Christians@Work: Episode 4
- Sanfo Agyo
- Feb 6
- 4 min read
What lessons do we learn from the life of Abraham?
The building blocks of a great man
In episode 1 of the series Christians at Work, we stated that Christians need to be instruments for breaking strongholds.
Episode 2 was about God using Christians to build formidable foundations.
In episode 3, we discussed that Christians must be custodians of the visions of God.
Very few people in the bible embody the three key attributes we have explored, like Abraham. First, God took him out of His father's house (Gen. 12:1) - breaking every family stronghold. Then God gave him certain instructions and changed his name (Gen. 17:1, 10-14; 22:2-3), thereby building a new life founded on God. Finally, God gave him a clear vision of the captivity of his descendants in Egypt and their deliverance. He was a complete package.
New Frontiers with Abraham: Laws and Structure
But what made Abraham truly great was beyond the blessings on the surface. On the outside, Abraham had become an institution! He became a great man of wealth and influence, had an audience with Kings (Gen 14:17) and single-handedly went to battle against three nations (Gen. 14:14-16). Wow!!! Truly, Abraham was blessed.
Nevertheless, a life established on God's laws and structures was at the foundation of all these successes and blessings. Before the law even showed up, God began to give laws to Abraham and built a structure around his life by giving him five key instructions/laws.
Law 1: Leave your comfort zone (Father's House). Gen. 12:1.
Law 2: Abide where God chooses (Don't go to Egypt). Gen. 12:1-2; 13:1,3-4.
Law 3: Walk with me and be blameless. Gen. 17:1.
Law 4: Go through pain for me (Circumcision). Gen. 17:10-26.
Law 5: Sacrifice your greatest asset (Son). Gen. 22:1-2.
The Obedience of Abraham
The sacrifice of obeying these laws shows that Abraham was committed to following God wholeheartedly, which led to various blessings.
Law 1 obeyed: God blessed him because he sacrificed living with his extended family to follow God's instruction of ".....Get thee out of thy country, ....and from thy father's house..." (Gen. 12:1).
Law 2 obeyed: Though Abraham goofed a little on the instruction - not getting the specifics right by going to Egypt, he retraced his steps afterwards (Gen 13:1), allowing God to finally show him the land He had promised (Gen. 13:14-17). Law 2 met!
Law 3 obeyed: God blessed Abraham because he became an upright man; his faith in God was counted for righteousness (Gen. 15:6); his dealings with Hagar can be rated as being fair (Gen. 16); he refused gifts on account of integrity (Gen. 14:22-24) thus fulfilling Law 3.
Law 4 obeyed: At 99 years old, Abraham endured the pain of circumcision to obey God. In fact, he obeyed God the same day God gave the instruction (Gen 17:23). God also blessed him by changing his name on the same day.
Law 5 obeyed: Abraham had already sacrificed Isaac in his heart - and by this obedience, God swore a blessing (Gen. 22:16-18), thus fulfilling the promise of Gen 12:1.
Abraham was not an overnight success; He succeeded by obeying God's laws
Therefore, Abraham was not an overnight success. He was a man who followed laws and structures. The five laws were relevant to Abraham but also relevant to Abraham's descendants and invariably relevant to Christians today. See how we can apply these laws to our lives.
Relating Abraham's obedience to Jesus
Law 1: Jesus-in-view: Jesus gave us a similar instruction, "...to forsake all, including family, for His sake..."(Matthew 19:29).
Law 2: Jesus-in-view: Jesus was particular about locations; no wonder he said, "... And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."John 14:1-3. He asks us all to follow him (Mtt. 16:24) like he told the disciples.
Law 3: Jesus-in-view: Jesus gave us similar instructions on being blameless. He said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in Heaven is perfect" (Mtt. 5:48).
Law 4: Jesus-in-view: Jesus instructs us to deny ourselves, forget ourselves, and give up personal dreams for a greater dream in Christ (Matthew 16:24-26), and as we follow him, he fulfils all our dreams.
Law 5: Jesus in view: Jesus, like Isaac, willingly sacrificed Himself for the salvation of the world, and he expects us to sacrifice willingly, taking up our cross and following him (Luke 9:23).
Christians must be custodians of laws and legislation that give structure. Just like Abraham's life brought structure and set the standard for Jewish behaviours and customs, Christians must embody God's laws and decorum. We must be law-bearers like Abraham, and only then can we be effective Christians at work.
Christians must be custodians of laws and legislation that give structure
Christians should be law-keepers and lawgivers. They must be men and women of decorum and moderation. God's desire for Israel as stated in Deut. 28:1 about obedience to His laws and instruction will never fade to the wind,
"Now it shall be, if you diligently listen to and obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all of His commandments which I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth."
Shalom!
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