There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones” (Heb. 11:20–22).
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Faith triumphs over death.
Commentator Matthew Henry said, “Though the grace of faith is of universal use throughout the Christian’s life, yet it is especially so when we come to die. Faith has its great work to do at the very last, to help believers to finish well, to die to the Lord so as to honor Him, by patience, hope and joy so as to leave a witness behind them of the truth of God’s Word and the excellency of His ways.”
God is honored when His people die triumphantly. When we’ve lived a life to His glory, and have joyfully left the world behind to enter into His presence for all eternity, He is pleased, for “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Ps. 116:15).
Many believers who have dreaded facing death have experienced a special measure of God’s grace that made their final hours the sweetest and most precious of their lives.
Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are examples of men who faced death with great faith and confidence. Each “died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). They hadn’t seen all God’s promises fulfilled, but by faith they passed them on to their children.
These men didn’t have perfect faith. Joseph was exemplary, but Isaac and Jacob often vacillated in their walk with God. Yet, each ended his life triumphantly. That’s the reward of all who trust God and cling to His promises.
Like every believer before you, you haven’t seen the fulfillment of all God’s promises. But certainly you’ve seen far more than Isaac, Jacob, or Joseph did. How much more, then, should you trust God and encourage those who follow you to do the same!
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Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for His marvelous grace, which triumphs over sin and death.
For Further Study: Read the final words of Jacob and Joseph in Genesis 48:1–49:33 and 50:22–26.1
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’ He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead” (Heb. 11:17–19).
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A willingness to sacrifice something precious to you is proof of genuine faith.
John Bunyan had a little blind daughter, for whom he had a special love. When he was imprisoned for preaching the gospel, he was deeply concerned about his family, especially that little girl. He wrote: “I saw in this condition I was a man who was pulling down his house upon the head of his wife and children. Yet, thought I, I must do it; I must do it. The dearest idol I have known, what ere that idol be, help me to tear it from Thy throne and worship only Thee.”
Despite his personal grief, Bunyan was willing to sacrifice the most precious thing he had, if God so willed. So it was with Abraham. Every promise God had made to him was bound up in his son Isaac.
Abraham believed God’s promises, and his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). But the moment of truth came when God instructed him to offer his son as a sacrifice. Abraham realized that to kill Isaac was to put to death God’s covenant. So he reasoned that surely God would raise Isaac from the dead. He believed in resurrection before the doctrine was revealed in clear terms.
God tested Abraham, and Abraham passed the test: he was willing to make the sacrifice. And that’s always the final standard of faith. Jesus said, “If any one wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). Romans 12:1 says, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
I pray that you are willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to minister most effectively for Christ.
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Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for those you know who are passing the test of a sacrificial faith. ✧ Pray for the courage and grace to follow their example.
For Further Study: Read the account of Abraham’s test in Genesis 22.1
“By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised; therefore also there was born of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore” (Heb. 11:11–12).
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Your faith in Christ will influence future generations.
I’ve been blessed with a wonderful Christian heritage. In fact, I’m the fifth generation of preachers in our family. The faith of my predecessors has had an enormous impact on my life—either directly or indirectly. I have the same responsibility they did to influence others for good, as do you.
Hebrews 11:11–12 gives a very personal example of how one man’s faith influenced an entire nation. Verse 11 is better rendered: “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise” (niv).
God had promised Abraham that he would become the father of a great nation (Gen. 12:2). But Sarah, Abraham’s wife, had always been barren, and both of them were advanced in years. At one point Sarah became impatient and decided to take things into her own hands. She persuaded Abraham to have a son by her maid, Hagar (16:1–4). That act of disobedience proved to be costly because Ishmael, the child of that union, became the progenitor of the Arab people, who have been constant antagonists of the Jewish nation.
Despite his times of disobedience, Abraham believed that God would keep His promise. God honored Abraham’s faith by giving him not only Isaac, the child of promise, but descendants too numerous to count. One man’s faith literally changed the world!
