Have a theological question?

Genesis 11: 10 – 12: 20. The first mention of Abraham was immediately after the Babel incident where Yahweh judged and rejected a rebellious and self-willed humanity, dispersing and confusing their language (Gen 11:7). Following Babel, Terah, Abram’s father, uprooted his family and migrated from the Chaldean city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia to Canaan.

For some reason, they settled at Haran (in northwest Mesopotamia; Gen 11:31). When God spoke to Abram to depart from Haran, He inaugurated His special relationship with one individual, promising him that his descendants would be a blessing to the world (Gen 12:1-3).

It would be 25 years later before Isaac was born. It is strange that Abram had no problems recognizing Yahweh’s voice (e.g., he did not even enquire who it was who was speaking to him; (c.f., Joshua 24:2) neither did he question God’s instructions. Abram simply obeyed and prepared to relocate with Lot and all the people and possessions they had acquired (Gen 12:4-5).

Humanly speaking, the only basis for such familiarity was a constant human-divine communication, possibly between Terah and Yahweh, which Abram was perhaps privy (c.f., Gen 3:8-11; Gen 4:6-10; Gen 6:13-14, 22). God merely instructed Abram to complete the journey his father had undertaken.

It was, in fact, after the wars of the kings that Scripture pinned down the faith of Abram in Yahweh (Gen 15: 6). This was immediately followed by the establishment of God's Covenant with him in a mystical sacrificial extravaganza that proved to Abram God's intention to keep His promises.

Subsequently, His appearances and their conversations carried on uninterrupted with a continued level of mutual awareness (Gen 12:7; Gen 13:14; Gen 13:14-17). Faith is a gift of God (Eph 2:8) and its profound growth is dependent on an ongoing relationship with Him.

At that point, Abram believed God and trusted Him implicitly to fulfill His promises despite its inexplicable assertion of infertility. God was looking for obedience and He found this in Abram. When he arrived at the oak of Moreh in Shechem, God again assured him of His prior promise, with an additional gift of territory.

He then moved into the mountain east of Bethel, built an altar and worshipped the Lord, before journeying on to the Negev (Gen 12:6-9). Venturing literally into an unknown occupied territory was a test of Abram’s faith in overcoming his trepidations and submitting his family’s vulnerability to God.

Were these fears the very ones that prompted Terah to remain in Haran? Perhaps his growing obedience laid the groundwork for the seed of faith that was sown by God. For in the generations to come, Abram’s obedience became an exemplary rallying point on countless occasions: for example, encouraging the remnant Babylonian exiles, in Stephen’s defense, in Paul’s justification by faith, and the Hebrew writer’s heroes of faith (c.f., Isaiah 51:2-3; Micah 7:20; Acts 7:2-8; Rom 4; Gal 3:6-14; Heb 11:8-10).

Abram’s fears reflected his humanity, and his choices in subsequent events indicated this initial fragile faith in God. Why did he not trust God to care for his family during the famine in the Negev, since God did not direct him to move his family to Egypt?

Further, by positioning his wife, Sarai, as his sister to Pharaoh, and later to King Abimelech in Gerar (Gen Gen 12:10-20; Gen 20), he sought to compromise Sarai in the interest of his own survival. Earlier, he was not afraid of the Canaanites, why would he suddenly be fearful of the Egyptians and the Philistines?

Was he attempting to help God in His promised inheritance by preserving his own life? Yet, God was faithful. Yahweh did not chide Abram but redeemed him from his disgraceful cowardice and protected his family (c.f., Psalm 105:42-45). Often, the choices we take signify our motivations, and invariably leaving telltale signs of our faith or lack of it in our God.

I surmised that God was surfacing to Abram his own selfish motivations when it came to any exposures of dangers to himself! However, when it came to Yahweh's instruction to him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah, Abraham, according to the narrative in Genesis did not flinch (Gen 22).

Isaac was 8 years old and he was 108. I am not so sure Isaac felt the same way! This incident indicated the level of trust that had already developed between Yahweh and Abraham. Despite our changing circumstances, God’s promises will always hold, as He is the I AM!

Our nascent faith ought to be based on our conviction in God’s character, which ought to be founded on a consistent personal relationship with Him (Heb 10:23; 1 Thess 5:24). It would be pertinent for us to attempt to emulate Abraham, the father of our faith, in some small aspect (Rom 4: 9 - 11; Gal 3: 6 - 9).

About Coram Deo

Coram Deo — before the face of God. This blog reflects on Scripture, world events, science, music, psychology, and the human mind — always through the lens of Christian faith. All of life is lived before the face of God.