On the Move in a New Day

 

Monday, January 2, 2023

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation.  I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.  All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”  So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him.  Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.  Genesis 12:1-4

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance.  He went without knowing where he was going.  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.  And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.  Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.  Hebrews 11:8-10

There’s an old comprehension test that asks the question:  Which of these is different from the others?  Our text qualifies for that kind of understanding:

A new day, new year, new calling of God to an old man.

“New” days and callings suggest things opening, budding, sprouting…all on the way-up.  An old man’s new things are aches, bumps, bruises he’d never noticed, and energy on the way-down – more the discovery of what doesn’t work anymore, or that which hurts too much to try again.  Appointments at the doctor’s office are on the rise; playing third base for the Yankees is out!

Abraham was my age (75) when God whispered in his ear to pack his bags, pull up the tent-stakes, and hit the road.  It was harder back then…transportation issues alone might have killed whatever ambition the old man had left.  Either riding a mule or walking through the desert was no picnic.  But the greatest consideration was leaving the life he’d built, and all the familiar sights and routines of home to become a newbie-stranger in a foreign land.  It would be like spending 7½ decades in rural Georgia, then moving to Boston.  Had I been Abraham I might have questioned the voice that spoke in Haran that day.

And perhaps he did ask God to elaborate.  I’ll have to remember to ask Abe that when I meet up with him some day.   Even if it was a longer discussion than Scripture records, the focus isn’t on how long it took Abraham to say Yes, Lord!  Rather it is for us to take note of his faith that went home and told Sarai they were picking up and moving.  “Where?” said his bride.  “I don’t know,” said Abe.  We can imagine the rest of the conversation, with Mrs. Abraham trying to find out if her husband had been at the camel juice again.  Could be it was a very silent trip to Canaan-land.

For You Today  

It’s not an easy thing to change; it’s incredibly difficult when you’ve been settled your whole life.  It’s monumental when you’re asked to turn the fruit-basket upside down and throw caution to the wind…especially so as you get older, and caution becomes your way of life. 

But God honors faith…that which steps forward into His promises.  So, whether you’re a teenager, or into your eighth-decade, live and rest in God’s Word.  And act by the faith which knows:

Until God says Move Out you stay put.  

When God says Move out don’t just sit there!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

  Three-part series:  Yield – Part One   Yield – Part Two   Yield – Part Three

Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Overthinking Faith

 

Friday, June 12, 2020

Genesis 24:1-9

Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way.  One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh.  Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women.  Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”  The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?”  “No!” Abraham responded.  “Be careful never to take my son there.  For the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants.  He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son.  If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine.  But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.”  So the servant took an oath by putting his hand under the thigh of his master, Abraham. He swore to follow Abraham’s instructions.

For each of the last three years this text has jumped off the page each time I read it.  And then, I had no choice but to write what God was saying to my heart.  I went back and read each of those devotional pieces and found the common thread of Abraham living in the faith he proclaimed.  The writer of Hebrews explains:

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance.  He went without knowing where he was going.  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.  And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.  Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.  Hebrews 11:8-10

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…the faith, this belief in One whom they could not see, and living in that reality was passed on to successive generations by….well, faith!

By entrusting finding a bride for Isaac to his servant, Abraham was staking the entire future of more than his family to this man; Abraham was putting the witness of God’s faithfulness on the line.  I believe the patriarch had finally learned, at that stage of his long life, to be comfortable with trusting God’s way more than trying to control everything to make it all come out right.  This is not exactly a doctrinal textbook definition of faith, but it sure says what it means to live it on the ground.

By comparison, Abraham’s servant may have been overthinking, rather than serving.  Perhaps he’d been hanging around Abraham too long, and had seen too many of his master’s flaws, lying to the Egyptians, and trying to give God’s promises a little extra insurance by having a backup heir in Ishmael.  The servant, like a cunning politician, wanted every possibility covered.  When he heard Abraham’s instructions, he asked, well, what if…and what if…and what if….  Abrahm’s oldest, most trusted servant was overthinking the issue of faith.  In patient, but no-nonsense faith, Abraham told the man…no what if’s, just do what I asked you…if God doesn’t do what He said, then you’re released from your promise. 

