Life from the Dead – Men of Great Faith – Part 2


Men who changed history

Nine generations from our father Noah, a person arises, something happens in the life of one of Shem's great great great great great grandchildren. 

Just before I, Shem, must be placed in the grave by the bones of my fathers. My great great great great great great great grandson hears once again the prompting of the same Voice my father heard before the Great devastation. The same Voice that guided my dad to build the floating shelter.

Yes, indeed, a descendant of Shem emerges as the mantle is passed to a new patriarch of faith. A man willing to die to the Babylonian way. He will move to where ever, from the place of self-reliance and worship of the sun, moon, and stars to obey the Supreme Voice of heaven... the Voice of the True Creator. 

Shem's seed has settled north of the setting of first encounter with the new world. Abram is his name. He is perfect in his generation as our family was in our time of world dominated by evil.

Somewhere in the land of Mesopotamia, Abram is summoned by the sound of the Voice, this man and his wife are led to challenge their family to worship the True Creator. Sarah is chosen to walk with Abram all the way to the new world. 

In their pursuit of the leading of His Voice, they are forced to go places that make little sense to their Babylonian instincts, but irresistibly, they are drawn to walk where they are led, to go in spite of their fears, as we experienced in our days of difficulty, they must endure the ardent disapproval of their friends and family. 

Abram had been saved by his father supernaturally from extinction. Nimrod was so wroth when he learned that Abram was of a pure lineage that he sought his life all his days in Mesopotamia.

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Haran fathered a child of a different order. A handmaiden of the King of heaven, Sarah by name, this beauty was to be the love of his life. Her offspring would not bow to gods of Shinar. The stars would not allure him into dreadful demonic practices. He was pure in his generation, like our family... he stood alone. 

 

After his father dies, he turns away from Haran to leave his countrymen's idolatrous ways, with nothing left to lose, this man, Abram, with his bride, leaves a familiar homeland to follow the leading of the Voice to a land unfulfilled promises. Promises that came from a former time, from before the Devastation.  

A land inhabited with Cain's Seed.

He is clearly led to a place that the Voice of heaven has emphatically and confidently assured that his children will one day call their own. What bounty lies here in this new place, our neighbors seem to respect us, and his knowledge of how to survive in the desert seems of great benefit to the inhabitants of the land. As he walks, digs wells, make trades, and continues to hope for the fulfillment of His promise, his beautiful wife remains barren year after year. 

For 25 years they wander, from dwelling to dwelling. Wellspring to wellspring. Yet no emphatic answer to their prayers so they must “wait” just a little longer. Their love for each other intensifies, their love for the Creator becomes more real and deep. Even Settled

In the waiting time Abram visibly blessed by the Creator with safe keeping, water and food, many servants, and favor from his inquisitive neighbors. Sadly, a snare is caused by the petulant nephew, his brother's son, Lot, who begged and begged to be a part of his faith endeavor. He was one of those adventure hungry fellows just looking for action.

We dwell in southern part of the land of Promises. One year famine set heavy on his dwelling. The struggle to stay alive in the land leads us to make a bold move. We travel the southern plains through the mountain gorges to a very godless empire, our only refuge in this season of famine.  

This empire is set near a great river, they always have adequate supplies of food and water, and we enter their capital city. Fearfully I devise a way to survive here... until the rains come to our home land.

Our hero tells his beautiful wife to lie about her relation to him, held from the truth by the fear of death. The king of the empire, very much a godlike figure in his nation, desires to have this beautiful Babylonian woman, yes, and the very wife of the man of faith. 

If not for a nightmare from the Creator, the king would have been killed along with his entire seed. By an angelic warning this king discovers that this traveler sojourner is protected by very powerful angels. To avert a Divine judgment, the king gives the beautiful woman back to the man of faith, he and his family are saved from the ravages a horrible plague. Something in our hearts reveals that this empire plays a key role in the future of my children... those children we have yet to see with our human eyes.

The king releases this man with his wife to go back to his dwelling, but first, he gives him all the gifts he can carry, just to gain the favor of this man's God.

As fresh showers of real water begin to fall on the land of promises, our man of faith, the follower of the Voice, encounters yet again Divine touch and receives angelically the same encouragement his fathers received in the world that was before. 

This time, new words of favor from His now more familiar Heavenly friend warm his lonely heart. These words penetrate his heart so deeply that he swears an oath to the Creator to walk in these precious words.

