in the tent, Sarah expressed her hurt and frustration by blame-shifting the responsibility back to Abram.  Abram felt no obligation to Hagar.  He told Sarah to deal with Hagar as she wanted.  Sarah poured abuse on Hagar, causing Hagar to run away, taking Ismael with her.

                After a divine intervention, Hagar and Ismael went to Egypt.  The prophet, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, founder of Islam, is part of the progeny of Ishmael.  Ironically, the third religion came out of Abram’s first choice, which was affected by a lack of trust and a wrong decision. 

                Thirteen years later, the Lord appeared to Abram. 

God said…” ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. ² And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ ³ Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ⁴ ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷ I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”  Genesis 17:1-7

            The first significant thing God does is to invite Abram to make a covenant.  Secondly, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham—changing his identity.  Third, as a part of the covenant, God made Abraham the promise of fruitfulness, to be the root of many nations which would come from his posterity.  The promise of a son from his wife, Sarah, was part of the covenant.

Abraham obeyed God.

When he entered the covenant, he, along with all of the men in his household were circumcised—those born into the house and all the male slaves.  The second time he obeyed God, his trust in God was tested and proven.  God instructed Abraham to take Isaac up to Moriah and offer him up as a sacrifice.  With his understanding of covenant, and with his past experience, Abraham knew that everything that God had was his.  If he made a sacrifice, God would also make a sacrifice. 

With his servants, Abraham made pilgrimage with Isaac to Moriah.  At the critical point, as Abraham stretched for his knife to kill Isaac, the Angel of the Lord intervened. 

The Angel said, “…for now I know that you fear and revere God, since you have not held back from Me or begrudged giving me your son, you only son.” [Genesis 22:12]

Isaac climbed down from the altar. 

Abraham’s marvelous encounter with God resulted by God stating,

 “By Myself (on the basis of Who I Am) I have sworn [an oath], declares the Lord, that since you have done this thing and have not withheld [from Me] your son, your only son [of promise], ¹⁷ indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore; and your Seed [Heir] shall possess the gate of their enemies [as conquerors]. ¹⁸ Through your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have heard and obeyed My voice.”

Abraham’s story teaches me several things. 

• When I have a desire in my heart, don’t be impatient.  People might come to me and say, “If I were you, I’d do this…”.  While it might sound logical, I’d better ask God about it.  I could end up with an Ishmael. 
• Walking with God is a life-long learning journey.  As I get more experience, God will reveal Himself to me in deeper ways.
• The things that God promises to accomplish in my life will affect others.  My trust and obedience are more than an example to others.  My cooperation with God creates circumstances that can bring blessing to others.  Donating to the cost of the purchase of a sewing machine that goes to a family in Africa or India changes not only one person’s life—but the lives of the whole family. 
• God will allow my faith and trust to be tested and proved.  Those tests will unlock the promises of His covenant with His children.
• Hearing God is not enough, there must be compliance, faithfulness and action on my part.
• God wants my whole heart.  When God asks me for something, I can trust Him to do what is best with that desire. 
• Because Abraham proved that a man would be willing to sacrifice his son, God promised that through his Seed would be all the nations of the earth would be blessed. 

• Who was Abraham’s seed?  “Now the promises (covenants, agreements) were decreed and made to Abraham and his Seed (his Offspring, his Heir).  He [God] does not say, And to seeds (descendants, heirs), as if referring to many persons, but, and to your Seed (your Descendant, you Heir), obviously referring to one individual, Who is [none other than] Christ (the Messiah).  Galatians 3:16.

                Abraham’s positive actions brought salvation into the world.      

Whether or not I am aware of other people observing me, they are.  I want my life to reflect the benefits of obedience; my observance of the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven is a pattern that others can follow.  The Apostle Paul writes of others following his instructions and example and how it benefits not only the individual, but the community as well. 

                I want to end this by saying, I am grateful for the people in my life who have modeled obedience.  There are too many to mention by name.  Yet, I know that Father God has seen their obedience, and the nations have been blessed because of them.