Faith Obeys God (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Abraham: Faith Obeys God (Hebrews 11:17-19)

"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back." (Hebrews 11:17–19, ESV)

The Father of Faith

We praise Abraham for his faith in God. We don't call him the father of faith for nothing. As the author to the Hebrews tried to urge his readers toward a life of faith, Abraham stood out as a perfect example.

The original readers of Hebrews needed to live by faith because they were in danger of ostracization from their Jewish communities. They believed in Jesus as the Christ-Messiah, the fulfillment of the Old Covenant system of worship, and were beginning to pay the price. Their society had started to reject them.

Because of this pain, many of them had begun to let go of the supremacy of Christ. They were drifting, neglecting their great salvation.

After building a case for the preeminence of Jesus, the author exhorted them to endure by faith. In expounding on the life he envisioned, the author held out various Old Testament saints who'd already lived the faith life.

Abraham, as we saw in an earlier post, was called out of his homeland. God praised him for his faith in embarking on such a journey. God told Abraham he would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and sand on the seashore, and Abraham believed Him.

Isaac's Birth

One descendant, in particular, would bless the nations. The Messiah-Christ would come from Abraham.

At one point, Abraham tried to produce offspring through his own human conniving. Sarah, his wife, was aged, so he had a child through their servant, Hagar.

Wrong move. Ishmael was born. Conflict arose. God had to reaffirm His promise that through Abraham and Sarah He would raise up a descendant through their bodies.

Eventually, after years of waiting, a miracle baby was born, and Isaac became Abraham and Sarah's only child. The years ticked by, and this small family went on its merry way, confident and secure in the promise of God that through them the entire world would be blessed. From their family line, the world's savior would come.

A Gruesome Request

One day, though, God tested Abraham and said to him, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you" (Genesis 22:1-2).

God's request stands out as gruesome to the modern reader, and rightly so. For Abraham, the command was likely not as surprising, for he was surrounded by nations whose false gods delighted in child sacrifice. Abraham had come from Ur and was going to Canaan. Both places had a history of offering their babies to their gods.

So perhaps Abraham thought this the normal pattern of deities, including his own. But, ultimately, God never endorsed this form of sacrifice, and instead denounced it for His people (Leviticus 20:2, Jeremiah 32:35). Though the culture, and Abraham, might've been comfortable with this from their gods, the true God was not. So He went to this drastic measure to show Abraham just how different He is from the false gods polluting the world.

God's request was not ultimate either, meaning He didn't ask Abraham to complete this mission. Abraham seems to have had some anticipation he wouldn't be required to carry out the sacrifice. On that day, he told his servants, "I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you" (Genesis 22:5).

When Isaac inquired about what they'd sacrifice that day, Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son" (Genesis 22:8). These seem like hints that Abraham, at the very least, hoped God would not require him to go all the way through with sacrificing his son.

The Cross

God's request is abhorrent to us, and I think it is meant to strike us in this way. I wonder if we are supposed to respond to this story by saying, "Terrible!" Then God replies, "So true. I don't want you to do something so terrible. But I and my Son, we will do that which we would never want you to do. He will be sacrificed for you."

Perhaps Abraham's story is to serve as an aid for us to unearth the massive love of God. If He was willing to do something so painful for us, He must love us with an everlasting love.

What Abraham Knew

This discussion is not really what the Hebrews 11 passage focuses on. Here, we learn of Abraham's faith. The man knew two things well at the point of this story. First, he knew God's promise that his offspring would be a blessing to all the world, and that his descendants would be innumerable and would happen through Isaac. God had said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named" (Genesis 21:12).

Abraham knew Isaac was the promised child, and that because Isaac was himself childless at this point, he had to live for God's promise to come true.

Second, Abraham knew God had commanded him to sacrifice Isaac.

What Abraham Believed

How could Abraham reconcile these two competing realities? He knew God's promise. He knew God's command. They were at odds with one another until he concluded: "God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back" (Hebrews 11:19).