Similarly, the faith you exercise today will influence others tomorrow. So, be faithful and remember that despite your failures, God “is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Eph. 3:20).
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Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for those who have had a righteous influence on you. ✧ Pray for greater opportunities to influence others for Christ.
For Further Study: Read the account of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18–21 and 23.1
“By faith [Abraham] lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow-heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:9–10).
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Focusing on Heaven is the best way to endure difficulties on earth.
Following God’s call isn’t always easy. He expects us to trust Him explicitly, and yet He doesn’t ask our advice on decisions that may impact us dramatically. He doesn’t tell us His specific plans at any given point in our lives. He doesn’t always shelter us from adversity. He tests our faith to produce endurance and spiritual maturity—tests that are sometimes painful. He makes some promises that we’ll never see fulfilled in this life.
If following God’s call is a challenge for us, imagine how it was for Abraham, who had no Bible, no pastor, no sermons, no commentaries, and no Christian encouragement or accountability. But what he did have was the promise of a nation, a land, and a blessing (Gen. 12:1–3). That was good enough for him.
Abraham never settled in the land of promise. Neither did his son Isaac or his grandson Jacob. They were aliens, dwelling in tents like nomads. Abraham never built houses or cities. The only way he would possess the land was by faith. Yet Abraham patiently waited for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
As important as the earthly land was to him, Abraham was patient because his sight was on his heavenly home, “the city … whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). He knew beyond any doubt that he would inherit that city, whether or not he ever saw his earthly home in his lifetime.
Similarly, being heavenly minded gives you the patience to continue working for the Lord when things get tough. It’s the best cure I know for discouragement or spiritual fatigue. That’s why Paul says to “set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2). If your mind is set on Heaven, you can endure whatever happens here.
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Suggestions for Prayer: Praise God for your heavenly home. ✧ Seek His grace to help you keep a proper perspective amid the difficulties of this life.
For Further Study: Read the portion of Abraham’s life recorded in Genesis 12–17.1
By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau (Heb. 11:20).
Things are not always what they appear to be. Sometimes events we do not believe to be blessings from God actually turn out to be, and often the way God chooses to bring about His blessings is anything but predictable. In Hebrews 11:20, Isaac pronounces “blessings” on Jacob and Esau. We are immediately struck with a sense of irony, if not bewilderment, at this language. For we know that Esau is the rejected son who does not inherit the blessing from Isaac—Jacob does. So, in what way was Esau blessed by Isaac?
When we examine the Old Testament chapter to which the author of Hebrews is referring (Gen. 27), we find Isaac on his deathbed, his eyes old and dim with age. His wife, Rebekah, has conspired against him with a plan to ensure that Isaac does not bestow his patriarchal blessing upon Esau. From a natural point of view, Esau should have received the blessing. He was the oldest son, and the normal course of the world would expect that the oldest son should receive the blessing and carry on the family name, business, property, etc. But God’s ways are often different, and as the familiar story goes, God had rejected Esau and chosen Jacob even before the twin boys wrestled their way out of the womb (Gen. 25:23). Though Esau was older, in God’s sovereign and electing purposes, Jacob was the chosen, favored one and thus “the older shall serve the younger.”
By the time we find Isaac on his deathbed in Genesis 27, it would seem that he has forgotten what God promised, for he calls for Esau with the apparent intent of bestowing upon him the blessing that God had said would fall on Jacob. Lest we be too hard on Rebekah, it would appear that her conspiracy was an attempt (however ill-conceived) to ensure that Isaac, in his failing state, did not mistakenly bless the wrong son. Thus, in a nearly comical display of costuming, she has Jacob dress up like Esau and attempt to fool Isaac into giving Jacob Esau’s blessing. Where would the long history of church plays and Sunday school lessons be without this comedic episode?
The promises of God are unbroken and unbreakable.
