Alan8

I really did not check any other answers to see the impressions others got but there are three things that inspired me about Abraham. The first was his willingness to leave his family in Ur and go where God told him to go. That took a lot of trust. Keep in mind that travel wasn't like today. Even thousands of miles could be spanned in a matter of hours. In those days 50 miles would have taken several days. Not knowing where God would take him, he may have never seen family or friends again. The Bible never says he went back there. To pick up and go like that took a lot of trust. Then too, after allowing Lot to choose where he wanted to graze his cattle. Lot chose the best he could see with the natural eye. Abraham took what was left because he could trust God. That took a lot of trust too. To take best when he was really the heir, not Lot. Then when Lot got into trouble, Abraham did not hesitate to bail Lot out. I certainly would have loved to be Abraham's nephew. He was always there for him even though Lot stabbed him in the back. Of course the most important inspiration was his willingness to offer up Isaac. He never hesitated. All his hopes and dreams were wrapped up in that boy but he committed it all to God. What a man of God! Abraham did not have the cannon of scripture we have today nor the indwelling Holy Spirit. All he had was the voice of God that spoke to him on several occasions and he puts our faith to shame!

Fleeces so to speak were permitted in the Old Testament because the entire cannon of scripture was not complete and number two, they did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit like we do. The thing I am amazed at is how fast the answer came. God knew of the prayer before time and was already arranging circumstances so that when the servant arrived it would be just as he said. Our God is amazing!

Abraham was a citizen of a city whose builder and maker was God, but he also was presently a foreigner in a land that was eventually going to be his. As a foreigner in that land he would have to abide by the laws of the land and not come in and take over knowing it was going to be his later. Everything will be ours one day as we will be the heir of all things. Does that give us the right to go into the bank and just take everything; or, go to a supermarket and take things off the shelf and not pay for them? Of course not. Just as everything will be ours one day, it is still not in our possession presently so we have to abide by the laws of the land and pay for those things knowing one day all things will be ours. Abraham cared enough for his family that he wanted a proper burial place for them. This Hittite was shrewd knowing that the land would revert back to him at Abraham's death. Abraham was able to see through the world's shrewdness and said he wanted to buy the land. Of course money was no object for Abraham because he was very wealthy and I am sure the Hittite took advantage of that. But Abraham knew that one day that land and thousands of miles in every direction would be his and his descendants but for now he must wait (again) and trust God to bring it to pass. So in the meantime, I want my family to have a proper burial so I will pay the price whatever it is, knowing one day it will all be mine anyway.

Several strengths we see in her life. She first of all did not question Abraham (or at least it doesn't say she did) when God told him to leave his kindred and go to a land where I will show you. It does not appear she put up a fuss. She just obeyed. When Abraham asked Sarah to lie for him to the Pharaohs (both times) she submitted to Abraham's wishes. Obviously she seemed to be a good mother for when Ishmael was bullying Isaac, in order to protect her son she wanted Hagar and the boy removed. But Sarah lacked faith in believing God for Isaac. Of course it is hard to believe for a son when you are 90 years old. The biggest thing about Sarah and her lack of faith was that she could not wait for God to do what He said He would do. She had to try to make it happen. That should be a listen to all of us. When we break the door down to try to make something happen, we really don't know what is on the other side of the door. We live with the consequences today and they are staggering!

As I ponder the faith of both Abraham and Isaac I am in awe. As you read the account from the beginning and how Abraham waited for so long for the promise of his son and now the son is here and the love that Abraham must have had for the son he long waited for. Now hearing that he was to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering for him must have been the hardest test of faith that he ever experienced. If that was me I probably would have hesitated or maybe try to say the voice I am hearing is really not of God. Can you imagine the love that Abraham had for his son? However much it was his love for God was more because he did not hesitate. He believed God so strongly that even if he killed Isaac that God would raise him from the dead. What a faith that is! He believed though that God would provide a lamb. He didn't know how but God would provide. Imagine Isaac going up the mount carry the wood on his back (just like Jesus carried his wooden cross. He was no baby and I don't believe he was just a child. I believe he was anywhere from 10-15 years of age. Old enough to know and definitely strong enough if he carried wood, to get away from Abraham when Abraham came to him to bind him. But Isaac went willingly! He was strong enough to get away from his dad but he willingly allowed Abraham to bind him. That pictures how Jesus was the willing sacrifice for us! What a beautiful picture of the Gospel.

