Genesis 25:1-11 recounted Abraham’s final years that he died at the age of 175. We have learned a lot of Abraham and his journeys, where God called upon him, prepared him and accompanied him in his journeys. There are failure and obedience in his journey, but we are grateful that God’s call is faithful that He will never leave Abraham that He continue to lead Abraham until he dies. However, his legacy, work and his love for his people and their descendants until us will live on.
Today we see Abraham’s final act as described on verses 5 and 6 that he declared his faith, “Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.” Here we see that Abraham realised of God’s promises (in Genesis 21) that called as his descendants that came from Isaac. Isaac will then continue God’s promises to walk in faith that God has promised to Abraham. Abraham has no doubt that his son Isaac will continue his father’s legacy. This is why Abraham deserves to be called the father of faith and as Apostle Paul described, that we, as the descendants of Abraham as we possess the same faith as Abraham.
We need to pay attention to the life of Abraham, that he received many promises from God in his life journey, and he also received many helps from God until he dies. However, Abraham also received many promises from God that have not been fulfilled in the life of Abraham. We want to learn more from the examples of Abraham’s life, especially on what does it mean to have faith in God? What is real faith? How do I know that I am truly a believer? How does it look like to be faithful to have faith in God? That is why we discussed several parts from the book of Hebrews.
Firstly, the first verse of Hebrew 11, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Particularly, on the second part of the first verse, “assurance about what we do not see.” What does it mean that faith is evidence of everything we do not see? This is certainly not a faith movement. Faith is also not a positive thinking. The meaning of faith is evidence of everything we do not see that we must go back to the bible itself as to understand the bible itself, particularly what the book of Hebrews says.
Verse 3 explained that “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” There is a similar verse to Hebrew 11:3, that is Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
What can be simplified after looking at these two similar verses? Faith is a spiritual vision about things that are visible, such as universe. We see the whole of universe but we see the faith behind that universe, that there is authoritative and sovereign God who created everything. Faith oversees the beauties and complexities of the universe, such as the exact distance from the planet Earth and the Sun.
Should the planet Earth distance from the Sun slightly reduced by 0.1%, we might be burned – otherwise, we might be frozen should the planet Earth distance from the Sun slightly further by 0.1%. We can see that the faith sees and believes as well as understanding that everything is by the hand of God, the creation of God that cannot be seen by our eyes.
Faith can also be evidence that there is a presence of God who created everything. Faith is also the way that we see something, and not everyone can be able to see but we need to see in a certain way – that is spiritual vision as God’s grace. This is very important as Paul said that those who sin will perish, is those whose spiritual vision have been made blind by their sins, therefore, they cannot see the glory of Christ. Their stupid hearts become dark because they did not see.
Those who sin will just say that it is just the way it is. On the contrary, those who have faith will understand and see according to God’s words on what God has unveiled on what we cannot see but now we can see with spiritual vision. To understand everything in presence, we see there’s God’s hand, there’s God’s words and God itself that created everything. We live in the world that not able to see the work done by God’s hand.
Without faith, it is not possible for the people to please God. There are two reasons, firstly as per Hebrews 11: 6b, anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Secondly, anyone who comes to him that he gave wages to those people who earnestly seek him. May we, the children of God, continue to live faithfully and to obey God, Abraham as an example, and to take example from people throughout the history.
