Faith, Obedience, Righteousness

God’s covenant with Abraham is found in Genesis 12. Abraham, already 75-years-old, is told by God to leave the country where he and his family are living and go to another land. God tells Abraham that He will bless him and in him all the families of the earth will be blessed.

Would you go as Abraham did or would you take time to mull over the situation and attempt to apply some common sense to God’s message of direction? How often do we try to second-guess God? But Abraham had faith in the LORD, the Eternal God (Genesis 21:33) and was humble before Him. Abraham’s humility is shown when he says to God, “I am nothing but dust and ashes”, (Genesis 18:27) and he humbly falls on his face as God speaks to him, (Genesis 17:3).

When God appears to Abraham in Genesis 17, calling Himself, God Almighty or El-Shaddai, He repeats the covenant mentioned earlier. Abraham is 99-years-old when he and all the males in his household are circumcised as a sign of the covenant between him and God. God tells Abraham that he and Sarah will have a child the next year (at ages 100 and 90)!

NOTE: Isaac means he laughs; both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the notion of having a child in their old age. But the LORD was gracious and faithful to His promise. Sarah says, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” Genesis 21:6

God provides Abraham with all He has promised and Abraham walks faithfully before God. Even when God calls upon Abraham to take Isaac and offer him as a burnt offering, Abraham does so, telling Isaac, the LORD will provide! What faith! What obedience!

Obedience follows faith and righteousness is borne of faith and obedience. In Genesis 26: 5, the LORD tells Isaac, Abraham had obeyed Him and done everything that He had required of him. James 2:23 says that because of Abraham’s belief in God, “it was credited to him as righteousness” and Abraham is called a friend of God.

Dr. Charles Stanley writing in the Life Principles Daily Bible, “How can I become a more obedient child of God?” makes these four points concerning obedience to God: all obedience begins with faith; we grow by waiting upon God; by following faithfully, and by obeying promptly. Oh, that we may all walk faithfully and obey quickly, sweetly, and completely; thereby claiming the promise spoken by David in Psalm 4:3—“But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him.”

AMEN!

God Bless!