Abraham received the fame that the people at Babel were trying to have.
Hebrews 11:8-10 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith--for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
We saw in the previous post that when God said go the people obeyed but the problem is they all went in one direction instead of spreading out and after a short distance they all stopped.
When someone got the idea to build a city with a great tower it seemed like a great idea so they all stayed together. Don't forget that these people are the grandchildren of the people that survived the flood so they should know better, they knew the commands of God and the severe consequences of disobedience but they just didn't care.
God needed a new people that would not be like everyone else, he needed a people that would be an example to the nations, these people would show the rest of the world how to please God and bring him glory.
God chose to start this new group of people with one ordinary man that didn't do anything at all to have God's favor on his life. He probably didn't even believe in God but when God spoke he was convinced to leave his gods behind.
Joshua 24:2 Joshua said to the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods.Abram left Ur when he started his faith journey but he allowed his father to take the lead and when Terah stopped traveling the whole family stopped at Haran. Maybe he was following the traditions of his day and remained with his father, the family patriarch, and allowed him to be in charge but that isn't what God told Abram to do. (Genesis 11:27-32)
Abram didn't continue traveling to where God wanted him until after his father died and even then he still wasn't fully obedient because he still took his nephew. On more than one occasion Lot will be a source of trouble for him later.
The group that stopped at Babel in the previous blog post wanted to make a name for themselves and create their own secure environment by their own efforts but with Abram we see a willingness to believe that the prosperity, security and fame that the people of Babel were seeking would come as a result of being obedient to God's plan.
God forced the group at Babel to spread out but Abram was obedient and completed the journey to the land that was promised to him and his descendants. God was patient and merciful to gently get Abram to the place that he wanted him.
Galatians 3:6-7 In the same way, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.Abram's imperfect journey of faith and obedience should be encouraging to all of us that struggle with the reality of God's promises. Sometimes we start with good intentions and we may look obedient but sometimes we aren't paying attention to the details that go into complete obedience.
Abram reminds me that I need to be willing to let go of my security and my desires which hinder my ability to trust God. He didn't have a pillar of fire or a star to follow but somehow he knew which direction and he stepped out. What an amazing contrast, if Abram needed the level of proof that we require he would have never left the farm.
Abram's willingness to live in tents and build altars is a great example for my life as I look forward to my eternal home.
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