Why was Abraham Tested?

In Genesis 22 we learn that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son as an offering to Himself. God had no intention of allowing Abraham to do this - it was a test of his trust in God. When the time came and Isaac was on the alter, God said,

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

The commentaries say the words, "Now I know," could be interpreted, "I have made known." Because God already knew what Abraham would do. 

 Saadiah Gaon (i) interprets it, "I have made known", that is, to others; God by trying Abraham made it manifest to others, to all the world, to all that should hear of or read this account of things, that he was a man that feared God, loved him, believed in him, and obeyed him, of which this instance is a full and convincing proof:

http://bible.cc/genesis/22-12.htm

Testing comes to all of us Christians. There are many writings on this in the Bible. Peter has this to say:

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6-7

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That it is desirable that the faith of Christians should be tried:

(a) It is desirable to know whether that which appears to be religion is genuine, as it is desirable to know whether that which appears to be gold is genuine. To gold we apply the action of intense heat, that we may know whether it is what it appears to be; and as religion is of more value than gold, so it is more desirable that it should be subjected to the proper tests, that its nature may be ascertained. There is much which appears to be gold, which is of no value, as there is much which appears to be religion, which is of no value. The one is worth no more than the other, unless it is genuine.

(b) It is desirable in order to show its true value. It is of great importance to know what that which is claimed to be gold is worth for the purposes to which gold is usually applied; and so it is in regard to religion. Religion claims to be of more value to man than anything else. It asserts its power to do that for the intellect and the heart which nothing else can do; to impart consolation in the various trials of life which nothing else can impart; and to give a support which nothing else can on the bed of death. It is very desirable, therefore, that in these various situations it should show its power; that is, that its friends should be in these various conditions, in order that they may illustrate the true value of religion.

(c) It is desirable that true religion should be separated from all alloy. There is often much alloy in gold, and it is desirable that it should be separated from it, in order that it may be pure. So it is in religion. It is often combined with much that is unholy and impure; much that dims its lustre and mars its beauty; much that prevents its producing the effect which it would otherwise produce. Gold is, indeed, often better, for some purposes, for having some alloy mixed with it; but not so with religion. It is never better for having a little pride, or vanity, or selfishness, or meanness, or worldliness, or sensuality mingled with it; and that which will remove these things from our religion will be a favor to us.

II. God takes various methods of trying his people, with a design to test the value of their piety, and to separate it from all impure mixtures:

(1) He tries his people by prosperity - often as decisive a test of piety as can be applied to it. There is much pretended piety, which will bear adversity, but which will not bear prosperity. The piety of a man is decisively tested by popularity; by the flatteries of the world; by a sudden increase of property; and in such circumstances it is often conclusively shown that there is no true religion in the soul.

continued...http://bible.cc/1_peter/1-7.htm

For myself, I would say my faith was tested when my daughter Sandy gave birth. She suffered terribly for 27 hours, and as I watched her I thought of all the women through the ages who had died this way - giving birth, and it made me very angry at God. I failed this test of my faith. I was angry for years at the suffering God allowed to everyone. After awhile I told God I was tired of being angry at Him and wanted to come back and I read many books on suffering and why God allowed it.

Years later, my daughter Christine suffered terribly from a medical ailment. She almost died. By then I had learned to trust God. I gave her to Him and did not get angry about her suffering. I also felt no anger when my grandson died. This is what God will do for us and I am thankful to Him. If you have trouble in this area, ask God to help you to accept life as it is and not to struggle against it. Ask Him for strength to bear whatever it is that is hurting your heart and He will give it to you.

Why Ishmael is Sent Away.

In Genesis 21 we read about Ishmael, the son of the slave Hagar, mocked Isaac, the son of Sarah. I have always thought it was cruel for Sarah and Abraham to banish Hagar and Ishmael. But after reading the commentaries I now understand why. Ishmael had been the first-born. The inheritance from Abraham would have all been his until Isaac was born. This seemed to make Ishmael angry - so he mocked the child, and as Paul said, he persecuted Isaac. Ishmael was 17 years old at the time and could have been a threat.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
mocking; either at the entertainment made at the weaning of Isaac; or rather at Isaac himself, laughing at his name, and treating him with contempt as his younger brother, and boasting that he was the firstborn, and that the inheritance belonged to him; and threatening what he would do to him, should he hereafter offer to dispute it with him, under pretence of the promise of God that he should be Abraham's heir, and at which promise also he may be supposed to mock: and that this contention was about the inheritance seems plain from the words of Sarah inGenesis 21:10; and in it Ishmael might not only rise to high words, but come to blows, and beat his brother; for it is observed the word used sometimes so signifies, 2 Samuel 2:14; wherefore the apostle might truly call it a persecution, Galatians 4:29; and as even cruel mockings are, Hebrews 11:35. http://bible.cc/genesis/21-9.htm

