Wisdom Wednesday: The Wisdom of the Early Believers
Part 6 Legacy of the Patriarch’s Wisdom
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
“ He [Israel] blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; And may my name live on in them, And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” (Gen 48:15-16) NASB 95
In this series, we proceeded from Job, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) to the 12 Sons of Israel, examining the wisdom theme throughout their lives. Now we briefly summarize the legacy of these early believers who, without any written scripture, were addressed by the unseen God and followed Him.
The timeline below provides the context for their lives and the things scripture says about their fear and walk with the Lord.
- Job Feared God “…[Job] was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” (Job 1:1)
- The patriarchs walked with God, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.” Gen 48:15
- Joseph received wisdom: “God gave Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh…” Acts 7:10
What can we say about the wisdom of these men as we look over the accounts of their lives as recorded in scripture?
- Flawed Men – Even though they had flaws of character, and some of those flaws were significant sins and failures to trust God, God revealed Himself to them, and they responded in obedience. In some cases, we would add that they eventually responded. Consider a few of the flaws recorded in Scripture:
- Job – Though he lived uprightly, when suffering and challenged by his friends, he finally challenged and questioned God, then repented of his foolishness (Job 4:2)
- Abraham – Lacked trust and tried to protect himself by deception (Gen 12:10-20)
- Isaac – Did the same as his father above (Gen 26:6-11)
- Jacob – Was a deceiver of his own father (Gen 27)
- Men who have the Fear the Lord – All acknowledged and feared their Creator – the first principle of wisdom – rather than succumbing to the pagan idols of Canaan.
- Men who Repented, Learned, and Trusted the Lord – Each of the patriarchs recognized their sin, repented, and learned to trust in God. Job acknowledged, “Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:6) Abraham built an altar (Gen 12:7-8) and after returning from Egypt where he sinned by not trusting God and trying to deceive the Pharaoh, returned to the altar (Gen. 13:1–4) where he had first called on the Lord and became a changed man, being gracious to Lot (Gen 13:8-12) and to strangers (Gen 18) as he sought to become a blessing to the nations as God told him of his covenant calling. Like his father, Isaac lied to Abimelech about his wife (Gen. 26:6-11) but then remained in the land and built an altar (26:24-25).
- Men who Ended Wise and Well – Israel summarized his life as being shepherded by God and acknowledged that his father and grandfather also walked with God. (Geb 48;15)
But what is the greatest wisdom in the story of these men? It is the wisdom of God to choose and guide these men to be His covenant patriarchs of the tribes called the children of Israel. God interacted with the Patriarchs in complex and intricate ways, revealing Himself, making promises, guiding them through (and into) difficult circumstances, yet allowing them to fail, repent, and learn to trust Him daily. The result? They “walked with Him” and saw that He was the shepherd of their lives.