ABRAHAM’S FAITH

Part II

2) By Faith Abraham Sojourned In A Strange Country

We all understand that it was an extraordinary deed of faith in the life of Abraham to leave his country; this becomes a greater wonder when we read that he went out, not knowing whither he went, he did not even know the name of the country to which he would come. He had only the commandment of the Lord to go, and that was enough for Abraham. Here is fulfilled what we can find in the beginning of this chapter: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Where is the end of his journey? It is not the choice of Abraham, but the Lord had chosen for him. What a blessing when we may give it in the hands of the Lord, because He never makes a mistake. Centuries after this David prayed: “Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.” Those have been very difficult ways as we all know, but the Lord made it well. His throne is established and all the promises of the Lord are fulfilled. What a blessing it would be, if there were more people that knew a life as Abraham and David, whose eyes were upon the Lord, as the eyes of the servants are on their masters.

We make our calculations, and after that we ask the Lord, in most cases. How different it is when there may be faith in our heart, then we expect it of the Lord only. This leading of the Lord was experienced by Abraham and so he came in the land of promise, Canaan. This land was promised to him, it was flowing of milk and honey, it was a beautiful country, and no better choice was possible. Here his children would live and they would possess it. Hear what is written in our text: “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.” He did not live as the owner and heir of the country, but as a stranger. No, it was not such an easy life, for he was surrounded by the Canaanites, who were not friendly to him at all. They looked at him more or less as an intruder, often they acted unfriendly. He did not have his own city, not even a house to live in; at the end of his life the only possession was a sepulchre for him and his wife.

It was the will of the Lord that Abraham and his descendants remained strangers and sojourners in Canaan. He did not live in a house or in a tabernacle, but in a tent; this is something insecure, every time it must be moved; it does not give the comfort of a house either. It is understandable that Abraham remained a stranger. What a difference with us, almost without exception. We are no strangers, but feel at home, have everything, have the world in our houses. Abraham’s life was not easy, you can understand this, but what a blessed life, because the Lord cared for him. In his separation from the world, he felt the communion with God.

If we had more of such a life, it would be different in the church. Do you really think that there are no special reasons, why it is so quiet, in the wrong sense, in the church, that we rarely hear of spiritual blessings? It is because we are too much in the world and with the world. This should not be so, as the Lord requires that we be separated.

When the Bible says that he was a stranger, we must not explain this as if he was not allowed to speak and do business with the Canaanites, but he and his children were not allowed to make friends among them or marry them. Is it not the same with us? We must go through this world and we have our place in society, but we must be careful with our friends, as they influence us more than we think and know. There are many examples, that worldly friends had disastrous consequences because they made us loose from the truth. The people which we first tried to convert and bring under the influence of God’s Word, have brought us sooner than we expected on the wrong track. Then a wonder must take place to bring us on our place again. For how many boys and girls did the worldly friends mean “happiness and joy” in the wrong sense of the word. It brought the world, but took away God’s service.

Parents, see your duty! What a grief can come in our life in this respect when we bring our children on dangerous places, which can be decisive for their future also in marriage. The Lord will ask, also in this respect, how we have cared for them. No, we cannot protect them for everything, but so often we are guilty in these things for not directing them according to the Word.

Abraham’s calling was to remain a pilgrim on this world, he was a stranger. Can it be said of us and our families? Not at all! This is the biggest problem of our congregations. That’s why we lose so many of the young people, this is the reason why the Lord is withdrawing Himself more and more. My friends, may the Lord open our eyes for this dangerous situation, before it is too late. We have forsaken the Lord, and now the Lord will forsake us. Do you not think that the terrible drought in these days is a calling of the Lord, that He cannot have communion with a nation, that is forsaking Him. That we may hear the voice of the Lord, and that true humiliation may be worked also among us. When Ahab, the wicked King, rent his garment, the Lord delayed the punishment. It is possible that the Lord will keep his rod away from us. Oh, that we may see his hand in all these things of our days. Abraham, who lived as a stranger in Canaan, still kept hold of the promise of the Lord that his descendants would inherit this country, however impossible it seemed at that moment.