I also used to wonder why Abraham didn't make sure Hagar and Ishmael had enough water and food to go on their trip. But the commentaries said they had enough but they got lost in the desert. When the water and food was gone and they were dying, it was then that Hagar prayed. God appeared immediately and gave her more than she prayed for. He saved their lives and promised to be with them.

"God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation." Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt." Genesis 21:17-21

God Comes Down in Human Form.

God and two angels assumed human form and came to visit Abraham. They stood near his tent at noon; Abraham didn't know who they were at first, but he ran out to meet them and invite them in for food and rest. This is a good example of hospitality and Paul cites this story: "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

"Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.

So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"

Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?'
"Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."
Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, "I didn't laugh." But the LORD said, "No, you did laugh."

I love so much about this story; Abraham's gracious hospitality, the fact God came down to visit and talk with Abraham which shows how much he loves us, how he didn't get angry at Sarah for laughing but he did call her on it! But my favorite verse is when God said, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"

No. To the one who could create the vast universe and fill it with wisdom and beauty; nothing is too hard for the Lord.

Hagar the Slave.

God had promised Abraham and Sarai he would give them a child. But instead of waiting for God's timing, they tried to make their prayers come true themselves by using a slave girl.

"Sarai said to Abram, 'Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai."

"Abram went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. And Sarai said to Abram, 'May the wrong done me be upon you, I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me.' But Abram said to Sarai, 'Behold, you maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.' So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence."
Genesis 16:1-6

Hagar ran to the wilderness and came to a spring of water. The angel of God came and spoke to her, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?"

Hagar answered, "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai." God now told her what to do and what he would do for her.

"Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority. I will greatly multiply your descendants so they will be too many to count." He also told her she would have a son, and she was to call him, Ishmael (which means "God hears") because God had seen her troubles.

Abraham and Sarai had used Hagar. She had no rights, she had no choice but to obey them. God saw what had happened and came to help her. He must have felt great pity for Hagar. Later on, when Sarai had her own son, Hagar was mistreated again. But God intervened to save her and Ishmael, and he made of Ishmael a great tribe and then a nation.

I think this is a great lesson to all Christians to wait for God to answer our prayers and not try other means that may harm someone to get what we want. All our desires should come under God's control. Both Hagar and Ishmael were hurt by the actions of Abram and Sarai.

What Then Shall We Do?

John the Baptist preached to the people who came to be baptized. He told them to repent and not rely on their heritage to save them.

"Don't say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father.' For I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham."

Many people believed they were saved simply because they belonged to a special people. The Messiah was to come into the world through them. God himself had revealed himself to them. They were God's chosen people.

John was warning them not to rely on the fact that Abraham was their forefather. This fact could not save them. God could have turned stones into people if he wanted to. He didn't need them.

As the people listened to this, some came to John and asked, "Then what shall we do?"

John told them to do things that would help others. He told them to share their clothes and food. He told the tax collectors not to take more money than they were allowed. He told the soldiers not to steal from people, commit perjury or complain about their wages.

If we help others, that will not save us either. But John was talking about the fruits of the Spirit. "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance," he said. This fruit will grow in us if we allow God to live in us and through us. It is the life we live with God and with people that show our true repentance.

Should We Ask For Signs From God?

When Abraham's son, Isaac, became a man, Abraham sent his servant to his family in a far off land. He wanted Isaac to marry a girl who knew about God. He didn't want him to marry a girl from the Caananites, for these people worshiped idols which had human sacrifices.
His servant went to Nahor and came to the well. He prayed to God and asked him for a sign so he could find Abraham's family and a girl for Isaac. Immediately, God gave him a sign and the servant found Rebekah. He now knew where to go and what to do.

