If you’re planning to buy something, a model of some kind can be helpful something physical or a picture of the item. For example, you could visit a new subdivision that’s being built and walk through a model home. That lets you imagine what your house could look like—before you realize you can’t afford the upgrades! A burger and fries, you can afford, but the picture on the sign that helps you decide to order looks a lot better than what they threw in the bag for you!
Sometimes models are helpful. Sometimes they’re misleading. The purpose of a good model is simple: it shows you what the real thing is meant to be like.
When it comes to our faith in God, we have models in Scripture. In Genesis 12, we begin to get to know a man named Abram, also called Abraham. God holds him up as an example not because he was flawless, but because his life shows what faith looks like when it is rooted in God’s promises.
So today…
CONSIDER ABRAM AS A MODEL FOR YOUR FAITH
He
Trusted the LORD (1–3)
Abram was a descendant of Noah through Shem’s family line. His father Terah came from Ur a powerful and prosperous city in what is now Iraq. It was also deeply pagan. Archaeologists tell us that the city had thousands of idols, and the Bible tells us that Abram’s father worshiped some of them. Into that idolatrous land and home came the voice of the one, true God. He called to Abram. “Get out of your country and away from your relatives and from your father’s house and go to the land that I will show you.
Notice what God doesn’t say. He mentions no specific destination. He doesn’t give directions. He doesn’t provide a timeline. He doesn’t show a map. There was no “turn left at the Euphrates River” and no Google Maps on a screen Velcro-ed to his camel. Just: “Go.”
And along with that command came seven tremendous promises.
“I will make you into a great nation.” To a 75-year-old man and a 65-year old barren wife, that must have sounded like a ridiculous promise. Yet within centuries, God would cause their family to grow to a nation of over 2 million people!
“I will bless you.” This was a promise of prosperity and success and God kept that promise. Abram became an extremely wealthy man.
“I will make your name great.” God promised Abram that he would be famous. There can be no denying that his name is still great today all over the world! Three major world religions still revere him. And how about this: God even identified himself to people as “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob!” (Matthew 22:32) His name is forever linked to God’s name! When Jesus told a story about a rich man and poor Lazarus, he called heaven “Abraham’s side!” (Luke 16:22) A great name? I think so!
“You will be a blessing.” Abram’s actions toward other people would bless them. We can read about how he prayed for Lot’s escape from the Lord’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. He entertained strangers. He was a prophet who spoke for God and proclaimed his Word. He brought both physical and spiritual blessings to others.
“I will bless those who bless you” It was very simple: God and Abram were linked together. A certain honor or blessing came to those who honored Abram.
“I will curse anyone who dishonors you.” This was also very simple: To oppose Abram was to oppose God himself.
“All the families of the earth will be blessed in you.” That promise reached its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. The entire earth receives the blessings of forgiveness and eternal life through him.
What stands out in these promises are the repeated words: “I will.” This was not a negotiation. Not “You perform, Abram, and I’ll respond.” It was grace. Pure promise. God chose a man from a pagan land and said, “I want you. I will bless you.” And what did Abram do? He trusted. He didn’t have any proof. He didn’t know the future. He had the Word of the LORD. And he trusted it. That’s faith. Faith clings to what God says, even when some of the specifics are a little fuzzy.
He Obeyed the LORD (4–6)
Boy, you read it and what Abram did sounds so simple, doesn’t it? So Abram went, as the LORD had told him.” There is no debate, no family meeting, he just took off because God said to! He packed up everything he had and everyone with him, and he left!
Abram would spend his life travelling through the land we know as Israel. There the LORD would keep all his promises to Abram, including the ultimate promised to bring salvation through his family line.
We may find it surprising that we don’t hear of any complaining or even questioning from Abram. I’m a little bit more of a free spirit when it comes to vacation or days off. I don’t have to have it all planned out. I like flexibility and taking advantage of opportunities that come up. But not everyone is like that. Some of us have to know exactly what the plan is before we take a step. If you’re one who really wants a plan and a schedule and everything figured out in advance, would this have driven you crazy? Not Abram. He simply listened and obeyed the LORD. He just did what God told him to do.
