THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM

Hebrews 11:8-22
Key Verse: 11:8

     "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would
      later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even
      though he did not know where he was going."

   In chapter 11:1-7, we learned that faith is spiritual reality that
we do not see. For example, Jesus saw with the eyes of faith that his
12 disciples, who knew no more than hills and fish, would be raised up
as the best leaders who ever lived in the world, especially in the
world salvation work of God (11:1). We also learned the faith that
pleases God. In order to please God we must believe that God is living,
and that God rewards those who earnestly seek him. Today's passage is
the story about Abraham's faith. When we study Genesis, we see there
were many ups and downs in Abraham's life of faith. But when we study
Hebrews, we learn that Abraham had faith that pleases God. Let's think
about how Abraham's faith pleased God.

I.  Abraham obeyed God's calling (8-16)

First, Abraham obeyed and went (8). Look at verse 8. "By faith Abraham,
when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,
obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." This
verse explains how Abraham responded to God's calling. When God called
Abraham he promised to give him many sons, as many as to establish a
great nation. God also promised to make his name great and to give him
the land.  At that time, Abraham was 75 years old and he had no son to
inherit his name. God's promises of blessing were indeed fascinating,
especially to an old man who had no son and no fame and no land. Any
fallen man can venture to obtain such marvelous blessings so that he
might make his name great. There is a saying, "A tiger leaves his skin
and a man leaves his name." That's true. As there is no tiger in the
world which wants to die not leaving his skin, so there is no one in
the world who wants to die as a nameless mediocre. Abraham Lincoln was
not so great among his contemporaries. But down through the generations
Abraham Lincoln's name is truly great. They say that the books about
President Abraham Lincoln are far more than the books about
Shakespeare. President Abraham Lincoln was named after Abraham.

   But in light of his name Abram, meaning, "a noble father," he was
not so ambitious.  God promised to give him the land (Ge 12:7). Abraham
did not want any land because he had his hometown and his own house and
he was too old to cultivate the land. Even if he cultivated the land
and harvested the crops, he had no one to feed. So Abraham could have
stubbornly refused God's promises and said, "Leave me alone."

   But verse 8 says, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he
would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he
did not know where he was going." It was not easy for Abraham to leave
his home country and his relatives and all his property in his old age.
He must have been deeply attached to his homeland. It was not easy for
Abraham to go to an unknown foreign land without any security
guaranteed. It was not easy for Abraham to leave his home country, not
knowing where he was going. They say that in Abraham's times foreigners
were regarded as enemies and there were many tigers and lions in the
mountains. So it was not easy for Abraham to commit his life to God and
obey God's calling. These days there are many people who say, "I commit
to no one. I commit myself only to God." In reality, they don't commit
to God. So they cannot commit to anyone.  Jean-Paul Sartre's writings
about the uncommitment problem are no longer fictions, but realities.
But Abraham committed himself to God and obeyed God's calling, because
he honored God as God.

   God's calling was indeed a great test and challenge to Abraham. God
wanted him to obey his calling absolutely. God wanted him to give up
all his calculations and depend on God only. Humanly, it was impossible
for Abraham to obey God's calling. But he "obeyed and went" (8). God's
calling is high calling. Without an absolute attitude no one can obey
his calling.

Second, Abraham lived in a tent as did Isaac and Jacob (9-10). Look at
verse 9. "By faith he made his home in the promised land like a
stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and
Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise." By faith Abraham
went to the promised land. Abraham might have expected that the
promised land would be like a paradise in which he could live in
rapture. But it was not a paradise, it was a part of the world. There
were already many people living in Canaan, who were trying to survive,
blinking their blue eyes. Abraham suffered much to live among natives
as a foreigner.  Foreigners are always lonely and insecure.

   Abraham also lived in a tent. When we read other parts of the Bible,
we learn that Abraham was richly blessed by God, so he could have made
a mansion house and lived in it. But he lived in a tent. He also taught
his son Isaac to live in a tent. He also taught his grandson Jacob to
live in a tent. When God told Abraham about the promised land, he
understood that it was not paradise, but a foreign country. However,
Abraham did not return to his homeland. He lived there as long as he
lived. But Abraham did not live according to the corrupted ways of the
Canaanites. He lived a life of faith. He lived as a foreigner,
believing that he was a pilgrim. He taught his son Isaac to live a life
of faith. Abraham did not try to live in this world forever. He lived
in this world in the awareness of being a pilgrim. He lived in the
living hope of the kingdom of God. Look at verse 10. "For he was
looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and
builder is God."

