The Faithfulness of Abraham's God

Most of the time when we think of Abraham, we do so in the context of his faith. This is quite a natural response since both Paul and the author of Hebrews spend a lot of time emphasizing it. However, as we’ve been reading through the book, what has stood out to me is not Abraham’s faith but rather the faithfulness of Abraham’s God.

We meet Abraham as he is chosen by God, through no inherent justification of his own, to be the father of a great nation that would in turn bless the world. What we see after is a sequence of events demonstrating that this God was so faithful to His promise that He remains true in spite of Abraham repeatedly relying upon human logic to produce an heir (Ishmael) and save his wife (twice). Through it all God remained faithful because God IS faithful. It is an inexorable part of his nature. Not only does he forgive Abraham, but He remains so faithful to His promise that He blesses everyone associated with Abraham: Ishmael (who was not the promised child, yet still became the patriarch of nations), Lot, and even Lot’s daughters (who also produce nations through disreputable and decidedly un-family friendly means). In spite of these questionable circumstances, the Lord blessed them all because He had promised to bless Abraham. The Lord is so faithful that He will not (cannot) go back on his promise.

While it would be easy to apply this verse to show that God is forgiving of our failings (and this is not wrong), I believe there is a deeper truth here, and it involves who God is at the very core of His being. God is not simply faithful, He IS faithfulness. It is an inseparable aspect of His character.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, our actions are the direct result of our beliefs. By beliefs, I don’t mean truths to which we intellectually assent but rather the things we believe at the core of our being. If we believed, at the deepest level, that the Lord was faithful without limitation, how much more would our lives bear the fruit of obedience? How much richer would our faith be? How much less would doubt, insecurity, and complaining tempt us? These are just a few things to think about as we prepare to celebrate the ultimate fulfilment of God’s promise to bless the nations through Abraham’s descendants---Jesus’ incarnation.