Abraham's Rejoicing Because of Christ's Coming

Christ had an argument with the Jews. They rejoiced that they were of the seed of Abraham, and because of this they boasted that Abraham's God was their Cod. And to this mistaken conclusion the Lord draws their attention:

“You are not the true seed of Abraham, for then you would do the works of Abraham. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. But you seek to kill me. Abraham did not do that. Therefore, Abraham's Cod is not your God, but the devil is; that can be seen in all your works.”

But why did they seek to kill Him? Because they did not know the day of “Adam.” And they who do not know the day of Adam, do not know nor seek to know the day of Christ. When there is no knowledge of Adam, then there is no knowledge of the depth of the fall, no knowledge that I have separated myself from the Lord. Then I can live so much and so far with a broken Covenant of Works. Therefore they did not know of having become condemnable before the Lord and therefore there was no place in their hearts for Jesus.

There are many who rejoice in Jesus who have never become lost sinners before Cod. They do not know of a divine beginning in their life, and that means that they do not belong to the true spiritual seed of Abraham. Because of this, they must be converted the way Abraham was converted.

As Abraham came to know of a time when the Lord stopped Him, so all must come to the knowledge of such a time. That was not because of Abraham, because Abraham, as all of Adam's posterity, was born in sin and trespasses. But it was the sovereign good pleasure of the Lord in his life.

The Lord called him out of Ur of the Chaldees, out of darkness, and brought him into His marvelous light. There came a time when he came to know himself as one who had no Cod for his soul, a time that the Lord wrought in his heart a sorrow after God, a sorrow which worked a true repentance. But the Lord did more for Abraham. He revealed unto him the blessedness of His grace in Christ Jesus.

He came to say unto him, “In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” There he heard the promise concerning Christ. And when the Spirit of the Lord applied this blessing to his heart, Abraham by faith may embrace and rejoice in God's promise.

Our text says, “He rejoiced to see my day.” This means that with the promise his soul was moved so deeply that he trembled with holy anticipation for that day. He may believe. By faith, he looks for the fulfulling of God's promise.

Longingly and joyfully he looks forward toward that seed promised by the Lord.

The Lord's people understand this. When the Lord in His great mercy comes to reveal His promise in their life and gives faith to embrace the promise, nothing is lacking. They may rejoice in what has come out of His mouth, and they may look forward longingly to fulfillment.

Did Abraham always rejoice? Did he never doubt the fulfillment? There came a time that he struggled with the promise of the Lord. Will the promise ever be fulfilled? Twenty-five years he must wait. During all this time, Abraham sank deeper in the knowledge of unfruitful ness and impossibility. And yet, such a way was necessary. The Lord always knows what is needed in the life of His people.

For Abraham there must come a time that his eyes may be raised upward to Him who alone can give the fulfillment of the promise. And although he prayed and brought his sacrifices and pleaded upon the righteousness of Christ, he nevertheless looked for the fulfillment in man. First he began by looking toward his trusted servant. Could it be possible that he was the heir? Then he looked toward Hagar, Sarah's maid, because Sarah was unfruitful. How foolish man is! Before he can commit it into the hand of the Lord, he must be brought to an end with himself.

No, Abraham, the fulfillment of Cod's promise is not with Ishmael either. It becomes increasingly impossible with Abraham. He is now ninety-nine years old. He had to admit that it was not possible anymore. And then the Lord comes, “Abraham, next year at this time you will have a son.” Abraham falls upon his face, and rejoices in the faithfulness of the Lord. His own flesh and the devil can ridicule him, but he experiences that with the Lord one will never be ashamed.

Also you, who must more and more experience impossibility from your side, will experience the fulfillment of His promise. Not because of anything from your side, but for His great name's sake.

We must first learn that the promise cannot be revealed unless place has been made for that which has been promised. Place is made in the life of God's people in a downward way. When the Lord comes to break down what He has first built up, all that has fed and nourished His people upon the way, and with which they have maintained themselves, must perish.

This is a way which is always against flesh and blood. It is often a way which they cannot understand, but are made poor and needy, come to look away from all that is of themselves, and learn to know something of thirsting for fulfillment of the promise. Their cry becomes, “Oh, that it might please the Lord to reveal His Son in me.”

“Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad.” Is that not a direct contradiction of what the Lord has said in another place? “Many prophets and kings have desired to see what thou seest, and have desired to hear what thou hearest, and have not heard it.”

This is true. Prophets and kings have not seen Him as the apostles have seen Him, which is with the natural eye. In this way, Abraham did not see Him. But how has he then seen Him? He has seen Him through His Word. He has seen Him through the promise. He has seen Him so clearly that nothing was lacking. When Isaac was born, Abraham saw the fulfillment of the promise. Through his son, he saw Christ. There he was given to embrace his Savior. On his side all had come to an end.

When Isaac was born, Abraham saw the fulfillment of the promise. Through his son, he saw Christ. There he was given to embrace his Savior.

No fruit can be expected from us to all eternity. But then the wonder of Cod takes place: Isaac is born. Then he sang, “Through Thee, through Thee alone.…” What a wonder it may become in the life of God's people when it may become Christmas for them, when out of the darkness of the fields of Ephratah they may come to the manger, and see the birth of the promised seed. This always goes through a way of cutting off, through a way of impossibility. Looking into the manger, they may know the Lord has opened a way where there was no way.

What a blessed experience when we may see something of how God has opened a way for us. At that moment nothing else is needed. And yet, by grace, more must be learned because the day of Christ is not only the day of His birth, but also the day of His death.

A sinner can never be saved outside of the satisfied justice of the Lord. To satisfy that justice, they cannot bring forward anything. Christ alone can do that. And He was willing to do that. For this purpose He came upon the earth to satisfy the law, to satisfy the just demands of the Lord. That is why His way led through Gethsemane to Golgotha.

Abraham has seen that day, when the command came, “Offer now thine only son.” When we see him going toward Mount Moriah, what a difficult way this was for him. Not only was he to offer flesh from his flesh, but in Isaac lay all the promises of the Lord. He saw that that day when the Lord stopped his hand saying, “Do the child no harm.”

Abraham would not offer his son, but God Himself would give His Son as an offering. Then Abraham saw the day, and rejoiced in that day.

Have you ever longed to see that day? That cannot be when you can find all your life in the midst of the world. Such have no need or desire to see that day. Will you again celebrate Christmas without seeing that day? May the Lord open your eyes before it is too late.

May the people of the Lord have an eye to look away from all that is of self, and by faith look upward toward Him from whom their deliverance must come. Christ said, “Abraham rejoiced to see my day.” What a shaming lesson for us who so often rejoice in the gift, but have so little need for the Giver.

May there be a true cry in the life of His people to see His day. The day will come when they may sing, “Through Thee, through Thee alone.…”

Rev. J. Den Hoed is pastor of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Rock Valley, Iowa.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen