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The Calling of Abraham (22)

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The Calling of Abraham (22)

9 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

Rev. J.B. Zippro, Grand Rapids, MI

God’s people, even those who have been highly favored of God, frequently have fear. Also Abram, who had a close life with the Lord, had fear. We can question and wonder why he would be fearful after the Lord had given him such a great victory over the kings. Weren’t they just men? If a sinner is left alone to himself, then he might even starve in his fear, and he does not possess any power against it in his heart.

Especially the little ones in grace oftentimes fear that the work of God is not truly from the Lord. So often they must cry out and say, “Oh, has the Lord ever spoken to my soul? Did the Lord begin with me, or have I begun of myself?” When they hear of the conversion of Lydia and of the jailer, they would fully agree with what God’s Word says, but they may say, “Do I also know of that true conversion? I did not experience anything like an earthquake (as the jailor did),” and all types of questions may arise in their heart such as, “I did not experience this, and I did not experience that.” We read in God’s Word about the narrow way and the broad way. Have we found and are walking on the narrow way that leads to eternal life, or are we still traveling on the broad way that leads to eternal destruction?

The little ones in grace are the bruised reeds, as we read in Isaiah 42, where God’s Word speaks of a bruised reed which the Lord will not break. They experience fears and doubts and oftentimes live between fear and hope. There are times that they have a small hope that the Lord has stopped them and will care for them, but they often live in fear. We may leave a world of sin, put on a black coat and become serious, but we must question ourselves if it is of the Lord. If it is only an outward change without renewing grace, then it means nothing in the sight of God. In the lives of God’s little ones, fear can so fill their hearts because they lack assurance regarding their state for eternity. Although they dare not deny that there is a longing for God, the question remains, “Is that faith in my heart from the Lord, or do I deceive myself?”

There are many, especially hypocrites, who do not fear that they have deceived themselves. They unreservedly take words from the Bible and appropriate them to themselves. They can talk quite freely about these texts and also about things which they have read and heard, but one thing they do not fear is whether or not the Lord has begun His work in their lives. We see that in the life of Judas. He was so closely connected to God’s people and even to Christ Himself, but he was never born again; his heart was never changed in the right way. He loved money more than Christ.

That was the distinction between Peter and Judas. Peter had also fallen very deeply, but what was the difference? Judas loved money more than Christ, and this was so different in the heart of Peter. Judas never once questioned himself, “Am I on that narrow way to eternal life?” He did not fear for one moment that he was deceiving himself. It is so different in the lives of those little ones; they live between fear and hope, and oftentimes they have more fear than hope. Oh, who shall ever defeat the enemy that is within us?

So it was also with Abram and that enemy. First it was, “Who shall defeat the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah?” Now it is that king that dwells within; who will defeat “king doubt” or “king fear” when they are sitting upon the throne? Do you also have such struggles in your life? I know that some have to fight much more than others with those kings such as “king money,” “king fleshly lusts,” “king unbelief,” “king fear of man,” and many others. Who will fight against and defeat those kings? We may, as Abram, have courage to go to Melchizedek, but there are times that we do not have any strength to fight against those inward kings.

Then we read that the Lord comes and takes it over for His child, Abram, and says, “I am thy shield and exceeding great reward.” It is not necessary to inquire what a shield is. As a warrior who had just returned from the battlefield, Abram knew very well what a shield was. Now the Lord says in Genesis 15:1, “I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward,” which signifies, I will protect you. It is very special that the Lord does not say, “I will give you a shield,” but “I am your shield.” This is for a protection against Abram’s enemies. The commentators explain that there are different types of shields. Some shields are small to protect certain areas of the body, but there are also very large shields behind which an entire person can hide. This is the type of shield which is meant here. It was a full protection; the entire body was protected. The Lord desires to say to Abram, “I am such a shield which provides complete protection.”

What comforting words. If it were only a small shield, the enemies would still be able to attack and strike with their arrows. We have the arrows of fear, unbelief, or even anger or rebellion against the Lord. Oh, who can protect against those arrows of unbelief, doubt, or impatience when we cannot wait on the Lord and desire to go forward? Another arrow is self-pity such as when we say, “Oh, what a wretch that I am. I am as Elijah sitting under the juniper tree,” and we say, “Lord, take away my soul.” Elijah said, “Lord, I am not better than my fathers,” which was a form of self-pity when he thought he was left alone and there was no one besides himself who feared the Lord. Elijah, there are still seven thousand who have not bent the knee before Baal. Perhaps you will say, “The minister has forgotten the arrow with which I am fighting. Who shall provide protection against it?” But the Lord says, “I am thy shield.” In Psalm 84, we read that the Lord is a “Sun and Shield”—not only a shield but also a sun which can give light in dark and fearful days.

“I am thy shield and exceeding great reward.” Exceeding great reward is a grand statement. Abram had refused to accept the rewards of the king of Sodom who wanted to give him the goods. That king of Sodom was also blind when he said, “Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself,” as if he had a part in the victory and had something to divide. It was not his victory but Abram’s who, with the help of the Lord, had defeated the enemies.

The king of Sodom desired to give him a reward, but Abram had said that he would not even take a shoe latchet, lest he would say, “I have made Abram rich.” It was in Abrams heart to give all the honor to the Lord. When the Lord came in the night, He did not say, “I will give you a reward,” but “I am thy shield and exceeding great reward.” Isn’t it a blessing when we may hear that? We can be so poor and empty in ourselves that we feel we have nothing. Even if you were the poorest man upon earth and the Lord would say to you, “I am thy exceeding great reward,” then you are the richest person upon earth. If the Lord would say to us, “I am thy portion, I am thy strength,” would that not be the greatest wonder in our life?

The objection of Abram against this vision

When the Lord said, “I am thy shield and exceeding great reward,” Abram said, “Lord, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless?” The Lord appeared in a vision, and perhaps Abram doubted whether this vision was real. Reward? Then he looked at himself and said. “What wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless? How can that be true, Lord?” The Lord had already spoken to him, but there was one thing he could not understand, “I will bless thee and I will make of thee a great nation,” according to what the Lord had spoken in chapter 12.

When the Lord speaks, it is on the one side a comfort, but it is not an answer to all questions. It can also be in those nights when a person struggles and has temptations and fear, unbelief and unrest, and we lay all these needs before the Lord, and the Lord speaks, but the need is not taken away. Our sorrows are not taken away and the questions not answered. Abram comes with this question, which is also a type of complaint, not in such a way that it is rebellious, but in it he voices his need. Childlessness can also be a cross in our days when there are families who experience that they are unable to have children. A couple may wait one, two or, perhaps, five years, and then the thought arises that perhaps they will never have children. Those who have experienced this will have a small understanding of Abram’s complaint. He looked upon this one thing in his life which had not been fulfilled—Lord, Thou hast spoken that Thou wouldest make me a great nation—but he could not understand it.

The Lord will also answer those questions and fulfill His promise in the life of Abram, in a wonderful way by which Abram had to learn that he himself could do nothing. He had to learn that from his side he was unfruitful and barren. It is also a spiritual lesson for God’s Church to learn that they are unfruitful in themselves and cannot bring forth one good thing in their life, but the Lord will come with His wonders in spite of their unfruitfulness. He can fulfill all their needs. It goes through a way in which they have to lose everything. This was also true of Abram. He wanted to help the Lord a little, but no, the Lord will perform it at His time, and He will come to gladden His people.

— To be continued —

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The Calling of Abraham (22)

Bekijk de hele uitgave van vrijdag 1 oktober 2010

The Banner of Truth | 24 Pagina's