Lessons from Abraham
Abraham is a prominent biblical figure whose life can teach us many lessons about walking with God.
Let’s examine his life to see how we can learn from his example.
Obeying God Without Needing to Understand
In Genesis 12:1, God commanded Abraham to leave his father’s house and go into a land God would later reveal to Him.
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
Without hesitation, Abraham obeyed God and went.
Abraham trusted God without having all the answers. He left his familiar surroundings, trusted God to show him where to go, and settled in a foreign land. God rewarded His obedience by establishing the Abrahamic covenant which all believers share in today. God promised Abraham, among other things, that through him all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:2-3).
Wow! Through Abraham’s obedience, God blessed the whole world.
Believing God When It Looks Impossible
In Genesis 15, God reiterated His promises to Abraham. God told him that he would give him a son, which we later find out to be Isaac.
“And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” - Genesis 15:6
Now, this is significant because Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were very old, so it seemed impossible for them to conceive children. Yet, Abraham believed God despite this impossible situation, and God was faithful to fulfill what He had spoken.
Loving God More Than His Promises
One day, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac. God was literally telling Abraham to give up what He had promised him.
Without hesitation, Abraham did as God commanded. He believed God would either provide an animal sacrifice in Isaac’s place, or God would raise Isaac from the dead.
Just as Abraham was about to slay his son, God called to Him from heaven and told him to stop. Suddenly, Abraham saw a ram, so he sacrificed it on the altar instead of Isaac.
The key here is that when God saw that Abraham would quite literally lay down his beloved promise from God on the altar, He swore by His own name that He would fulfill His covenant with Abraham no matter what.
So, when Abraham chose to love God beyond His promises, beyond anything and everything, the Abrahamic covenant was sealed for all generations. This shows us that the sacrifice is nothing compared to the blessing.
Abraham made mistakes and certainly wasn’t perfect. However, the hallmark of Abraham’s life was that he was remembered as “the friend of God”
James 2:23:
“And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.”
Key Lessons from Abraham’s life
Childlike trust and obedience
Trusted God when it didn’t make sense
Believed God when things looked impossible
Loved God beyond everything
Abraham’s great faith was simply an expression of his great love for God, for “faith works by love” (Galatians 5:6).