Abraham's Century Of Pilgrimage

by R.I. Shaw, Wembley, England | Category: Across The Bible Centuries | Apr 1988

Abraham appears in Scripture as a true pilgrim. He departed, went forth, passed through, removed, journeyed (Gen. 12:4-9). He lived in a tent, the symbol of his life, adhering to the divine principle of separation.

As if to emphasize the fact he did not take a thread or a shoelatchet from Bera, king of Sodom (Gen. 14:23) and paid full value for what he acquired from others (Gen. 23). He had opportunity to return to his native land, but his heart was set towards God, and faith prevailed (Heb. 11:15).

Abraham left Haran at 75 years of age and died at 175 years. His pilgrimage therefore spanned a period of 100 years: his detached life being a testimony to the world. His affections were centred not on the transitory or unimportant things of life, but on those eternal realities revealed only to faith. For Abraham, therefore, the problems of life were not so difficult to hear because these could never touch his true treasure or affect his real interest.

Abraham's tent and altar went together in divine purpose. Whenever he pitched his tent he built an altar. He never built one in Haran because fellowship with God demands obedience and separation to His will. The separated man must be willing to stand alone, to go "outside the camp" and to live a life only possible to faith. God often gives His promises to us as a result of full obedience, and it is in such circumstances that our longings, desires, aspirations will have fruition. Abraham's case was no different. In Mesopotamia God had said to him that He would show him the land He had promised. At Bethel God said He would give him the land and, as a result of his obedience, God asked him to walk through it in such freedom as if the title deeds were actually in his hands. In faith Abraham looked beyond the promise to the Promiser. Abraham believed God. He believed Him at all times although the reasoning of expediency led him at one stage to take matters into his own hands.

Abraham tried to realise for himself God's promise about his son instead of waiting for God to unfold His purpose, assured that He will not fail. Sarah in her childlessness suggested that Hagar take her place and, apparently without reference to God, "Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai". It is hard to resist temptation when it appeals to natural instinct still more difficult when presented by some object of our love. What may seem right to them may be terribly wrong for us. When ultimately Ishmael was born the results began to appear, bringing sorrow; the sorrow of jealousy and wounded pride to Sarah, of disappointment and exile to Hagar, and sorrow to Abraham because of Ishmael's rejection by God.

If God ever pledged Himself to give His servants an unbroken run of prosperity how many counterfeit Christians there would be! In fact this is not God's way, but so very often in a time of special trial God gives special revelation and emphasizes His promises. Three such experiences are recorded in Abraham's life.

God's word was timely following Abraham's intervention in the dispute of the kings, "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward". Such assurance that God Himself was around him as a shield brought comfort in the face of his fears. Certainly, God's revelation as his "exceeding great reward" far outstripped the paltriness of all the goods on offer from the king of Sodom.

Again, in Genesis 17:1, God gave to Abraham a revelation of Himself, this time in preparation for His command to His servant. He revealed Himself as El-Shaddai, the all-powerful, all-sufficient God. Trusting in this God, Abraham was well equipped for the command, "Walk before Me and be thou perfect". This perfection is the perfection of entire surrender; of whole-hearted devotion. To walk before God requires a heart and life always open to the inspection of His holy eye.

Now came Abraham's greatest trial, the offering up of Isaac his son. God knew that Isaac was Abraham's only son by Sarah, the son whom he deeply loved. All his hopes were centred on Isaac, but on the face of it his fondest hope was about to be dashed. With divine enlightenment, however, it is no wonder we read that Abraham "accounted that God is able to raise him up, even from the dead" (Heb. 11:19).

Trials are part of the moulding of character and have played a part in God's plan for His servants in every age. They may be sudden; they may also be severe, but we conclude that they represent God's vote of confidence. The devil will tempt us to cause us to fall, but like the tutor to the scholar or the coach to the athlete,

God tries His servants to bring out the best in them.

