“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:1
There are many instances in the Scriptures which speak of age, one becoming old or older. There are also, concerning those believers who can truly identify with reaching the latter years of life, specific words of God that are given to these, or their prayers and desires express God’s specific dealings with them in very important ways. Perhaps this is due to the knowledge that they have of God, their personal experience of His presence and power. But perhaps nowhere is there to be found in Scripture a clearer revelation of the purposes of God to the heart of the older believer than when God addressed Abram when he was ninety-nine years old. It is at this point in Abram’s life, when, as the Apostle writes of him in his letter to the Romans, that we see a man faced with the greatest challenge to faith. Abram was to be, as Paul put it, “the heir of the world,” and this to be realized by “the righteousness of faith.” (Romans 4:13) The problem with this monumental, extraordinary promise, was that it was humanly impossible. Here is a man who has been promised a son, whose mother would be Sarah. That promise was centered upon this child in Abram’s old age, by which God would make him exceeding fruitful. He would call Abraham “a father of many nations.” God’s covenant would be established between Him and Abraham, his seed, and in their generations after him. Of Sarah the Lord would declare, “I will bless her, and she shall be “a mother of nations”; kings of people shall be of her.” (Gen. 17:16) The obstacle to Abraham’s faith in the face of the realization of such a promise, was the mountain of human impossibility, for Sarah was far beyond the age of childbearing, and Abraham was ninety-nine years old. We know that faith was the key, but how is faith strengthened when conditions and circumstances, indeed, even one’s own natural abilities and capacities, are crying out that it cannot be so? Faith becomes overwhelmingly stronger when the revelation of God expands the horizon of possibilities, even certainties. This is one reason for which we have God’s revelation of Himself in a very particular, and specific manner, to Abraham, when he was faced with the glorious fact of God’s will and purpose. God was going to make Abraham exceedingly fruitful in his old age, and beyond. That declaration reveals what God will accomplish. What about the strengthening of Abraham’s faith to bring him to the point of, “…not being weak in faith…”, and not staggering at the promises of God through unbelief? (4:19,20) The answer is found in the specific vision that God gave to Abraham of Himself, and then the command which would cement it into his will by a walk of obedient faith.
We do not know all of the circumstances that surrounded God revealing Himself to Abraham at this time in his life, but we do know that since he did not have the Scriptures, God came and “appeared to Abram.” (Gen.17:1) There is no doubt that Abraham recognized Him and heard clearly the very simple words to his heart: “I am the Almighty God.” In this declaration God lifts Abram up above the mountain of the humanly impossible, to the realm of “all things being possible with God.” He points Abraham’s gaze to the One above all creation, and for whom nothing is impossible as He is the Almighty. With the vision of the Almighty eclipsing all that unbelief and reason would offer, Abraham in a very real sense, “climbed the steep ascent to heaven.” He believed, staggering not at unbelief.
With the greatness of the vision, God would give Abraham a two-fold command to obey: “Walk before Me and be thou perfect.” Christ was to be the sole object of faith. Abraham’s calling was to walk wholly, only before Him.
Dear Father, Give us believing hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.