God has always provided our needs ever since we were in ministry. I got saved, went on to Bible school, got out and went to work had a good job and then got married. If you had a good job and then went into ministry it is a hard adjustment. You are use to having all the time. But now had two mouths to feed and now in the ministry. I worked in a very stressful job and pastored until I had chronic bronchitus several months in a row. The doctor told me I had to give one of these jobs up - either pastor or work at this stress producing job. Well the job paid all my bills. The church only was able to give me 25.00 a week. I got to live in a parsonage but I had to pay all the bills. $25.00 a week you know will not pay all your bills and put food on the table. But I quit my stressful job and went into full time pastoring and God supplied every need. If I did not have that trial or test in my life, I would never have known that God is my provider!

No I don't believe you can really know God until we can trust Him with our whole lives. If we had no need or trial in our life we would never know that God was able to meet that need or be with us in that trial. I am sure that Abraham experienced many other tests of his faith that have not been written down. He got to the point where he could trust God like He did because of the passing of the tests that came into his life. We stand back and say what a man of faith was Abraham; man, I would like to have had his faith. Would you? Would you like to go through some of the tests that Abraham went through? Right now they would seem almost impossible to pass but over the years God proved Himself faithful to Abraham. As a result Abraham passed those tests because He could trust God. God wants the same for us. Rather than complain in the trial or test, worship him (just like Abraham did) and see God move in your behalf! Thank you Pastor Ralph for this lesson!

Satan will be successful if the trial will produce doubt in your life. Any doubt, any negative feelings about God, any doubt to His provision. However, God wants the trials to produce more faith, more trust in Him, trials also come to make us more like Jesus! There have been several people who I have been inspired in their trials. Some elderly lady in our first church that we pastored was truly a blessing. She had barely etched out an existence but was so happy in Jesus! Every time we went to visit her or she would invite us for rigatoni we always left knowing the presence of God was there. She was truly a blessing to us! I can't wait to see her in heaven!

It is awesome to think we serve an eternal God - the One who always was, and is and forever will be! Hallelujah! I heard this illustration many years ago and I don't know where I heard it. Many people like parades and many parades are made up of many sections. There may be a float and then a band and then some costomed characters and etc. As they go by you see that part of the parade, usually only one part at a time. However, as the parade progresses if you get up high enough like in the Goodyear Blimp you could see the whole parade from start to finish at one time. Everything at one glance. That would be awesome. That is how our God is. He sees the end from the beginning. He can see the beginning of our life and the end of our life in one glance because He is outside time. We, like the parade, can only view what is going on in our life right now but God who is eternal can see our whole life from beginning to end. If He is eternal, and He can see the beginning of our life from the end of our life, don't you think we should be able to trust Him with what he brings into our lives? Maybe He brings something into our lives so we will turn from sin. Or maybe He brings something into our lives to help us become more like Jesus but whatever it is He can see the beginning from the end and designs things in our lives so at the end the final product will be like HIs Son! Hallelujah! We should be able to trust Him and have a security knowing He is in control! Glory to God!

Not only is Abraham blessed to know that he has an actual son of promise from his real wife but also to know that his other son Ishmael will also be a great nation. Ishmael being sent away probably spared Abraham a lot of heartache and conflict. There was definitely too much of an age difference between the two boys and Ishmael already in his mid-teens and understanding fully what is happening and the blessing would fall on Isaac rather than him, well the jealousy of Ishmael could have killed Isaac. After all, later on in the family there were a lot of step sons in Jacobs family and Jacob chose Joseph because it was the son of the one he really loved. Even thou he was the youngest (up until then) he was favorite and the step brothers wanted to kill him so I am quite sure that it would have eventually crossed Ishmael's mind to do away with Isaac.

Jealousy had a lot to do with it. Maybe protection because if Ishmael was bullying Isaac she may have been trying to protect him. The sad part of this situation was that Hagar and Ishmael were good enough until Isaac was born. Of course there were jealousies on sarah's and Hagar's part all through the time but now that Isaac is born cast the bondslave away. Sarah more than Abraham forgets that if she did not tell Abraham to go into Hagar this whole situation would not have happened. Of course they now want to obey God and Isaac is to be the son of promise and not Ishmael so according to the Code of Hammurabi Ishmael would have to be sent away but it should have been in the back of their minds Ishmael happened because of them and as a result when they sent him and Hagar away it definitely should have been on better terms and not so cold and heartless about it.

This whole account of Lot and his family has to do with "Me." When "me" is on the throne nothing good came come out of it. When Lot and Abraham split up because their herds were to big and Lot had to make a decision where to go, Lot chose what was best for himself. He looked with the natural eye rather than the eye of faith. Countless of opportunities for hm to get out of that situation and pull up stakes and go elsewhere, especially when his family came on the scene. But, Lot probably chose a wife from the people of Sodom which would only be a matter of time before the little faith he had would begin to die. Of course the wife would not want to leave Sodom if that is where she is from. God gave ample warning. I believe when Abraham rescued Lot and his family during the war with the other kings should have been Lot's wake up call but I believe Sodom really at that point got into Lot and at the end of his life was still in Lot. He never got Sodom out of his life. He resorts to alcohol in order to forget what might have been. Of course the children had no real example. Like today in most Christian homes. Even if the parents are Christians the education system undoes whatever the parents put into the children. Eight hours of training in a public school system is hard to overcome when perhaps a parent or both parents can maybe put only a couple hours a week. Of course if the father and mother can only think of themselves what do expect from the children? Both daughters only think of themselves in this situation. I realize having children is something of prime importance in that culture but where was God in their decisions? Through this whole story of Lot and his family never hear them going to the Lord in prayer about any decision. They make decisions on their own based on sight rather than faith. Is it any wonder the situation turns out like it does? It is very sad to think of lives that might have been if they would have walked by faith and not by sight.

I preached a sermon on Remember Lot's Wife. Definitely, her heart was still back in Sodom, whether it be the lifestyle or her possessions or family but her heart was back there. Some other interesting things about Lot's wife. She was one of the most prayed for persons in Sodom but she was lost. Of all the persons in the world Abraham prayed for her (Abraham, the friend of God)but she was still lost. It doesn't matter how many people are praying for you if you don't want God He will not force Himself on you! Another thing about Lot's wife - she had a visitation of angels and even held hands with an angel and still was lost. Some people say if I would just have a visitation of angels or if God would come down to me, then I would believe. It didn't do anything for Lot's wife. In the parable Jesus told, Abraham said to the rich man who wanted to go back and warn his brothers of the hell to come, if one would come back from the dead they would believe. Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them. The rich man replied Nay, but if one came back from the dead they would believe. Abraham replied if they don't believe Moses and the prophets they will not believe if someone came back from the dead. God is not required to give us any more signs than He already gave - Jesus death, burial and resurrection. Of course the saddest thing - she was almost saved but lost. She escaped the destruction of the city and if the people during the time of escaping the city could have seen them they might have said "Look, Lot and his wife made it! They were saved!" She appeared to be saved but was lost. It only took a moment to look back but folks, it was what was in her heart all the time. JESUS SAID DON'T EVER FORGET THIS WOMAN! Of course Jesus puts this in the context of His coming again. He is saying don't be like Lot's wife. Don't be so caught up with the things of this world because when I come I am coming for my church that is looking for my coming and my coming will be unexpected and it will come suddenly (just like the destruction on Sodom)so if your heart is really here, you will be left behind!

I believe they hesitated because their heart was still there in Sodom. They liked the lifestyle (I am not saying that they participated in the gay lifestyle but they liked city life there in Sodom). They hesitated because it is hard to just take the clothes on your back and leave everything behind - family, cattle, possessions, etc. It never ceases to amaze me after a tornado goes through and destroys everything or an earthquake hits California, they dig in and build again. I do not think that would be me. Once is enough for me to loose everything. I think there is a lesson for us here. They lingered because their heart was there. We hold on to things to tightly. This world is not to be our home. We are just passing through. We have a better city whose builder and maker is God! It is a shame though Lot did not even have enough influence on the daughters and sons-in-law to get them out of the city. Why? I feel they concentrated too much on city life and not on spiritual life!

Understand that sin is sin! No one sin is more acceptable than another. James says if you break one law you are guilty of them all. How many times must you sin before you are a sinner? One and the Bible does not discriminate between one sin or another. People need to take that into account the next time they want to bash a gay and then around and gossip or lie (maybe exaggerate a truth to get people on their side). By the same token I do not want people to think that I side with the gay community because I don't. I am a pastor and I take a stand against homosexuality just like I do adultery and any other sin. I recently had to expel a member of our church because he was seeing a woman who was not his wife. He was a leader of our church. However I got him help. That is the key. Helping someone in their sin rather than bashing them. There is help for the homosexual just like there is for any other sin. Homosexuality is sin and should be said in our churches and those who practice it will suffer the consequences. We reap what we sow. That is a principle built into all sin. However we love the gossiper or the tale bearer or many of the other sinners in the church but why is it we don't love the homosexual? He needs our help too! We love the sinner but hate the sin!

I believe Abraham boldly addressed God because of his relationship to Him. What made him to go to God in intercession was to rescue his nephew and family once again. God desires us to do the same - to come boldly but only as we are in right relationship to Him. I believe Abraham's intercession pleased God because God will do nothing except by the prayers of his saints. God wanted the righteous delivered from the city and Abraham's request delighted God because He wanted to do that anyway. When we pray according to God's will He hears us. Although God did not spare the city, He did deliver the righteous. For us to please God we need to know the will of God and pray accordingly. In this example God was going to destroy Sodom because of its immorality. He left Abraham know His will so Abraham could intercede for those righteous in the city. As a result Lot and his daughters were saved. Would they have been saved if Abraham did not intercede? We will never know for sure but one thing we do know - Abraham interceded for the righteous and they were saved.

