One of the things that I have learned from the story of Abraham is that God is a God of chances. Abraham showed a lack of faith on several occasions, but when he came back, God always forgave him and blessed him.
In Chapter 12, God tells Abram, “leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s family and go to the land I will show you.”It seemed as if Abram would do as God instructed, but he didn’t. He “went down to Egypt to live because there was so little food.”He then sold his wife to the king for “sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.”The Lord was looking out for him though and sent disease on the king and his people to allow Abram to escape.
God then proceeded to promise Abram that his descendants would be too many to count.
“Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God.”
Again, Abram lost his faith and proceeded to have sex with his wife’s servant to have the first of the descendants that God promised him. Did he not believe that God would provide?
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,‘and it will move. All things will be possible for you.”
Abrams faith must have been the size of a mustard seed, because he was saved through it and God was true to His word and blessed Abram as Abraham. Through God’s belief in him, Abram became the man of faith God claimed him to be.
References:
Genesis 12:10
Genesis 12:16
Genesis 15:6
Matthew 17:20
New Century Version (NCV)
The Holy Bible, New Century Version ®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.