Abraham's greatest trial came at a time when life was flowing smoothly for him. Materially, God had blessed him with great prosperity and had crowned it by the birth of Isaac. The sunlit years would appear now to have been before him in a chain of blessing, when like a bolt Out of the sky the sacrifice of Isaac is announced. For the love of God, Abraham had left his ancestral home to reach God's home and God was now testing that love. We can never gauge love by feeling. The true test is how much we are prepared to do for the one to whom we profess it. The Lord Jesus said, "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me" (John 14:21).

Not only was it a trial of Abraham's love, it tested also his faith and his obedience. Isaac was the child of promise and this that he was now called to do could only be done in the light of Abraham's faith in God. Although it may not all have been understood, Abraham counted that God was able both to receive the sacrifice of Isaac and to fulfil His promise. So Abraham rose up early to obey the instruction of his God.

God does not require noble characters as the groundwork of His masterpieces. The miracles of His grace and power, wrought upon everyday types of individuals, bring glory to His Name even more conspicuously. Such was Abraham's case. Without divine direction Abraham went down into Egypt, the symbol of alliance with the world. Instead of trusting implicitly on God he looked at the difficulties of his circumstances and took the first way out. Lost faith leads to lost courage and soon Abraham was in difficulty. He did not apparently realize that his God was Jehovah-jireh (He will provide). He compacted with Sarah that she would describe herself as his sister in order to save his skin. Faithfully, God stood by His servant to deliver him, although 30 years later he lapsed into the same evil with Abimelech. In the matter of sin and temptation we are never safe so long as we are in this world. Only by God's grace may we survive.

Abraham's strength of faith was a comfort to his nephew Lot. The words of Genesis 13:5, "Lot went with him", suggest that he followed on without knowing the inspirational power of God in his life. Lot has a parallel in the man who dares to take a step on the disciple road because of his friend. Such cannot survive. The outward separation of the body from the ways of the world must be accompanied by the inner separation of the spirit. Lot "lifted up his eyes" in a very different way from Abraham, to see Jordan. What he saw appealed to the flesh, the eyes and the pride or vainglory of life. In contrast, Abraham's eyes were on God until God told him to lift them up. God honours those who honour Him, and it is thrilling to read of the expanse of God's blessings to Abraham "northward, southward, eastward and westward" (Gen. 13:14).

God pronounced judgement against the cities of the plain because of their wickedness, and He told His friend Abraham; as a result we have deep insight into his active prayer life. In the matter of Sodom he stood before the Lord and he stood alone. His prayer was prolonged and persistent, demanding of patience and great toil. He waited before God in the matter in an attitude of great humility, saying, "Behold, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). Six times Abraham's petition was granted and his faith and courage grew. At first it would seem that he was forcing God from point to point but, in reality, God was drawing him on in prayer. He did not realize the extent of God's righteousness and mercy all at once. In bringing Lot and his daughters out of Sodom God exceeded the limits placed by Abraham. So we discover that when we have asked our utmost there are still vistas beyond to the limitless blessings of God.

Having considered briefly a few of the great milestone experiences of Abraham it might seem strange that we have not so far read of his tears.

Sometimes the multiplicity of our engagements turns away grief, but in the death of Sarah Abraham mourned and wept. They had been through many trials together and every memory of them would bring fresh tears discharging the agony of the heart. Tears should be a part of Christian experience. While morbid sentimentality is pointless we may well question whether the man who cannot weep can really love. Sorrow of this nature is love widowed or bereaved and its most natural expression is in tears. There was to be no burial place beside their ancestors. That land had no further claim upon the pilgrim.

The basis of Abraham's character was a mighty faith. "Abraham believed God". His faith did not dwell alone, it bore much fruit. If we test him against those fruits of faith catalogued in 2 Peter 1 we shall find that he bore them all.

After serving the counsel of God, Abraham gave up his spirit and was gathered to his people. There was no reluctance in his death. He had looked forward in faith to see the day of Christ, and beyond he gazed as a great tent-dweller to see the city which has the foundations "whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10).

R.I. Shaw, Wembley, England | Apr 1988
Across The Bible Centuries