I believe it boils down to the words of Jesus - thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul and with all thy mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. That agape love should be seen in your relationship with God and then in turn to other people. This kind of heart attitude should be shown in every facet of life - home, job, business, etc. It is very difficult in some respects because the flesh is at war with the spirit. The flesh just does not want to give in. The only aspect that is easy in this is that we have so many people from the Word of God we can look back on and so many examples from teachings and other books and etc. but it comes down to you doing it for yourself. We can read all we want but if we don't take the initiative we will not grow and develop.

I believe that husbands and wives can strike the right balance if they are submissive to the Word of God and ask God to help them be the effective spouse they are to be. It will all work if we follow God's chain of command in scripture. The wive will be submissive to the husband if the husband is submissive to the Lord and HIs Word. Once you get out from under the umbrella of protection that God has made for you, you begin to encounter problems. Of course it is easier said then done. But egos have to be brought into submission to the will of God for both parties, the crucifixion of the flesh as well and if both are truly asking God to be an effective spouse they will love one another fervently.

Abraham and Sarah did not have much to look back on in their walk with God. It would be very difficult to believe for a son when you are in your nineties especially when you have very little examples of how God has moved in people's lives before this. Consequently Sarah laughed (and so did Abraham when he was told this). Obviously Sarah's laugh was the laugh of unbelief. What you truly believe in your heart will come out in your words and actions. There is no indication that God will stop doing miracles. He did for Abraham and Sarah, He did for the Israelites (I am the God who healeth thee), He did in Elijah's and Elisha's time, He did for the apostles time and He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We can regain an active faith in the God of miracles by developing a close relationship with Him through His Word and prayer (talking with Him). Once again faith is trust. You can't trust someone you don't know.

The act of circumcision was an outward act showing that something took place inwardly. Since Christ came and was crucified, Christ's flesh was stripped off corresponding to circumcision. When we are baptized we are identifying ourselves with Christ and His death, burial and resurrection. For the Christian it is an outward sign of something that has happened in his heart. That is why total immersion is the only way to picture that! As Jesus went down into the grave so do we. As Jesus came out of His tomb we come out of the water signifying we too are going to walk in newness of life just like Jesus!

First of all the heart is the seat of the emotions and the center of your will. To have your heart circumcised means to have a pliable heart. Like clay in the potter's hands, our hearts should be like clay in His hands. That means His will, not ours. It means to cut away those things that are not expedient to our relationship with Him. If we enter into a covenant with Him (accepting Christ today) then we need to circumcise or cut away those things that are unproductive to our relationship with Him; those things that hinder our walk with Him; those things that come between God and us! How can we keep our faith active as an inward expression rather than external religion? I don't think ju8st reading the Word is enough. So many can read the word and go about the day without any regard to what they read. That is just external. But when we read the Word and ask the Holy Spirit to help us, shed some light on this passage to apply it to our lives. Holy Spirit help me! Then it begins to be more internal. I believe also a crying out to God to keep me pliable. Take the atubborness out!

Abraham heard from God what God was going to do for him. Then God said what He wanted Abraham to do as his part of the covenant. The circumcision of Abraham and all the males in his household and those to come was an outward sign of an inward commitment. It first had to be in Abraham's heart to want to be part of this covenant with God and then there was the outward act to show it. The fact that he did not hesitate or put off his part of the covenant showed his willingness and obedience to God and His Word!

God is not requiring from Abraham moral perfection. He is requiring from Abraham as he is requiring from us in the new covenant a submission to Him. For Abraham it was a submission to what God said to him verbally since the Word and even the Law was not yet written. But God expected him to comply with what He said. He expected Abraham to live a righteous life before him. He would definitely make mistakes and slip up but his desire was to please his Lord and God. God requires the same from us. God does not have to speak verbally to each of us as He did Abraham because not He gave us His Word. We know what God requires of us. Like Abraham we are to submit to His control in our lives. Yes we will slip up but our desire should be to please Him in every area of our life!

Submitting to God's will regardless of the humbling and hard road it may end up being. In the end it worked out for Hagar. As a result of her obedience she lived, Ishmael lived and became a great nation just like God said. His Word is true!!! Submitting is hard because we always want to take the road most traveled! Along with that is being patient for the Lord to work! His ways or not our ways and His times our not our times. But when we submit and wait then there is the blessing!