A Man of Faith

I had the privilege of speaking to a men’s breakfast at our church last Saturday and the Lord led me to the passage in Genesis 22 where Abraham is commanded to sacrifice Isaac. This has been a troublesome passage for many – believers and unbelievers alike. If I remember correctly, both Kierkegaard and Freud expended a tremendous amount of time trying (unsuccessfully) to come to terms with what God was doing here. At the risk of seeming simplistic, I have some thoughts about what God may have been doing in Abraham’s life, and why this seemingly incongruous command was issued.

A Man of Faith

1. God calls men of faith to develop a relationship with Him – something God delights in. vv. 1,2

Notice that in Abraham’s life, it was God who initiated the relationship and who continued to nurture it with communication, covenant and provision. This is still the case today. Any relationship with God is initiated by God Himself through the sovereign working of His Spirit. But with Abraham, this relationship has deepened over the past 30 years or so – and through Abraham’s many failures – to the point that it has become a real friendship (James 2:23). God had been there long before Isaac, and Abraham continues to walk in this friendship.

Over the course of time, Abraham had learned to recognize God’s voice and to respond to it. This is a strong characteristic of a man of faith, one that we see in both the OT and NT prophets. While others may only hear “thunder,” the man of faith knows the voice of his Shepherd (Jn 10). This begs the question: Have you learned to hear the voice of God? I hear it most frequently when I’m reading the Word, but I also hear it often when listening to Biblical preaching. Others have heard Him speak directly – as He did here with Abraham. The man of faith is always listening for God to speak for His voice is indispensable to the development of a relationship with Him.

2. To deepen this relationship, God tests men of faith. V.1

The author of Hebrews warns us that “those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines.” So, we aren’t surprised to see this happen in Abraham’s experience. Nor should we be startled when such testing comes our way.

God doesn’t test because He wants to find out what we will do. Obviously, in His omniscience, He has known from all eternity what we will do. His testing brings about at least two results, both of which are designed to deepen our friendship with God. First, testing enables us to see what is in our own hearts. (See Deut. 8:1 ff) This revelation then brings us to the point where we are willing to tear down the idols that we have built – idols that are hindering our relationship with Him.

The wording God used in v. 1 clearly indicates that Isaac had become an idol in Abraham’s life: “your son, your only son, whom you love.” Isaac was NOT Abraham’s only son! (Remember Ishmael?) But he had become the only son who mattered. And in his thankfulness for the gift, Abraham had lost sight of the Giver. He had taken a legitimate, God-given blessing – one given through God’s promise, received by faith and accomplished through God’s power – and he had made it “the main thing.” Now, before we get too critical of Abraham, we need to realize we also create idols. We do it when we focus our Christianity on salvation (as though it was the end of all God’s work) and neglect the Savior who has died to provide it for us. We engage in idolatry when we make American culture and prosperity our evidence that we are right with God. And – perhaps most insidiously – we do it when we substitute orthodoxy and correct practice for a living, growing relationship with God.

So, God came to Abraham with the command to sacrifice his idol. And his faith was such that he was willing to obey God and put Him first, no matter what the consequences might be.

How do we know that Abraham got the point? Is there some evidence in the text that he realized what God was doing and why? I think so. Let me just list a couple of indicators:

a. Abraham obeyed God immediately. In Genesis 18, when it was only his nephew Lot who was threatened, Abraham boldly argued with God. But here, with Isaac’s life on the line, Abraham immediately obeyed without a word. Instead, he rose early and made his preparations.

b. Abraham said nothing about this situation to anyone else. V. 3 This was between him and God. He said nothing to Sarah because (Heb. 11:19) he believed both he and Isaac would be returning. He didn’t explain his actions to Isaac either. Isaac obviously had a huge stake in this situation, but Abraham kept him in the dark.

c. He did, however, verbalize his faith to others. “…we will worship and return to you.” V. 5 This was pure faith on Abraham’s part. He was going to kill his own son, yet believed that God would raise him from the dead, if necessary. (See Heb. 11)

d. And he didn’t neglect his other duties, even while under stress. Vv. 6-8 It’s interesting to see him instruct Isaac about God’s provision, even when he didn’t know HOW God would or even could provide. And he required Isaac to carry the wood! It wasn’t proper for Abraham to carry it, when his able-bodied son was available.