Now back they are back in the land of promises, infighting ensues with Lot's (Abram's nephew) servants and Abram's servants.

Lot decides to follow a tempting path that will threaten the life of his precious family.

The great enemy of our family has reeked much trouble through the ancient temptations of the days of our forefathers who are able to capture of his nephew's imagination. Lot would choose the visibly better looking land and the natural setting close to the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.

A more visibly appealing land, more water, food, and better business opportunities await Lot there. All the pleasures walled cities provide their people.

Lot chooses a path that connected him with the trappings we all left behind in Mesopotamia many years ago. But the man of faith lets his soulish and selfish nephew go to the best and prettiest of places to fulfill his carnal dreams. With much sorrow he release his precious son to go a city and region that will captivate all his heart’s desire. As he leaves, I say, “If you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask me for it!”

This request would soon be put to use, as more local adversity arises, the man of faith hears a very discouraging report, he is asked to rescue his wayward nephew. Lot is in grave danger captured by 5 mighty kings. 

The man of faith secures his army and secures a great victory, which brings to our hero another epic encounter with the Creator. Even a privileged visit from the mysterious king of Salem – Melchizedek.  

The man of faith gives this exalted king the first-fruits of his spoils.  The king of Salem blesses him and reminds him of Divine favor soon to come. The man of faith wonders to himself, “would this mean a son for Sarah and I?”

A heavenly promise of eternal blessing is established and confirmed by blood between the Creator and the man of faith. The Creator puts our hero into a very deep sleep. A vision of dark things to come accompany a very sacred and holy covenant between the man of faith and the Creator. The man of faith is saved by his faith in the promise of the Creator... becomes the patriarch of future sojourners and pilgrims. A new seed of humans prepared for Glory.

While the man of faith was put to sleep by the Creator, very timely and specific words are uttered from the mouth of the Angel of God that reveal a real and large territory is to be granted by the blood of a Redeemer to be bequeathed to Him and His Seed. 

The stars of the sky and the sands of the sea create the boundary of his future dwelling place. He believes and it is accounted as righteousness. 

The faith struggle continues, that which was predetermined for his children's children to endure, must be endured, but beyond that time a miraculous release is promised to a multitude of the physical descendants of the man of faith. A man who has yet to realize the physical reality of a son from his loins.

His lonely wife ponders quietly to herself that her once very Babylonian husband is maybe a little crazy and maybe the Creator words are not being heard correctly. She starts to listen to another voice. 

More time continues to pass.  Her womb still rejects his seed. Rationale reasons emerge in the mind of the man of faith and his very broken, tired, and childless wife. Maybe the Creator was saying that another woman connected to our family was to bear the son of promise.  

They agree to a plan to help God fulfill promise to them. There old and tired bodies have passed the time of child-bearing and they assume God has forgotten their situation. Realizing their destiny must come, they encourage themselves to perform a very short-sighted plan.  They pray over the idea and sanction it by doing what Sarah had suggested for her husband to do. Sleep with her mistress to bear the promised seed. They even ask the Creator to bless the plan. 

The man of faith spends a night with Sarah's mistress, it yields, of course, a beautiful man-child. Ishmael is his name. Hagar is his mother. Abraham is his father. Something is not right here, what's missing?

This beautiful baby boy is loved by his dad, but his surrogate mom, Sarah is less than enthusiastic. 

The man of faith cries out for Ishmael, he obeys the covenant of the Creator and circumcises himself, Ishmael, and all his servants... a covenant is established. The man of faith is 99 years old. Sarah is 90 years old.

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Ten years after the execution of their short-sighted plan, the man and his wife receive a personal visitation from a delegation of angelic hosts.  Three angelic messengers meet this man of faith by the oaks of Mamre. During the heat of the day. Abram sees them and calls his wife to prepare a feast. He knows who he is serving, a personal encounter with the Voice he has followed all these years.

Sarah would love at the incredible word of encouragement Abram was to receive from their visit.

Just when all hope was lost, when bearing a legitimate heir from his own body is absolutely impossible, the Lord of heaven and earth comes to bring me personally good news. One year from their visit an amazing son with be born.   

Before they leave sad news is shared of destruction to the city in which his nephew dwells. Fire from the sky would consume the four cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Zoar, and Zebohim. Abram wrestles with His Creator for these cities, providing his seed with an example of how to deal with the wicked. The Creator takes no delight in the death of the wicked people.

