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Scripture Reading: Heb. 11:8-10; Acts 7:2-5; Gal. 3:8; Gen. 11:31—12:3, 7a; 13:14-17; 14:21-23
We have mentioned previously that God desires to gain a group of men who are called by His name and who are His people. He wants to gain a group of people who can say that they belong to God and that they are God's people. In order to achieve this goal, He first worked on Abraham, then on Isaac, and finally on Jacob. The experiences of Abraham plus Isaac plus Jacob are the basic experiences of all who desire to be God's people. This means that being God's people is not just a haphazard thing. In order to be God's people, we must have some definite experiences in Him. We have to pass through certain dealings and certain trainings before we can become God's people and before we can truly live for God on this earth. The basic experiences for being God's people are the experiences of Abraham, the experiences of Isaac, and the experiences of Jacob. In other words, although many people can be called by God's name and outwardly be known as God's people, they are not qualified to become God's people unless they see that everything they have is from God, that everything is received, and that everything of the natural life has to be laid aside by God. If they are not such persons, they cannot be of much use in God's hand.
Let us come to the story of Abraham. All those who read the Bible will not fail to realize the importance of Abraham. His name is mentioned at the beginning of the New Testament. The Lord Jesus spoke of Abraham many times in His discourses; He did not mention Adam. He said, "Before Abraham came into being, I am" (John 8:58). He did not say, "Before Adam came into being, I am." He did not say to the Jews, "Your father Adam," but "Your father Abraham" (v. 56). He took Abraham as the starting point.
May the Lord open our eyes to see that Abraham is the starting point in God's plan of redemption and in His work of recovery. Romans 4 tells us that Abraham is the father of all those who believe (v. 17). Every believer has his beginning in Abraham. The starting point is Abraham, not Adam. Adam is the beginning of sin; sin entered the world through one man (5:12). That beginning was a corrupted beginning. Even though Abel offered sacrifices to God by faith, he was only a good person individually; we cannot receive blessing from him; hence, he is not the beginning of the recovery work of God. Even though Enoch walked with God, he was also only a good individual; we cannot receive blessing from him; hence, he cannot be the beginning of the recovery work of God either. Noah feared God, and his household entered the ark, but again he was only a good person individually; we cannot receive blessing from him; hence, he cannot be the beginning of the recovery work of God either. All of these three persons were good, but they were only good individually. Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham believed in God. But there is a difference between Abraham and Abel, Enoch, and Noah. Abraham occupies a much more important place in God's plan of redemption than do Abel, Enoch, and Noah because God's recovery work began with him.
We must see that Abraham is different from all the other men. From the time that Adam sinned, there has been a line of sin. Although Abel was a good man, he could not deal with the line of sin; although Enoch was a good man, he could not deal with the tide of sin either; and although Noah was a good man, he could not change the sinful situation. Man had become fallen and had failed. Although these three men were good, they were good men as individuals only; they could not change the sinful situation. There is a great difference between being good individually and turning a situation around. The first time God used a man to turn the sinful situation was when He used Abraham. Before Abraham, God did some work in individuals, but He did not do anything to recover the sinful situation. The first time God moved His hand to turn the sinful situation was in His selection of Abraham. In other words, the first point of recovery was with Abraham. The tide of sin had been going on, and Abel, Enoch, and Noah were just three good rocks in the midst of this sinful torrent. Abraham was the first person through whom God turned the tide. God raised up Abraham and through him brought in the work of deliverance. Through him the Savior came and redemption came. This is why the gospel in the New Testament begins with Abraham. May the Lord be merciful to us that we do not engage ourselves merely in the exposition of the Bible or in helping others to understand some Bible knowledge. We look to God's mercy to show us what God is doing.
Redemption was accomplished by the Lord Jesus, yet its beginning was with Abraham. God's recovery work has been continuing throughout the ages until today. It will continue until the time of the millennium. However, the starting point was with Abraham. In other words, the center of redemption is the Lord Jesus, and the consummation of redemption will be at the end of the millennium at the commencement of the new heaven and new earth. However, the beginning of redemption was with Abraham. From the time of Abraham until the end of the millennium, God has been doing a work of recovery continually. During the long process of this work of recovery, the Lord Jesus Christ is the center, but we should never forget that the starting point was Abraham.
