Father Abraham, the Missionary Evangelist

Published Tuesday, June 17, 2008 10:38 AM

Genesis 18: 17-19

 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

God chose Abraham to be the father of a great and mighty nation, and God chose that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in Abraham. This great missionary and evangelistic passage shows God's choice to work through a single sinner, Abraham, to bring worldwide blessing.

What strikes me is the way God chose to accomplish this foreordained plan. How does God plan to "bring to Abraham what He has promised?" How does God plan to accomplish "all the nations of the earth" to be "blessed in [Abraham]?"

Answer: By "...command[ing] his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice."

Abraham's fatherly faithfulness did not earn him a mighty nation as offspring. Abraham's fatherly faithfulness did not earn him the position of worldwide evangelist. Abraham's fatherly faithfulness was God's appointed means to carry out God's immutable plan for Abraham to be a mighty nation and a blessing to all the earth, ultimately and fully accomplished through Jesus Christ, the Seed of Abraham.

I hope this will encourage every man who reads this. Abraham, really, in many ways, was a great sinner. He had a problem with courage and truthfulness. His kids were an awful mess at times. But, in the end, Abraham believed God, and this faith, ultimately, led Abraham to many acts of righteousness and justice that God used to accomplish His plan in Abraham's life. God even used Abraham's sin and failures to accomplish His plan.

May each of us fathers, with joy and gladness under the favor of Christ our Redeemer and Friend and Lord, and under the compassionate eye of God the Father, and empowered by the very real presence of the Holy Spirit, press on to be the fatherly evangelist demonstrated to us by Abraham, commanding our children and our household after us to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, rejoicing in the knowledge that in this way, we, too, can be a blessing to all the nations of the world, through the power of God, the great Gospel of Jesus Christ, the humble crucified carpenter, resurrected, ascended and reigning over all, Who is and ever shall be, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

B8

by Bahnsen8
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Comments

# A Son Of Liberty said on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 9:54 AM

B8, has drawn my attention to Abraham, recently [ click here ]. Here are some brief thoughts that I had

# Odysseus said on Friday, June 20, 2008 9:59 PM

Thank you, B8, for this encouragement. Wouldn't you agree it makes the fifth commandment's promise sparkle? A multi-generational presence in the land is the fruit of covenantal faithfulness in the home!

A Fellow Sojourner,

Odysseus

# Bahnsen8 said on Friday, June 20, 2008 11:31 PM

Indeed, Odysseus, sparkle it does, each angle of inspection revealing wondrous facets of His Triune glory, shining forth through faithful families of faith from Eden to the New Jerusalem.

May you and yours know the love of the Father ever more deeply, the mercy and kindness and majesty of the Son to overflowing, and the shining almighty smile of the Spirit of Holiness unto unshakeable comfort and peace.

B8