For all the posts about Abraham, the friend of God

Because God Sees

Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” Genesis 16:13

I have hesitated to post about George Floyd, about Breonna Taylor, and the dozens of others who have suffered, not because I lack moral clarity on the issue but because first of all, I’m not sure the world needs my voice weighing in. I’m not an intellectual or a theologian. I’m not a social scientist or advocate. I’m pretty low-profile and introverted at that. Second, it is extremely easy to say things poorly and have those misunderstood. I would stop writing before I would wrongly offend or hurt someone with words.

Paul says in Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” And in Ephesians 4:29, he says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Every post – but especially this one – is with those two admonitions firmly in mind.

You may remember the story of Hagar in Genesis 16. She was a slave who became pregnant with Abraham’s son as part of Sarah’s scheme to speed up the outworking of God’s plan. Then Hagar was mistreated and oppressed until it became unbearable and she fled into the desert. At a spring, she was met by the Angel of the Lord. As a result of the encounter, she recognized that God was the God Who Sees. El Roi.

Make no mistake, God sees oppression and mistreatment. He affirms this over and over.

Genesis 4:10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.
Exodus 3:9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
Exodus 22:23 If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry;
Psalm 72:12 For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper.

God has a heart for the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, the minorities. If we are the people of God, if we want a heart like God, we must have a tender heart that breaks for the mistreatment of others.

However, I think before our hearts can break, we have to shine a penetrating holy light into its dark corners. You see, the unsettling thing about the story of Hagar is that the oppressor, Sarah, and the passive enabler, Abraham … were the people of God.

So what do we do?

The pagan king in Nineveh actually said it well. He called for fasting, for mourning, and for repentance. “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. (Jonah 3:7-8)

This is not a time for pushback and self-justification. Both of those are arrogant and self-righteous. It is a time for humility and brokenness before God for the suffering of innocent people and for the overt and hidden prejudices we hold.

Then as the people of God, we have to take action toward reconciliation. Lasting reconciliation is not going to be achieved apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Racial tensions are not new. Our culture is not the first to struggle with them. In New Testament times, one marked tension was between Jews and Gentiles. Paul explains how the gospel transform those tensions.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. (Ephesians 2:14-16)

The middle wall, the commandments and ordinances all prevented Gentiles from having full access to God’s presence, from being full participants in the system of worship. The gospel blows that apart. We are all sinners before God in need of redemption and when He saves us, we become part of the same body. That should destroy any enmity between us.

Every day, we need the transforming power of the gospel to enable us to treat everyone with dignity, with compassion and with self-sacrificing love. That is a tall order. And in our own strength, it is impossible. But as we do that difficult work, lives will be changed (including ours) cultures will be changed, God will be glorified and the kingdom will advance.

When it comes right down to it, this is not optional.

Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

May we be controlled by the love of Christ and live only for Him.

How Can I Be Sure?

By Paula

But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure …?” Genesis 15:8 (NLT)

In Genesis chapter 15, God reiterates His covenant with Abram, and in this verse, Abram asks for some reassurance about his inheritance. In the context, he had just led an armed band on very successful mission to rescue Lot from a local warlord. Possessing the land seemed like a pipe dream when just keeping his family safe was such a task.

I love the tension in the question because it reflects where we spend most of our faith journey. Sovereign Lord shows Abram’s confidence that God was in control of all things. How can I be sure shows Abram’s reaction to the very real circumstances in which he lived. Isn’t that where we are? We know God is Lord and King but sometimes the evidence is obscured by the upheavals our daily lives.

God answers Abram’s question but not overtly. In the verses that follow, He instructs Abram to set up an ancient covenant-making ritual and through it, Abram gets his answer, and by extension, so do we. How can I be sure?

Because of the character of God – In the ritual, both parties to the covenant were supposed to walk between the animal part with the idea being that’s what should happen to them if they break the covenant. It was serious business. God alone passes through the pieces. Keeping the covenant rests solely on Him. He made the promise and He swears to keep it. No matter what Abram did, the covenant was unbreakable and would never be annulled. God’s promises to us are just as sure.

Because of the faithfulness of God – He spells out to Abram the coming events and assures him that no matter what happens, the covenant will stand. Like Abram, we get focused on our current situation and struggles. God has a long-range vision of our lives and events, and He will always accomplish His plan.

