Abraham is the father of all those who believe. Yet, in his life, there were many occasions during which he had his doubts. Just like you and me! But God gave him a promise. Then, God confirmed his promise with an illustration that made it clear that God would not let anything stop His plan. This illustration came in a “night dream” or a “vision” to Abraham. The story begins for us in Genesis 15:1-2. It tells us, “After these things, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great. But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eleazar of Damascus?” You can see that even though God had already promised him a physical heir through Sarah, he wasn’t so sure! It’s even clearer from what he said in Genesis 15:8. God promised him many descendants that would possess the Promised Land: “But he said, O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
I love what God said to Him in Genesis 15:13 (ESV): “Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘Know for certain’…” God then performed a ceremony that was common in that culture. It was the same as signing a contract. The biblical language for a contract between God and man is a “Covenant.” The Abrahamic Covenant, or the promise, the contract, that God gave Abraham was one sided. In that culture when treaties were signed, or contracts made the two parties would sacrifice an animal and separate the parts. Usually, the size and number of the sacrifices signified its importance. Here God called Abraham to sacrifice numerous sacrifices of all kinds and then caused a deep sleep to fall on him while God, alone, passed through the divided parts of the bloody sacrifices. This signified that God was responsible for carrying out the promise. It would not depend on anything Abraham would do. It was unconditional.
Those are the kinds of promises God gives us. Through faith in Jesus, all who believe will have eternal life. That’s his unconditional promise signed in the blood of His only Son. He walked that bloody path alone, sealing our pardon, and securing our eternal destiny. He will bring it about because He said He would. Our eternal security has been established once and for all on Calvary. Now, eternal security is not the same as our personal assurance. Abraham had God’s promises, but he still had doubts. It took many years of walking with God and listening to God and getting to witness God’s faithfulness in life that brought about personal assurance for Abraham. After many years, we see Abraham assured of God’s promises beyond the grave when he brought Isaac to Mt. Moriah. Hebrews 11:19 tells us that Abraham “was assured that God was able even to raise Isaac from the dead…” As the reality of our eternal security sinks in, we gain assurance in God’s promises.
Abram and Sarai often failed in their “faith.” That’s rather surprising since Abram is known as the example of the faithful. But don’t ever think that his faith never faltered. It did, often! However, one of the major lessons regarding faith in Abram’s life is the lessons that teach us what happens when we fail to trust God. Looking up in faith in God and trusting Him is always the best course of action, even when it seems contrary to wisdom. Herschel Hobbs writes, “A person is not to rely on his or her own understanding or insight. At best, human knowledge is fragmentary. What may seem best to the individual at the moment may not be best in the long haul. Up-sight, not insight, is to be the governing factor of life. Then the person will have no reason to have regrets when viewing life from hindsight.”
In Genesis 18:14, we read about an angelic visit to Abraham and Sarah. We read a question the angel asked that should be a regular part of our daily thinking. The two angels appear, and Abraham prepares a meal for them. During their discussion, the Angel of the Lord informs Abraham that God is about to fulfill his promise to them of a child. Even though Abraham’s doubt caused him to look at Eleazar as his heir, then Lot, then Ishmael, the Angel now informed him that his wife Sarah was about to have the promised heir. In his “The Message” translation, Eugene Peterson records Sarah’s response: “Abraham and Sarah were old by this time, very old. Sarah was far past the age for having babies. Sarah laughed within herself, “an old woman like me? Get pregnant? With this old husband of mine?” I can hear my wife laugh if an angel said something like that to her, and I’m only 78! Kathy is only 73. Abraham was nearly 100! Sarah was about 90 years old.