Stumbling after Abraham
"After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great.' Abram said, 'O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?' And Abram said, 'Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.'" (Genesis 15:1-3)
Abraham was so concerned with obtaining an heir that he failed to understand that God was offering Himself, the greatest of all gifts, to him as his sole reward....
Abraham expresses his lack of belief when he says to God "O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" ... "Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir." However, it must be noted that although Abraham displays a certain disbelief in God’s promise, he does not completely disbelieve God. Rather, what he does is demonstrate a limited degree of faith. That is to say, that although Abraham did believe that God would provide him with an heir, he did not believe that God would issue forth an heir from his own flesh. He thought that he would have to settle for a servant who would be only legally adopted into his family.
This was not the only expression of Abraham’s limited belief in God. On many occasions, he tried to assist God in the fulfillment of His Word according to his own will rather than waiting for the fulfillment of God’s perfect plan. He attempted to bring God’s plan into being by taking his nephew Lot with him whom he later had to abandon; having sexual relations with Hagaar who bore him a son, Ishmael, whom he later had to send away; and now he tries to substitute Eliezer for the heir that God has promised him.
This is our story as well. First we believe God at His Word, and then try to help Him bring His Word into being according to our own will and according to our own plans. He allows us each misstep, each expression of unbelief. He corrects every attempt to fulfill His plans by our own means. It is only after allowing us these faltering steps that He lovingly corrects us and leads us to maturity in our faith. It is at this point that His will is accomplished according to His perfect plan. This is the way to true faith.
So please, do not be discouraged as you too stumble along in Abraham’s footsteps. After all, you cannot be expected to be a better believer than he was.
[LH, 2009]
Abraham was so concerned with obtaining an heir that he failed to understand that God was offering Himself, the greatest of all gifts, to him as his sole reward....
Abraham expresses his lack of belief when he says to God "O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" ... "Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir." However, it must be noted that although Abraham displays a certain disbelief in God’s promise, he does not completely disbelieve God. Rather, what he does is demonstrate a limited degree of faith. That is to say, that although Abraham did believe that God would provide him with an heir, he did not believe that God would issue forth an heir from his own flesh. He thought that he would have to settle for a servant who would be only legally adopted into his family.
This was not the only expression of Abraham’s limited belief in God. On many occasions, he tried to assist God in the fulfillment of His Word according to his own will rather than waiting for the fulfillment of God’s perfect plan. He attempted to bring God’s plan into being by taking his nephew Lot with him whom he later had to abandon; having sexual relations with Hagaar who bore him a son, Ishmael, whom he later had to send away; and now he tries to substitute Eliezer for the heir that God has promised him.
This is our story as well. First we believe God at His Word, and then try to help Him bring His Word into being according to our own will and according to our own plans. He allows us each misstep, each expression of unbelief. He corrects every attempt to fulfill His plans by our own means. It is only after allowing us these faltering steps that He lovingly corrects us and leads us to maturity in our faith. It is at this point that His will is accomplished according to His perfect plan. This is the way to true faith.
So please, do not be discouraged as you too stumble along in Abraham’s footsteps. After all, you cannot be expected to be a better believer than he was.
[LH, 2009]
posted by CS at 2:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home