Lesson for September 15, 2024
The Triumphs of Faith
Lesson 3
Hebrews 11
Verses 8-12
“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
Abraham had enough faith in God to leave Ur, His place of birth, when commanded to do so. By means of faith in God and His promises, Abraham obeyed God’s command to leave Ur and travel to an unknown land. The unknown land was Cannan. Abraham was motivated by faith to keep moving until he reached the place where God wanted him to be. As with Abraham, God has a geographic will for each one of us. Dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. The confirmation of the covenant to Isaac is found in Genesis 26:3-4. The covenant was confirmed to Abraham’s grandson Jacob, Genesis 35:12. This is why the title of Jesus Christ is so important, “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” in Matthew 22:32.
The Abrahamic Covenant was an unconditional covenant made up of all of the promises of God to Abraham and to his descendants. Nothing was required on the part of Abraham in order to enjoy the promises of this covenant. The unconditional covenant between God and Abraham was related to the nation of Israel and to all believers, as we will see. The source of this blessing to Abraham and his descendants was not based on any merit on the part of Abraham. (Genesis 12:1-4; 13:14-17; 15:1-7; 17:1-8)
The Abrahamic covenant is found in Genesis12:1-3,“Now Jehovah had spoken to Abram, `Go from your land, and from your relatives, and from the place of your birth, to a land which I will cause you to see; and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will cause you to become great; therefore, you will become a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, but the one who despises you, I will curse, and all the races shall be blessed through you.’”
Go from your land, and from your relatives. Abraham would become the father of a new race, and he needed no distractions from friends or family in carrying out of God’s plan for his life. I will bless youmeans God would supply his every need in the fulfillment of this covenant. I will cause you to become great; therefore, you will become a blessing. God made Abraham great for the purpose of blessing others. There was also a warning to others who opposed this new race of people. Supporting Israel and the Jewish race has always carried with it a special blessing from God and continues to do so. Those who have opposed Israel and the Jewish race have been dealt with by God’s discipline and judgment.
Genesis 13:14-15, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, for all the land which you see, I will give to you and to your descendants forever. Genesis 15:18-21 gives the dimensions of the land promised to Israel. God was going to form a nation (Israel) that would be responsible for preserving the Word of God and spreading the Gospel message to other lands. God needed a leader to carry out His plan, so He chose Abraham, a faithful Gentile believer. So, Abraham obeyed God and took his family and possessions along with his nephew, Lot and his family, and went to the land that God had promised him.
Genesis 15:4-6, “Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.’ And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness.”
It would be through the line of Isaac, Abraham’s promised son, that the humanity of Jesus Christ would be born. The spiritual result of the promise would be that millions would be blessed by believing in the coming Messiah Jesus Christ and become spiritual descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Romans 4:1-4, “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”
Verse 11-12
“By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful Who had promised. Therefore, there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.”
Sarah, Abraham’s wife, grew up in a society where having male children and perpetuating the family line was extremely important. Since Sarah was unable to have children, she convinced Abraham to have a child with Haggar, their maid. After Haggar conceived, Sarah became very bitter. (Genesis 16:1-6) Later, when God made a promise to Abraham that Sarah would have a son in her old age, she laughed in unbelief. (Genesis 18:9-12) However, Sarah did not continue to be bitter or skeptical but became appreciative of the miracle God performed in allowing her to have a child (Isaac). (Genesis 20:6)
Sarah learned from her mistakes and became the mother of a great spiritual nation, as the mother of Isaac. It is clear from the change of her original name of Sarai, meaning princess, to Sarah, meaning ruler, that she had a great purpose in God’s plan. She is mentioned in a very favorable light by Paul in Galatians 4:22-27, where he called her “a freewoman” and “the mother of us all.” Peter does the same in I Peter 3:6, where he uses her as the perfect example of a godly wife. Over the years, both Abraham and Sarah obviously grew in their relationship with God, both becoming examples of faith and faithfulness to God.
By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful Who had promised. Sarah believed God’s promise of a child and He gave her the ability to conceive a son, which was a miracle from God. The Greek word for ability is “dunamis,” meaning inherent power. The power of God performed the miracle because Sarah’s attitude toward God had changed over the years from skepticism (laughed at God’s promise) to faith (she considered Him faithful Who had promised). God was able to bless Sarah with a child because she had the capacity to receive the blessing without becoming arrogant.
Sarah was a phenomenal woman, a woman of great courage, greater than most. She was in a totally hopeless situation regarding childbirth and initially failed in regard to her faith. However, she overcame all of her problems by believing the promises of God. Sarah is therefore a perfect illustration of how, with all the earlier handicaps, human viewpoint, frustration, all of the mental attitude sins, it is possible to turn your spiritual life around and move to spiritual maturity. Sarah reminds us of the importance of understanding and applying Bible doctrine by believing and claiming the promises of God.