Amazing! Abraham, before any resurrections or resuscitations had occurred in Scripture, concluded that God would have to raise Isaac back to life. He believed God's promise to that astounding degree.

Faith obeys God no matter what because it believes God no matter what. Abraham couldn't reconcile the promise and command of God, except by a resurrection.

In that place of conflict, Abraham did the best thing you or I could ever do. He decided to take care of what only he could take care of (obedience), and let God take care of what only God could take care of (the fulfillment of the promise).

I mean, what could Abraham do about the promise? Nothing. He'd already learned through the Hagar-Ishmael episode how he couldn't bring about the promises of God. His task was to trust God and, when God commanded, to obey Him.

And what was the result of Abraham's obedience? Well, for one, God stopped the entire thing: "But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.'" (Genesis 22:11–12).

God Provides

Abraham responded to this with relief: "So Abraham called the name of that place, 'The Lord will provide'; as it is said to this day, 'On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.'" (Genesis 22:14).

If you've ever heard a Christian say "Jehovah Jireh" after receiving God's provision, the name comes from this story. Abraham learned something about God that day, and said, "Jehovah Jireh," which means, "The LORD sees or provides."

He had seen God's faithfulness in previous pockets of his life, but this was a stronger revelation of God's nature than he'd ever known. He'd learned the trustworthiness of God, that there's nothing God asks of us He isn't faithful to see us through.

Your Life

If Abraham was given such an extreme command in the face of the clear promise of God, and obeyed, his faith is a help to our faith. Lesser opportunities for obedience will come into our lives, but they will still require faith because they will conflict with our feelings and experiences. Let's consider a few.

Spend Time Seeking Him

Hebrews 11:6 says, "God rewards those who seek Him." The context is the life of Enoch, a man who walked with God for hundreds of years. His life of faith as he journeyed with God was rewarding, and God wants us to know it is a rewarding experience to seek him. With this knowledge, we have a decision to make, but when our alarm clock sounds or our phone's distractions come calling, we are tempted to neglect our pursuit of God. But faith pushes past those moments of distraction and into a relationship with God.

Trust Him With Your Finances

Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first the kingdom of God..." Jesus used these words to comfort his listeners as they worried about the practical affairs of life. How could they think about the kingdom of God when they had bills to pay? But Jesus told them if they sought the kingdom and righteousness first, all those things would be added unto them. But then the little league coach or the temptation to put in an 80 hour week at work comes calling. Soon, the kingdom has no opportunity at all, for we have pushed it to the margins of life, and no margin remains. But faith pushes past the competition and believes the prioritization of God's kingdom will lead to great blessings.

Obey Him Regarding Romantic Connection

2 Corinthians 6:14 says, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers." Jesus was a friend of sinners, but He didn't yoke himself to them. Instead, He called them to believe in Him and take His yoke upon them. He was unchanged by them. He sought to help them find life. So this isn't Paul's way of saying, "Never know a nonbeliever." But there are deeper connections with nonbelievers we ought to avoid. For instance, Scripture testifies of the folly of marrying a nonbeliever. I cannot imagine building a life with someone who didn't share my convictions about Christ and His kingdom. But it is understandable how, in a moment of weakness, a believer who feels alone and thirsty for romantic connection might waver. Faith, though, pushes past those desires into a belief God's way is best.

Treat Your Employees Fairly

Colossians 4:1 says, "Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly." Christian employers and business owners should not allow themselves to be taken advantage of just because they are Christian, but neither should they take advantage of others. They should pay fairly, even when tempted to take care of their own desires. Rather than overextend and abuse a staff, a believing leader decides to trust God with the bottom line and instead promote a healthy work environment. Faith pushes past the desire to cut corners (and salary) in an attempt to get ahead.

Let us, in all the commands of God, be like Abraham. He trusted God with the results and instead focused on obedience. Let us obey, and watch God do His thing.