Welcome back friends! We’ve entered a time of study together, based on a new study called Why Israel Matters: Rightly Relating to Our Jewish Roots. Today’s post is the third in a series of snippets from that study. If you just landed here, welcome! You may wish to review these two portions before moving on with today’s study:
Yesterday we discovered exciting things about how God used Abraham to bring the gospel of salvation to the world (including to us Gentiles!) Today, let’s learn more about the man God choice to shoulder the burden of world redemption.
Abraham (originally known as Abram before God changed his name) was from Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 11:31, Genesis 15:7), or southern Iraq on today’s map. Ur was likely one of the largest cities on earth at the time of Abram, and was very prosperous. Situated along the Euphrates River, it was undoubtedly fertile land as well. It is believed that Abram’s family was not only pagan, but also idol worshippers (and perhaps manufacturers of idols). The sun and moon gods were popular objects of worship, and interestingly enough, those symbols are associated with Islam to this day.
Despite all that, Abram heard the voice of the Lord and he obeyed.
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.
~Genesis 12:4By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
~Hebrews 11:8-9
Indeed, God called Abram into a special relationship. He was going to initiate a covenant with this obedient, God-fearing man that make world redemption possible. First, He called this pagan Gentile to be Father of the Jews. Remember, God Himself preached the gospel of salvation to Abraham (Galatians 3:8), in order that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3, among other places)! Therefore, the pagan Gentile-turned-Jew would make the Jewish Messiah available to the Gentiles…and millions would be saved!
But go back to Hebrews 11 for a moment. We stopped a verse too soon! Hebrews 11:10 says Abraham was “…looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” In other words, God showed him the end game! The city with foundations and whose designer and builder is God is none other than the New Jerusalem that is referenced in Revelation 21! That’s Millennial Kingdom talk, so we’re getting way ahead of ourselves! However, suffice it to say, God showed Abraham a much larger scope of world history, and a glimpse into the eternal significance of his place in history!
There is a whole lot more to share about what God allowed Abraham to see…but you’re going to have to come back for that! We need to build some additional foundation before we get to those fantastic building blocks. Will you hang out with me and get “the rest of the story” over the coming days and weeks? Remember, we’re sitting together in fellowship around God’s Word, so I want you to partake of all we can muster!
Happy Lord’s Day!
Looking for the Blessed Hope 