Lessons from their lives. Talk 1. Abraham
Welcome to the first talk in a new series where we’ll be looking at Bible characters and seeing what lessons we can learn from certain aspects of their lives. Of course, the Bible itself sets a clear precedent for doing this. 1 Corinthians 10:11 teaches us that the things that happened to God’s people in the past were written down as examples for our instruction. So we can learn from their lives. We learn from their experience.
Today our subject is Abraham. We remember him mainly for the fact that, although his wife Sarah was barren, God promised to bless him, to make of him a great nation, and that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed God and it was ‘credited to him as righteousness’. It’s through Abraham’s greatest descendant, the Lord Jesus Christ, that God’s blessing of salvation has become available to all the world, to all who will believe. So Abraham became not only the physical father of the Jewish nation but the spiritual father of all those, whether Jew or Gentile, who believe as he believed.
So in the New Testament it’s Abraham’s faith that’s remembered most of all. But that does not mean that Abraham was never afraid. In fact he had a very real tendency to fear! But surely faith is the opposite of fear. How can a man of faith be fearful? That’s what we’ll be looking at today, and we’ll learn from the example of Abraham how it’s possible to have faith despite your fears.
We’ll start in Genesis 15:1 where God says:
Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward (NIV)
Why did God say, Do not be afraid? Because he knew that Abraham had a tendency to fear. And in fact most of God’s people have the same problem! That’s why again and again in the Bible we read that God says, Do not be afraid.
In this talk we’re going to look at:
Abraham’s tendency to fear God’s response to it Abraham’s response to God
and seek to learn how all this applies to us.
Abraham’s Tendency to Fear
As we’ve already seen, Abraham was an obedient servant of God to whom God had promised great blessings. In Genesis 12:1-3 we read that God said to Abraham:
Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
And verse 4 tells us that Abraham left, as the LORD had told him.
BUT this did not prevent him being afraid
Look at Genesis 12:10-13 where Abraham goes to live in Egypt because of a famine. As they’re about to enter Egypt, he says to his wife Sarai:
I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.
And in chapter 20 when Abraham is living temporarily in Gerar, he makes the same request, this time with potentially disastrous consequences. The fear that he might be killed so that others might take Sarah as his wife was clearly on ongoing weakness.
But despite this tendency to fear Abraham was capable of behaving very bravely
In Genesis 14:11-16 we read how four kings had formed an alliance and had seized Abraham’s nephew Lot and carried him off with all his possessions. When Abraham heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out his men and went after them. He attacked them at night, routed them, and recovered all Lot’s possessions and brought him back together with the women and the other people who were with him.
So in chapter 14 Abraham has acted bravely and won a great victory. Why then is God telling him in chapter 15 not to be afraid? At first sight there are two possible reasons for Abraham’s fear:
(a) the four kings taking revenge over Lot’s rescue?
or
(b) that he would never have his own son to be his heir
This is made clear at the beginning of chapter 15.
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."
2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir."
5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Note:
The fear that the four kings might take revenge is the fear that something bad might happen.
The fear that he would never have his own son to be his heir is the fear that something good might not happen.
We can fear these things even when God has spoken to us! (12:1ff)
(a) e.g. first building project - financial difficulties
(b) principalship - might not get elected
What have you been afraid of?
God’s Response to Abraham’s fear
He spoke to Abraham (15:1)
After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward’
How comforting the Word of God is to us when we’re afraid (Fred Durrant)
He promised to be Abraham’s shield
In response to the fear that something bad might happen
God himself would be Abraham’s protection. I am your shield.
But not only Abraham’s! He is the shield for Abraham’s descendants too!
Deut. 33:29 Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper...
Cf. Psalms 3:3, 18:35, 28:7, 33:20, 84:11, 115:9, 10, 11, 119:114, 144:2, Prov. 30:5.
But note especially Psalm 91
Note especially Verse 4 which says His faithfulness will be your shield.
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge--
10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
So God spoke to Abraham, he promised to be his shield. And thirdly:
He promised to be Abraham’s very great reward
In response to the fear that something good might not happen, God promised him many blessings:
a son (v4) multitudes of descendants (v5) a land (vv 7,18)
BUT what really mattered was that GOD himself was Abraham’s very great reward. I am your ... reward.
God himself is our reward:
in heaven - yes
but we have the Holy Spirit as a foretaste now - in prayer, communion, fellowship with him
Abraham’s Response to God
He believed! (v 6) - and it was credited to him as righteousness (cf. Rom. 4:3)
All who believe are the spiritual descendants of Abraham.
Romans 4:16-17, Galatians 3:9, 29.
God is OUR shield and OUR reward.
The shield of faith (Eph 6:16) will extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one!
But didn’t Ps. 91:4 say that God’s faithfulness is our shield?
Yes. Perhaps Eph 6:16 should be translated faithfulness.
But what is the source of our faith? God’s faithfulness!
Our faith is our response to God’s faithfulness.
The Word of God is a record of God’s faithfulness.
That’s why faith comes by hearing it (Romans 10:17).
Conclusion
Perhaps at times we are all rather like Abraham.
Sometimes we are capable of great courage, yet most of us have a tendency to fear.
Perhaps that's why God says so often in his word, FEAR NOT
But he knows about our fear.
He promises to be our shield and very great reward.
He is faithful to his promises
And his faithfulness is the source of our faith.
Take your eyes off your faith and fix them on God's faithfulness.
He himself is our reward. To have Jesus is enough!
In him all God's promises find their fulfilment (2 Cor. 1:20)