The Lord pours His Fire on the cities of Lot. Only he and his daughters are rescued. In desperation, Lot's daughters force their father to grant them a seed, progeny, after the horrors of enduring this heavenly judgment. Their sons would new nations and territories that would come back to haunt the descendants of the man of faith. Amon and Moab were formed by this unholy union of father and daughter.  

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Yes, finally, a real baby boy will be born to his post-menopausal wife, yes, and his still very beautiful wife. The name Isaac is chosen by the Lord of heaven to remind Sarah of her hidden chuckle.

The supernatural baby is born one year later. He meets and exceeds all expectations of his aged parents.  

He grows up to be a strapping young lad with keen insight into all of nature and genealogies of men. Inquisitive. Soft. Faith-filled. Their son is supernatural is every way.  

Sarah's jealous heart drives to push her maidservant’s child, Ishmael, away. Hagar is not loved, Ishmael is born into a divided, broken, and dysfunctional home. Sarah and Hagar compete for Abram's affection. The painful divide only intensifies in the passage of time, the conflict between Sarah and Hagar harden.  

She hastens to boot Hagar to the curb of their dwelling. Abram mourns, the child's mother and Ishmael leave their dwelling. 

This moment in time would change the entire course of human history. 

As Hagar finds herself alone and abandoned, an Angel of the Lord meets her in the wilderness. She is desperate for help. She cries out to heaven and the Angel of the Lord comes by her and nourishes her. The Angel promises to bless the child's seed. The word of promise is that he will be a mighty hunter. 

But we know that his seed will hate the seed of Sarah. O Lord, please bring Ishmael and his mom back to Sarah!

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About 16 years after Isaac's birth, the courageous young lad and his loving father are summoned by the Creator to go to a familiar mountain, three days journey from their dwelling. Their only instructions are to “sacrifice” a thank offering to the Creator.

Their thankful hearts willingly obey the edict of their Creator. So they journey from their dwelling to offer up a “thank you” for all the heavenly blessings they have received from the Creator... so much to thank the Lord of heaven and earth. So much.   

Their physical and spiritual abundance is so obvious.  The “thank you” they are to offer must include a very precious offering. It must include the best they have.

The Lord shares with Abraham His desire, their walk gains sobriety. Something very painful is in the heart of the man of faith. He doesn't share all the details that he knows of their journey. We feel for the man of faith because Isaac is amazing, he is what the Lord promised, he waited 25 years for Isaac. Now he has been asked to sacrifice his supernatural son.

The father and his son are carrying the wood and supplies in dwindling alacrity.

The young lad, Isaac, finally breaks down and asks the ultimate question, Isaac says to Abram, “we have gathered the all wood we need, but where, my loving father, is the lamb to offer unto the Creator?” 

Abram's heavy heart shares, in trembling voice that his beloved, his only begotten son, is to be the sacrifice. 

The mountain they came to has such a history. Divine encounters have been experienced in this place. Awe and wonder have shocked this soil. Only the best he could offer would be provided to the Lord at this holy place. 

As doubt creeps into his tired mind. This experienced man of faith reminds his precious son of all the blessing and supernatural deliverance's that the Creator has brought over the course of his entire life. How the Creator had prepared for him and his seed, from long ago, to walk in paths of blessings, even in a strange land, to preform great signs for the generations to come. 

His call was to live as a wandering sojourner. His son would carry on the legacy of His pioneering father.

The man of faith would live a wandering and seemingly pointless circuitous life, at times a silly exercise, the Creator designed specifically provided a haven for him, a haven to save him from certain death and devastation. All this had a Divine point, to make the father of our faith righteous in every way.

In all my wanderings, the man of faith said to his confused and attentive son, he had learned to trust the Creator, through his time walking with His Creator, he became a friend of the One who now is saying, “offer your only begotten son to me”.

He remembers back to his earlier years, he harkens to a time when he heard over and over the carnal lies that convinced his family and fellow countrymen that “life” was about the acquiring of stuff, the enjoyment of merriment and pleasure, and the worship of provocative alluring powers in the host of heaven.

Their worship was marked with untold evils, Abram told his beautiful son that he ran from these things because the Creator and Law giver had warned him that judgment was looming over the world.