Because God is sovereign and gracious, the plan works, in spite of Rebekah and Jacob’s treachery and Isaac’s forgetfulness. It really is hard to believe that this dysfunctional family is the “chosen people.” A father who forgets the words of God, a wife and son who conspire to fool her husband and his dad, and another son who is willing to reject God and kill his brother. This is the family of God? Yes it is, and in spite of its many blemishes and imperfections, God still bestows his blessing upon them—even Esau. However, we should be clear that “blessing” here is not to be understood in the sense of salvation but in the general sense of “promise.” Through Isaac, God was promising both to Jacob and to Esau future things: in the case of Jacob, God bestowed the covenant promise descending from Abraham that would lead to Christ; in the case of Esau, the promise was bestowed of what his life would be like “away from the dew of heaven on high” (Gen. 27:39).
Thus, to be clear, Esau is rejected from being Isaac’s heir. He also would appear to be rejected from the hope of heaven (Rom. 9:10–13). Yet Esau would still live to see old age. From him would descend a nation (the Edomites). Esau would even live to see a day in which he and Jacob would enjoy the gift of brotherly reconciliation (Gen. 33), though there would certainly be longstanding tensions between their descendants. God’s promises are a sure and reliable thing—the most reliable thing in this world.
It was on these promises of God that the people of God were to depend in Hebrews 11, and the same promises that we are to depend on today. Hebrews 11, as is clearly displayed in the family of Isaac, is not a portrait of really great people. To the contrary, it holds out hope that God might not only bless but even use a rather imperfect family in His sovereign plan to bring His Son into the world and to save an undeserving people for Himself. Hebrews 11 catalogs a family of faith—a broken one. But the promises of God are unbroken and unbreakable. What He speaks, He brings to pass; what He promises, He delivers. The family of Isaac, broken as it was, would still live to tell of the ways in which God had fulfilled His word and saved a people for Himself.
We stand on their shoulders as the broken yet hopeful people of God. With them, we too can acknowledge that we are an imperfect people with imperfect families. Our faith waxes and wanes like the phases of the moon. But our God is faithful and His Word is reliable. As He has fulfilled His promises to His people in the past (often by overruling their best-made plans), so He continues to rule over us even now by His Word and Spirit. God wrote the story of His covenant people with an end in view—an eschatological promise that would find its fulfillment only in Christ. Apart from us, the people of old listed in Hebrews 11 do not embrace the perfected realization of God’s covenant promises, but apart from them neither do we (v. 40). In a beautiful sense, we are a part of that same covenant family to which God made and continues to keep His promises. An imperfect family we certainly are, but we are the family of God nonetheless, and our great privilege is to trust God at His Word and follow Him as we make our way through this world to our everlasting inheritance—our future blessing.
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a series on faith and was previously published November 23, 2018. Previous post. Next post.
“Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. And Abel … brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard” (Gen. 4:3–5).
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True discipleship is characterized by obedience to God’s Word.
In John 8:31 Jesus issued an important statement to a group of people who were showing an interest in Him: “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” Sadly, they rejected His words, proving themselves to be less than true disciples. Jesus went on to explain why: “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God” (v. 47). They listened but didn’t really hear. They were interested but not truly committed. They were hearers of the Word but not doers (James 1:22).
In contrast, Abel did what God told him to do. He was, in effect, the first disciple. He was probably a better person than Cain—more friendly, moral, and dependable. But that’s not why God accepted his sacrifice and rejected Cain’s. Abel trusted God, and his faith was counted as righteousness. Like Abraham, whose faith was evidenced by his willingness to obey God and to sacrifice his son Isaac (James 2:21–22), Abel’s faith was evidenced in his obedient offering. He didn’t rely on his own goodness but acknowledged his sin and made the prescribed sacrifice.
Perhaps God indicated His acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice by consuming it with fire, as He did on other occasions in Scripture (Judg. 6:21; 1 Kings 18:38). But whatever means He used, God made his pleasure known to Abel.
