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The experiences of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are three aspects of the complete experience of a called one. The first aspect is the experience of Abraham, which includes the experiences of being called, knowing grace, and living in fellowship. This is the first aspect of the experience of a believer. Abraham’s first experience was his being called. God’s calling is the first experience of His called ones.
In this chapter we will consider the motive and strength of our being called. God’s appearing and His promise are the motive and the strength.
God’s appearing is the motive and strength for us to accept His calling. The Bible says that God appeared to Abraham as “the God of glory” (Acts 7:2). Although we do not know in what way God was glorious, we believe that His appearing was glorious. Without such a glorious appearing as the motivating power, it would not have been easy for Abraham to come out of the background of Babel. At that time man was completely fallen. The environment, background, attracting power, and surrounding condition made it difficult for Abraham to come out of Babel. However, the God of glory appeared to Abraham, and this appearing became the motive and strength for him to come out of Babel.
As descendants of Adam, we have fallen into the world and into the background of Babel. Without God’s appearing to us, without our contacting the God of glory, none of us could have come out of the world. We could come out of the world because we were touched by God inwardly. Throughout two thousand years of church history every person who truly pursued the Lord first saw a glorious vision of the God of glory. We can follow the Lord because of His glorious appearing. Those who follow the Lord without His glorious appearing do so because of the influence of others.
Abraham had direct revelation because he had God’s direct appearing. He was able to leave Ur and accept God’s calling because he had God’s appearing. Lot followed Abraham out of Ur (Gen. 11:31), but Lot did not have God’s appearing. Lot was influenced by Abraham. Some of God’s children are “Abrahams,” but many are “Lots.” A brother may be an Abraham, but his wife may be a Lot. There may also be wives who are Abrahams because God has appeared to them, but their husbands are Lots because they are merely accompanying their wives to follow the Lord.
If we have God’s appearing and this vision, we must take this way. We cannot withstand the God of glory. When He appears to us, we must take this way even at the cost of our lives. No one can stand before the God of glory. There was a well-known, fashionable woman of the British aristocracy. This famous woman was invited to a ball held in honor of the Prince of Wales, because she knew how to dance well. When she returned home after the ball, she had a peculiar feeling of emptiness within, and she loathed herself. She said to herself, “If a Christian preacher were to see my current condition, he would definitely say that I need Christ, that I need God. How true this is, for the pleasures of the world cannot satisfy me.” At that moment she hated her ball gown and dancing shoes, so she ripped up her gown and threw out her shoes. She then said to herself, “If a Christian urged me to receive Jesus right now, I would certainly refuse. No matter what, I do not believe.” However, for some unknown reason she knelt down and said, “O God! I hate You. Why did You create this world and yet not have me love it? You are hateful!” This is a very peculiar prayer. After this prayer she fell asleep. The next morning she was different. She loved God. The feelings of emptiness and loathsomeness that she had the night before were actually God’s appearing, His touching her. Even though she said that she did not want God and hated Him, she prayed. At that moment the God of glory touched her. When we are touched by God, we must follow Jesus and believe in Him. This is a wonderful experience of those who believe in Jesus.
I had a similar experience. When I was twenty, I was seeking the pleasures of the world and diligently pursuing knowledge. One day I heard that a young woman had been invited to hold a gospel campaign in a denomination. I was curious, so I went. On the first day the God of glory appeared to me. Although I had no heart to seek Him, His Spirit touched me while I was listening. The message was from the first two chapters of Exodus and was concerning man being usurped by Satan. While I was listening, I said in my heart, “O God, I no longer want the world. I have decided that I want You.” I forgot that I was there merely to check out the situation. I said, “O God, from this day onward, I want You. I will follow You.” Because I was attracted that first day, I went a total of six times. On the third day many people cried. This was the atmosphere when I spontaneously gave my life to be a preacher. At that time I was still a student. No one urged me to say this, but there was an inexplicable strength within me. This strength was the God of glory appearing to me. His appearing captured me so that I was willing to follow Him for the rest of my life.