I once asked God for a sign. At the time, I was living in Vancouver babysitting my grandsons. They had grown now to the age of 12 and 13. They no longer needed me after school. But my daughter in Kelowna did need me. She wanted to go back to work part-time and needed a sitter for her young children. The problem was my husband had a good job in Vancouver and was going to be promoted. His salary would be quite large and it was a job he wanted.

We didn't know what God wanted us to do. It was such an important decision that I told my husband we wouldn't go unless God gave us a sign. So we prayed and waited. A few weeks later I had a dream. In the dream I was on a plane with my mother and we were moving back to Kelowna. As I looked out the plane window, I knew this was where God wanted us to be. When I woke up, I told my husband the dream and we decided it was a sign from God. He began to look for work in Kelowna.

At the time, my husband's company had no work here. But soon the company decided to open up a shop in Kelowna and started hiring. My husband applied and was accepted. I moved here first, my husband followed later. Even though we lost a lot of money and my husband took a much lower job, we have never regretted our decision. Our daughter in Kelowna needed us badly and we have been a great help to her.

Should we ask God for signs? I have only asked the once as far as I can remember and God did give us a sign. The few times it is mentioned in the Bible people asked for an important reason. I wouldn't ask God for signs every day, but I think once in a while it is a good idea.

Abraham and Fear.

Abraham married his half-sister. She was so beautiful that two kings wanted her for a wife; one was a Pharoah of Egypt, one was Abimelech, King of Gerar. Abraham had asked Sarah that when they traveled together to tell people she was his sister, not his wife. He was afraid men would kill him to have her.

Twice, God had to save Sarah from the kings who had taken her. Twice, he kept her from having sex with another man. She was to be the mother of a new nation and was to bear a child given to her by God. This was God's plan for Sarah and he would let no one change it.

Abraham did not trust God to protect him when it came to Sarah. He feared for his life, so he lied. Later on, his son Isaac did the same thing with his wife Rebecca.

How do we find faith when we believe our lives are threatened? How do we stay calm and believing in a situation like that? There are some statements from Jesus and God that can help us.

When the authorities were wanting to kill Jesus, the scripture says, "So they were seeking to seize him; and no man laid his hand on him, because his hour had not yet come." John 7:30

There was a time and an hour for Jesus to be arrested and to die. Many times people tried to kill him, but God did not allow it. Jesus lived as a man, he lived how we must live: dependent on God. After praying in Gethsemane, he said to his disciples, "It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners." Mark 14:41

In Psalm 91:7 it says, "A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not approach you." This verse doesn't mean we will never die when thousands around us are dying. But it does mean that if God doesn't will it, you will not die at that time. David also said, "My times are in your hands." Psalm 31:15

Abraham may have had an excuse for lying about his wife once. But why after God intervened with the King of Egypt did he do it a second time? He had still not learned to trust God with his life. But what is wonderful about this story is how God looks. He comes through shining in glory and goodness. He protected Sarah, he forgave Abraham, he talked with pagan kings and was kind to them.

Thank you Lord that you are a loving, patient and kind God. We are so fortunate to have you ruling the Universe. Be with us God as we live on this dark planet. Keep us from the evil one as you have promised. In Jesus name, Amen.

Helping Strangers.

Abraham was sitting under a tree in the heat of the day. Three men walked by and Abraham got up and asked them to come aside, have a drink and eat some food before they continued with their journey. Genesis 18

At first, Abraham did not know these three men were God and two angels. He merely wanted to help them and show hospitality. I have read that this custom is still practiced in the Middle East.

We don't do this often in western society. We barely speak to strangers, never mind asking them to eat with us. It is too bad we have become such an isolated people. Most of us don't even know our next-door neighbors.

My Spanish professor used to tell us what it was like growing up in Mexico. Every city has a town square where important events are celebrated - like a wedding. Every weekend people gather to sing and dance. People know each other.

I wish it was this way in our towns and cities. Once you know people, you find out what problems they have and can perhaps help them. If you are having a bad time or a good time, you can share this with your neighbors.

We help strangers by giving to charities, and that is a good thing. But when I think of Abraham giving lunch to God because he was just walking by, I feel like we are all missing something important.