Abraham's Offspring

God Calls you Abraham's Offspring, Rom 4:16
16 Therefore, [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants — not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all. AMP
     Nineteenth century British Prime Minister William Gladstone was visiting an antique shop and came across a painting of a seventeenth century aristocrat. He liked the painting so much that he nearly bought it, but after long deliberation finally decided that the dealer was asking too much for it. Later, while admiring the paintings of a wealthy London merchant whose home he was visiting,        
     Gladstone was surprised to see the very same portrait hanging on the wall. "Do you like it?" the merchant asked. "It's a portrait of one of my ancestors, a minister at the Court of Queen Elizabeth." "Three pounds less," Gladstone replied, "and he would have been my ancestor."
Gladstone's witty response to his guest points out a very simple fact: We can't choose our ancestors. No matter how wealthy or influential we are, we can't change our family background. But if you could select your own ancestors, would you choose Abraham? Born in Mesopotamia, Abraham moved from the city of Ur to Haran, a town about fifty miles east of Carchemish. This, however, was only the first stop on a lifelong journey that would make Abraham the Bible's prototypical pilgrim.
     While still living in Ur, Abraham heard God's call to leave all that was familiar—his homeland and his countrymen—and go to a land that God would show him. Abraham had no map. He had no travel brochures. There were no airports or automobiles to speed the journey. But Abraham obeyed God's command, and at the age of seventy-five, Abraham set out with his wife, servants, and even his nephew Lot, counting on God's promise to make him into a great nation (Gen 12:1-3). Although God had promised to give Abraham the land to which he was traveling, he lived there like a stranger in a foreign country, leading the life of a Bedouin tribesman (Heb 11:9).
     Abraham became a wealthy man during his travels but lacked the one thing that he desired the most. "O Sovereign Lord," he complained, "what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" (Gen 15:2). The Lord then appeared to Abraham in a vision and promised to give him more descendants than could be counted. And the Bible says that Abraham, ". . . believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6).
     By the time Abraham was in his nineties, his wife, Sarah, still had not given birth to any children. Her womb was barren, and Abraham was "as good as dead" (Heb 11:11-12). When Abraham had reached the age of ninety-nine, the Lord reaffirmed His promise, and Sarah, who could only laugh in disbelief, became pregnant a short time later. When Sarah gave birth to her first son, they named him Isaac, which meant "laughter."
     Abraham's dream had come true, but the test of his faith was only beginning. Some time after Isaac was born, the Lord came to Abraham again with an incredible request: "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about" (Gen 22:2). Abraham once again found himself traveling to an unknown location. This time, however, it was not to receive his inheritance, but to sacrifice it on an altar.
     There is no record of any discussion over the matter. God did not explain His purpose and Abraham did not argue with the command. He took the wood for the burnt offering, a knife, and the son he loved more than his own life. He bundled the wood on his son's back, and the two started up the mountain.
     In childlike simplicity, Isaac asked his father about what was to take place: "The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham's reply reflected a similar trust. "God himself will provide the lamb," he explained. Did Abraham know that God never intended to allow him to carry out the sacrifice? Probably not. He knew only that God had promised to raise up a line of descendants through his son: "Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death" (Heb 11:19). As Abraham lifted the knife to carry out the awful command, God spoke from heaven.
     "Abraham! Abraham!" He cried.
     The old man choked back a cry of relief, as the knife fell from his shaking hand.
     "Here I am," he gasped.
     "Do not lay a hand on the boy," God said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
     Blinking back the tears, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a nearby thicket. It was the ram, chosen and provided by God, that died in Isaac's place that day.
     It was not Abraham's actions that set him apart from others of his day, but his faith. His remarkable behavior was merely a reflection of his confidence that God would follow through on what He had promised. It is true Abraham had his moments of doubt. There were occasions when he tried to take matters into his own hands and accomplish by his own power what God alone could do. But each time, he learned his lesson. The general tenor of Abraham's life was one of faith, and he was accepted by God because he believed.
     The same must be true of us. The promise of forgiveness in Christ comes only by faith. Those who accept God's offer follow in the path of their pilgrim father Abraham. They become his descendants, heirs to the title "friend of God," and brothers with Christ. All are descendants in faith of a heritage that cannot be purchased at any price, but must be received as a gift.
     God of Abraham, thank You for the example of Your servant Abraham. I pray that I might be as firm in my belief and as quick in my obedience as he was. By grace and through faith in Your Son, I name You as my friend. Amen.
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(from Names of the Believers © 1997 by John M. Koessler. All rights reserved.)_
Thanks to John Koessler for allowing us to publish his material.www.johnkosessler.com
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John Koessler serves as chair and professor of pastoral studies at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. He is married to Jane and has two sons, Drew and Jarred. John is the author of ten books and numerous articles. He also serves as a contributing editor for the Moody Bible Institute publication Today in the Word, where you can read his monthly “Theology Matters” column. You can contact John via email at John.Koessler@moody.edu or by phone at (312) 329-4077.