Because of the power of God – An inherent reassurance built into every promise God makes is the fact that He has the power to see His promises through. If I promise to pick up my kids at 5:00, it’s contingent on my car functioning, on traffic, on my health and a host of other things I don’t know about, much less have control over. God is not that way. Egyptian slavery will not stand in the way of His promise. Hostile tribes will not stand in the way. The disobedience of Israel will not. Not even my own wavering faith.

O Sovereign Lord, I can be sure.

When God Reveals His Name

By Paula

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. Genesis 17:1

Last weekend a play opened at the college in our town. It’s a comedic farce and early in the show as one of the characters, Mr. Waldgrave, is introduced, he tells everyone to call him Ticky. Silliness of the nickname aside, Mr. Waldgrave is inviting the other characters into a relationship with him by giving them this special name. It’s a name he reserves for family and close friends.

Later in the play when his frustration is at a high point, one character calls him Ticky. Waldgrave quickly responds, “That’s Mr. Waldgrave,” signalling the end of any friendly relations.

In Genesis 17 as God reaffirms His covenant with Abram, He begins with His name, Almighty God. In the Hebrew, it is El Shaddai. In that name came the reassurance that God was not only willing, but fully capable of accomplishing all that He was promising to Abram.

Better than the promises of land or even becoming a great nation was the fact that the limitless Almighty God was personally knowable, not some distant entity who must be appeased periodically, like the Canaanite gods of the surrounding nations. And unlike Mr. Waldgrave, God will never dissolve the relationship in a fit of aggravation.

By giving Abram the name, El Shaddai, God demonstrated He desired to be known, that He invited men, this man Abram in particular, to know Him. He was extending an offer of friendship, of relationship, and of intimacy. Because of His great power He can do that. Because of His great grace and love, He continues to do that. Today and every day, El Shaddai invites us into an intimate relationship and we can rest in the confidence in His mighty power.

To Canaan

By Paula

Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. Genesis 12:1

Abram did an amazing thing, leaving his culture, his support network, everything that he was familiar with all for the sake of the call of God. That’s the short version. Let’s take a few moments and look at Abram’s journey a little more closely.

Notice that Genesis 12:1 begins with “the LORD had said.” Had said. God had already told Abram and it wasn’t done yet. You see, chapter 11 ends with:
And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. Genesis 11:31

Haran, Not Canaan
If you look at a map, Haran is about halfway between Ur and Canaan. Haran was an important crossroads on the ancient trade routes, and so it was a nice, comfortable, logical place to stop. Except God didn’t say to stop in Haran. Furthermore, God had said for Abram to leave his family, not let his father lead the expedition.

How many times have we stopped at Haran rather than Canaan? Have we ever stopped short of where God wanted us, where God called us, because it was a little more comfortable, a little easier, and little less intimidating? Have we ever been content to let someone else do the work or the ministry when we knew deep down that it was ours?

Abram’s story doesn’t stop in Haran. God renews His call to Abram after his father’s death and Abram resumes his journey.

Canaan
“Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, … Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD…” Genesis 12:6-7

“Abram! Stop! This is exactly where I want you.” As soon as Abram gets to Shechem, God appears and assures him this is the place. Abram, undoubtedly moved by a deep sense of thanksgiving, of wonder, of devotion, worships God.

When have that confident reassurance from God that we are where He has called us, we worship. Then our worship drives us to deeper obedience which results in more worship. It’s a good cycle to be in.

Abram didn’t stay there, though.

Beyond Canaan
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. Genesis 12:10

There is no mention in Scripture that God told Abram to go to Egypt, so we are left to assume it was his idea. If you continue to read chapter 12, you’ll see that Abram got into trouble during his stay in Egypt.

Even from the very center of God’s will for us, heady with blessings, we often decide we know what’s best. God’s timing seems especially slow. We began to rely on our own judgment, on our own assessments and our own plans. We get caught up in numbers, in metrics and optics and pour our energy into making things bigger, and taking things farther, sometimes over things God never asked us to do in the first place.

There is no mention of any worship going on while Abram was in Egypt. Likewise, we find it hard to worship God when we take it on ourselves to do all the work, and bear all the burdens or when we make ourselves responsible for the outcomes.

