By:
Obed Pineda
For the past several weeks, it has been the focus of this author to verbally paint the scene of the Master Blacksmith, preparing His work station as He began the forging process, by carefully selecting what He required to bring to life one of His most treasured vessels of faith. The metal selected by Him was rare and precious. Although he was buried deep within idolatry (for Scripture reveals, “your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the river in old times; and they served other gods” Joshua 24:2, emphasis added), he did not escape Jehovah’s all-knowing sight. For this reason, He pulled Abram (His special treasure) from the bowels of idolatry by commanding him, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you” and the genesis of an eternal friendship blossomed for Abram trusted God and “departed as the Lord had spoken to him,” (Genesis 12:1, 4a emphasis added). Thus, since Abram was the valuable metal chosen by the Lord, we learned that Sarai was just as precious, for the inspired Peter explains “the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit…is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror” (1st Peter 3:4, emphasis added). Therefore, Holy Writ illuminates that Sarah was indeed an indispensable part of the Lord’s plan for Abraham. However, it is wise to comprehend that the anvil that provided the security and stability for husband and wife to venture unknowingly on this Divine journey was the faith they had in God. The apostle to the Gentiles undeniably traced their pattern of faith with his own life for he expounds, “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2nd Corinthians 5:6-7, emphasis added). This extraordinary proclamation of faith was solidified by his ineradicable example of self-sacrifice that he proudly proclaimed he was “always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2nd Corinthians 4:10-11, emphasis added). Verily, Abraham and Sarah walked by faith as the apostle Paul exhibits with his example. This then enlightens that like the apostle was able to increase his faith by witnessing the mighty presence of the Lord during his tribulations, the same is true for the father of faith. Remember that Abraham is the precious metal that God chose to forge into His masterpiece, and this process begins by placing the iron inside the furnace. Paul concurs as he previously unveiled, “but we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2nd Corinthians 4:7-9, emphasis added). Once more Scripture reminds us that the power is of God, and not of man. This becomes evident when we discover from where does faith originate, and for what purpose. Although “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” it is an error to ignore that Abraham’s faith was a product of God’s words spoken to him (Romans 4:3). In other words, Abraham’s faith did not appear mystically, but rather “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written ‘The just shall live by faith” especially because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 1:17, 10:17, emphasis added). Observe that the pericope clearly states that “Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him” (Genesis 12:4a, emphasis added). This valuable instruction highlights that true, spiritual faith provides direction! Abram and Sarai may not have known where it was that they were going, but God did guide them to where they were supposed to go. This provides additional strength to the Hebrew penman’s definition of faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, emphasis added). Faith descends from God (“from faith”) and proves its worth by providing direction (“to faith”) to those who trust His word and follow His instructions (“live by faith”). Behold the wisdom of David’s promulgation “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, emphasis added). Thus, the Bible proves that Abraham’s faith was born from hearing what God had spoken to him. This is fascinating when we consider that Abram’s father, Terah, had raised him in the error of idolatry. For seventy-five years, Abram followed the tradition of his father until he heard God’s voice for himself. Notice that he did not dispute with God, nor did he uphold Terah’s teachings. Instead, the sacred text teaches us that Abram listened intently to what Jehovah had to say and made a righteous judgment. He contemplated his father’s ways and discerned them to be lacking. Thus, he pleased God because he accepted God’s word as true and believed “that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6b, emphasis added). Like his ancestors Enoch and Noah, Abraham walked with God and allowed God to guide him. Unlike the popular belief that Abraham simply had a “gut feeling,” Scriptures confirms that to “walk by faith” does not equate to walk blindly. Scripture does indisputably state that Abraham was ignorant of where he was going, but it also states that God promised to lead him for He said, “a land that I will show you” (Hebrews 11:8 and Genesis 12:1c, emphasis added). It was this assurance of heavenly direction that allowed Abraham to begin to develop his faith. When he judged God’s word as true and obeyed, his faith began to be forged. He had to empty himself from his upbringing, in order to learn from the Master. Thus, as Abram allowed God to lead the way, his faith was quickly placed into the forge. To be continued…