e. Finally, he carried through to the end, intending to kill Isaac, but believing that God would somehow keep his promise. V. 9

3. As a result of this relationship, the man of faith expects and receives (even in the midst of testing) remarkable provisions from God. Vv. 11-14

Abraham expected God do something remarkable and received something totally unexpected through the provision of the ram. So it is with all men (and women) of faith: they pray with the firm expectation that God will answer. Even when they don’t know HOW God will provide, they still expect Him to be faithful to His promises. And when He does provide, they understand that provision as an affirmation of His covenant promise to be our God. And, like Abraham, they are drawn into a deeper, stronger and more trusting relationship with the One who, against all expectation, provided His own Son as the Lamb of God to take away our sin.

So, what about you? If you are one of God’s beloved friends, there has been and will certainly continue to be regular testing in your life. May Abraham’s example encourage you to forsake anything that stands as an idol between you and your Savior. And may God’s difficult providences only serve to draw you closer to Him.

1 Samuel 22: 1-5

So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s household heard of it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them.

1 Samuel 22: 1,2

Some thoughts on ministry.

Having escaped from the hands of the Philistines, David fled to the cave of Adullam. He blessed the Lord for “delivering him from all his fears,” but now he was in a barren place with little hope and encouragement. Why was he there? What was he supposed to do? What was the Lord teaching him?

Experiences like this are common in the lives of God’s people. It seems that God has set you aside and that your usefulness is ended. To all outward appearances, your day is over, and opportunities for ministry have been removed. And yet these are the times when God is able to get our attention and to show us Himself. Each time I have been to Adullam, I have developed a greater appreciation for God’s grace toward me as a sinner. And ironically, Adullam is a good place to learn to minister to the needs of others.

Ministry opportunities often come at undesirable times.

David had just escaped from Gath after a less-than-sterling spiritual performance. He probably was looking for a place to just disappear for a while, a place where he could “crawl in a hole” and rest. But that’s not what God had in mind at all. His experience in Gath had taught David some things about God’s faithfulness and goodness and God wanted that truth to be shared with others. (See Psalms 34,56)

God’s pattern is always to teach us so that we can teach others. When we focus exclusively on “my relationship with God,” we neglect the covenantal bonds that unite God’s people. Frankly, ministry opportunities often come when we least desire them. But rather than focus on ourselves, God leads us to focus on the needs of others.

Ministry opportunities are often found in unusual places.

This cave was definitely NOT on the main highway. But once David was there, God began to lead others there also. God is not limited by location. In fact, some of the greatest works He has done have been in out of the way places: Abraham’s tent, Jacob’s ladder, Moses’ bush, Elijah’s mountain, a stable in Bethlehem, Paul in Arabia, John on Patmos… How often He takes His people away from the familiar, from the crowds, in order to show them something about Himself.

So, if you want to find where God is at work, don’t look where the crowd is looking. Look instead for where He has placed His anointed ones because that’s where the action is – that’s where God is looking. (2Chron. 16:9)

Ministry opportunities often involve unexpected people.

Remember that God is the God of the unlikely, the undesirable, the outcast, the wounded, the poor and the foolish. And these were exactly the kind of people God brought to David at Adullam. His brothers – not exactly his strongest support group heretofore – now show up with the rest of the family. More than likely, they fear for their lives since David is now an outlaw. Then there were the distressed, the indebted, the discontented – malcontents every one of them – who show up at his cave door. It reminds you of the church doesn’t it?

God was going to do something special with this ragamuffin crew. And David became their captain, their leader. It was not exactly like being a king, more like being a bandit chief, but David would learn to lead and to minister to the needs of these men.

Ministry opportunities can form unbreakable bonds.

This group at Adullam became the core of David’s army – his “mighty men.” These 400 men followed David all the way to the throne, becoming along the way men who David could trust with his life. There was a mutual loyalty here: they would do virtually anything for David (see 1 Chron. 11: 15-19) and, as a result, David trusted them completely and gave them positions of authority when he became king.

