“After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Fear not, Abram; I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Genesis k15:1
In the book of Isaiah the Lord gives us a clear picture of what we can do if things become unclear, or we lose our vision of God’s ways, and the hope that we should live by. Isaiah writes: “Hearken unto Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone and blessed him, and increased him.” (Genesis 51:1,2) Why does God direct our attention to Abraham? Perhaps the greatest reason is found in God’s dealings with Abraham, and the knowledge of what He taught him to live a life of faith, even though he did not have a Bible, a church, nor those of like mind with whom he could fellowship and seek counsel. What then was it that God taught him, so that he would become a man of faith, and Sarah, a woman of faith, in a “faithless” land? It all began with the matter of revelation, the revealing of Christ to his heart and mind, and Abraham’s reception of that revelation as truth.
In the book of Hebrews, we read about Abraham, when he lived in Mesopotamia, in Ur, the land of the Chaldees. We discover that there God, “called” Abraham. How did this occur? In the book of Acts, during the testimony of Stephen, he declares: “The God of glory “appeared” unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran.” (7:2) It was then, in an idolatrous context, that the Lord said unto him, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.” (7:3) In the absence of a Bible, the Lord’s method in dealing with Abraham was the revelation of Himself. He came and “appeared” unto him. We see a very tangible example of this “revelation,” when later, after Abraham was in Canaan, “…the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre.” (Gen. 18:1) There Abraham would see three men approaching. He immediately recognized one of them as “My Lord,” bowing himself toward the ground. What does this tell us of how God deals with Abraham? First of all, Christ reveals himself in a very clear, concise manner. There is no mistaking His identity. So clear was Abraham’s perception, and recognition of Christ, later on in particular, that there was no hesitation in running towards Him, bowing down before him, and worshipping Him as Lord. This is the first thing to realize concerning a life of faith, that God in Christ will reveal Himself, primarily through His word, but also by the Spirit in circumstances or people, to bring the believer to an overwhelming conviction that it is Him. The Apostle John, whose senses were very keen to recognize the Lord, would one day say to Peter, while they were fishing and Christ standing on the shore, “It is the Lord.” God reveals Himself to the spirit of the believer, in a very clear and convincing way. For Abraham, it was by direct revelation. For believers today, it is principally by the word of God, for in that word there is certain clarity, truth, and conciseness.
After Abraham had left Charran, to continue his voyage to the promised land, and came into the land of Canaan, again, “the Lord appeared unto Abram.” (Gen. 12:7) There God would give to Abram a promise concerning the giving of the land to Abram, and his seed. It would also be at this time that Abram would begin to build “…an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.” From that time forth, the altar would be his central place and means of worshipping God. In worship, Abraham kept the Lord always before him. His faith was strengthened by beholding Christ.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to worship. In Jesus’ name, Amen.