This is what is special about Abraham. God's selection of Abraham was very different from His gracious dealings with Abel, Enoch, and Noah. When God gained Abel, He only gained Abel. When God gained Enoch, He only gained Enoch. When God gained Noah, He only gained Noah. But when God chose Abraham, He did not gain just Abraham. When Abraham was called, God told him clearly why he was called. God told him to leave his country, his kindred, and his father's house and to go into the land of Canaan; He promised to make him a great nation in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3). In other words, the calling and choosing of Abraham was for the purpose of recovering a sinful situation; it was not for Abraham alone as an individual. Abraham was called because God wanted to use him. He was called to be a vessel and called for a work. He was not called simply to receive grace. It is one thing for a person to be called to receive grace. It is another thing for a person to be called to transmit grace. Abraham's calling was not just for him to receive grace, but for him to be a transmitter of grace.
God's purpose in calling Abraham was to recover man from the sinful situation. We should not consider the choosing of Abraham to be a personal matter. Abraham's being chosen by God was for the purpose of recovering man from his sinful situation. We should carefully consider the items included in the calling of Abraham and the kind of things brought about through such a calling. In Abraham's calling we see God's purpose, plan, and predestination. We also see the solution to the problems of sin and the devil. May the Lord open our eyes to see these things.
Genesis 12:1 says, "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." God called Abraham with the purpose that he would get out of his country, and from his kindred, and from his father's house. This is a matter of inheritance. Verse 2 says, "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing." "A great nation" speaks of a people. Verse 3 says, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" — this is the ultimate goal of God's selection of Abraham. In God's selection of Abraham, three things were included: (1) bringing him into the land which God would show him, (2) making him a great nation that would become God's people, and (3) blessing all the families of the earth through him.
God called Abraham to leave his country, his kindred, and his father's house and go to a land that He would show him. Abraham came from Ur of Chaldea, a land which served idols. His father Terah dwelt there and served the idols (Josh. 24:2). God called Abraham out of this land. On the negative side, it was for the purpose of taking him out of his country, his kindred, and his father's house and forsaking the service of the idols. On the positive side, it was for the purpose of bringing him into the land that God would show him, the land of Canaan, and serving the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.
God called Abraham so that he would go into Canaan, live there, express God, and carry out the authority of the heavens. God intended to give the land to his descendants. Through him and his descendants, God intended to claim the land for Himself and to carry out His authority and express His glory in the land. This was God's first reason for calling Abraham.
In Matthew 6 the Lord Jesus taught the disciples to pray, saying, "Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified; Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth" (vv. 9-10). God's intention is for His people to bring His authority and His will to earth. Today the church should be the place where God's glory is expressed and the place where His authority and will are carried out. Wherever God's people obey His will and allow His authority to spread among them, that is the place where God's authority and God's will are executed. God wants to gain a group of men on earth to be His people. This means that God wants to gain a way among men so that His authority and His will can be done on earth as they are done in heaven. This was God's goal in calling Abraham. It is also His goal in calling us to be His people.
God called Abraham not only for the purpose of bringing him to the land that He would show him but also for the purpose of making a great nation out of him. God's goal is to gain a group of men to be His people. God called Abraham with the purpose of making him and his descendants His people. In other words, God's choosing of His people began with Abraham. He called one man out from among so many men. Thereafter, God revealed Himself to this man, and His salvation was to be accomplished through this man. Salvation would come out of this one man. God would reach His goal through the man He chose and called.
Abraham was selected. This means that God called out for Himself one man from among many men. God wants to gain a group of people for Himself. In the Old Testament there was a nation, Israel, because God wanted a people on this earth, that is, He wanted a group of people who were separated unto God, who were for His glory, and who belonged to Him.
