TESTING TIMES-PART 1
We live in an era of constant evaluations and examinations. These appraisals commence from the time we are little, infants monitored for their growth milestones, the school years revolving around competitive tests and outcomes, regular assessments at work to measure employee productivity, etc. Thus, our earthly life ends up becoming an ongoing saga of seeking to reach the world’s expectations and benchmarks. Well, the secular world is not the only place of testing. These tests happen in the spiritual realm too and very often it is the Lord himself who tests us. The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but the Lord tests the heart (Proverbs 17:3)
So how and why does God test us?
God tests us through the trials that come our way. Just as the tests and appraisals in this world determine our competency, caliber and prove our mettle in a particular field, God also permits these times of tests to assess the strength of our inner character and gauge the true progress we have made in our spiritual journey….so that the genuineness of your faith……. may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:7).
In this article, we will examine certain events in the life of the patriarch Abraham who received mighty promises from God - promises of land, kingdom and descendants. However, these blessings were not randomly bestowed upon him. They came to pass when Abraham responded divinely to the trials that he encountered in his path!! Let us reflect on the praiseworthy traits and responses which pleased God during Abraham’s time of testing.
1) Obedience- Abraham’s story in the Bible begins from his septuagenarian years onward when God commanded him to leave behind his country, relatives, father’s house and relocate to a land that God would show him. God promised to bless Abraham and also make him a blessing to others. Genesis 12:1-4
Abraham promptly obeyed and went out in faith, “even though he did not know where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). He was ready to bear the loss of his ancestral property in the affluent city of Babylon, detach himself from familiar surroundings, sever ties with kinsmen and friends, endure the perils and discomforts of an arduous journey because God wanted him to. Abraham did not question God as to whether the new place of promise was fertile, if the climate of the region, healthy considering his advancing years, if the people were friendly or whether it afforded opportunities to amass wealth. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. (Hebrews 11:9)
Abraham’s act of obedience pleased God who pronounced his first blessing. ‘To your offspring I will give this land. (Genesis 12:7)
Reflection: Like Abraham, are we willing to leave our comfort zones to obey the voice of God? God may be calling us to come out of a corrupt place, a morally wrong relationship, to discontinue a sinful habit or an unethical business practice. Unfortunately, very often we rationalize and justify our behavior without realizing that in reality, our acts of disobedience hurt the Holy Spirit of God whose temple we are. Ephesians 4:30-and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.
2) Humility and generosity- Several years later when Abraham was well-established in the land of Canaan, he underwent another trial; this time, concerning a property dispute. When Abraham left Babylonia, he had taken along with him his nephew, Lot. Both had prospered in their new dwellings in Canaan and were affluent owners of livestock with a multitude of attendants at their service. The land gradually became insufficient to accommodate their ever-increasing flock. Constant clashes would erupt between his herdsmen and those of Lot. Being blood relations, Abraham decided to settle their differences amicably. Not only did he take the initiative to end the ongoing strife, but Abraham also magnanimously offered Lot the option of making the first choice (Genesis 13:5 -12)
As Lot’s paternal uncle, Abraham could have justifiably used his authority and commanded Lot to accept whatever the former had decided. After all, he had cared for him all these years in the absence of Lot’s father and had made him materially independent. Abraham’s profound act of humility and selflessness may not have pleased either his wife Sarah or the servants of his household, as Lot driven by lust opted for the premium fertile land for himself. However, this act surely pleased God who pronounced another blessing.
Genesis 13:14-17: - The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Raise your eyes now, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Rise up, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you."
Reflection: Property disputes, money matters have often caused the breakdown of healthy family relationships and friendships. Most of us, like Lot, hope to grab the best portion in life, the prime seat, the vantage position. And what about our service in God’s kingdom? Is it truly selfless or is it guided by ambition? Do we want to win the world’s finest spot at the cost of losing the rightful place in the eyes of God? Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
3) Courage and bravery- All was not well for Lot though, who eventually realized that opting for the most lucrative land was certainly not an ethically favorable choice. Day after day, Lot and his family witnessed the moral depravity of the men of Sodom. In a battle between the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the kings of the neighboring Mesopotamian lands, Lot was captured along with his family and possessions (Genesis 14:8-12)
Fortunately for Lot, his dear uncle had not forgotten him. Abraham went to rescue Lot with just three hundred and eighteen of his trained men, routed the enemy, and brought back Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people (Genesis 14:14-16). By all means, Abraham could have turned a blind eye to Lot’s situation. After all, Lot deserved what befell him!! Had he not pitched his tent as far as Sodom (Genesis 13:12)? Abraham was not a soldier either; he was merely a herdsman who lacked the military prowess to fight the vast army of the four kings. Moreover, the battle was being fought in a precarious location; in a valley full of tar pits (Genesis 14:10). If not from the arrows or spears of the enemy, there was the risk of falling into those dangerous pits.
Yet, Abraham’s faith in God and his fatherly concern for Lot and his family overlooked all these fears. Not only did he return victorious, but blessings ensued almost instantly.
On his return journey, he received a priestly blessing from Melchizedek.
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (Genesis 14:19)
This was followed by God’s blessing-After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’* And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ But the word of the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’ He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ (Genesis 15:1-5)
Reflection: Abraham was willing to endanger his life for a man who had behaved in such a selfish and ungrateful manner towards him. He was prepared to forgive and forget. In doing so, Abraham showed Christ-like concern for Lot. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9.