All his life Abraham remained a stranger. It is not enough to flee the world once, but we must continually flee the world, because it cleaves to us, it pursues us all the time, to the end of our life. There is no better time for the church, than when we may confess and show ourselves to be sojourners on earth. David testified: “I am a stranger in the earth, hide not thy commandments from me.” So those strangers desire to live according to God’s commandment, that is their desire. Of course, there are many shortcomings every day again, but that is a burden to them, for the Lord is so worthy to be served. Is it the same with you?

When we see the life of Abraham, then it can not all together be compared with our life; but spiritually the whole church travels from the city of destruction to the heavenly Jerusalem. All the time they hear that they must go further and then they have not time to strengthen their stakes. When they still try it, the Lord makes them loose sooner or later in a hard way, that they may see what has true value.

Paul warns us that we may use the world, but that we may not abuse it and give ourselves over to it. We maintain the thought, that the church of our days has come into these dreadful circumstances, that it is so dark, because we are conformed to the world, we don’t live in tabernacles anymore, not separated from this world. Such a disorderly life of God’s people gives often a dark deathbed, but also darkness during this life. We give reason to the world to blaspheme the Name of the Lord. If we saw our foolishness, then we would humble ourselves in the dust, crying unto the Lord for ourselves, our children and relatives, but also for our country. Every day it can be prayer day, and that must it be. That the Spirit of prayer and supplication be given unto us to storm the throne of grace that the Lord might return unto us.

Unless the Lord will perform miracles, we fear that there is little future for the true religion. Will God’s church come to an end? No, there will always be a remnant that serves the Lord, but the church will diminish here on earth, and probably the Lord will withdraw His Word out of these countries and plant it somewhere else, as there are several examples of this in our days. Peter warns too: “Have your conversation honest among the Gentiles.” Not only Abraham, but mention is also made of Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise, that they were strangers here on earth.

Of Jacob we know that he once forgot this calling to be sojourner and that he lived in Shechem or close to it. How bitter was the fruit for him, because this led to the fall of his daughter Dinah and made his two sons murderers. This was the way to bring him to Beth-El as he had promised, but the responsibility for the deed was before God and his family.

What a blessing when we may keep our children, when they may live separated from the world, even if our young people must make sacrifices. That they may have the same desire to live as their ancestors, in tabernacles. Where this is a true desire, and not only an external desire for some reasons, then they become also heirs of the same promise. For Isaac and Jacob it was the promise of Canaan, but also of the Christ.

We must be incorporated into the Covenant of Grace as Jacob experienced: “I am the God of thy father Abraham and Isaac,” but he also heard that the Lord was his God. As it is a Covenant of GRACE, which means not of works, then it is possible for the greatest of sinners to be saved.

That will be a reason of eternal wondering for God’s people, because they can only sin, they forget the Lord all the time, but the Lord cares for them and on their pilgrim’s journey they may experience the presence of the Lord, which is not to be compared with the sacrifices they have brought, because their joy is not in these things which the world gives anymore, but in the Lord only. His favor is more than anything else. This was experienced by Abraham in the land of Canaan, which gave also a longing in his heart for communion with the Lord, as it is expressed in the last verse of our meditation.

3) By Faith Abraham Looked For A Better Country

“For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God”, says our text. Abraham remained a stranger in the land of Canaan. He never lived in houses as it is written of Lot in Sodom. He pitched his tent where it was convenient and necessary for the cattle. That could not have been such a pleasant life, we would say. But the apostle speaks of his expectations in faith, which reaches much further. That is not Jerusalem, which is built on Mount Zion, but he expects the heavenly Jerusalem. The capital of Israel was a blessed city, because there was the ark and temple, the place which the Lord had chosen, but it was only a type of the place of glory. It was destroyed in the year 70 by the Romans. This is impossible with the heavenly Jerusalem, although Satan tries to hinder God’s work in all possible ways. It is all in vain, because the Lord Himself is the Builder thereof. The plans which the Lord made from eternity with Divine wisdom, those He has fulfilled in the creation. On the first day the Lord created the heaven and the earth. In that city of God, in heaven, the Lord reveals His attributes to the glory of His Name. Abraham expected a city which had foundations, this is written in plural, which shows the unchangeableness; it has more than one foundation. On earth there is nothing which is everlasting, but here it is different. The heavens are built according to God’s eternal pleasure: nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal: the Lord knows them that are His.