Although God let the Israelites go in regard to many of the sins that they committed, He would not let them go when they committed the sin of idolatry. For God's people to worship idols is a very serious sin. God's place can never be usurped by idols. God's purpose in choosing a people is for them to become His testimony on the earth. What should they testify? They should testify God. God has placed Himself in the midst of His people. In other words God's people are the vessel which contains God. Wherever there are God's people, there is God's testimony. Rabshakeh, a general of the king of Assyria, the enemy of the children of Israel, said, "Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?...Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?" (2 Kings 18:34-35). This shows us that before the enemies of the Israelites could deal with the Israelites, they had to first deal with Jehovah because the Israelites were one with Jehovah. God has placed Himself in the midst of His people. He has placed Himself, His glory, His authority, and His power in the midst of His people.
Acts 15:14 says, "God...visited the Gentiles to take out from them a people for His name." This is a picture of the New Testament. In the New Testament the church constitutes God's people. All of God's testimony, work, and will are found in the church today.
God's goal is to gain a group of people unto Himself. His goal is to gain a group of people who will declare, "I belong to Jehovah. I am the Lord's." This is why the Bible pays so much attention to a person's confession of Christ. The Lord said, "Everyone who confesses in Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess in him before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8-9). The Lord wants to gain men who will confess His name. Many times, confessing Christ is not just preaching the gospel, but declaring, "I belong to the Lord. I belong to God!" This is God's testimony. In this way God will gain something. God wants to gain a group of people, who will confess, "I belong to God, and I am for Him."
God also said to Abraham, "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). This shows that God has not forgotten the nations. God does not bless the nations of the earth directly. Rather, He blesses them through Abraham. God chose one man, and this one man became a vessel. From this man there was a family, and from that family a nation, and from that nation all the families of the earth are blessed. God does not bless the nations directly. Rather, He worked on one man first, and through this one man all the nations of the earth are blessed. God fully deposited His grace, power, and authority into this one man, and then through this one man dispensed all these things to all men. This is the principle of Abraham's selection. This principle continues until today. Hence, the most important issue for God is the choosing of His vessel. Indeed, those who are chosen as vessels should know Him! Whether or not the families of the earth would be blessed depended fully on Abraham. In other words, God's eternal purpose and His plan are joined to the men He has chosen. The standing or failure of God's chosen men determines the success or failure of God's purpose and plan.
This is why Abraham had to go through so many experiences and had to receive so much from God before he could dispense what he had received to others. It is no wonder that Abraham had to go through so many trials and encounter so many problems. This was the only way that others could receive help and benefit from him. Abraham knew God; therefore, he is the father of those who believe. Those who are of faith are the sons of Abraham (Gal. 3:7); they are begotten of Abraham. We know that all spiritual works are based on the principle of begetting, not on the principle of preaching. Sons are begotten; they do not come about through preaching. God's way of recovery requires man to believe. Only those who believe will be justified. What did God do? First He brought one man to the point of believing so that he would be a believer; from this believer many more believers were begotten.
We have to remember that it is useless to preach without begetting. That kind of preaching will only make men understand doctrines, and the doctrines will pass from one mouth to another. After they circle the earth and come back to the speaker, they will still be nothing more than doctrines. What good will it do for a man to zealously preach the doctrine of salvation if he himself does not know God and is not begotten of God? But if a man is not merely preaching the doctrine of salvation with his mouth, but is testifying of his salvation and how he has met God, others will touch something real. Only this kind of person will beget others. God's principle of work is to do something in one person first and then beget others through him. God's work is living, and when He sows the living seed into a person, the seed will grow. Paul told the Corinthians, "It is not to shame you that I write these things but to admonish you as my beloved children...for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:14-15). Begetting is a great principle in spiritual work. The principle of spiritual work is one of begetting, not of preaching.
May God open our eyes to see the vanity of preaching. It is useless to preach something to others without having that thing ourselves. If we have the seed, we have the growth. Without the seed there cannot be growth. God's work is related to life; it is not an empty doctrine. Once you pass through a certain pathway ordained by God, you will have the ability to beget. Otherwise, nothing will avail. In order to bless all the families of the earth, God first had to work on Abraham. In order to have a group of believers, God first had to gain one believer. Abraham was the first one who believed. Then many more believers were begotten through him. All the families of the earth are blessed not through a sermon they hear, but through a life they receive. God worked on Abraham first, and then through him expanded His work to many people. One day when the city which Abraham eagerly waited for descends, the city whose Architect and Builder is God (Heb. 11:10), all the families of the earth will be fully blessed, and God's eternal plan will be fully consummated. God's work of redemption began at the time of Abraham. God worked in Abraham in order to make him a vessel, and this was not for Abraham alone. Through Abraham God reached others.
Now we will consider how Abraham was called to follow God. In reading Joshua 24, we find that Abraham was born into a family that served idols. Therefore, it is interesting to note that God's work of recovery began from Abraham. God purposely chose such a person. This shows us that "it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Rom. 9:16). Abraham could never have thought that God would call him. He had nothing to boast of in himself. He was an ordinary man who was no different from anyone else. It was not Abraham who made himself different from others; it was God who made him different. God called him and made him different. Hence, we have to know God's sovereignty. If God wants to do something, He will do it. Abraham was the same as anyone else. There was no reason for God to choose him, yet God chose him. The first lesson Abraham had to learn was to know that God is the One who initiates everything. God called Abraham twice. Let us consider how God called Abraham the first time, and how he answered God's calling.
The first calling was in Mesopotamia, in Ur of Chaldea. Stephen said, "The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran" (Acts 7:2). From this we see that God called Abraham before he left Ur. The very God of glory appeared to Abraham and called him out of his country, his kindred, and his father's house, unto the land that God would show him. Did Abraham believe? Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham believed. Indeed, once a man sees God's glory, there is no way for him not to believe. Abraham was an ordinary man, the same as we. He believed because the God of glory appeared to him. God was the reason and the cause of him becoming a believer. It was God who initiated, and it was God who caused him to believe.
Was Abraham's faith great from the beginning? No. What did he do after he heard God's call? "And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there" (Gen. 11:31). Acts 7:2 says that Abraham heard the call in Mesopotamia. Hebrews 11:8 says that Abraham had also believed. The incident in Genesis 11:31 came after the one in Acts 7:2 and Hebrews 11:8. We should take note of the word here: "And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees." This was the first expression of Abraham's faith. He was not much better than we. God told him to leave his country. Did he leave? Yes, he left, but God said that he should also leave his kindred. Did he do this? He only did half of it; Lot still followed him. God said that he should leave his father's house, but he took his father's house with him. Abraham's leaving was not his own decision, but the decision of his father — "And Terah took Abram his son." We do not know why Terah was willing to go. Perhaps Abraham told his father, "God called me. I have to go." Perhaps Terah went along because of his love for his son. We cannot say with certainty that this was the case. But we can say that the one who did not receive the calling became the initiating party, while the one who received the calling became the follower! Perhaps some would say, "Isn't it better that the whole household was saved?" We admit that it was a good thing for the whole household to be saved. However, Abraham's calling was not a matter of salvation but a matter of ministry. The calling of Noah to enter the ark was a matter of salvation, but the calling of Abraham to enter Canaan was a matter of ministry. It was a matter of the accomplishment of God's plan. This is the difference between Abraham and Noah. It was right for Noah to bring his whole family into the ark, but it was wrong for Abraham to bring his father's house into Canaan. If there are some in our household who are not saved, it is right to bring them to salvation. But if God has called us to be His minister and His vessel, we cannot bring along those who do not have the calling.
Abraham's beginning was very ordinary. He was called, and he believed. But he did not believe in an exceptional way; he merely believed. He wanted to go along, but he did not fully oblige. He wanted to obey, and he felt uneasy not obeying. He wanted to leave, but he did not leave in a clear way. He was not much different from us. Therefore, none of us should be discouraged, and no one should think that he is through or hopeless. We have to know that our hope rests in God.