Abel’s brief life conveys a simple three-point message: we must come to God by faith; we must receive and obey God’s Word; and, sin brings serious consequences. If you hear and heed that message, you’ll walk the path of true discipleship and will be assured of God’s pleasure.
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Suggestions for Prayer: Make it your goal to please the Lord in everything you do today. Seek His wisdom and grace to do so faithfully.
For Further Study: Read the following verses, noting what they say about pleasing God: 2 Corinthians 5:9; Ephesians 5:6–10; Philippians 2:12–13; Hebrews 11:6; and Hebrews 13:15–16, 20–21.1
“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain” (Heb. 11:4).
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True worship requires coming to God on His terms.
At the heart of every false religion is the notion that man can come to God by any means he chooses—by meditating, doing good deeds, and so on. But Scripture says, “There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). That name is Jesus Christ, and we come to Him by confessing and repenting of our sin, trusting in His atoning death on the cross, and affirming His bodily resurrection from the grave (cf. Rom. 10:9–10). There is no other way to God.
Centuries before Christ’s death, God provided a means of worship and sacrifice. Genesis 4:3–5 says, “It came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. And Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.”
Apparently God had designated a special time for sacrificing because “in the course of time” (v. 3) literally means, “at the end of days”—at the end of a certain period of time. Additionally, He initiated a particular pattern for worship and sacrifices. Otherwise Cain and Abel would have known nothing about how it was to be done.
God required a blood offering for sin. Abel came in faith, acknowledged his sin, and made the appropriate sacrifice. His offering was better than Cain’s because Cain neglected the prescribed sacrifice, thereby demonstrating his unwillingness to submit to God and deal with his sin.
There was nothing intrinsically wrong with Cain’s offering. Grain, fruit, or vegetable offerings were included in the Mosaic Covenant. But the sin offering had to come first. Like so many today, Cain wrongly assumed he could approach God on his own terms. In doing so, he became the father of all false religions, and his name became synonymous with rebellion and apostasy (cf. Jude 11).
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Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for graciously providing salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. ✧ Be careful never to approach Him irreverently or presumptuously.
For Further Study: Read Jude 11. How did Jude describe the false teachers of his day?1
“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks” (Heb. 11:4).
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The character of your life will determine the legacy you leave to others.
Bible scholar James Moffatt wrote: “Death is never the last word in the life of a … man. When a man leaves this world, be he righteous or unrighteous, he leaves something in the world. He may leave something that will grow and spread like a cancer or a poison, or he may leave something like the fragrance of perfume or a blossom of beauty that permeates the atmosphere with blessing.”
That’s illustrated in the lives of Adam and Eve’s first sons—Cain and Abel. Cain was an unrighteous man who sought to please God by his own efforts. God rejected him (Gen. 4:5). Abel was a righteous man who worshiped God in true faith. God accepted him (v. 4).
In a jealous rage, Cain murdered Abel, becoming the first human being to take the life of another. He forever stands as a testimony to the utter tragedy of attempting to please God apart from true faith. For “without faith,” Hebrews 11:6 says, “it is impossible to please Him.” Cain tried and failed—as have millions who have followed in his footsteps.
Abel, on the other hand, was the first man of faith. Prior to the Fall, Adam and Eve had no need of faith in the same way as their descendants. They lived in the paradise of Eden and had direct contact with God. Their children were the first to have need of faith in its fullest sense.
Cain’s legacy is rebellion, heartache, and judgment. Abel’s is righteousness, justice, and saving faith. His life proclaims the central message of redemption: righteousness is by faith alone.
What legacy will you leave to those who follow? I pray they will see in you a pattern of righteousness and faithfulness that inspires them to follow suit.
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Suggestions for Prayer: Praise God for righteous Abel and all who have followed his example. ✧ Ask Him to guard you from ever rebelling against His Word.
For Further Study: Read Genesis 4:1–16 and 1 John 3:11–12. ✧ What was God’s counsel to Cain after rejecting his offering? ✧ Why did Cain kill Abel? ✧ How did God punish Cain?1
1 John 3:11-18 In this week’s studies, we look at the second of three contrasts, which continue the themes of the earlier three tests.
Theme
The Example of Cain
Here John is in perfect accord with the Lord’s teaching regarding murder as found in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, Thou shalt not kill and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of judgment; but I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matt. 5:21-22).
In Christ’s day the rulers of Israel had taken the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, which said, “You shall not kill [murder],” and had combined it with a verse in Numbers that demanded death for anyone who unlawfully took another person’s life (Num. 35:30). The implication was that the sixth commandment referred to nothing more or less than this ultimate and external act. “But is this what murder is?” asked Jesus. Is it nothing more or less than this ultimate act? Is there no guilt connected to the man who would like to kill his brother but is afraid to do it or too weak to carry it out? “No,” said Jesus. True murder is that which is conceived in the heart. For from within, out of the heart of man, come “evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man” (Matt. 15:19-20). Consequently, a person is guilty before God for heart attitudes as much as for the outward, visible actions that flow from one’s sin. By God’s definition hatred is as much murder as the unlawful taking of another’s life.
John has taken Cain as an example of hatred because Cain’s murder of Abel is a perfect contrast to Christ’s giving of Himself for His brethren, which is to come next. But we must not miss the fact that the nature of Cain is seen in jealousy and hatred even though actual murder does not always flow from it. This truth is now unfolded in verse 13, for John moves easily from the actions and attitudes of Cain toward Abel to the attitude of the world toward Christians. “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” Cain is the prototype of this world; the devil is the prince of this world, as he was the spiritual father of Cain. It is therefore only to be expected that the spiritual progeny of Cain will continue to hate and persecute the spiritual progeny of Abel.
Just as jealousy and hatred in a life indicate that the person involved is of the world and not of the family of God, so also do love and self-sacrifice indicate that such a one has passed out of the world and into God’s family. John therefore turns to an analysis of Christian love, elaborating his statements over against the background of the world’s hatred and murderous designs. In this section he restates and elaborates upon the social test itself, digs deeper into love’s essential nature, and finally suggests two ways in which Christians may show love practically.
Once again John brings forward the social test, but this time he does so in the context of a black and white contrast with the world’s hatred. In the Greek text the opening pronoun is in a prominent position and therefore emphasized. It has the effect of saying, “Whatever may be the attitudes and actions of the world, we who are Christians are different; we love one another. This is evidence of the fact that we are God’s children.”
Study Questions
How did Jesus get to the crux of the problem of hate and sin?
What are some passages you find that pertain to the hostility between the world and God’s people?
Application
Application: What expressions of hatred do Christians experience today from the spiritual progeny of Cain? How ought Christians to respond to such persecution?
Key Point: Cain is the prototype of this world; the devil is the prince of this world, as he was the spiritual father of Cain. It is therefore only to be expected that the spiritual progeny of Cain will continue to hate and persecute the spiritual progeny of Abel.
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “The Grace of Giving.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. (Genesis 32:27)
Don’t be surprised if God asks you the same question He asked Jacob. God forced Jacob to look at his identity! He wrestled him into a revelation of who he was—not who others said he was. His answer was pitiful! “I’m Jacob” (which means “Deceiver”). His parents gave it to him, others called him by it, so he believed that’s who he was, and that’s who he’d always be. Child of God don’t buy it! You’re not who others say you are! Why should they name you? Determine who you are before God; let Him set the limits of your success!
Why should others be allowed to live at their highest potential—but not you? If you can hear me behind that protective shell, then listen: You’re more than your childhood! More than your past! More than the color of your skin! More than your bank account! More than your circumstances! Tell them “You’re confusing me with somebody else. God says my name is “Israel,” a prince with God. If I’m a prince, then I have the right to be treated like one!” The Word says, “You’re a royal priesthood” (l Peter 2:9). “You’re an overcomer” (1 John 2:13–14). “You’re the head and not the tail; you’re above and not beneath” (Deuteronomy 28:13,14).
