Genesis (with Exodus) is the deeply foundational book of the old testament, as we’ve seen from its opening chapters: What’s God like? What does it mean to be human? What’s gone wrong with the world? Now Genesis 12 through 23 are all about Abram. Why?
It’s a crucial story, one we each need to absorb. If we want to know what an old testament story’s for, we should look how the new testament uses it to feed us: and what the NT focuses on about Abram is what it means to live by faith (Romans 4, Galatians 3, Hebrews 11). Genesis is the book of foundations; what could be more foundational than for us to really grasp faith? We God’s people live by faith (Rom 1:17). Faith is central to Christian life; faith is how we’re saved; faith moves mountains. God longs to help us each grow in faith, and nowhere will we find it explained more fully than here.
We’ll watch as Abram learns the life of faith: grappling with the relative importance of possessions and relationships (12:14-16, 13:2,6, 14:22-23); struggling with depression and the frustration of his deepest longings (15:2-3, 6-8); foolishly trying to bring about God’s purpose by his own efforts (ch16); learning to wrestle with God in prayer (ch18); and, in a final lesson in faith, being challenged to sacrifice the very son on whom his dreams were centred (ch22). We can turn each of these into prayer for ourselves!
And where it all starts is Genesis 12:1-2. God calls him out of all his security – `Leave your country, leave your people, leave your father’s household` – trust Me, obey Me, even when it’s risky and what I’m promising you is intangible – and I will see to your blessing and the blessing of many others through you!
Of course faith for salvation means leaving the security of trust in our own good doings and religious rituals. But there’s much more to it. Where is my heart’s real security: in God’s love, or in something else, like my job, my qualifications, my possessions? Also, God sometimes gives us generous resources, but then we have to be very deliberate about not losing the mindset of faith, not trusting (deep down) our resources instead for our security. (So hard! Lord, please help me!) It’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for someone with lots of resources to reach heaven… And it’s when we’re weak that we’re actually strong (2 Cor 12:10), because then we experience that His grace is enough…
(PS We’ll catch that vital lesson even better if we understand the tower of Babel. Next time…)