Egypt was draining, frustrating, unsatisfying and even dangerous. It’s not much better for us when we strike out on our own. The great thing about God in His great grace is that we can’t void His promises or His call, and He won’t void them. Abram returned to Canaan. And so can we.

Back to Canaan
And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. Genesis 13:1-2

We can always go back. We can always renew, rediscover, and rekindle what we once had, both in our passion for our calling and for the God who counted us worthy of it.

Consider where you are on your journey. Haran? Canaan? Egypt? Or back in Canaan?
Do you need to move? Which direction?
What’s holding you back or what spurs you on?

Change

By Paula

Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” Genesis 12:1

Last Sunday, instead of spending the afternoon celebrating the fact that my husband was home after a week away at seminary, or even taking a nap, we spent it replacing our refrigerator. After having a few days to absorb that adventure, I started thinking about change.

Change often comes at the most inopportune times. It was Sunday afternoon. We already had parts on order for one of the cars for a repair set for this week.

Sometimes there are warning signs. Sometimes not. We knew something was up with the refrigerator when it started freezing the tea. However, the timing of the final slide to failure was a disappointing surprise.

Change is usually a multi-step process, rather than a single event. Fridge dies. Pack everything into coolers. Shop for a new refrigerator. Purchase. Load into truck. Bring home. Unload Take doors off old fridge. Take doors off new fridge. Take doors off house. Bring old fridge out. New fridge in. Replace all doors. Load old fridge into truck. Unpack coolers and fill new fridge… And those are just the highlights.

Change is rarely easy or smoothly accomplished so it’s no wonder we resist it. Even if God is the one instigating it. Or more honestly, especially if God is behind it.

Change is a key part of our salvation experience, though. We are changed from dead to alive. We are changed from being God’s enemies to being part of His family. Those instantaneous changes open the door for a long process of change called sanctification, setting us apart making us more Christlike. Through this arduous, difficult transformation we are changed from wanting to serve ourselves to wanting to serve Him.

This requires that God intervenes in our comfortable lives. Sometimes at what we would call inopportune moments. Sometimes without warning. We will be required to leave the shelter of our lists and plans. And 99 times out of 100 we will resist that change.

When God is nudging us it may help to consider these questions.

Does God love me?
Does He see a bigger picture than I do?
Is He God (and therefore does He have the right to tell me what to do)?
Will I obey Him in this?

Still having trouble? Then here’s one more — What if Abram had stayed in Ur?

If I make it sound too easy … be assured, I’ve been there. I quit my job to raise a family. We moved 400 miles from home. My oldest is heading to college in six weeks. Jon’s in seminary (and we’re still not sure where that’s leading). I don’t like change, either, even minor ones like new refrigerators, but through each change, I’m learning how faithful God is, how trustworthy and how dependable He is.

What has God taught you through change?

Study Tip: Mount Moriah

By Paula

Often times when we study, we focus on the who and the what, rather than the where with good reason. Who and what are usually the two most important pieces of information. Besides that, the place names in Scripture can be tricky and confusing. However, sometimes the where gives some tremendous insight. Let me give you my favorite example.

In Genesis 22:2, God tells Abraham to go to the land of Moriah and offer Isaac as a sacrifice on one of the mountains there.

In 2 Chronicles 3:1, we read “Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”

The same place.

God provided a substitute for Isaac in the same spot the nation would offer their sacrificial substitutes. In the intervening years, they would live as slaves and nomads until God brought them back to that place.

Then at the opposite end of that same ridge is a place called Calvary, the spot where the sacrifices would end and the debt paid by Christ. He fulfilled the promise Abraham affirmed so many years before. And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” (Genesis 22:8)

Details like this show us that nothing is random, but God orders every event to tell His redemption story. Take a few moments to consider the parallels in the events that happened at Moriah. What lessons can you take away about sacrifice, and about worship?
(If you want to read more, check out the story of David purchasing that piece of ground where Solomon built the Temple. It’s in 2 Samuel 24.)

Because God Sees

Make no mistake, God sees oppression and mistreatment. He affirms this over and over.

So what do we do?

When it comes right down to it, this is not optional.

How Can I Be Sure?

When God Reveals His Name

To Canaan

Change

Study Tip: Mount Moriah

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series