Abraham, the Faithful Doubter

Abraham is a figure revered by three of the world's great religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity. He is probably best known as the father, who in obedience to God, offered his son Isaac as a human sacrifice only to have God intervene at the last minute to save Isaac after Abraham's willingness to obey was demonstrated.

In Romans 4 Paul extols the faith of Abraham as an example of what it means to live in relationship with God. In verse 3 he quotes Genesis 15:6: 'For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”' Righteousness according to Paul is based on our belief in God and His promises, not how good we are or what we may or may not do.  This being the case, how good was Abraham's faith? When the Abraham story is examined closely it may not be what we would expect.

We are introduced to Abram, who later had his name changed to Abraham, in Genesis 11. Terah, his father, 'worshiped other gods' (Joshua 24:2) so we can safely conclude he was not raised in a good 'Christian' home. Whatever knowledge of God he gained from his upbringing would have been corrupted by the culture and practices around him.

The story of Abraham's walk with God commences in Genesis 12: 1-3: 'The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. ³ I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”'

God makes a number of promises to Abram:

·         Abram would become a great nation

·         He would be blessed and made famous

·         He would be a blessing to others and all families on earth would be blessed through him

·         Those with whom he came in contact would be treated by God as they treated Abram

The only condition placed on Abram was that he went where God led. And go he did, accompanied by his wife Sarai, other family and members of his household, until famine came upon the land God had led him to. So bad was the drought that Abram went to Egypt. There he lied to Pharaoh out of fear that Pharaoh would take his life in order to take Sarai as his wife. Rather than rely on God's protection Abram was prepared to prostitute his wife in order to save his life. He did not trust God to deliver what God had promised.

In response God 'sent plagues upon Pharaoh and his household …' (v.17) Unfaithfulness brought curses when Abram's presence was meant to bring blessing. This outcome has been repeated throughout history when those that professes to represent God misrepresent His name (Gen 12:10-20). When Pharaoh realised what was going on he had Abram and all that was his escorted out of Egypt.

The land is again promised to Abram in Genesis 13:14-17. At this time God also adds a little extra detail to the promise.  'After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. ¹⁵ I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. ¹⁶ And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! ¹⁷ Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”' Abram's descendants would be countless, and the land would permanently be theirs. Again, the only condition placed on Abram was that he 'Go and walk through the land …'

Abram and Sarai remained childless. The Bible tells us that Sarai was unable to conceive (Gen. 11:30) and by this time may have been well into her seventies. They must have discussed this promise many a time and wondered how it could possibly be fulfilled. So when God speaks again to Abram 'Some time later' promising great reward (Gen 15:1) it is not surprising that his response has a ring of exasperation: “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. ³ You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

God's answer is adamant. “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” ⁵ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

What follows is one of the best known statements in the Bible: 'And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith' (Gen 15:6). Now it would be reasonable to expect that what follows is an outstanding and inspiring story of a man with steadfast belief in God. But this is not the case. In fact, Abram's lack of belief is seen two verses later. 'But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?”'

God responds in an amazing and unexpected way. He commands Abram, '“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side; he did not, however, cut the birds in half.'

While this may seem strange to us Abram would have immediately understood what it meant. A cultural practice of the day was known as cutting the covenant. It involved the slaying of an animal and cutting it in half. The party, or parties, to the covenant would then walk between the halves of the animal, so stating that if they did not keep to the agreement their fate would be the same as that of the unfortunate animal. Then:

¹² As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. ¹⁴ But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. ¹⁵ (As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.) ¹⁶ After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.”

¹⁷ After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. ¹⁸ So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River

In the image of the 'smoking firepot and a flaming torch' God passes between the halves of the animal. 'If I do not deliver on my word', said God, 'you can cut me in half as these animals have been cut in half'. No condition is placed on Abram. There is however additional information regarding the promise, and that is that 400 years would pass, including a period of slavery,  before Abram's descendants received the inheritance.