The first foundation is God’s eternal counsel, wherein the salavation of the church became sure and immovable. The church may often be in darkness and fear, but Satan cannot touch this foundation. It is laid in the making of the Covenant of Grace. The Father’s pleasure is the deepest ground; He required satisfaction from the Son, Who represented His children, His elect. Christ has given Himself freely to do this work as Mediator. At God’s time He would accept our human nature to pay the ransom for His church, by His passive and active obedience. This is another foundation whereof Paul has said: for other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

What would the merits of Christ be, if they were not applied? It is the Spirit of Christ, Who calls the dead sinner to life. How sure is the foundation of this city: the election by the Father, the satisfaction of Christ, and the application by the Holy Ghost. It is in the hands of a triune God. Mountains shall depart and hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my peace be removed, saith the Lord.

This city of God, with all its inhabitants rest on nothing that is human but only on what is God’s work, and so it is also the Lord Who built this city. It is true that the Lord uses His servants to preach the Word, Law and Gospel, but all their labor is in vain, when the Lord does not build. That we might feel more the necessity of the Lord’s presence in our midst to ask Him for his indispensable blessing. May the Spirit of prayer be given to supplicate for the extension of God’s Kingdom, but also for the welfare of our souls. When we see the many dangers wherein we are with our children, then it must be our prayer by day and night that the Lord would perform miracles; especially, when we have experienced something of it ourselves, what it means to be without God, and that the Lord has revealed Himself in our life in beginning. Then it is incomprehensible that we are so cold about these things. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were strangers here on this earth, and that is necessary for all of us.

The inhabitants of the city, spoken of here are those, which are prepared on earth by the Holy Spirit. When the Lord begins, they will not say, I am saved, but then they feel that they are lost. They don’t think they will go to heaven; no, then-expectation is that such a sinner will go to hell.

They don’t think that their sins are forgiven; no, there is a debt which reaches to heaven which they can never pay. It is a poor and miserable people, but the Lord cares for them in this life, but also when they come to the end of their life. However great the fear may be for the last enemy, the Lord will take care of them. When the end of their life is there, they may enter that city. What a glorious entrance this will be, and this will be complete on the last day with soul and body together in eternal glory. I think that we all desire to enter this city. So many seek heaven and fear hell. It is not enough to have such a desire for heaven. We hear it so often on a sickbed and a deathbed, but if we never had a desire for the service of the Lord, and if we did not feel that the Lord was so worthy to be served, and that we could not do it of ourselves, which became a great burden for us; if we never experienced this, then I am afraid, that we can not stand the holiness of heaven and the majesty of the Lord, because sin is still our life.

May the Lord work in His church by His Word and Spirit so they become and remain a stranger on earth. They lose more and more the foundations whereon they rested and they are taught by the Holy Spirit that a triune God is the Builder and Maker of their salvation in Jesus Christ. How necessary is the experience that without Jesus there can be no rest. He opened the way to return to the communion with God.

By faith Abraham knew that this was his future; Canaan was a symbol of the promised Land to come.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The Banner of Truth Publishing Committee hereby gratefully acknowledges the receipt of contributions for “The Banner of Truth” publication from several congregations and a number of friends during the months of October 1976 thru September 1977.

American General Mission Fund $ 100.00

Kalamazoo Dorcus Society 25.00

Various churches 326.25

Various Friends and Individuals 914.60

Total $1,365.85

The Banner of Truth Publishing Committee

His pilgrimage, and also our pilgrimage, children of God, will end in the city with foundations. In Christ they go from strength to strength; every one of them in Zion shall appear before God.

Rev. DenBoer

-Norwich

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