Title: God's Passion
Contents
Have you ever waited for a long time to achieve some goal?
Why do you think God made you wait so long?
Finally, 25 years after Abraham received the word in chapter 21, the promised child, Isaac, was born. This means that God chose Isaac after Abraham. This is because there is a will and plan of God in the choice. Of course, being chosen is not a privilege in itself. God chooses Abraham and his family to train them on how to believe in God. In the matter of descendants, only Isaac became the seed of promise born through faith. Therefore, God valued the Isaac obtained through faith and wanted to maintain the results achieved through faith until the end. This does not mean that the lineage itself is precious, but rather, God wanted to train faith toward God through the lineage of faith.
The fruit becomes the seed of another shoot.
God's promises become events through the faith of those who believe in them. Although there were many ups and downs, Abraham believed and waited for God's promise, so the birth of Isaac can be said to be the result of Abraham's faith. He believed and waited for the word of God for about 25 years. The birth of Isaac is a beautiful work of God's zeal and Abraham's hard work. God, who has known Abraham from his youth and has been with him for a long time, waited a long time for Abraham until his old age. Of course, no matter how hard God was, if Abraham had not believed and obeyed, the birth of Isaac would have been difficult.
In verse 1, it is said that he took care of Sarah “just as you said” and did “just as you said” to her. A God who is correct without any error, we are children of faith who believe in the correct God. But Abraham also responds like a child of faith. In verse 4, it says that he had been circumcised, ‘as God had commanded’. The command to perform circumcision is a command given a year ago, but we must not forget it and obey it. Remember. God fulfills His promises through those who hear and obey His Word. A long, long-term commitment process makes the results more valuable. Now, the fruit of the fulfilled promise soon becomes the seed of another work of God.
Taking the pain of giving up...
To Abraham, Isaac is a very precious son. It's because he's the son he's been waiting for for a long time. However, Ishmael is also a precious son to him. But Abraham is deeply troubled. Because of his wife's request to drive Hagar and Ishmael out. Finally, God opens his mouth to Abraham, who is standing in his sorrow. It means to give up. Was there no pain in Abraham's faith in God? Even if he walked with God, wouldn't he have had any hardships in his life? A closer look reveals that Abraham suffered more than we did.
Furthermore, we must remember that God suffered before Abraham's suffering. We stop before we enter the threshold of suffering, big or small, but we must remember that we suffer first, suffer first, and share in the pain and suffering of all life. Believe that God is not only in the bright light of our lives, but He is with us in the dark.
In addition, God guides us to the path of victory by embracing the dark shadows rather than cutting and ending all pain and suffering at once, as we expected and hoped for.
If so, did God deal coldly with Ishmael in order to protect Isaac? Are you a favoritism? Look at verse 13. He says he will cherish it. Everyone is precious to God. It is a passage that may lead to misunderstanding that God's interest is biased toward a specific person, but looking at the Word, He promises to form a great nation not only through Isaac but also through Ishmael. There is no life that is not precious before God.
So, we must remember that Jesus introduced God when he said, “Even the wicked know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him? The saying, “The one born of Isaac shall be called your offspring” does not refer to the superiority or privilege of the elect. It was because of the mission to be given to him that he valued Isaac, the fruit of Abraham and Sarah's faith.
Privileges come with missions and accompanying responsibilities. Isaac was given the responsibility to carry him into the breast of God. Isaac is the seed with the responsibility to make all nations and nations stand before God.
1. Have you ever felt the traces of God's zeal for you through today's Word?
2. What was an important moment or event that made you progress in your faith through difficult situations?