Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh (the Lord) appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty (el Shaddai); Walk before (with) Me, and be blameless. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.” Genesis 17:1, 2
The covenant had been made with Abram for at least fourteen years, and yet Abram remained without any visible sign of its accomplishment. Yahweh now appeared to Him again, when he was ninety-nine years old, twenty-four years after his Journey to Canaan, and thirteen after the birth of Ishmael, to fulfill the covenant. This time Yahweh inserted an additional condition to the covenant...Walk before (with) me and be perfect.
Of course, as the prophet Amos asked..."Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?"
So...Abram agreed. He "walked with God" and he was perfect. How did Abram get there?
Just a year earlier Yahweh had responded to a comment from Abram asking if his possessions would be inherited by a servant, since he was childless. Yahweh responded, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”
"Then Abram believed in Yahweh; and He credited it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6). Righteousness is acting in accord with divine law; the condition of being morally right or justified; free from the guilt of sin.
Notice this important point: We aren't told "Abram believed God", or "believed what God said". We are told "Abram believed "IN" God", or believed in the credible nature of Yahweh to the degree that whatever Yahweh proclaimed was a fait accompli...something that could or would not change.
Abram wasn't declared righteous because he followed Yahweh to Canaan. He only ended up in Canaan because that's where God was going while Abram was walking with Him. Abram wasn't declared righteous because of anything He did. In fact, we can point to a few Abramic actions that would never pass for righteous. He let his wife convince him to sleep with Hagar. He told a "half truth" to Abimelech saying Sarah was his sister. Abram was declared righteous because he believed in the God who revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush.
All else is academic...
Which is why the Apostle Paul could boldly say to the Corinthian jailer "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." Our Nicene Creed reminds us...We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, of things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the begotten of God the Father, the Only-begotten, that is of the essence of the Father. God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten and not made; of the very same nature of the Father...
It is impossible to believe in God and NOT believe in Jesus Christ. They are the same. And when we do...we are credited as acting in accord with divine law; as being morally right or justified; free from the guilt of sin. "Walk with Me, and I will declare you blameless. I will give you eternal life". But..."Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?"
Is it possible to believe in somebody we don't know? Is it possible to agree to walk with somebody about whom we know nothing? No. God has solved this dilemma by revealing Himself to us through His Word, Holy Scripture. This is how we get to know Him and believe in Him. This is how we find ourselves willing to step out in faith and agree to walk with Him.
So...the condition of being morally right or justified; free from the guilt of sin is, at once, simple and complex. It is as simple as believing in God (the innocent faith of a child) and as complex as agreeing to walk with Him...whatever that means and wherever that leads. 2 Timothy 3:16 says "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness". Actually, the Apostle Paul says "it is the power of God unto salvation for those who believe" (Romans 1:16)
Here we have it: We apply His declaration of reality to our lives, however imperfectly, and we are declared righteous. And before we realize it...we have walked with God all the way to the Promise Land.
Live boldly out there today...
August 30, 2018
August 27, 2018
The Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country...to the land which I will show you"
Now the Lord (Yahweh) said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you...
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you, And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3
A friend recently wrote to me and said "you will never know what a blessing you have been to me and my family". I humbly assure you, through forty years of ministry, including some surprising accomplishments, it is these words that give me the greatest satisfaction because they stamp the imprimatur of God's faithful presence over it all.
We live in a country of "safe spaces". Our colleges and universities are now designed in a way that nobody has to be exposed to information or experiences that make them uncomfortable. Our tax system in America allows us to stay in the safety and comfort of our parents' home until we are 26 years old and they can continue to claim us as dependents. I suppose the thought is...we want to protect young people from pain and discomfort so they can grow and learn without struggle. Unfortunately, the very definition of growth implies struggle. So, we are in fact accomplishing the perfect opposite. We are teaching our youth that life doesn't have to be difficult...and doesn't have a destination. We are ensuring they never embark on a journey. And, in the process, we are ensuring they never amount to anything or accomplish anything great...
A destination is always preceded by a journey...