The common experience of ministry forms an esprit de corps and can create unbreakable bonds of friendship. These are the bonds of true spiritual fellowship, and they can be seen among God’s people in many places. When we hold our loyalty to the Lord of first importance, then our love for Him overbears any differences or disagreements.

Ministry opportunities often result in unanticipated responsibilities.

David became their captain, which meant he was responsible not only to lead them in way but also to provide for them and for their families. I’m sure David didn’t come to Adullam with this in mind. Yet it was part of what resulted from this context. David became their leader in every sense of the word and they looked to him to meet their needs.

As I write this, I have recently received a call from a “former” parishioner seeking prayer and spiritual counsel. It has been years since I have been their pastor in any formal sense, but the responsibility of ministry goes on.

May the Lord fill you with His grace to minister to the needs of those around you. And may you find His grace sufficient for your needs as well. It is the road our Savior walked, and we are privileged to follow Him.

Thoughts on Sabbath-Keeping

In the light of my lateness with this post, I thought I would make use of something I wrote earlier this year on Sabbatarianism. For many Christians, this may be a moot issue since keeping the Sabbath has fallen on hard times lately. However, it remains a continuing question for confessional churches like the PCA, whose pastors strive to remain true to the Westminster Confession. I do not hold to a strict view of the Sabbath, however, I take a more historical view on the issue than some. I thought it might be of some interest to those who may struggle with the issue. And, no, I do not have any interest in dialogging about which day of the week is the true Sabbath. If we understand the Sabbath commandment as being fulfilled in Christ, then every day ought to be "a festive day of rest:" resting in Christ's work on our behalf.


As to the keeping of the Sabbath, The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) 21.8 specifically prohibits “works, words and thoughts about our worldly employments and recreations.” Leaving aside the question of whether it is even possible to obey this prohibition, on this issue I believe the Confession and Catechisms are more reflective of 17^th century English politico-ecclesiastical struggles than of the NT teaching on the Sabbath rest. During the early 17^th century, the issue of Sabbath-keeping became one of the major battlegrounds within the English Church. The Puritans supported strict Sabbatarianism, while the moderate Calvinists took a more lax view of the Sabbath. This laxity was encouraged – even recommended - by the English monarchy through the re-publishing of King James’ Book of Sports, which encouraged so-called healthy recreation on the Sabbath. Eventually, under Archbishop Laud, pastors were required to read from the Book of Sports on the Lord’s Day. The Puritans were outraged by this requirement. They saw it as a violation of the crown rights of King Jesus and they dug in their heels on this issue. Consequently, the Puritan position regarding recreation on the Sabbath moved from being a question of Biblical interpretation to being a rigid defense of their position in reaction against the king’s assertion of royal authority in the Church. As the two wings of the Church became increasingly polarized and as the English Civil War loomed, strict Sabbatarianism became one of the identifying marks of a “true” Puritan – i.e. it became a Puritan shibboleth. With the temporary ascendancy of the Puritans during the Commonwealth period, the victorious Puritans in the Westminster Assembly enshrined strict Sabbatarianism in their masterful Westminster Standards. And we have inherited the position with the Confession. Several other sections of the WCF, such as certain statements in Chapter 23, “Of the Civil Magistrate” and Chapter 25, “Of the Church,” similarly reflected the political and ecclesiastical conflicts of the 17^th century church. They were later recognized for what they were, and were edited to reflect a more Biblical position. I believe strict Sabbatarianism falls into that same category, although we in the PCA have yet to officially recognize it as such. In my experience, however, it seems that our practice already concedes that strict Sabbatarianism is an anachronistic holdover from 17^th century Puritanism.
I believe that Reformed believers on the continent maintained a much more balanced and biblical view of the Sabbath Day. To a great degree, this is because Sabbath-keeping never became a political football on the Continent. Consequently, the brethren there were free to consider the Sabbath in the full light of Scriptural teaching. Compare the wording of the Heidelberg Catechism, Question 103: “What is God’s will for you in the fourth commandment? First, that the gospel ministry and education for it be maintained, and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I regularly attend the assembly of God’s people to learn what God’s Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to God publicly, and to bring Christian offerings for the poor. Second, that in every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath.”
This answer effectively describes my view of the Sabbath as well as my practice. I believe that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, that it is to be celebrated as a “festive day of rest,” and that it is most valuable for God’s people when it is understood and kept in this life as a resting in Christ’s works on our behalf and as a foretaste of our eternal Sabbath rest.

