Can I get a confirmation number?
Lately I've been trying to to through some of the Old Testament since that is the basis for all of God's correspondence with humans. I have been trying to look at Abram (later to become Abraham) and today read through Genesis 15. Abram is the guy who God starts the covenant relationship with and he ends up being the father of the three largest religions in history (Judaism, Islam, Christianity). Not surprising since this IS the God of the universe that the guy he blesses would be attributed to so much fame. But anyway, if anybody was deserving of this type of relationship with God it was Abram and there is a lot we can learn from his interaction with God.
Take a look at Genesis 15.
God starts off by blessing Abram telling him that he shouldn't be afraid because God was going to bless him. How does Abram respond? He questions God (this becomes a theme). When I read this for the first time, I was shocked. This guy is supposed to have tons of faith but he has the nerve to talk back to God! But even more so, God answers him!! And then it says in vs. 6 that "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." But Abram doesn't end with this, he responds with another question asking God to prove it! And then God does! What the heck?! Why doesn't Abram get smited by God for all this talking back!!?? Don't we see God telling us in Deut. 6:16 to not test him?
The answer to this goes back to Abram's belief. When we look at these questions, Abram wasn't questioning God as much as he was expressing his own belief. In the first instance we see Abram asking God to show him how God was going to work because Abram had faith that God would do what he said. And in the second half of the chapter we see God and Abram going through a cultural covenant process, they were making their contract. Abram believed God and wanted to make this agreement official, not because he thought God would back out, but because he wanted to make the agreement official on his end. Notice how he prepared and protected the ceremony, even though he slept through it?
We see that it is good to question God, when coming from faith. Don't be afraid to ask God to show you the things he has promised. Take some time to think about the things God has promised us in his Word and ask him to show you how he plans to implement those things. Share some of those promises by clicking on the link before and leaving a comment.
So, we see
Take a look at Genesis 15.
God starts off by blessing Abram telling him that he shouldn't be afraid because God was going to bless him. How does Abram respond? He questions God (this becomes a theme). When I read this for the first time, I was shocked. This guy is supposed to have tons of faith but he has the nerve to talk back to God! But even more so, God answers him!! And then it says in vs. 6 that "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." But Abram doesn't end with this, he responds with another question asking God to prove it! And then God does! What the heck?! Why doesn't Abram get smited by God for all this talking back!!?? Don't we see God telling us in Deut. 6:16 to not test him?
The answer to this goes back to Abram's belief. When we look at these questions, Abram wasn't questioning God as much as he was expressing his own belief. In the first instance we see Abram asking God to show him how God was going to work because Abram had faith that God would do what he said. And in the second half of the chapter we see God and Abram going through a cultural covenant process, they were making their contract. Abram believed God and wanted to make this agreement official, not because he thought God would back out, but because he wanted to make the agreement official on his end. Notice how he prepared and protected the ceremony, even though he slept through it?
We see that it is good to question God, when coming from faith. Don't be afraid to ask God to show you the things he has promised. Take some time to think about the things God has promised us in his Word and ask him to show you how he plans to implement those things. Share some of those promises by clicking on the link before and leaving a comment.
So, we see
posted by Ryan at 10:38 AM
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