Biography in the Bible

GOLDEN TEXT: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”—Proverbs 3:6

THE Bible furnishes a limited biography of many faithful servants of God, particularly those details of their lives which have a direct relationship to the divine purposes. Among these are Noah, Moses, David, Elijah, Paul, and Jesus, who, of course, is most important of all. And the sentiment of our Golden Text was true of the experiences of each of these. The best example of this is in the life of Jesus, for he verily did acknowledge God in all his ways, and the Heavenly Father just as fully directed all his paths.

GENESIS 11:31–12:5—The servant of God whose life is brought before us in this lesson is Abram, whose name was changed to Abraham. He is recognized in the Scriptures as the father of the faithful, and his life of faith is indeed a wonderful inspiration to all who are seeking to know and to do God’s will. Abraham, like the other faithful servants mentioned in the Bible, found by experience that when he acknowledged God and looked to him for guidance he received the much needed wisdom by which he was directed in the way in which he should go.

God’s dealings with Abraham illustrate the life of the Christian in many ways. First God called him to leave his own country and his father’s house and to start out for an unknown destination—“not knowing whither he went.” (Heb. 11:8) So it is in some respects with us. We are not only called to separate ourselves from the world, but are also invited to leave our own people and our “father’s house.” (Psalm 45:10) Our “own people” referred to by the Psalmist are evidently our immediate families—our closest ties according to the flesh. We are not to “leave” these in the sense of ceasing to love them, nor of failing to recognize our responsibilities toward them, but rather from the standpoint that from the time of our consecration, God must come first in our lives—our families second.

Our “father’s house” is apparently father Adam’s house, that is, his earthly domain. This has been redeemed by the blood of Christ and will be restored to Adam and his race during the “times of restitution of all things.” But if we, as followers of the Master, consecrate our all to do his will and he accepts. our consecration, it means that we give up our share in the restored earthly dominion, in our “father’s house,” for in starting out in the narrow way we, like Abraham, are beginning a journey which, if we continue faithful to its end, will lead to a new country—in our case, a heavenly inheritance.

God made a wonderful promise to Abraham; indeed, there were two promises. One was concerning the land—that he would give him the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. The other promise was concerning a “seed,” a “seed” that would be the channel of blessing for all the families of the earth. Associated with these promises was the call to leave his own country: “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.”

Abram accepted this invitation and started on the long journey to the promised land. His father and other members of his family accompanied him. This was not wholly in keeping with God’s purpose, and therefore the confirmation of this covenant was not given to Abram until the death of his father in Haran, subsequent to which he entered the land and thus complied with the one condition which was attached to the promise.

GENESIS 17:1-8—This account tells us of the change of Abram’s name to that of Abraham with the explanation that he was to be the father of many nations, or of a “multitude of nations,” as the marginal translation states. The erroneous claim is made by some that this promise is fulfilled through the British commonwealth of nations; but this is an absurd view which has no genuine scriptural support.

Attention is called by the Apostle Paul to the real fulfillment of this promise. In Romans 4:17 he cites it and explains that it is fulfilled during this Gospel age through the development of the faith seed of Abraham, that is, those who by faith in Christ and consecration to do God’s will, become members of the spiritual seed of Abraham. These are called from among all races and nations of earth. They are called to be kings, and if they make their calling and election sure, will reign with Christ a thousand years.

In Galatians 3:27-29, the apostle enlarges upon this thought somewhat, explaining that as many as have been “baptized into Christ have put on Christ” and that those who are thus Christ’s are “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according: to the promise.” This is Paul’s inspired explanation of what God meant when he made that wonderful promise to Abraham concerning his “seed,” and that he would be the father of many nations, and that kings would come out from him. The promise of the land still belongs to the natural descendants of Abraham.

QUESTIONS:

To what special trait of Abraham’s character does the Bible call our attention?

Were there any conditions attached to God’s promises to Abraham when they were first made to him?

Who is the faith seed of Abraham?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |