- [Preacher] The faith of the patriarchs.
When Abraham lifted Ur of the Chaldees,
his faith shone brightly.
The city was a magnificent, sophisticated place.
One of the world's most advanced.
But God told Abraham He wanted him to live in a tent
for the rest of his life.
Even at the age of 75, few of us would leave a nice city
to live in a tent in the mountains
where it is cold and snows in the winter.
God instructed him to leave
and travel to a land he'd never seen before.
He'll have to say goodbye to his family and friends.
Abraham was obedient.
Despite the fact that his wife Sarah was 90 years old,
he believed God when He informed him, he would have a son.
The Hebrew word Isaac means to laugh.
Sarah yelled with laughter when she initially learned
she was going to be pregnant at that age.
Along that way, Abram's faith was tested severely.
11 years passed after God's promise,
and there was still no sign of his son.
Abraham, at Sarah's suggestion, sought offspring
through a maid servant, Hagar.
Ishmael was not a child of faith but a child off the flesh
whom God did not choose, according to the Bible.
When Isaac finally arrived, Abraham demonstrated faith
by agreeing to sacrifice him on an alter at God's request.
According to the Bible,
Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac
because he believed God would revive him from the dead
after he was slaughtered.
This took a lot of confidence,
considering God had never done anything like it before.
He reasoned that if God could bring Isaac back to life
from his old body,
he could certainly bring Isaac back from the dead.
The majority of depictions of Isaac's sacrifice
depict him as a 12-year-old kid.
However, if we look at the texts surrounding this incident,
we can see that Sarah dies at the age of 127,
which would put Isaac at the age of 37.
As a result, Isaac was most likely in his early thirties
when he made the sacrifice.
He could have easily resisted
but he bowed in trust to his elderly father, Abraham.
Isaac shows confidence in other ways as well,
most notably, in trusting Abraham's servant
to find him a wife.
Jacob too had trust, but it was faith in himself at first.
Narrative records how he manipulated his father
into passing on the blessing onto him
rather than Esau by scheming and deception.
But at least it showed that he wanted the blessing
and contrast to Esau's disregard
for what would have been his.
God had to break Jacob later in his life.
After struggling with God all night
he limped for the rest of his life.
But it was this point when his trust in God was tested.
He began to believe God's promises
that his 12 boys would become 12 tribes from that point on.
Despite all of their flaws and mistakes,
these three men stand out as men who trusted in God.
In stark contrast to their kin, who are people of flesh
rather than people of faith, they had faith.
Lot appears to be a materialist,
preferring to live in the rich Jordan Valley
rather than the desolate hills.
He put his faith in his eyes,
whereas Abraham had faith in his eyes
and knew that God would be with him in the hills.
Esau concluded that a cup of quick stew
was preferable to his father's blessing.
The Letter to Hebrews warns us not to be like Esau
who subsequently regretted his bargain
and sought the blessing with tears,
but not genuine repentance.
As a result, there is a clear divide between men of faith
and their flesh kin,
the separation that still exists in many families today.
This discrepancy can also be found in the wives of the men.
Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel, all shared one trait,
they were all very beautiful.
The patriarch's three wives
were all beautiful inside and out
and they all submitted to their husbands.
The wives of the other constitute, are conscious once more,
for example, Lot's wife reflected on the nice life
they were living, but that would be judged by God,
and she's transformed into a pillar of salt
for disobeying God's command.
Christians continue to rely on God's promise to Abraham.
God began creation with one man
that he began redemption with one man.
We are told that God created a covenant with Abraham,
a theme that runs through the Bible,
until Jesus establishes a new covenant,
which is remembered at the Lord's Supper.
Here's a question for the day.
What worship song makes you feel closer to God?
Please put that in the comment section below.
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And to anyone still listening, we pray you're blessed,
we pray you remain fruitful.
Remember to be strong and show love out there in the world
till next time.
Shalom.