Hey John…Qs…
In reading chapters 12-24, I’m getting the impression that Abraham was an inconsistent patriarch. While on one hand, a great man of faith and obedience, he was also weak and faithless in some situations…with Sarah…with Pharaoh, and later Abimelech, he stumbled, doubted, hesitated, lied… out of a lack of trusting in God. What do we conclude about Abraham, overall?
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We should conclude that Abraham is the father of all the faithful, so that every person on earth who has genuine faith is called a child of Abraham by both Jesus and Paul.
I will caution you, as I have cautioned the congregation here, to avoid condemning Abraham for the errors you mentioned because God did not. If you or I had been in the incredibly difficult, unique situation Abraham put himself in, out of great love for and faith in God, we would have done much worse. We must all be cautious about assuming we are able to judge any man who is called “the friend of God” (Jas. 2:23).
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Next… in a commentary by brother J. Swaggart, he says that In chap 24, Abraham represented God the Father: Isaac is Jesus, and Eleazar the holy Ghost. Re: “Will you go with the man?” (v. 58).
Your comments?
Thanks,
Brad
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Brother Jimmy was right. That story was prophetic of what the Father did through His Son for our sakes.
Pastor John