A Man of Faith

​Genesis 22
Hebrews 11:8
 
When we look at Genesis 22 we learn about Abraham, a man who bible scholars will tell you is often referred to as the “Father of Faith”.  We know that Abraham was the father of the Hebrew nation and we know that Abraham had a relationship with God.   If we go a little further back we know that God called Abraham to leave his native land and kindred.  Abraham was called by God and told to step out on faith.  He told him to “get from under your kindred” and “go into the land that I’m going to show you”.   Because he obeyed God and literally walked out into the unknown, Abraham is known as the Father of Faith. 
 
One question does come to mind: what is faith? Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”. 
 
We can learn some things about faith from Abraham.  In Genesis 22 God is speaking with Abraham, telling him take your son - your only son.  Abraham take the son, that you really love, up to Mount Moriah.  God says to Abraham I want you to offer him up as a sacrifice unto me.
 
Now we’re talking about his son, his only son.  Just think, you’ve got a son and God calls you to offer that only son up for an offering.   In other words, God is basically telling Abraham “take your son and kill your son for me”.  Wow.
 
We know that when they got to Mt. Moriah Abraham told the young men that were with them - ya’ll stay right here with the donkey.  Me and the lad are going to worship and we will come back.  Then we see Abraham and Isaac going up the mountain and Isaac asks his father a question.  He said, Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the sacrifice; where is the lamb?
 
Can you imagine?  Now Isaac wasn’t a little boy. He was a young man.  Yet still we read that his father bound his hands and his feet and laid him upon the altar.  After he built the altar it says he laid the wood in order and laid Isaac upon it.  And we know that Abraham was going to kill him.
 
Abraham had faith, enough faith to believe that if he took that knife and took the life of his son he believed that God was able to raise his son up.  He had that kind of faith.  Abraham held the knife up, ready to slay his son, and the angel of the Lord spoke and said “Abraham, Abraham….. touch not the lad”.   As I read the part where Abraham laid the wood upon him it made me think about the cross that was laid upon Jesus.  The scriptures say Abraham laid the wood upon Isaac; Abraham had the knife and he had the fire.  That was a symbol of the cross; I look at it as a symbol of the cross.
 
We know that Abraham was going to offer up Isaac and we know that God not only offered up His Son, He allowed Jesus to go to the cross.  He allowed His Son to carry that cross, and not only that He allowed Him to be crucified for us.  Our faith hinges on that, the fact that Jesus Christ died for us.
 
Abraham believed the promise of God.  You see Abraham was saved through grace and through faith.  It was not because of the circumcision, it was not because of keeping the law, nor was it because he worshiped in the temple. It was because Abraham believed in God’s promise. That’s why Abraham was saved - he believed God.  It was this belief in the promises of God, this faith in God that saved him.  Abraham had faith - that’s why they call Abraham the Father of Faith.
 
See one thing about it brother, when it is all said and done the question is - where is our faith?  Are we men of faith?  Do we really truly believe what we hear, what we teach, what we read -  do we really believe what God says?  Do we believe that God really truly exists? Do we believe that God called Abraham to do this? Do we really believe this bible that we read? Do we believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead?
 
I mean Abraham had faith. He was like us, we haven’t seen Christ risen.  That’s why the bible teaches us that we walk by faith, not by sight. We have not seen and yet, we believe.  We’re talking about being a man of faith and Abraham was a man of faith; truly indeed he was a man of faith.
 
There are a lot of men of faith in the bible - we look at Noah, he built the ark.  We look at Moses going down before Pharaoh.  We’re talking about men of faith, willing to obey God.  God has called us to be obedient – to obey Him.  God has called each one of us.  It might not be to the point that we are going to offer up a son but we are called to be men that believe and obey God.
 
As I said Abraham believed God and believed the promise that God had given him. Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham received the promise and offered up his only son.  Even if he were to kill his son he believed that God was able to raise him up, he had that faith.  I thank God for faith - Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God.
 
We’re saved through faith - faith is what saves us, and our faith is what delivers us.
 
Father, thank you for faith, and for strength to believe and obey you.
~ J.T.