Hebrews 11:1-3 Nor Faith Is the Assurance of Things Hoped For, the Conviction of Things

Today, we are going to look at the life of the patriarch Abraham. We meet him in our reading in Genesis before God changed his name. In our reading, he is still known as Abram. Abram, or Abraham, is one of the biblical stories we all need to be familiar with, because in the New Testament, Abraham is held up again and again as the model of faith. The writer of the book of Hebrews makes it clear that “without faith, it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Using Abram as our guide, we will arrive at some answers to these questions: what is faith, and how do I get it? We have already briefly answered the question as to why it is important, and that is (again, as we read in the book of Hebrews) because without faith it is impossible to please God. In other words, without faith, we are in a bad way with respect to our standing with the One who sustains us in life and before whom we will all one day appear.

The life of Abraham. What a story! A man with weaknesses and shortcomings like all of us, but a man who knew the voice of God and was willing to live his life according to what God made known to him. After the death of Abram’s father, when he was 75 years old, God made it clear to Abram that he was to leave the land he had been living in and go to a land he would be shown. Leave was clear. Where he was going was not clear. But God also promised to make Abram into a great nation – which was really rather remarkable, since Abram’s wife Sarai (later Sarah) was barren. More remarkably, God declared that through Abram would come a blessing to all the families of the earth.

Can you imagine?! “Okay Mr Shepherd fellow. I know you are a bit past your prime, but get out, go! Leave all that you know and start traveling. I’ll let you know once you get where I want you to be. And by the way I have amazing plans for you. I am going to give you descendants so numerous you will be a great nation. I am going to make your name famous. And I am going to bring great good to the peoples of the world through you.” Probably not the kinds of thoughts normally trekking through Abram’s mind, so somehow he knew God was speaking to him. Later, when Abram and company arrive in Canaan and travel to Shechem, we are told that God appeared to Abram there and there God made the promise specific: to you and your offspring, I will give this land. Abram built an altar in that place, rather like planting a flag or a memorial stone. “God promised here. Here I will worship Him.” God is making Himself known to Abram more and more, drawing him into a deeper relationship.

Abram spends the next 8 to 10 years wandering around Canaan and the Negeb, with a stint in Egypt during a famine. Abram has to muster a posse and rescue his nephew Lot who was captured in a war between area kings. We finally come to Abram in today’s reading – ten years older, but still no children. He has grown rich in livestock and servants, but he will perhaps have to leave it all to his workers, for he has no heir to pass his wealth to. And then perhaps in one of those moments when counting sheep (who knows?), God comes to Abram in a vision. “Don’t be afraid Abram. I am your shield (I’ll take the blows for you, I will protect you). Your reward will be tremendous.” To which Abram replies to the effect of “What difference will that make? Whatever you give me I will only have to turn around and leave it to my servant. You haven’t given me any children yet.” God replies in a way that calls Abram back to the original promises. “Not so. Your servant will not be your heir, but rather a son from your own loins will be your heir.” And God takes Abram outside and bids him look up at the starry heavens and says “Count the stars Abram. Just try to count them. Your descendants will be just as numerous.” And Abram believed God.

Isn’t that amazing? After 10 years of wandering around waiting for God to fulfill his promise, God tells this yet older Abram that that “making him a great nation” promise was still going to happen. And Abram believes that God will do what He promised. And we are told (and this is what the apostle Paul picks up on in the NT) that this belief, this trust in God’s promise, this living according to what God has spoken – it is this faith in God that is counted as righteousness by God. Not by anything Abram does or doesn’t do, but by his faith – his trust in God – Abram is justified. God looks at Abram as being in a right relationship with Him (God) because Abram believes God will keep His word.

So here we learn the essence of what faith is: trusting God, believing that He will keep His word and fulfill His promises. And faith lives accordingly. But how do we come to know that God is faithful so that we invest our faith in Him? To answer that, we need the rest of the story. After promising Abram descendants, God renews His promise of land. I am the Lord, Yahweh, who was already working to fulfill my promises to you when your daddy left Ur of the Chaldeans. I am the one who brought you here to give you this land as your possession. Abram injects a question – how can I know that I will possess it? Things get a little strange for us 21st century readers, because God tells Abram to get a cow, a goat and a sheep, a turtledove and a pigeon, to cut the large animals in half and arrange the halves opposite each other and a bird on each side. Abram didn’t ask any questions, so he apparently understood what was going on. We need a little help making sense of this strange instruction.