Abraham followed the Lord because he was attracted by Him. This was not the experience of Lot. Lot followed Abraham because he was influenced by Abraham. Of course, being influenced to follow the Lord is much better than not being influenced to follow the Lord. Whether or not he was influenced, Lot came out of Ur. Abraham left Ur, and Lot also left Ur. Abraham entered Canaan, and Lot also entered Canaan. This is very positive. However, I am afraid that many believers are merely Lots who follow Abraham; that is, they follow others into God’s kingdom. Lot went down to Sodom, but God saved him (19:1-29). Lot experienced grace. Regardless of whether we had a direct appearing or were influenced by someone else, we have entered God’s kingdom.
The difference between Abraham and Lot is that Abraham had a vision of God, but Lot did not; Abraham had God’s appearing, but Lot did not. Their experiences were similar. Abraham came out of Ur, and so did Lot; Abraham entered Canaan, and so did Lot. Abraham went down to Egypt, and so did Lot; Abraham came up out of Egypt, and so did Lot. Abraham followed God, and so did Lot. Their experiences were the same, yet they eventually differed. The one who had received a vision was able to withstand the well-watered plains of the Jordan where Sodom was, but the one without a vision could not (13:5-13). When temptation came, the one with a vision was able to resist, but the one without a vision did not have this ability. The one with a vision had a power that sustained and upheld him, enabling him to stand firm. Hence, when faced with Sodom, Lot fell, but Abraham remained in a tent.
God’s chosen ones consist of these two groups of people. One group has God’s appearing, but the other group does not. One group has a vision, but the other merely follows without a vision. We must thank and praise God that He is the God of glory and that His glorious appearing has attracted us to follow Him.
God has a glorious appearing, and He also has a promise. When God appeared to Abraham, He gave him a great promise. Whenever we have God’s appearing, we will also have His speaking. We obtain God’s promise in His speaking.
When God appeared to Abraham, He said, “I will make of you a great nation, / And I will bless you / And make your name great; / And you shall be a blessing... / And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (12:2-3). God promised to make Abraham into a great nation, to bless him, to make him a blessing, and to bless all the families of the earth through his descendants (28:14). This promise has three main items: the nation, the blessing, and the blessing to all the families of the earth.
The nation that God promised to make of Abraham is the kingdom of God. The kingdom is composed of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, the church in the New Testament, the Messianic kingdom in the millennial kingdom, and the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth. In other words, the kingdom of God is the nation of Abraham that begins from God calling man and continues through eternity future. The nation of Abraham spans the kingdom of God.
God also promised to bless Abraham. This blessing includes the blessings of God’s creation and redemption. In God’s eternal plan it also includes the blessings predestined for man, such as earthly and heavenly blessings, physical and spiritual blessings, and blessings in the present age and in the age to come. All the blessings that God wants to give man are included in this blessing.
It was God’s intention to bestow this blessing upon Adam, but God gave up the Adamic race and instead gave this blessing to Abraham. Abraham received this blessing. Furthermore, this blessing was also transferred to the families of the earth so that the families of the earth could also be blessed. Here is a wonderful turn. When God called Abraham, God turned from Adam to Abraham. When God made the promise to Abraham, He made another turn; He turned from Abraham to the families of the earth. The families of the earth are the Adamic race. In other words, God’s goal with man and everything that He desires to accomplish in man never changed. Because God did not succeed with Adam, He turned to Abraham. After making this successful turn, He turned back to the Adamic race.
The three main items in God’s promise are the nation, the blessing, and the blessing to the families of the earth. These items are the content of the gospel. Galatians 3:8 says, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles out of faith, announced the gospel beforehand to Abraham: ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’” This means that the gospel was preached to Abraham. Did the gospel begin with the Lord Jesus? Abraham heard the gospel two thousand years before the birth of Jesus. This gospel is that he would be given the kingdom of God and that the gospel would come to all the people of the nations, that is, to the Adamic race. This indicates that although the blessing prepared by God was retracted because of man’s fall, through Abraham’s race this blessing has returned and come upon the families of the earth. This great turn is the gospel. Through Abraham God has given the blessing to the families of the earth. This blessing is fulfilled in Christ, the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:14).
