The Faith of Abraham

Like Noah, Abraham displayed actions of faith when he received the call from God (Genesis 12:1-3), even though he was to leave the safety of his homeland and go to a place unknown to him. He moved by faith and was promised the land as an inheritance (Genesis 12:7). Fudge says Abraham's faith is mentioned in other Bible references (see Genesis 15:6; Nehemiah 9:8; Romans 4:1-25; and Galatians 3:6-9). He acted by faith as he lived in a land that was not truly to become his people's homeland for generations (Genesis 15:12-21; Acts 7:5). Isaac, his son, and Jacob, his grandson, also lived in tents, which were not permanent dwellings, accepting that homeless life so that they could receive a better one. They chose not to live in the cities of their day and chose to be a semi-nomadic people (Genesis 16:11; Genesis 33:17) looking forward to a better city (Hebrews 11:8-9; Genesis 16:11; Genesis 33:17).

Abraham left his own home and was willing to live in tents because he looked forward to a heavenly home, not an earthly one. Since Isaac and Jacob also lived in tents, it seems they too had this goal in mind. Remember, Abraham and Sarah lacked the needed faith to believe they would have a child. Despite God's promise to make of him a great nation in Genesis 12:1-3, Abraham questioned whether a servant would be his heir (Genesis 15:1-4). Abraham and Sarah tried to help God out by using Sarah's handmaid Hagar in Genesis 16:1-16. In Genesis 18:12-15, Sarah laughed to herself at the thought of bearing a child. However, the writer of Hebrews indicates that Sarah's doubts were overcome by her faith. Remember, all of this occurred when she was barren and past child-bearing age (Hebrews 11:10-11; Genesis 17:15-21).

Because of Abraham and Sarah's faith (Romans 4:18-21), they, though dead in the reproductive sense, were able to bear that son of promise. His descendants were to be many and would obtain the land of promise (Hebrews 11:12; Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 15:5; Genesis 22:17; Isaiah 51:1-2; Ezekiel 33:24).

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