Lesson for the Lord’s Day
And to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Galatians 3:16
We were having breakfast in at the hotel in Bangor where we were staying, and about a dozen other guests were having breakfast at the same time. As we usually do, we became engaged in conversation with those around us, including some folks from Massachusetts. One older lady asked us if we were from Maine, to which we replied that we were from New Brunswick. A younger woman seated nearby with her husband, turned and said, ‘We’re from New Brunswick, too’. And she told us she lived in the town of Woodstock. My wife admitted to having relatives in Woodstock, and named her uncle who lives there. Said the other woman, ‘He’s my uncle, too!’. It turned out that she and my wife are first cousins, even though they had never met each other before. Isn’t it fascinating when you find somebody unexpectedly to whom you are related? Guess what, you’re directly related to Abraham! Yes, the patriarch!
How are you related to Abraham? He’s your great-grandfather, many times over. Spiritually, you are a direct descendant of his. More directly, you are in the family of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, as a man, was a direct descendant of Abraham. The great patriarch was known as a friend of God. To him, as our text reminds us, were given the great promises, including the promise of the coming of the Messiah. Abraham was greatly blessed in many ways in his lifetime. But it is through his progeny that we find the blessings dispersed to not only the faithful of Israel, but also to the believing Gentile.
As the spiritual descendants of Abraham, we ought also to appreciate the great promises. Those promises were made to Abraham and to his seed, so they were made to you and me. In Hebrews, we read that Abraham was looking for a city with foundations whose builder and maker is God. As he searched for such a city, Abraham dwelt in tents, as did several generations that followed him. He was satisfied with being in temporary quarters until the promises were delivered. I am not saying that you and I should sell our homes, depart our dwellings, and take up residence in tents. But we could all do a great deal more to distance ourselves from this perishing world and identify ourselves with the Promised Land.
What promises of God are you appreciating today? How special is it that you are headed for that great family reunion in Heaven, when you will align yourself with Grandpa Abraham, to delight in the fulfillment of those great promises. -Jim MacIntosh