As I mentioned the other day when talking about Jesus’ Messianic title of “Son of David”, I explained two things. 1) Jesus’ lineage through his legal earthly dad, Joseph, contains the famous king David and Abraham, the father of faith (among other names). 2) Aside from the physical lineage there is something much more important to understand about what the people within it mean to us now. David was considered “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) despite his quite outstanding transgressions because he understood God to be the end-all be-all.
And now what about Abraham? Who’s this guy and what’s his deal? Father of Faith? What’s that about?
Abraham is one of the most important figures in the old testament. His story is told from Genesis, chapters 11 to 25. There are other stories about him even within Judaism and Islam. This one post, I admit ahead of time, will NOT serve his full story justice and I’ve no time to do so anyway, but I will simply point out his significance based on God’s promise to him. But let’s start from the first significant encounter. God says to him:
“Go forth from your country,
…To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him.
[Genesis 12:1-3]
Those last two lines are really the key points here. In Genesis 17, God changes his name from Abram ( meaning “exalted father”) to Abraham (“father of a multitude”). God promises him that his offspring will inherit many nations. I’ll cut to the chase – not only does God mean that Abe’s kids will physically spread throughout the earth but also that God’s message will be spread through the family. There’s a fun little kids song about Abe. It goes a little something like this:
Father Abraham had many sons,
And many sons had Father Abraham.
I am one of them and so are you.
So let’s all praise the Lord!
Then it becomes quite silly like the Hokey Pokey as you move different parts of your body in odd ways. Haha. Good times… Anyway, so among other great figures of Abe’s offspring, there’s king David, and of course, finally, Jesus. And because of Jesus, all those long old testament stories you used to fall asleep to in church become incredibly worth knowing and understanding. Through Jesus, God’s promise to Abe is fulfilled and his “children” continue to spread throughout the earth all because Abe, although not knowing where he was supposed to go or what exactly his own future might hold, trusted God and did what he said. For this, people call him the “father of faith”. The writer of Hebrews, in chapter 11, verses 8–19, gives a nice list of how ol’ Abe was faithful to God. Because of God’s promise and Abe’s faith in that promise, “unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6).
The Flawless Plan
We now have the most incredible opportunity on earth. It’s not a cushy job, fancy ride, snazzy threads, a hot date, or other material things we desire around Christmas sometimes. Our faith in Jesus Christ may be realized and an everlasting joy and peace within us carries on into eternity with Him. You are no accident. Where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going. The good and the bad. Everything comes together in God’s perfect plan. Take rest and know that, even through the chaos of the Christmas season or whatever else you may be going through, the Son of God has come and is coming again for those who believe – His children.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
[Proverbs 3:5-6]
25 Days of Christ 