Abram was a great man...who accomplished great things. Keil/Delitzsch tells us...The Call. - The word of Jehovah, by which Abram was called, contained a command and a promise. Abram was to leave everything - his country, his family and his home - and to follow the Lord into the land which He would show him. He was to trust entirely to the guidance of God, and to follow wherever He might lead him. But as he went in consequence of this divine summons into the land of Canaan - the Lord gave him the inconceivably great promise, "I will make of you a great nation; and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing." Abram was not only to receive blessing, but to be a blessing; not only to be blessed by God, but to become a blessing, or the medium of blessing, to others.
Blessing...בְּרָכָה...from barak; (benediction), implies prosperity. Here are a few examples...
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Psalms 121:7, 8
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
God shall supply all you need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:19,20
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20,21
Prosperity, yes...wealth, perhaps.
More to the point...imagine what it would be like to utter any of these words to a friend and be certain God would fulfill them. That would constitute true greatness. And...most of us want to make a difference. We want to have influence. Unfortunately, most of us don't want to do what it takes to be "change makers".
It's a difficult path but it always has a destination...
The path may not be, precisely, Abram's path but the path to greatness always involves following God obediently. The physical journey may be incidental. God may simply lead you to the next city or the next block. Yet...it is the act of following that accrues the blessings. And, the first step into the unknown is frightening. Ask anybody who has left for basic training, or university, or marriage.
We can follow fame, or wealth, or power but these are only distractions. That is not following God. We will achieve them and realize we have achieved nothing. God wants to bless us by making us a blessing to others...and may give us these things in our pursuit of Him...so we might use them to bless others. Only the relentless pursuit of God, Himself, infers a promise of the kind of greatness that calls down the power and presence of God into the lives of others. But...we must take that first step, wherever it leads.
Live boldly out there today...
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you, And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3
A friend recently wrote to me and said "you will never know what a blessing you have been to me and my family". I humbly assure you, through forty years of ministry, including some surprising accomplishments, it is these words that give me the greatest satisfaction because they stamp the imprimatur of God's faithful presence over it all.
We live in a country of "safe spaces". Our colleges and universities are now designed in a way that nobody has to be exposed to information or experiences that make them uncomfortable. Our tax system in America allows us to stay in the safety and comfort of our parents' home until we are 26 years old and they can continue to claim us as dependents. I suppose the thought is...we want to protect young people from pain and discomfort so they can grow and learn without struggle. Unfortunately, the very definition of growth implies struggle. So, we are in fact accomplishing the perfect opposite. We are teaching our youth that life doesn't have to be difficult...and doesn't have a destination. We are ensuring they never embark on a journey. And, in the process, we are ensuring they never amount to anything or accomplish anything great...
A destination is always preceded by a journey...
Abram was a great man...who accomplished great things. Keil/Delitzsch tells us...The Call. - The word of Jehovah, by which Abram was called, contained a command and a promise. Abram was to leave everything - his country, his family and his home - and to follow the Lord into the land which He would show him. He was to trust entirely to the guidance of God, and to follow wherever He might lead him. But as he went in consequence of this divine summons into the land of Canaan - the Lord gave him the inconceivably great promise, "I will make of you a great nation; and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing." Abram was not only to receive blessing, but to be a blessing; not only to be blessed by God, but to become a blessing, or the medium of blessing, to others.
Blessing...בְּרָכָה...from barak; (benediction), implies prosperity. Here are a few examples...
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Psalms 121:7, 8
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
God shall supply all you need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:19,20
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20,21
Prosperity, yes...wealth, perhaps.
More to the point...imagine what it would be like to utter any of these words to a friend and be certain God would fulfill them. That would constitute true greatness. And...most of us want to make a difference. We want to have influence. Unfortunately, most of us don't want to do what it takes to be "change makers".
It's a difficult path but it always has a destination...
The path may not be, precisely, Abram's path but the path to greatness always involves following God obediently. The physical journey may be incidental. God may simply lead you to the next city or the next block. Yet...it is the act of following that accrues the blessings. And, the first step into the unknown is frightening. Ask anybody who has left for basic training, or university, or marriage.
We can follow fame, or wealth, or power but these are only distractions. That is not following God. We will achieve them and realize we have achieved nothing. God wants to bless us by making us a blessing to others...and may give us these things in our pursuit of Him...so we might use them to bless others. Only the relentless pursuit of God, Himself, infers a promise of the kind of greatness that calls down the power and presence of God into the lives of others. But...we must take that first step, wherever it leads.
Live boldly out there today...
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