The lessons that he learned before the face of his Creator made a deep impact on his heart. Now as a loving father of a supernaturally born son, they could not be ignored.  He has learned the way of sacred trust and heart resignation to the Creator's sovereign will.  

He had listened to the words inscribed on caves all over the land of promises. His forefathers told of a time of great devastation. Every time the man of faith saw a rainbow, he was reminded that his Maker, Lord of heaven and earth, loves him and loves to show mercy to the sons of men.  

In this moment of intense anguish, clarity comes to his feeble mind. less and less confusion leads him to the sense that no matter what --- His Maker and Redeemer will show up. 

He can't leave him now. Not with this incredible task in front of him. If he were to kill his only begotten Son, the Creator would raise him up again. Years of walking before the face of His God has taught that much.

As the man of faith binds His very costly sacrificial offering to the wood, he imagines and believes that the Creator will speak from heaven. He can't be asking him to really kill his precious son? There must be something up His holy sleeve.  

He reminds himself of his original call. The Creator's words were, and are, so very clear. He said that He would make me the father of nations.  My empire will not be destroyed by any nation, no matter how powerful.  

He told me in no uncertain terms, “I will make your name great.”  That, “As the stars of heaven are too numerous to number as to the grains of sand on the beaches of the great sea are too many to count, so will your descendants be.”  

Recalling these words is his only comfort in this sad hour. 

Torrents of negative thoughts spin around inside his heart and mind. The sickening feeling in his belly makes him want to belch forth the bile of his displeasure to perform so painful an act. For us, this is the hour of holy worship. We watch with awe-struck amazement at this grave act of unique obedience.

Still he wonders, can I trust the Creator? 

Why would my Maker give me so many words of encouragement only to have it end here? 

The Creator owns all of what I see. He also owns the heavenly fire He sent to destroy a rebellious region that I struggled to save. A region and city within the realm of his promised territory, the fire He sent was so very terrible. The fire was so pure.

Yet the Creator of heaven and earth is my friend.  He would not destroy this incredible gift He gave me after such a long wait to receive it? 

What about his mother, my faithful wife?  What will she do now?  The Creator must have a plan.  He can raise the love of my life from this hour of death... I just know it!

The man of faith continues to gather the rest of wood needed to sacrifice what he has been commanded by the Creator to offer. Complete with stones. A pile of wood. And the Supernatural Boy.  

 

As they work together to build the altar, the boy then asks again, “where, my father, is the sacrifice?”  

 

The father simply says, “God will provide a sacrifice.”  

The work of building and completing the altar continues as the atmosphere of the camp site continues to sadden, the time seems to be dragging on, I must perform the unthinkable, must I kill my beloved son?  

Finally, the obedient lad lays down willingly on the wood he and his father prepared for the sacrifice. As his compassionate father ties the ropes around his strong legs and arms.  Tears are dropping from his father's cheekbones onto his son's chest. As he continues to weep, the boy face glistens in face of the setting sun.  

The mountain air is surreal. It seems like many “other” eyes upon this man and his supernaturally born son. The smell of death fills the air. The atmosphere is thick with the sense that history is about to made. 

The man wonders what will happen will we wrestle with the implications of this sacred hour. Nations will speak to their children about this hour. They will contend over the meaning of this moment for centuries to come. 

Other members of the man of faith seed clearly misunderstand the mandate that summoned him to execute this horrid task. Even today his descendants still diminish the significant of the eternal symbolism intended for us to gain from this historical moment.

As he lifts his the knife he has just sharpened, to insure that the plunging of it into the breast of his son will do its work quickly. The man of faith locates the place where death will come the quickest. He raises his hand...

As his hands swing upward and begin their descent downward, a strong Angelic Voice utters his name, Abram, the Angelic Voice cries out his name and speaks with urgency and in much friendliness. 

“I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” 

A word of approbation is spoken over the man of faith. Promises are pouring out of the mouth of God, in ways that will blow his mind.

The Angel of the Lord that promised him he would receive a son, now asks Abram to lift his eyes and see what has been caught in the thicket nearby.  

The man of faith realizes the familiarity of the voice and says back to the Angel of the Lord, “Here I am!” Confirming words of comfort fill the man's ears, joy spreads like a fire through his throbbing chest.  He sees a large white ram up ahead caught in the thicket.

He notices right away that the ram's massive horns were his downfall. The ram came to gaze upon his painful struggle. What drew the menacing ram to this painful scene became its demise.  