Scripture tells us why he did that. Listen to this from Hebrews chapter 11 it explains for us what was going on beneath the surface: By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go to a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance, and he left without knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as a stranger in the Promised Land, as if it did not belong to him…For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (v.8-10)
By faith. Abram obeyed because he had faith in God even a faith that looked forward to heaven! A couple things about this:
Abram’s example may remind us that faith is more than just saying that we agree with God. Faith takes action at the word and promises of God. We do what God wants us to do.
The other thing is that our obedience to God doesn’t mean that everything is going to be easy. Abram lived like a stranger in tents. He didn’t immediately possess the land. But he trusted God’s words and promises And that faith moved him to obey the LORD and take action. That’s how faith still works.
He Worshiped the LORD (7–8)
With trust and obedience Abram went when the LORD called and went where he wanted him to go. When he got to Shechem…the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” Abram built an altar there to the LORD. Why did he feel the need to worship the LORD at that moment? Because God had led him to this land, just as he said he would, and because he repeated the promise that it would be for his descendants.
He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent there, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Why did he do that? Well, if you’re going to look into the life of Abram, you better get used to it! That’s who he was and what he did. His faith moved him to worship God who had blessed him and given him beautiful promises.
Isn’t this what faith does?! When there is faith, there is worship. Faith can’t help but worship. Faith trusts. Faith obeys. Faith worships. Abram is the model for this.
Time for Honesty
Now let’s be honest, when we compare ourselves to Abram, things get a little uncomfortable, don’t they? Do we trust like he did? I mean, we say we trust. But then, don’t we often worry? Don’t we stress? Don’t we rehearse worst-case scenarios? We want guarantees before we move forward. Some of us want God’s five-year plan for us That weak or complete lack of trust that’s sin.
We know what God says. We hear his Word. But obedience often doesn’t look like that of the man from Ur. It sometimes comes with negotiation. “Yes, Lord… but.” Or we delay. Or we make excuses. We selectively obey the things he tells us to do That’s sin.
Do we worship like this model of faith? Abram built altars wherever he went He marked his journey with worship. Can the same be said about you? We often struggle to build consistent faith moments into our daily schedules. Our prayers are rushed. Our Bibles collect dust. Our emailed devotions go unread for days at a time. Our minds wander even while we are reading our devotions. That’s sin too.
If Abram is the model, we see the gap. He’s the burger on the sign; we’re the burger in the bag. But here is the comfort: Abram wasn’t perfect either. Scripture records some of his failures. There were moments when fear overruled faith. Moments when he faltered. So, if the model isn’t perfect and we certainly aren’t where do we finally look?
Look to Christ
Perfect trust, perfect obedience, perfect worship are found in only one person: Jesus Christ.
Where Abram left home not knowing where he was going, Jesus left heaven knowing exactly where he was going and what he could expect when he got there. Into a damaged world full of defective people, he went and a cross waited for him.
Abram trusted the LORD and all he promised to do for him. Jesus trusted his Father and did all the Father wanted him to do.
Where Abram built altars, Jesus became the sacrifice.
A perfect trust prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done.” A perfect obedience drove him to the cross. A perfect heart worshiped his Father with pure devotion.
That perfect life was not for himself. It was for you. Remember that final promise to Abram: All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you. That blessing is Christ.
Through him, your lack of trust is forgiven. Your imperfect obedience is covered. Your weak worship is washed clean.
God still says “I will.”
“I will forgive.”
“I will remember your sins no more.”
“I will give you eternal life.”
Those promises create and develop faith in you and me just as they did in Abram. You trust not because everything makes sense, but because God has spoken. You obey not to earn blessings, but because they have already been given to you. You worship—not to impress God, but because his grace inspires you
Abram did all these things quite well, so, yes, he can serve as a model for your faith. But more importantly, look to the Savior Abram’s life pointed to Because in Christ, by faith, you are already counted righteous just as Abram was. Amen.
Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.