The Faith of Abraham in Troubling Times
Temple Institute entrance
(Photo by Bob Thiel)
The Temple Institute had the following in a newsletter last year:
“And Yitzchak was comforted”
(Genesis 24:67)
MarCheshvan 26, 5784/November 10, 2023
Avraham avinu (Abraham our father) was a man of chesed – a man of loving kindness. Wherever he went he spread the light of HaShem. He leapt up from a visit from HaShem in order to invite three wayfarers into his home and give them a meal. He argued with G-d like a man haggling in the market, for the sake of the righteous in Sodom. He did all he could for the betterment of his fellow man and he did all that G-d asked of him. And this included, of course, his final and greatest test – the akeida – the binding of Yitzchak. When all looked good, when the future looked so promising: at last the promised son has been born and has entered into the covenant. At last, Avraham and Sara have a son who will inherit their spiritual legacy. At last, HaShem’s promise of a great nation has gotten off to a sure start.
And then… “take your son, your only one, whom you love, yea, Yitzchak, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you.” (Genesis 22:2) When the future was so bright and full of promise in one instant it all turned dark and full of despair. An entire life of devotion to HaShem is in danger! The world that Avraham has built with HaShem is in peril of crumbling into ruin. But the faith of Avraham prevailed. Without flinching he fulfilled G-d’s every demand. And in the end it all turned out well. The angel of HaShem stayed Avraham’s hand, Yitzchak was saved and a ram was placed on the altar in his stead. Avraham passed his final test in flying colors.
But this was only part one of Avraham’s final test. Yitzchak’s life was saved. But what about the future? Avraham realized that part two of his final test was to find for Yitzchak a bride. A new generation needed to come into being. And so in this week’s Torah reading, Chayei Sara, Avraham, after purchasing the Machpelah field and cave in Hevron for a burial site for his wife Sara, immediately sets out to find for Yitzchak a bride. Too elderly to set out on the journey himself, Avraham commissions his faithful servant and top student, Eliezer, to travel to the city of Nachor in Aram Naharaim, where Avraham’s ancestral family dwells, to find a bride for Yitzchak.
Eliezer takes up his mission with tremendous passion and imagination, setting out before HaShem the anticipated scenario that will confirm for Eliezer whether he has found the perfect bride or not. And, of course, as we all know, when “Rivkah, the daughter of Betuel the son of Milchah, the wife of Nachor, Avraham’s brother,” (ibid 24:15) appears at the well and draws water both for Eliezer and for his camels, Eliezer has succeeded in his mission. Yitzchak will have his bride, children will be born, a new generation will come into being, and the covenant between Avraham and HaShem will continue to grow and flourish through the march of time.
Sometimes life grows bleak. A sudden cloud can cast darkness on all we have lived for, on all we have accomplished, on all we hope for in the future. Avraham’s test of the akeida is a test that might be set before any one of us at any moment, out of the blue. All our accomplishments, all our preparations for the future are at once irrelevant. The great test before us needs to be taken up head on. We are armed with but one, essential asset to measure up to the challenge: our faith in HaShem.
By HaShem, the Temple Institute is referring to God. The Temple Institute, later in that newsletter, discussed its views (some of which we would not support) about Israel needing to be faithful since the attack it received from Hamas last month.
Anyway, getting back to Abraham, yes, Abraham was faithful:
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:1-6)
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. (Romans 4:3)
Abraham believed God when the circumstances looked impossible–and physically they were.
Unlike many who claim Christianity, Abraham was willing to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
The Bible reveals that Abraham continued to prove his belief through his actions:
5 … Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws. (Genesis 26:5)
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10)
Abraham believed, obeyed, and endured.
Now, notice something from the New Testament:
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:3-14)
Jesus foretold the time that we are now in, which He called the beginning of sorrows. And He said we need to endure through it and that the end will come after the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is preached enough into all the world. You need to have the faith to endure, as well as you should be supporting the fulfillment of Jesus’ commission in Matthew 24:14.