The chosen ram had, in foolish haste, snagged its broad and battle-hardened horns to a cluster of thorn bushes. Could it be? That the ram's foolish behavior is a picture of my salvation. The ram's blood poured out on my altar of obedience is to be my refuge, my salvation.  Certainly, “The Lord will provide” 

My son will live! This ill-trodden beast of creation must die in his place. Better the beast then My Son. Better His foolishness then my Son of Promise. But really is this the end? What sacrifice will meet the requirement of the Creator?

The Man of Faith has found “Life from the Dead”.

A covenant was to be made with the man of faith. This time, the Lord says Abram's seed will multiply across the earth. That his seed will possess all his enemies in the gate. 

This moment marks the end of all things, a future hour. All men and women from the realm of the human, must take note of this hour. This human story of a man struggling to obey an invisible God's voice will either be your salvation or your judgment. 

Final Thoughts for contemplation

Abraham, by experiencing something that he had yet to see made him the father of our faith.

Read this Account in detail from Gen. 22. 

For you and I this is only the beginning of the story.  The rest of the story must be told in our personal lives and in the lives of all men who have stepped into this history. 

God's only begotten Son will come one day, 2000 years later to redeem by being the Lamb of God, “The Lord will provide” This for all those who believe in the Creator and His Words of salvation from heaven, just like Abraham. We must, like our faith father, do our walk, we must offer our sacrifice, to do as the Creator reveals to us. Anything less will be of no value to our world.

The man and his son stood together, next to the altar, they found life together. They were refreshed in the presence of the Living God. They are the firstfruits of the reality of the resurrection, life from the dead. How about you? Will you walk in this way of faith?  

As Abraham and his son made their way down the mountain, they spoke of glorious things, what a mighty deliverance they had just experienced from the hand of their Creator. This story must be told again and again. What is your story?  

Our God and Abraham's God are so determined to turn our darkest hours into times of glorious light, times of mighty deliverance. We must fully trust Our Creator. He desires us to walk as our father – Abraham.  

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I have reflected with you all in a way to help you understand the more of the depths of the Love of God for sinners. The high level of mercy He has shown to all those will take Him as His word.

I reflect with much caution on a very holy and sacred moment in human history. The events that led up to this historical moment connect with the moment itself. The events that follow. The coronation of Moses and Aaron. The installment of David as King in Jerusalem. The advent of Messiah. The mighty works of Messiah. The death and resurrection of Messiah. And the culminating testimony of the early church to spread the story of how Jesus - Yahshua is the fulfillment of Abraham's promise.

 

God has provided a Lamb. His Name is Jesus. 

A dead womb would represent the place of God's coming to us. A place where the Son of God came from heaven. The Lamb of God would inhabit a virgin's womb to show forth the reality of the miracle that Abraham and Isaac could only imagine would one day appear.  

The history of man that which I have just recounted, has really occurred. It occurred on the same dust we now fight over in the Middle East. The holy city still bears a conflict yet to be resolved. This history connects to what happened in our world about four thousand years ago. 

While these two men stood by that altar with the certain hope that one day the Creator they heard speak from heaven would eventually provide the Sacrificial Lamb that would save them and any who would call upon His Name.

Today a much clearer Word of salvation stands before you. Jesus was in Sarah's womb by means of the faith of one man, Abraham.

Jesus, Our Messiah, has in far better fashion, shown us that the blood of the ram could never satisfy Our Creator. There must have been and there has always been a real Lamb and real Sacrifice to take away the sins of the world. A world cursed by disobedience.

 

We must never forget their very real human faith struggle. In so doing, we can find the solace needed to gain confidence in our hour of trial. That we, receive the same inheritance Abraham sought and received with much persevering diligence.  

 

In Heb. 11:11-12 we read, “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.  Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude – innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.”

One day an innumerable mass of people will all receive the promise of Abraham in the city of Glory. They receive walking the same cross-laden path of humiliation, as they, like Abraham stare heavenward to seek a city whose builder and maker is God.

 

We too must walk by faith. We must experience the similar trials as our father Abraham endured. He and his descendants have received their promises.  

 

Press on my dear friend, soon we will be with blessed Abraham and his precious Isaac, enjoying the eternal luxury of living in a perfect world wherein only dwells righteousness and peace.

Shalom,

Jonathan

 

PS – Watch video on the modern day realities of walking in the Abrahamic Way