Perhaps we should not judge Abram and Sarai too harshly for the next chapter in the story. After all, God had been adamant that Abram would father the child through whom the inheritance would be received and it was obvious that Sarai could not have a child of her own. If the promise was to be fulfilled then surely it was up to them to do whatever they could to make it happen. No doubt they were not the first humans in history to make this mistake and they definitely were not the last.

So a plan is hatched. In keeping with the custom or the day Sarai gives her maid Hagar to Abram as a surrogate. A son, Ishmael, is born and so, it would seem, God would be spared from the trauma of being cut in half.

Another thirteen years passes before Abram hears from God again. Abram is now ninety-nine years old and Sarai ninety. God is about to do something that the couple find unbelievable. This part of the story is found in Genesis chapter 17.

God again covenants with Abram, reconfirming what has already been promised and making additional requirements:

·         Abram and his descendants are to faithfully follow God.

·         All males in Abram's household are to be circumcised, a practice to be repeated continually.

·         Any male who refuses circumcision is to 'be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant' (v.14).

·          Abram is to from this point on known as Abraham for he would become 'the father of a multitude of nations' (v.5).

All good so far, except perhaps Abraham wasn't overly excited about the circumcision bit. But God is only warming up at this stage.  As for Abraham, his lack of faith in God's ability to deliver on his promise will again be revealed

·         Sarai's name is changed to Sarah. This barren, 90 year old woman, is to be 'the mother of many nations' (v. 15,16)

·         Sarah will give birth to a son in around 12 month's time.

·         Abraham laughs in disbelief.

15 Then God said to Abraham, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah. 16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”

17 Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?”18 So Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!”

19 But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. 20 As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.  21 But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.” 22 When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham.

What followed we can only guess. Here was Abraham, close to 100 years of age. There had been this on-going conversation with God for almost 25 years and the promise of heirs. Yet every time Abraham had felt he had it worked out God appeared again to let him know otherwise.

Where did this leave Abraham? Did he discuss this latest revelation with Sarah? If so, how did she receive it? There had already been tension between Sarah and Hagar and Sarah and Abraham over the conception of Ishmael. Sarah, at 90 or thereabouts, had remained childless in a culture where a childless woman was looked down on. The last thing she probably wanted to hear was some improbable suggestion from her husband that the impossible was about to happen. No doubt Abraham himself was confused and perhaps the last thing he wanted was another 'conversation' with Sarah about God and His promises. Perhaps he decided to wait for a suitable time to raise the issue.

Whatever transpired between the couple God saw it fitting to pay another visit in what must have been at the most a few weeks later. One day as Abraham is resting from the early afternoon heat he looks up and sees three men near the entrance to his tent. Abraham immediately gets busy organising a meal for his guests in line with the customary practices of the day. And if he had not yet discussed God's plans with Sarah one of the guests was about to drop a bombshell.

⁹ “Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked.

“She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied.

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!”

Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. ¹² So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?”

¹³ Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁵ Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh.”

But the Lord said, “No, you did laugh.”

This visit was as much for Sarah's benefit as it was for Abraham's. The name change is reinforced in the overhearing of Sarah. Again the announcement is made, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!”

Sarah's response is exactly that of her husband a short time earlier - she laughs silently in disbelief.  Abraham may have thought that God did not hear his silent laughter and had merely responded to his skeptical response. Now, neither can be left in any doubt that God reads the heart and mind.

When confronted with the fact that she had laughed Sarah denies it. 'No, you did laugh', responded God. And that is the end of the argument, for immediately the story moves on to the next chapter in Abraham's life - his intercession on behalf of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah. This abrupt change in the story line I believe is to make a point. God is not about to argue the point with human beings when He confronts us with the error of our way.

There must have been a few months at the most between the laughing incident and Abraham's next failure. The story is told in Genesis 20.

¹Abraham moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur, and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner, ² Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace.