Lift your head, square your shoulders, dry your tears; God says you are “somebody special,” and it’s time you started believing and acting on it!1
“Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” Romans 9:13
suggested further reading: Ezekiel 33:11–20
My soul revolts at the idea of a doctrine that lays the blood of man’s soul at God’s door. I cannot conceive how any human mind, at least any Christian mind, can hold any such blasphemy as that. I delight to preach this blessed truth—salvation of God, from first to last—the Alpha and the Omega; but when I come to preach damnation, I say, damnation is of man, not of God; and if you perish, at your own hands must your blood be required. There is another passage. At the last great day, when all the world shall come before Jesus to be judged, have you noticed, when the righteous go on the right side, Jesus says, “Come, ye blessed of my Father,”—(“of my Father,” mark,)—“inherit the kingdom prepared”—(mark the next word)—“for you, from before the foundation of the world.” What does he say to those on the left? “Depart, ye cursed.” He does not say, “ye cursed of my Father,” but, “ye cursed.” And what else does he say? “into everlasting fire, prepared”—(not for you, but)—“for the devil and his angels.” Do you see how it is guarded. Here is the salvation side of the question. It is all of God. “Come, ye blessed of my Father.” It is a kingdom prepared for them. There you have election, free grace in all its length and breadth. But, on the other hand, you have nothing said about the Father—nothing about that at all. “Depart, ye cursed.” Even the flames are said not to be prepared for sinners, but for the devil and his angels. There is no language that I can possibly conceive that could more forcibly express this idea, supposing it to be the mind of the Holy Spirit, that the glory should be to God, and that the blame should be laid at man’s door.
for meditation: The love of God towards a sinful Jacob should surprise us more than the hatred of God towards a sinful Esau.
WHEN God lets us go to prison because we have been serving Him, and goes there with us, prison is about the most blessed place in the world that we could be in. Joseph seems to have known that. He did not sulk and grow discouraged and rebellious because “everything was against him”. If he had, the prison-keeper would never have trusted him so. Joseph does not even seem to have pitied himself.
Let us remember that if self-pity is allowed to set in, that is the end of us—until it is cast utterly from us. Joseph just turned over everything in joyous trust to God, and so the keeper of the prison turned over everything to Joseph. Lord Jesus, when the prison doors close in on me, keep me trusting, and keep my joy full and abounding. Prosper Thy work through me in prison: even there, make me free indeed.—Selected.
A little bird I am,
Shut from the fields of air,
And in my cage I sit and sing
To Him who placed me there;
Well pleased a prisoner to be,
Because, my God, it pleaseth Thee.
My cage confines me round,
Abroad I cannot fly,
But though my wing is closely bound,
My soul is at liberty;
For prison walls cannot control
The flight, the freedom of the soul.
I have learnt to love the darkness of sorrow; there you see the brightness of His face.—Madame Guyon.1
1 Cowman, L. B. (1925). Streams in the Desert (pp. 295–296). The Oriental Missionary Society.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead.
Hebrews 11:17–19
Abraham’s obedience took a tremendous amount of faith. He was willing to obey God because he believed God could raise the dead, even though he had never before seen the dead raised to life. He believed God was so true to His Word and character that if He made a promise, He would even raise the dead to keep it. Is it any wonder he is the greatest human model of faith?
The apostle Paul also commented on Abraham’s faith: “Those who are of faith are sons of Abraham…. Those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Gal. 3:7, 9). Anyone who lives by faith in God is in a spiritual sense a son of Abraham. He is the father of the faithful. The account of Abraham tells us that a man can go through the severest trial of life imaginable if he trusts God, believing that He will keep His promise and accomplish His purposes without making a mistake.1
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