Genesis 25:1-18
Genesis 25:1-18
Our passage today concludes the life of one of the Bible’s greatest heroes. As I ponder this passage and the lessons we can learn from Abraham’s life, the thing that has struck me in this read-through of Genesis is that faith is not the same thing as perfection. God called Abraham to “Go” and Abraham went. That took an incredible amount of faith—confirmed in every footfall away from the safety of home. Yet, the Bible told the truth of Abraham’s life, he was a flawed man and made many mistakes in his journey.
Multiple times Abraham lied about his wife Sarah saying she was his sister. One faithful Jumpstart commenter, Lindsay, asked a good question, “Why was Abraham always rewarded for his lies with livestock, servants, and silver?” While we can’t know for sure, we can speculate. It seems that the gifts weren’t so much a “reward” for Abraham, as an “appeasement” for Abraham’s God. The Lord has specially selected Abraham and it was for the Lord, rather than Abraham, that he was blessed.
In Genesis 15, as Abraham was in the Promised Land, God made him a promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and they would take this land in which he currently resided. In his old age, that promise likely seemed impossible. However, Genesis 25 records the fulfillment of God’s words, “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried [by his promised son] in a good old age.”
After Abraham died, the covenant blessing went to Isaac who settled in Beer-Lahai-Roi, which we’ve seen previously in Genesis 16:7,14 & 24:62. In this place, God appeared to Hagar after she fled Sarah, and it was there that Isaac meditated while waiting for his future wife. It was a special place where God had answered prayer.
Abraham’s life provides hope for those of us who readily acknowledge our own imperfection. God fulfilled his promise to Abraham regarding his life and death—and He continues to keep the promise of blessing the whole world through Abraham. We are beneficiaries of that promise if our faith is correctly placed in Abraham’s descendant, Jesus Christ.
Questions:
What has stood out to you in the life of Abraham?
How has your faith been strengthened as you relate to Abraham’s imperfections?
By: Tyler Short
Our passage today concludes the life of one of the Bible’s greatest heroes. As I ponder this passage and the lessons we can learn from Abraham’s life, the thing that has struck me in this read-through of Genesis is that faith is not the same thing as perfection. God called Abraham to “Go” and Abraham went. That took an incredible amount of faith—confirmed in every footfall away from the safety of home. Yet, the Bible told the truth of Abraham’s life, he was a flawed man and made many mistakes in his journey.
Multiple times Abraham lied about his wife Sarah saying she was his sister. One faithful Jumpstart commenter, Lindsay, asked a good question, “Why was Abraham always rewarded for his lies with livestock, servants, and silver?” While we can’t know for sure, we can speculate. It seems that the gifts weren’t so much a “reward” for Abraham, as an “appeasement” for Abraham’s God. The Lord has specially selected Abraham and it was for the Lord, rather than Abraham, that he was blessed.
In Genesis 15, as Abraham was in the Promised Land, God made him a promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and they would take this land in which he currently resided. In his old age, that promise likely seemed impossible. However, Genesis 25 records the fulfillment of God’s words, “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried [by his promised son] in a good old age.”
After Abraham died, the covenant blessing went to Isaac who settled in Beer-Lahai-Roi, which we’ve seen previously in Genesis 16:7,14 & 24:62. In this place, God appeared to Hagar after she fled Sarah, and it was there that Isaac meditated while waiting for his future wife. It was a special place where God had answered prayer.
Abraham’s life provides hope for those of us who readily acknowledge our own imperfection. God fulfilled his promise to Abraham regarding his life and death—and He continues to keep the promise of blessing the whole world through Abraham. We are beneficiaries of that promise if our faith is correctly placed in Abraham’s descendant, Jesus Christ.
Questions:
What has stood out to you in the life of Abraham?
How has your faith been strengthened as you relate to Abraham’s imperfections?
By: Tyler Short
1 Comment
Thanks so much for responding to my question, Tyler. Good point. " I will bless whom I will bless." He is God, after
all, a point He made over and over again to Job. And to fulfill the appointment God gave him, He blessed him materially. I can see that now. His story, like Joseph's, give me such encouragement to walk a faithful life with God, my Savior.