This repeats the mistake he had made many years earlier when he lied to Pharaoh about his relationship with Sarah. God had made His feelings on the matter made known at that time and Abraham and his household had been expelled from the land. Only a short time before the lie to Abimelech God had not only promised a son but had named that son and by this time Sarah may well have been pregnant (Gen. 17:21). God had just destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and saved Lot and his daughters (Gen 18:16-19:29), demonstrating both His power to destroy and to save. Despite all that had happened in the 25 years since he first responded to God's call Abraham has not yet learned to trust.

Isaac is born on time and the years pass. Then, one day comes the command from God: 'Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you' (Gen.22:2). What seems strange and abhorrent to us may not have seemed so to Abraham. He was probably well aware of this practice which was part of the religious culture of his time. It must, however, have seemed puzzling to him.

This time there is no record of dialogue between Abraham and God, other than the command. Abraham does not argue. The next morning he arises early and sets off in obedience, accompanied by Isaac and two of his servants.

Throughout the three day journey that ensued (Gen. 22:4) the old man had plenty of time to think and reflect. Perhaps at times he walked apart from the others so that he could be alone with his thoughts. At other times he may have talked of his life's experience, and especially his journey with God, with his son and his servants. Did he lay away at night, struggling with his thoughts, or spend time on those long and lonely nights in prayer? He had much to reflect on.

Isaac was the promised child. His birth had been humanly impossible - a miracle. He had been circumcised when eight days old in obedience to God (Gen. 21.4). The only way God could keep His promise to Abraham - the covenant He had cut many years earlier (Gen. 15) was through Isaac living long enough to have children. Isaac was not married, there were no children. God's integrity was on the line.

Abraham was promised his descendants
would be as numerous as the stars.
clipart.christiansunite.com/ 

We don't know how old Isaac was at this time. The Hebrew allows that he may have been of warrior age. He was definitely old enough to carry the wood required for the sacrifice (Gen. 22:6). This raises an interesting question. After a three day journey Abraham and Isaac left the servants behind while they went to the place of sacrifice. Could Abraham have subdued and tied Isaac, then lifted him onto the altar, if Isaac had resisted? Isaac would have known the story of his birth and the meaning of circumcision. Perhaps these had been reiterated  over the last couple of days. He was old enough to understand, along with his father, the implication of this sacrifice and what it meant for God's promise. Was this an expression of faith by father and son?

The writer of Hebrews says: 'It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, ¹⁸ even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” ¹⁹ Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead' (Heb. 11: 17-19).

As Abraham raised the knife to slay Isaac God intervened. Abraham had been proved faithful to the conditions of the covenant given in Genesis 17.  There was nothing he would withhold from God. Abraham had believed God, and because of that belief was considered righteous (Gen. 15:6)

So what can we take from this story?

I know that I have focused on Abraham's failures, but it is these that I find most assuring.

·         Abraham's faith was far from perfect. The story reads as if on the most important point of all, that of trust, his life was marked by failure.

·         Despite his many failures he did not give up on God. He continued to respond to God's leading in his life.

·         More importantly, God did not give up on Abraham. He met Abraham where he was, in the culture he called him out of and in the culture he was surrounded by.God knew he needed time to learn and grow.

·         The great triumph of Abraham's life came after many years of walking with God. Despite his many failures God had never failed him. When the command to sacrifice Isaac came it appeared as if God was to walk away from His covenant to give Abraham countless descendants through Isaac. When all seemed lost, Abraham put his trust in God to keep His word.

 Does the text  'And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith' (Gen 15:6) come at the wrong time in the story? After all, it is placed just before Abraham again displays doubt.

I believe not. Abraham's faith was not perfect. At this stage in his life it was still developing and continued to do so. It was that imperfect faith that God counted as righteous. And that is what I need to know and understand. My faith is far from perfect, but I know that God accepts me with that imperfect faith and that He will continue to teach and guide me so that my faith, like that of Abraham's can grow.

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Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189. All rights reserved