This week's Sabbath reading portion titled Lech L'cha, meaning "Go! Leave!", begins the account of Abram/Abraham. The title comes from the first verse of the reading portion: "Now the LORD had said to Abram ('abram - "exalted father", "father of elevation"): 'Get out (yalak - go, walk, depart, proceed, move, to die, live, manner of life, carry) of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land ('eres - land, earth, country, world, nations, whole earth as opposed to a part, the earth and its inhabitants) that I will show you." (Gen. 12:1).
As we can see from the Hebrew meaning of "land" or 'eres above, to limit the meaning as to only referring to a piece of ground is to limit the vision of God that He was imparting to Abram at this time, and the vision of God regarding "a land," which included the whole earth and its inhabitants by definition, proved to be absolutely and miraculously true through the knowledge of Messiah/Christ.
The generations following would look at Abram/Abraham, not only as a "father" of the Hebrew people, but as a "father" and example of faith to both Jews and Gentiles across the earth, as the LORD had prophesied that Abram would be. Jesus referred to Abraham as such, indicting those who rejected Him, saying: "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this...Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad...Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (Jn. 8:56-58).
There are perhaps billions of people throughout history that have considered Abraham ("father of a multitude", which is his *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega-name - see Gen. 17:5-6) to be their (fore)father, either as his physical descendants, or as being a spiritual father to them pertaining to their faith. Jesus, however, was looking for "...the works of Abraham," above, by those who claimed Abraham as father. He didn't find those works of Abraham in the people who were so grievously and murderously offended in Him. What are "the works of Abraham"? One of the primary works of Abraham, as Jesus noted above, was obediently being able to "see", recognize and receive his Messiah/Christ by the Spirit, although Jesus would not be physically born until thousands of years after Abraham. Abraham was so absolutely sure in his (fore)knowledge of the One who was "the resurrection and the life" that years later he would obediently offer his own miraculous son for sacrifice telling his servants who were with him, "...the lad and I will go...and we will come back to you." (see Gen. 22:4-5). This was a prophetic shadow of the Father in heaven offering His Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for us. I hope that as we continue studying in the weeks to come, we will be able to learn more about the works of Abraham rooted in obedience and faith.
We view Abraham as an "Old Testament" patriarch, with whom God made a covenant solely regarding the physical (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-land and descendants which would be later known as Israel, which is definitely included in the covenant promise. However, the promise of God extends beyond that physical perimeter. Paul wrote clearly that the extensive blessing promised to Abraham by God had now also been made available to the new covenant believers, including both Jews and now Gentiles, through Messiah/Christ Jesus. Paul wrote of this very thing in Galatians: "...Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness (see also Gen. 15:6). Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed' (see Gen. 12:3). So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham....Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law...that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith....And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Gal. 3:6-9, 13-15, 29).
We are pointed to Abraham and also his wife, Sarah, as examples to us of faith: "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out (exerchomai - to go or come forth of, arise from, to be born of, to come forth into the world, to flow forth from the body, a point of departure) to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out (see exerchomai above), not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents/tabernacles (skene - tent, tabernacle, movable temple of God, to cover)...for he waited for the city which has foundations (themelios/tithemi - laid down as a foundation, beginnings, system of truth/fix, establish, set forth, lay down, kneel down, appoint, set in place), whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child...Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead (nekroo/nekros - to make dead, to put to death, impotent old man, deprive of power, to deaden, mortify/lifeless, destitute of life, inactive, inoperative, to disappear, as if already dead), were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude (see Gen. 15:3-5) - innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore (see Gen. 22:16-18)." (Heb. 11:8-12).
Abraham, an elderly man without children at first, was described above as being "as good as dead." We also saw this idea of dying or being dead last week concerning Noah, although the idea does not always involve a physical death but a spiritual death to self. According to the Greek above, Abraham in his "going out" is described in a manner of which we would identify as being raised up, born again or born anew. Paul wrote of our spiritual dying rather than a physical death: "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death/mortify your members which are on earth...But now you yourselves are put off all these...and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him...but Christ is all and in all." (Col. 3:3-5). Abram was given a new (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-name, Abraham, by which the old man passed away, and a new man was raised up. Those whom God has called to "go out," such as Abraham, must leave the old familiar things behind, counting them as dead, including oneself. Only then can God raise us (see exerchomai above) in His power and inheritance in Jesus Christ. As we will see, an inheritance from God in Jesus Christ includes but also far exceeds a natural inheritance. It is the inheritance that includes the whole earth and its inhabitants (see 'eres above). It is an inheritance of salvation and eternal life. It is an inheritance of God's own holiness, righteousness and glory. It is an inheritance that cannot be earned but is given as a gift from the Giver of all things pertaining to life and godliness, God. It is an inheritance of exceedingly great and precious promises even to becoming partakers of the divine nature. (2 Pet. 1:2-4). Paul wrote that it is well worth counting all other things as loss, if he may gain Christ. (Phil. 3:7-11).
This was a work of Abraham in his life, as well as his unwavering faith in the promises of God to him, no matter how seemingly impossible those promises might have appeared to his understanding. We will look at some of the repeated promises of God to Abraham later.
It was so important to the LORD that His people understand the works of Abraham that His Word repeatedly told His people to consider their esteemed patriarch. Some of those examples are included in this week's Lech-L'cha, "Go!", Sabbath reading portion.
From Isaiah 41: "But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend ('ahab - to love, friend, beloved, loving). You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away." (v. 8-9).
From another of this Sabbath's readings, the LORD calls to His people to listen to His Words: "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him alone, and blessed him and increased him...My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth...But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished...But My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation." (Isa. 51:1-8, excerpt).
When the LORD commanded Abram to "Go!/Leave!" from out of all that was familiar to him, His vision and purpose for Abram was not limited as we tend to understand it, but it was eternal, global, and involving billions of people throughout centuries from all of the families of the earth, to be filled with the works of their father, Abraham.
To learn more about the works of Abraham in our lives, you can join with my prayer: "Heavenly Father, You called Abraham out and brought him into friendship with you. You have made him to be the father of faith and obedience for us all - both Jew and Gentile, to Israel and to all nations. Jesus was seeking those who did the works of their father Abraham. Lord, let me be one who does these works born of faith. Let me be a blessing in Christ to others, as Abraham was a blessing. By Your Word, Jesus, and by Your Spirit, lead me into the depth of understanding and knowledge of You, as You led and showed Yourself to Abraham. Just as You called Abraham "out", You have also called each of us in Christ. I thank You and I am always amazed at Your great love and provision for each of us. I pray these things in the name of Jesus. AMEN."
*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.
