Leaders of the Bible: Abraham

Joshua 24:2,3, Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15:1-6, Genesis 17:7

Even as I sit down to write this it’s hard to put to words the incomprehensible pursuit of God. As we read about Abraham, I don’t want us to miss God’s character in the story; He is a pursuer. Abraham’s story is so beautiful because he didn’t choose to follow God, it was God who chose him and directed the following journey of his life. As John Piper puts it, “In completely sovereign grace God comes to this undeserving idolater and says, with life-creating authority, ‘I am going to bless you, and through you bring blessing to the whole world.’ And with that begins the history of the people of Israel.” What beautiful simplicity, that God would choose and idolater and merely want to bless him. 

God was going to do something Abraham himself could not (Genesis 15:2), therefore Abraham has no choice but to put his faith in God’s word. His faith so glorifies God, that he is then declared righteous before him. It is by faith he is saved, not works. Abraham didn’t choose God, but God declared Himself Abraham’s God, choosing to use His power, knowledge and faithfulness to provide Abraham with goodness and mercy throughout His whole life. There is no death for those whose God is God because He is eternal, His covenant never ends.

This should speak volumes to us today. As children of God, we are grafted into the covenant that God made with Abraham. In the same way God lovingly pursued, guided and used Abraham’s life is the way He responds to us today. As David writes in Psalm 23:6, as an heir to the promise, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life.”

God loves you, He sees you, and He knows you. Rest in that today. There is nothing we can do to win God’s favor, Jesus has already done that for us. We have been chosen simply because He loves us.