1 Samuel 21:10-15

Then David arose and fled that day from Saul, and went to Achish king of Gath.

1 Samuel 21:10

Fear is one of the greatest enemies of God’s people.

David is on the run, and he’s afraid. I found it hard to relate to David in this situation until, one night, I awoke with my heart in the strangling grip of fear. It wasn’t the African hut I was sleeping in or the imagined dangers of my circumstances – the fear was irrational. There was nothing wrong, but I still wanted to run.

Fear is paralyzing: the mind freezes, the heart beats frantically, the muscles tense, and we look for a place to run. It’s even worse when our circumstances produce the fear, because we can then find justification for our anxiety. This was David’s situation. He WAS in danger; Saul had determined to kill him. So, when he left Nob and the comforting presence of Ahimelech, the fear took hold and David ran.

Fear accounts for the strange direction of David’s flight. Maybe it was Goliath’s sword that gave him the idea – after all, Gath had been the giant’s home town. Somehow, in his fear, he thought they wouldn’t recognize him. Fear does funny things to the mind – and to the spiritual memory. It caused David to entirely forget the protection and promise of God. Against all sensibility, he ran to Israel’s enemies for protection from Israel’s king!

Fear also caused David to violate the Lord’s commands and to engage in deception. Once he was identified and brought before the king of Gath, David began to dissimulate: he feigned madness, in essence lying about his condition, with the hope that “pleading insanity” would enable him to escape. He was more concerned about himself than about God and His glory.

Since fear has such power to blunt our reason and cause us to pull into ourselves, it is no wonder that Satan seeks to use fear as a weapon against God’s people. If he can make us afraid, he can paralyze us and destroy our usefulness. All of this is why the Scripture goes to such great lengths to teach us about fear and how to handle it. For, you see, fear is not a godly response. It is essentially a selfish emotion that comes upon us and causes us to forget God and His promises. And unless there are medical causes for it, fear indicates a spiritual problem.

So it is not surprising that the Bible contrasts fear with faith. David learned this for himself through this difficult circumstance. We know he learned his lesson because this experience provides the background for two of David’s psalms – Psalms 34 and 56. After describing the hostility of his foes, here is David’s account of what sustained him through the dangers he encountered among the Philistines: Thou hast taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Thy bottle; are they not in Thy book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; this I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Thy vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to Thee. For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, indeed my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living. (Ps. 56:8-13) Note the contrast: “In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid.” Faith vs. fear.

In Psalm 34, while David gives thanks to the Lord for his deliverance, he also expands on this lesson. In verse 7 he says, The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. This is a different kind of fear, a reverential fear. This kind of fear is only found among those who trust in God.

The lesson is clear. Despite all the sin and deception that characterized David’s actions during this time, he came to see that circumstantial fear can be overcome through a reverential fear for God. When we take our eyes off our situation - off of whatever is creating our fear - and we look to God in faith, we quickly realize that God is greater than our circumstances. The truth of God’s promises, the truth that He is “for us” in Christ (Rom. 8:31), the truth that neither man nor circumstances can do anything to us that God does not allow, enable us to act boldly.

David overcame his fear with truth:

· God was for him. Ps. 56:9

· God can overrule the desires of men. Ps. 56:11

· God is a deliverer, a refuge. Ps. 56:13; 34:4

· God hears His people and answers their prayers. Ps. 34:4,6,15,17

· God is good and meets the needs of those who revere Him. Ps. 34:8,10

· God allows difficulty in our life but He is there protecting us. Ps. 34:19,20

· God uses fear and difficulty to teach us to praise and to trust Him. Ps. 34:1-3

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear. (1 Jn. 4:18)

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV)