The BLB Blog

The official blog of Blue Letter Bible

Abraham's Faith: Believing and Trusting the Lord

Posted on Posted by

If you are joining us for the first time, please be sure to read the previous posts in this series:

Last week, we discussed Abraham’s continuous battle with sin and his constant need for God’s grace.

It is interesting to note, however, that if you read Hebrews 11:8-19 but knew nothing of Abraham’s history, you might come to the conclusion that Abraham and Sarah both were a man and woman of giant faith who trusted God implicitly and obeyed Him immediately. But as you can see from our reading in Genesis and the extra-biblical resources, that was not the case at all! They were real people, who were believers in the Lord but were also weak in their faith, prone to compromise—and in certain instances serious compromise—but who nonetheless were righteous before the Lord, not because of their works, but rather because of their faith. This is what Hebrews 11:8-19 is emphasizing:

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised; 12 therefore, also, there was born of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. 13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15  And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead; from which he also received him back as a type. (Hebrews 11:8-19)

Therefore, as we now look at the greatest trial of faith and trust in obedience to God that was to confront Abraham, we see, as stated previously, the fruit of God’s sanctifying work of brokenness and repentance He worked in Abraham, so that at this point in Abraham’s life, he was indeed committed to following and trusting the Lord to the death, versus his previous walk, as a believer, of doubt, fear, and compromise:

1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 And He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship and return to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 And Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. 9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there, and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.” 15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 “And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.
(Genesis 22:1-19)

As you read this portion of Scripture, you will notice that in verse 5 that Abraham makes a remarkable statement to his servants: “And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship and return to you.’” The NJKV is the only English version that I know that correctly translates this passage in the following manner: “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” Abraham tells his “young men” that he and Isaac “will come back to you,” which certainly confirms what is stated in Hebrews 11:17-19: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead; from which he also received him back as a type.”

As we read Genesis 22:9-10, at each step of Abraham’s obedience preparation to sacrifice his son Isaac, we can feel the tremendous spiritual, mental, and emotional pressure he was experiencing as he was carrying out—in faith, trust, and obedience—what God had called him to do, all the while trusting God implicitly at this time, being committed to the death, versus, giving in to his fear, disbelief, and carnal compromise as in his earlier years as a believer: “Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and (1) Abraham built the altar there, (2) and arranged the wood, (3) and bound his son Isaac, (4) and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 (5) And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” Each step Abraham took in preparing his son for sacrifice was a gigantic step of faith, trust, and obedience to the Lord in the face of all types of spiritual, mental, and emotional pressure he was experiencing to do the opposite. However, Abraham had learned through his previous failures in not faithfully obeying the Lord. He knew that such disobedience is based on fear—a fear which says you can’t believe and trust in the Lord, but rather you must take matters into your own hands and make compromising decisions. This only results in great failure and regret! This he learned over about forty years as a born again believer in the Lord (assuming that Isaac was about 15 years old when Abraham sacrificed him), and as a result of God’s sanctifying discipline in his life, Abraham was now committed to the death to trust, believe, and faithfully obey the Lord, regardless of the intense assault of carnal emotions and fears that were insisting he compromise. But once again, he had learned through his previous failures in doubting God and giving in to compromise, that such compromise does not bring life and blessing, but brings remorse, regret, and potential tragedy. Abraham was now committed to trusting and obeying the Lord to the death, which is what all of us, as believers in Christ, must come to.

The result, therefore, of Abraham’s faithful obedience to the Lord is seen in the following verses:

11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.” 15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 “And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.
(Genesis 22:11-19)

This, dear ones, is the result of years of growth in the Lord through failure and subsequent brokenness and repentance, whereby God, through His loving discipline, brings us to a place where “we may share His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10), and one very central and essential aspect of that “holiness” is believing and trusting in the Lord to the death, which is fully beyond our natural ability.

Comments

  1. Great article! I just wanted to make a comment on the last sentence which states that “believing and trusting in the Lord to the death…is fully beyond our natural ability.” Serving the Lord, regardless of how big or how small is ALWAYS beyond our natural ability. That is why we need to reckon our flesh dead to sin and alive unto Christ, yield our flesh over to Christ, and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us in order to serve the Lord. Anything done in the flesh will not please the Lord, because no good thing dwells in our flesh.

  2. I’m missing the connection with the overall series “Emphatic Negations in Hebrews 6”? Is there no linguistics necessary to make your point in Part 10? Will you later come back to Hebrews 6 HNV and summarize it all?

    You appear to be making quite a dividing line in Abrahams walk of faith at Mount Moriah and quite a presumptuous implication that Abraham no longer was a, as you keep putting it, “a believer, of doubt, fear, and compromise”, “his fear, disbelief, and carnal compromise” after this event in his life and became, dare I say “born again” at this point no longer having doubt, fear or compromise. – I don’t think so, at least as evidenced in this born again believers many years of walking in faith.

    Your summary states that there is something more than “the BLOOD shed on the tree” that makes us “partakers of HIS holiness”. There is nothing more than the BLOOD! Heb 12 HNV speaks of training and remember dear one, only the shedding of blood will satisfy the CREATORS required of payment for sin and make those who believe Holy.

    J.

  3. 2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
    Tts 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

    The intent, the pronouncements that God promised before the world began press against, threaten to rupture the windows of heaven due to the veracity, the potency of His truth. Human creation is the crucible. Scarce few come to learn to believe God.

    The Bible relates many physical instances to provide contrast sufficient to help humans living in the physical to comprehend the way of the spirit; to begin to see the will of God. Scripture insists that we must be led by the spirit. Our Creator yearns for us to partake fully of His blessing and life. The lost component of our being is that which is disdained by the world, yet His Spirit awaits belief. Jesus is the image of what humans were and are to be. In Him, in His righteousness are we transformed. Abram believed God early in his life yet was not sufficiently convinced to where his believe exceeded the veil of death as proved later with Isaac.

    1Cr 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
    2Cr 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

    • Q; Is there some level of belief that once achieved then brings salvation or “exceeds the veil of death”?

      A; No, only the Blood.

      J.

      • The blood provides fulfillment of the promises and is contained in them before the foundation of the world. When that which is perfect is completed the former provisional substitute is elminated. Belief before that which is perfect is not prevented at the judgement. That which is perfect is included in the promises before the world began. The promises are engaged in belief or they are not realized. There is no instance of fulfillment without belief.

  4. Mat 17:20, 21:21, Mar 11:23
    There is no remission without the blood yet it is not mentioned in these verses. The blood is contained in the promises that are engaged in belief. The perfect sacrifice is the blood that saves those in the Old Testament who believe before the actual slaying because it is contained in the promises before the world began.

  5. Exactly, it is not omitted. The blood enables all the promises of God from before the world began. Before the world began so that it is effective for the Old and New Testaments. The Kingdom does not exist for this world in time. Time only exists for mortals.

  6. Justin~

    I am so sorry. I hope that you don’t think that I have ignored your response to my comments and questions. I was scrolling down the page looking for something else and just happened to notice that you had answered me. I so appreciate your taking the time to provide such an lengthy answer. It’s a little late for me to get started reading it, but I will first thing tomorrow. I look forward to reading your explanations.

    God bless you~
    Barbara