Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him. Romans 4:23
When my wife was tending to several small children in our house, she frequently had to admonish one of them for saying or doing something inappropriate. It almost always happened that, as soon as the words of correction were out of her mouth, one of the other children would say or do the exact same inappropriate thing. ‘Matthew,’ she would say, ‘if I told Ben not to say that, I meant for all of you not to say that’. For some reason, the children never seemed to get the message. They were like the most of humanity when it comes to learning lessons from the characters in the Bible.
Why does the Bible so carefully record the actions and activities of people who lived in Old Testament times? Romans 15:4 answers that question for us: ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope’. Our text today tells us the same thing. Paul has been explaining how Abraham obtained righteousness from God, by simply believing what God said, proving by his actions that he did believe. Those who came after Abraham had an example to follow. His own sons took different approaches to Abraham’s experience. Ishmael took the path of rebellion, but Isaac followed his father’s footsteps. In Isaac’s sons, we see the same divergent paths: one despised the birthright, the other cherished it so deeply that he would do anything to obtain it. Down through the Old Testament, the same pattern was repeated over and over again. When the Lord Jesus arrived in person, the nation of Israel failed to acknowledge Him and believe, and were temporarily set aside. But some of the Jews and the Gentiles did believe, and we are living in the age of grace with the Gospel message giving all the same opportunity. In the verse that follows our text, we read the lovely words of assurance: ‘for us also’.
What is true of the belief that brings justification is true of the belief that brings victory in our Christian experience. Abraham’s life proves that. Not only did God justify Him, but He also blessed him as he obeyed God’s commands and direction. And God has not changed. He still takes delight in blessing those who obey His Word. Abraham had to rely on God appearing at different times to give him instructions. But you and I have God’s Word with us every day and every hour, always providing us with guidance, direction, and encouragement. As we obey it, as we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives, we experience God’s presence and the joy of doing His will. God is unlikely to make us as rich in material things as He made Abraham, but He will make us rich in spiritual blessings.
Note carefully what God told Abraham and what Abraham did about it. Then, note carefully what God has to tell you, and decide what you are going to do about it. -Jim MacIntosh