Freedom for Abraham

We know him as FATHER ABRAHAM. The Bible first speaks of Abram (later God would name him Abraham) at the end of Genesis 11. Abram's father, Terah took Abram, Sarai (Abram's wife), and his grandson (Lot ) and moved to Haran and settled there.
In Genesis 12, the Lord tells Abram that He will make him into a great nation, and all the families of earth will be blessed by him. Also, the Lord told Abram to leave his native country and go to a land He would show him. Abram obeyed God.

In Genesis 15, the Lord took Abram outside and told him, "Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can.That's how many descendants you will have!" V. 6 reads: And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. 

In Genesis 16, Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to bear children for him. At this point, Abram and Sarai attempt to take matters into their own hands. Sarai tells Abram to sleep with her servant girl, Hagar. So, Abram sleeps with Hagar and she gives birth to a son, whom they name Ishmael. Abram was 86 years old when he was born.

In Genesis 17, the Lord appeared to Abram when he was 99 years old. The Lord said, "I am El-Shaddai--'God Almighty.' Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants." The Lord told hime he was changing Abram's name to Abraham, because he would be the father of great nations. Also, the Lord told Abraham that his wife's name would now be Sarah. He would richly bless her and give a son to Abraham through her.

In Genesis 21, we read: The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what He promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. 

In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham's faith. God told him to sacrifice Issac on a mountain in Moriah. So, Abraham, his servant, and Issac traveled to Moriah. On the third day, Abraham saw the place in the distance. He told the servant to wait there.

The following events often parallel the Gospel. As they start up the mountain (Calvary for Jesus), Abraham requires Issac to carry the wood for the sacrifice. (Jesus was required to take his own cross of wood for his sacrifice.) Abraham believed he would sacrifice his only son (John 3:16). Many scholars believe Abraham believed God would raise Issac from the dead. But, before Abraham killed his son, an angel of the Lord stopped him. At this time God provided a ram caught in a thicket to be used for the sacrifice. The ram was sacrificed in Issac's place. (Jesus was sacrificed in our place.)

A.W.Tozer helped me understand the purpose of this in The Pursuit of God. Abraham loved Issac too much! He had become an idol. But, things change when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, Issac. This proved to God and Abraham that Issac was not number one in Abraham's life--God was. God was now on the throne of Abraham's heart. As Tozer so beautifully states it: HE HAD EVERYTHING, BUT HE POSSESSED NOTHING.

When we possess nothing but our faith in Christ, it is very freeing. Idols can weigh us down, The thought of all the things we own can be so burdensome. Just ask the rich young ruler that was unwilling to give his possessions to the poor and follow Jesus. Ohhh, but wait. There are three fingers pointing back at ourselves. As a 16-year old, I burned my rock albums because I felt God wanted me to do so. It would take me decades to realize the albums were not the problem, but my love for them, which was too great. There is freedom in realizing we do NOT own anything. We are merely in charge of the blessings that God has given us!