Wisdom Wednesday: The Wisdom of the Early Believers
Part 2 The Wisdom of Abraham
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
“Now the LORD said to Abram, Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Gen. 12: 1-3) NASB 95
We continue a series of weekly studies examining the wisdom theme among the earliest believers in the Bible. Last week, we looked at Job; today, we look at Abraham. Abraham had no written Scripture but was in awe of the Creation for and its Creator. He perhaps had an oral tradition of the Flood, and, before that, of the pre-flood civilization and its first-created ancestors, Adam and Eve.
We study Abraham very briefly to see what Scripture says about his fear of the Lord (the first principle of wisdom) and the wisdom (and foolishness) recorded about his life.
Abraham, first named Abram, was a man, living in Chaldea that feared God, called on God (in prayer) and God spoke to him instructing him to move from the city o him f Ur to Haran (300 miles north), and then from Haran to move west (See Acts 7:2-4 implies the first call from Ur; Gen. 12:1-2 is the second call from Haran).
We summarize some aspects of Abraham’s wisdom.
- Abraham Obeyed God in Faith – Abraham simply and wisely obeyed God’s direction in his life, “So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him…” (Gen. 12:4a). His obedience was a significant step of faith. “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.” (Heb. 8:11).
- Abraham Envisioned a Place with God – His motive was for a place to dwell with God I host that I “… for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God”. (Heb 11:10) Believers of all time seek to be in a place with God: “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.” (Heb. 13:14).
- But Abraham foolishly had lapses of faith – despite his fear of God, his faith and wisdom. He had lapses of doubt that led to foolish errors. When he traveled to Egypt because of a famine, Abraham deceived the Pharaoh to protect himself, but the Pharaoh rebuked him. (Gen. 12: 10-18) When he worried about never having the promised son because of their age (Sarah was 75), he took my Sarah’s Egyptian maid as a concubine and gave birth to Ishmael (Gen. 16), seeking to bring God’s promise foolishly by his own means.
- Abraham endured the greatest test of his faith – God called Abraham to take his son, Isaac, to offer him as a burnt offering. (Gen 22:1014) But God provided a ram to sacrifice at the last minute and confirmed Abraham’s great fear-faith-wisdom. He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Gen 22:12) Abraham even believed God could raise Isaac from death if he had to sacrifice him. (Heb 11:17-19) Abraham called the place “Jehovah-Jirah” meaning “The Lord will Provide”. He wisely learned his lesson that God tests and provides our needs.
- Abraham realized he was a sojourner on earth – On Sarah’s death, he recognized to the locals, “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” (Gen. 23:4) He did not find a physical city to dwell with God and he realized that on this earth, he was a temporary resident, a sojourner seeking a heavenly place with God. David later described this sentiment: “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner like all my fathers.” (Psa. 39:12)
Believers are strangers and sojourners on earth, as were Abraham and Sarah – seeking a permanent, eternal dwelling place with God. Abraham and his descendants, “…wandered about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people.” (Psa. 105:13) We benefit from considering the life and wisdom of this man who was called “faithful Abraham” (Gal. 3:9) and “the friend of God” (James 2:23).