In hindsight, I believe Abraham had learned to trust that what he’d heard from God was to be believed, not overthought.  If God didn’t bring it all to pass, it was Abraham who had misunderstood God, and God would handle even that.

Abraham’s servant took the oath, and, later we find him wondering as he’s looking at Rebekah, is this the one?  The man had sworn an oath, and he was trying his best to fulfill his responsibility, but he just couldn’t help himself trying to make sure.  Abraham’s man may have been his oldest and most trusted servant, but he was also his Overthinker-in-Chief!

Let’s Pray Together:

Father, we’d much rather live like Abraham, trusting You, no matter what the circumstances look like, or what the prevailing culture prescribes we should do, or not do.  Help us to receive for this day Abraham’s kind of faith.

For You Today

One thing is certain about living the faith we proclaim – it ain’t easy!  But, when we do (finally) toss off all our tendency to control our circumstances, and truly let God have those circumstances, the relief and joy of trusting Him is a sure way to discover we don’t need anti-depressants or panic attack drugs to get through another day!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

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Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For another post on Genesis 24 see Finding Rebekah and Marrying Wisdom and Faith and The Promise  

Marrying Wisdom and Faith

[1]

Monday, November 12, 2018

Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way.  One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh.  Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women.  Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”  The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home?  Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?”  “No!” Abraham responded.  “Be careful never to take my son there.  For the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants.  He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son.  If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine.  But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.”  So the servant took an oath by putting his hand under the thigh of his master, Abraham.  He swore to follow Abraham’s instructions.  Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim.  There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled.  Genesis 24:1-10(NLT)

It is possible to act in faith without wisdom; it is also possible to use wisdom without faith (although it isn’t wise to do so, and is worse than being faithful, but not wise).  There are times when you don’t know which way to turn.  You sit and consider all the possibilities.  You want to trust God and be faithful, as well as wise.  But it’s confusing.

The culture in which Abraham lived was patristic, and the custom was for him to choose a bride for his son, Isaac.  This old man had walked with God for many decades, and the Lord had given him much wisdom.  In this most important decision as leader of his family – a decision that would affect his household name for generations to come, Abraham wanted to be faithful, and he wanted to be wise.  He proved to be both.

Abraham was unable to travel, and the faith of his household demanded a choice for Isaac that would fertilize that faith.  That meant helping Isaac choose a faith-filled wife, who would help him cultivate a family of faith.  In Abraham’s judgment, that meant going back to the place of beginnings.  Abraham wisely chose his faithful servant to carry out this plan, giving clear instructions to bring back a willing match for his son.  God was in this faithful wisdom, and so, it worked out well as God led the servant to Rebekah. 

The question that normally arises out of this story is:  How does just following the cultural norms equate with being faithful and wise?  After all, there are plenty of Biblical passages that teach God’s people to be anything but “normal”.  We are to come out from [amongst sinners], and we must live in the world, but not of the world.[2]

The answer is found in the last part of Abraham’s instructions to his servant. 

Abraham is reasonable

He tells his servant what to do, and then tells him if it doesn’t work out, he is released from his obligation. 

Abraham also acted in faith

He tells his servant in unmistakable words to make certain his son is to live in the land God promised.  In this Abraham is willing to abandon the cultural norms if culture contradicts God’s way.  This is the essence of faith; we trust God more than culture.  God, whom we cannot see is our promise; He is leading us to evidence unseen but hoped-for. 

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance.  He went without knowing where he was going.  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.  And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.  Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.  Hebrews 11:8-10(NLT)

If the servant couldn’t secure a bride for Isaac in the culturally-accepted way, Abraham was willing to back off and await God’s revelation.

I have tried to force situations before with my controlling nature; I can say with absolute certainty – that was not wisdom or faith; it was unbelief.  Anytime you can’t bear to stand still and see God’s salvation, you’re not willing to have faith marry wisdom; you’re more interested in having your own way.

For You Today

If you’ve got a big decision to make, make the biggest one first – that you’ll do your best, but you are committed to God’s way above your own.  That’s how to marry wisdom to your faith.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] 2 Corinthians 6:17 & John 18:36