What happened after Abraham followed his father and left? They stopped halfway. God wanted him to go to Canaan, but he stopped in Haran and dwelt there. He did not realize that God had to do a thorough work in him before he could become His vessel. He was not clear about God's commission and ministry for him. He still did not understand why he had to pay such a great price. This is also true of us. Because we do not know God's mind, we ask, "Why does God treat me this way? Why doesn't He treat me like He treated Noah? Noah could be together with his whole family, yet I have to leave my father's house!" We have to remember that a cheap vessel comes with a cheap price, while an expensive vessel comes with an expensive price. God wanted Abraham to be a vessel of honor, so His demands on him were greater than on others. We must never misunderstand God's way in dealing with us. We do not know how God will use us. All of our experiences are for our future service. We should never say, "Others can do this and that. Why can't I do the same?" We have to remember that God trains every person in a special way because He wants to use that person in a special way. Our special usefulness comes from our special training. Therefore, we should not be discontent or disobedient. It is most foolish to resist God's hand or to ask why God does this and that.
God's work on Abraham shows His intention with Abraham, yet Abraham did not understand. He did not know why God wanted him to leave his country, his kindred, and his father's house. He only went a short distance from his country. He wanted to leave his kindred, but still brought Lot with him. He wanted to leave his father's house, but it was too difficult for him, and he ended up taking it along with him. He did not see his ministry and did not know what God was doing. As a result, his days in Haran were wasted days, delayed days, and useless days.
Later his father died. But he was still unwilling to give up his nephew; he brought Lot with him. Terah was only a hindrance to Abraham while he was alive, but Lot became a burden to God's people even after his death. Because of Lot's actions, two sons were produced. One was Moab, the father of the Moabites; the other was Ben-ammi, the father of the Ammonites. Both the Moabites and the Ammonites eventually became problems to the Israelites.
In Genesis 12, God called Abraham the second time. The first time was in Ur, while the second time was in Haran. God said, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation,...and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (vv. 1-3). This was the same calling as the original calling. He heard this calling once again in Haran. The first calling only brought him halfway. The second calling brought him all the way into Canaan. We have to thank the Lord unceasingly because He never gives up! God's persistence is most precious! We become Christians because of God's persistence, not because of our holding on to God. If it were up to us, we would have let go long ago. Abraham was able to reach Canaan because God was persistent. We can be Christians because God holds us fast. Thank the Lord that He is a God who will not let go.
In appearing to and calling Abraham, we see that God is a God who is never defeated. God is the God of glory! From the fall of Adam until the time of God's appearance to Abraham, the Bible records many of God's speakings to man, but it does not say that God appeared to man. The first time that the Bible records God's appearance to man was in Mesopotamia when He appeared to Abraham. This is why we say that God's work of recovery began with Abraham. Prior to this, God never appeared to man. But on this occasion, God appeared to Abraham. Although two thousand years of human history had elapsed since the fall, and although humanly speaking, God had apparently failed, His appearance tells us that He really had not failed. His goal was not lost, because the God of glory appeared to Abraham! God is the God of glory! He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is still the God of glory! Nothing can be more sure than the God of glory, and nothing can last longer than His glory. From Adam to Abraham, two thousand years passed, not twenty years or two hundred years. Although God did not appear to man for a long time, He had not failed, for He was the God of glory.
The God of glory appeared to Abraham and told him what he should do. Abraham not only received God's appearance but was entrusted with God's will. He knew what God wanted him to do. God told him, "Get thee...unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation,...and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." God said this to show Abraham that in spite of two thousand years of man's failure and in spite of the multiplicity of man's sin, God was coming in now to recover him. God was bringing in a recovery work through Abraham.
Abraham heard and believed in God's first calling, and he left Ur of Chaldea. But he followed his father to stay in Haran; he only went halfway. It is hard for us to forget our salvation story, but it is easy for us to forget the vision of our calling to the ministry. It is easy for us to drop our calling. The minute we become slightly busy with our service to God, we easily forget our ministry and God's purpose. Abraham forgot God's calling of him. Therefore, he needed God to speak to him again, and God spoke the same thing to him in Haran. Thank the Lord that He speaks to us again and again to ensure that we know what He wants to do.
Abraham heard the calling. The faith that was invoked in him the first time when he was called came back. His faith was recovered, and he was able to journey onward again.