Third, Abraham believed that God was faithful (11-12). To Abraham, his
childless problem was the testing stone of his faith. He was too old
and his wife Sarah was barren. But Abraham believed God's promise was
true. Look at verse 11. "By faith Abraham, even though he was past
age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father
because he considered him faithful who had made the promise." When
Abraham saw himself, he was an old man. His wife was a snow white
grandmother who was barren. It was impossible for Abraham to believe
that he could have a son. But he believed that God's promises were
true.  The last part of verse 11 says, "...because he considered him
faithful who had made the promise...." Abraham did not believe blindly.
He fought the good fight against Satan's doubt.  He struggled hard to
hold on to God's promise. He prayed earnestly to believe that God's
promise was true. He could not keep his faith naturally. He maintained
it by believing that God is faithful.

   When he honored God as God and believed that God is faithful,
finally God gave him a son, Isaac. Abraham was joyful as if he had
received many sons, as numerous as the stars in the sky, as countless
as the sand on the seashore. In reality, Abraham saw sons, as numerous
as the stars in the sky, with the eyes of faith and rejoiced in God.
There are two worlds: the world of faith and the world of money. Those
who live in the world of money only depend on money and fall into
misery. One woman works two full-time jobs and a part-time job. She
tries to take care of her family members with money. She thinks that
money will make her happy. But she has a bad habit of going to casinos
where she loses everything.  Then she becomes miserable and feels
worthless. On the other hand, those who live in the world of faith see
many beautiful things. Those who live in the world of faith experience
unutterable happiness in God. Those who live in the world of faith do
not despair; they rejoice in God. One medical missionary is always
happy. It is not because his life is always easy. In fact, he has
endured many painful trials. But he is happy because he believes God is
faithful and he rejoices in God.

Fourth, Abraham had faith that hopes (13-16). When we see the world,
the world seems to be filled with secular people and ungodly people who
are nothing but the slaves of money.  But the author of Hebrews
stresses that there were many godly men and women who had lived as
pilgrims. Because of their lives of faith God was happy to be called
their God. There were many who died without receiving the things
promised. But they were full of hope because they had faith in God.
They were full of hope because they had faith in the kingdom of God.
Look at verse 13. "All these people were still living by faith when
they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them
and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were
aliens and strangers on earth."

   Humanly speaking, those who have wealth and honor seem to be happy.
And those who do not have worldly possessions to show off to others
seem to be unhappy. But in reality all those who put their hope in
worldly possessions are miserable, whether they have or have not. Yet
those who have faith in God are happy because their hope is in God and
in his kingdom. One woman has every reason to be sorrowful because of
her family situation.  But she is not. She is happy, so happy. She is
happy to take care of God's flock of sheep as her own dear children.
She is happy because she put her hope in God and in his kingdom.  Those
who have faith in God are happy because God is not ashamed to be called
their God.  God loves to call them, "my faithful children." Look at
verses 15-16. "If they had been thinking of the country they had left,
they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing
for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to
be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

II.  Abraham's faith in God's love (17-19)

   Once, God tested Abraham, saying, "Offer your one and only son Isaac
as a burnt offering." God intended to raise many descendants of Abraham
through Isaac. So Isaac could not be a sacrifice. To Abraham, Isaac was
given after 25 years of faith training. So God could not ask him to
offer Isaac as a burnt offering. But God tested Abraham to offer Isaac
as a sacrifice. Abraham was ready to offer Isaac as a burnt offering
because he reasoned that God could raise the dead. Here, the word
"reasoned" is not sinful human reason. It is spiritual understanding.
Abraham understood spiritually that God was going to bless Isaac.
Abraham loved God so much that he had no doubt about God's unreasonable
imposition.  Missionary Peter Park of Nigeria lived in a nice
air-conditioned embassy compound with his wife, Monica, and three
children. But in order to share common life with African students, he
decided to move into the African community near the university. He was
okay. But his children cried every night. Their crying broke his heart.
But soon they adjusted and God blessed his ministry abundandly. His
sheep, Shepherd Samuel Essilflie was a main lecturer at the
Inter-African Summer Bible Conference. Let's follow the example of
Abraham and offer our children to God as second generation missionaries
and shepherds. We can do so when we love God. When one loves God, he
can give more and more to God. When one does not love God, he can see
his wife as money. "Abraham offered Isaac to God" is the best
expression of his love for God. This event reminds us of 1 John 4:18a,
which says, "There is no fear in love."

III.  Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (20-22)

First, Isaac's good influence (20). Let's read verse 20. "By faith
Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future." Isaac
inherited Abraham's blessing. But he did not abuse God's blessing. He
maintained God's blessing well and passed it on to Jacob. Isaac was the
one and only son of old Abraham. So he must have been spoiled. But he
quietly maintained God's blessing. In the course of maintaining, he
loved his wife as himself. When they had a family problem because they
had no son for 20 years, they did not quarrel or blame each other. But
they prayed together for a son to be given. Then God gave twin sons to
them, Esau and Jacob, through whom twelve patriarchs were born. Isaac
did not fight over pieces of cake with ungodly people. He conceded his
wells, dug out through much effort. Thus he showed to ungodly people
that he was a godly man. Isaac was the best man of influence in the
Bible.

Second, Jacob's faith (21). Let's read verse 21. "By faith Jacob, when
he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned
on the top of his staff." Esau and Jacob were twin sons of Isaac. Jacob
was a man of competition. Jacob was sorry that he became a younger
brother to his brother Esau, even though they were twins. In the matter
of time, he took away his older brother's birthright. Because of this,
he had to leave his mother's home when he was very young and he lived
under his stingy uncle Laban for 20 years. He also competed with his
uncle Laban and took away his two daughters and two maidservants from
him. At the end, he procured almost all the estate and made Laban an
empty-handed man. To escape from Laban, Jacob had to go back to his
home, where his enemy Esau was waiting for him. Through competition he
earned honor.. birthright, love..four wives, eleven sons and all the
property of Laban. Then his worldly possessions became a great burden
to him. For example, his four wives wanted to split him into four
pieces every night. His sheep and goats were too noisy at nighttime.
Finally, Jacob competed with God through a wrestling match at the
Jabbok River. He grabbed God and did not let him go until it dawned in
order to receive God's blessing. So God lost the match and blessed
Jacob. Jacob learned that God was the source of blessing. And all the
worldly blessings were nothing but burdens. When Jacob was dying, he
worshiped God, leaning on the top of his staff. He also blessed his
descendants with God's blessing.

Third, Joseph's faith (22). Let's read verse 22. "By faith Joseph, when
his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt
and gave instructions about his bones." Joseph was the second youngest
son of Jacob, and Jacob loved him most. But his step-brothers hated him
because of his father's one-sided love for Joseph. Because of his
brothers' hatred, he was sold to an Egyptian as a Hebrew slave. He
became a house steward of General Potiphar of the Egyptian Empire.
Joseph was put in prison because of a foxy woman's manipulation. He
became a shepherd for the prisoners. Whatever he did, he was
successful, because God was with him. In the time of hardships and
sufferings, he did not fall into self-pity.

   By God's grace Joseph became the Prime Minister of the Egyptian
Empire. But Joseph had no attachment to the glory of the Empire. When
his end was near, by faith, he spoke about the exodus of the Israelites
from Egypt. Joseph instructed his brothers and his attendants to carry
his bones to the promised land so that his bones might be buried in the
promised land. Here, "promised land" is a symbol of the kingdom of God.
Joseph loved God and obeyed his father's instructions not to be buried
in Egypt but to be buried in the promised land. This is a very small
event. But this small event reveals that Joseph was a great man of
faith even though he is not included among the three ancestors of
faith.

   In this passage we learn Abraham's faith and the faith of Isaac,
Jacob and Joseph. By faith they lived as pilgrims on earth, pressing
forward to the kingdom of God. Faith is spiritual reality. Faith
requires absolute obedience.


STUDY QUESTIONS
  
*   ABRAHAM OBEYED GOD'S CALLING (8-16)

1.  Read verse 8. Compare Ge 12:1-3,7. What did God call Abraham to do?
    What did God promise?  According to Hebrews, how did Abraham
    respond? Why might this not be easy?  What can we learn from
    Abraham here?

2.  Read verses 9,10. What was life in the promised land like? (9, Ge
    12:7) What does it mean that he lived in a tent? What was his hope?
    What inheritance did Abraham bequeath to his descendants? (10)

3.  Read verses 11-12. To what promise does verse 11 refer? How was
    Abraham enabled to become the father of Isaac? What did he believe
    about God? How did God bless his faith? (12)

4.  Read verses 13-16. What did Abraham and his descendants have in
    common? What could they see with the eyes of faith? How could they
    be full of joy when they had to live as aliens and pilgrims on
    earth?

5.  Look at verses 15 and 16 again. What does it mean that God was not
    ashamed to be called their God?

*   ABRAHAM'S FAITH IN GOD'S LOVE (17-19)

6.  How did God test Abraham's love? What did Abraham do? What did he
    believe?  How could he overcome fear in making such a sacrifice?
    (1Jn 4:18a) What can we learn from him?

*   ISAAC, JACOB AND JOSEPH (20-22)

7.  Read verse 20. (What characterized Isaac's faith? [Genesis 26])
    How did he bear God's blessing and pass his faith on to his
    descendants?

8.  Read verse 21. What did Jacob learn after his life of struggle?
    (Compare Ge 48:12-16)

9.  Read verse 22. What was Joseph's sure hope? Why did he give
    instructions about his bones? (Ge 50:24-26)  How does this plant
    hope in his people?

10. How does Joseph's final request show that he overcame both the
    trials of unjust suffering   and the temptations of success? (Think
    about Joseph's life.)