Related to faith, Abraham, and enduring, here are some parts of our free online book, Faith for Those God has Called and Chosen:
Show Faith By Doing, Not Just Claiming to Believe
Paul wrote:
7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
In practical terms, this means that we live God’s way of life even when we have trials and temptations, when things seem almost hopeless, or when others try to deceive us. Paul also wrote:
31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).
Furthermore, James wrote:
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? (James 2:17-22).
Thus faith goes beyond just believing. Living faith includes action that God approves – living as Jesus did and as He wanted His followers to do. Not only keeping the Sabbath or God’s Holy Days when it seems difficult, but to tithe, avoid pagan holidays like Christmas, and to be honest in a dishonest society. Also, to love those who do not love you (Matthew 5:44-48). Abraham’s faith was shown by obedience in works and how he lived his life, not in the manifestation of miracles from his prayers. Abraham had living faith. It takes faith to live God’s way in this world.
Jesus taught:
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
We are not saved by works, but by faith:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Notice the Bible shows that although we are saved by grace, even that is the gift of God.Also notice that we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. …
We who are called and chosen need to remain faithful. We are not just to obey God, we need to have faith that His ways are best for us.
Notice two other passages of scripture:
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (Romans 8:18-19)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
When things go wrong, we need faith to endure to the end. It sometimes takes faith to realize that all things work together for our good. …
Much of the Old Testament was Written for Our Example–What is the ‘Faith Chapter’ of the Bible?
The Bible says that much of the Old Testament was written for our example:
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:1-12)
Notice that in the Old Testament, many were walking by sight. But as Christians, we must have faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). In the New Testament, some of those examples are highlighted again.
Let’s go back to Hebrews 11, which is often called the ‘faith chapter’ in the Bible …:
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. …
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. …
[S]o notice what the Book of Hebrews teaches shortly after the ‘faith chapter’:
7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:7-13)
It takes faith to do that.
We also have the following related video:
What should Christians focus on during these troubling times that Jesus referred to as “the beginning of sorrows”? The Jews of the Temple Institute sent out a newsletter on November 10, 2023 promoting the faith of Abraham. How was Abraham faithful? What did Abram do? Did he believe, obey, and do work? Did he, as the Apostle Paul later admonished Christians, to “walk by faith, and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7)? Are Christians saved by faith for good works? Might Christians experience suffering? Can the example of the faith of Abraham be an example for Christians? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel go over these matters.
Here is a link to our video: Faith of Abraham in Troubling Times.
More on faith can be found in our free online book, Faith for Those God has Called and Chosen.
Some items of related interest may include the following:
Faith for Those God has Called and Chosen What is faith? Can faith be increased? Are you saved by faith? What about works? Do Christians need to keep the Ten Commandments? What is the ‘faith chapter’? How do the just live by faith? Is faith one of the weightier matters of the law? How does faith come? Marque aquí para ver el pdf folleto: Fe para aquellos que Dios ha llamado y escogido. In German: Glaube für die von Gott Berufenen und Auserwählten. In French: La Foi pour ceux que Dieu a Appelés et Choisis. Here is a link to a related sermon titled: Faith for the Called and Chosen.and here is a link to another sermon Faith and Courage. Here is a link to shorter version of the written article in Mandarin Chinese 一篇关于信仰的小文章.
Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach? This free booklet contains 28 biblically-based tips on improving the effectiveness of your prayers. This is a pdf. A related two part sermon is available: What Does the Bible Teach About Prayer? and What does the Bible Teach About Prayer (& Healing)?
About Baptism Should you be baptized? Could baptism be necessary for salvation? Who should baptize and how should it be done? Here is a link to a related sermon: Let’s Talk About Baptism and Baptism, Infants, Fire, & the Second Death.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection. A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, and The Mystery of YOU.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. It is available in hundreds of languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-related sermons: The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders? Two related sermons are available The Work per HWA and the Bible and Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Will Philadelphian Christians instruct many in the end times? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work. Here is a link to another: Preparing to Instruct Many.
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here are two related YouTube videos titled Final Phase of the Work: Need and Background and The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra. And here is a link to a related Spanish language sermon: La obra corta y el Hambre de la Palabra de Dios.
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