What is going on, is that Abram is being asked to prepare a covenant ceremony. In those days, this is how kingdoms and peoples would negotiate the terms of their relationship. Usually the stronger king would offer protection to the weaker king or people in exchange for their allegiance, taxes, lack of rebellion, servitude, etc. Of course the greater power set the terms of the covenant – and the weaker party didn’t really have that much choice. But the covenant was sealed with a dramatic blood oath. Much more dramatic than “Cross my heart hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” In these ancient covenant ceremonies, animals would be slaughtered and the pieces arranged to form something of a bloody gauntlet. Often the blood from the carcasses would flow towards the narrow aisle between the pieces. The parties making covenant would then walk between the pieces treading in the blood and promise their allegiance to each other. The idea was along the lines of “May it be done to me as was done to these animals if I ever break covenant with you.” It was an oath of self-malediction. Pronouncing a curse upon oneself for infidelity to the covenant. (a word about our marriage vows – a covenant)

So back to Abram. Don’t you know he had a rough night? He had to be thinking, “What have I gotten myself into now? I just had to ask one more question. And now I have to walk between the pieces and promise to be faithful to God. Sooner or later I will screw up, and then what will become of me? I’m toast! Done for!” The text actually says that a dreadful and great darkness fell upon Abram as he slept. Can’t you feel the angst?

But then the unthinkable happens. Abram doesn’t have to pass between the pieces. God speaks to Abram and tells him that his descendants will be wanderers in a land not theirs. God speaks of the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt before it ever happens. But God assures Abram that He will bring judgment on the nation that oppresses his descendants and He will bring His descendants back to this land with great possessions. Then God ratifies the covenant. God and God only passes between the pieces, but in two figures – a smoking pot and a flaming torch. God is, in effect, representing both parties in covenant. God is representing Himself and Abram, and when He passes between the pieces God promises “To your offspring I give this land.” And He spells out the boundaries of the land. God is pronouncing a curse upon Himself, unthinkable as that is. He is saying that He would rather be torn in pieces than break His promise to Abram. Moreover, because God passes through the pieces in a double manifestation, He is in effect saying to Abram, “Even if you or your descendants break covenant, I will take the curse of that myself. My promise to you is so sure, I will give my life to bring it to pass if that’s what it takes.”

I hope you can possibly see where this is going, but it is worth connecting the dots if not. The history of Abram’s descendants through the centuries was that of one breach of covenant after another. Unfaithfulness Idolatry. Syncretism. If the fullness of God’s promises were to come to pass, it certainly could not hinge on the faithfulness of his people. But fast forward some 2000 years after Abraham to a furnished upper room at Passover. Thirteen men came for the meal, but one has left. One of the remaining twelve takes the bread, gives thanks and breaks it. As he gives it to the others he says, “Take, eat. This is my Body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” After the supper this same one takes the cup of wine and passes it around to the others saying, “This is my Blood of the new covenant which is poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.” And then hours later, Jesus mounts the arms of a Roman cross and has nails driven into his wrists and feet. His blood pours out as another dreadful darkness descends for three long hours. Jesus at last cries out, “It is finished.”

God Himself, the covenant keeper, the One ever Faithful and True, is broken on a cross in Jesus the Christ. Jesus’ death fulfills the blood oath to Abram long before so that God’s promises to His people can come to pass. And this same Jesus, who in his human nature was a descendant of Abraham, is the one in who the blessings of the nations comes. What gives us faith? What moves our hearts to trust God and yield our lives to Him? The cross of Christ. We see there God’s great love for covenant breakers like you and me. We see His faithfulness to His word. We see that His desire to give us His blessings is so great that He will pay any price so that we finally come to that place He has prepared for His people.

Amen.