Strength For The Journey

[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 2 Corinthians 5:7 Philippians 4:13 Philippians 2:13 Galatians 1:11-17 Genesis 22:3

The Response of Faith

Genesis 22:3; Galatians 1: 11-17

Even though Abraham could not understand why God would command him to offer his son, he was not slow in responding.

Genesis 22:3 says, "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him."

In Abraham's response there was no reluctance, no hesitation, no doubt, no staggering, no unbelief. Abraham did not delay. He did not endeavor to reason things out or spend time consulting with other people about the matter.

So also, when the Apostle Paul was called to preach the Gospel, he said, "Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood" (Gal. 1:16). This is important. There are occasions when no time should be taken to counsel with men.

God found ready faith in Abraham. Faith triumphed over natural affections, over reason, over self-will. God's grace found a ready outlet through which it could manifest itself.

Might our faith be as Abraham's faith. As we yield our lives to the Lord, He will work in us "both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Then we will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (4:13).

"For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Genesis 22:4-5 Hebrews 11:17-19 Job 13:15

Trusting in Spite of Circumstances

Genesis 22:4-5; Hebrews 11:17-19

Genesis 22:4-5 says, "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you."

In these verses there are three things in particular that reveal the tremendous faith of Abraham.

First, he told the young men who were with him, "Abide ye here." Once Abraham saw the mountain that God was going to send him to, he wanted to be sure that nothing or no one would hinder what he had undertaken.

Second, Abraham told the young men, "I and the lad will go yonder and worship." Thus Abraham gave up all of his desires and ascribed everything to God. It was a true act of worship when Abraham was willing to give up everything for God.

Third, Abraham told the young men, "I and the lad will. . . come again to you." His faith was in the God of the resurrection. He believed that God would bring his son back to life.

Can we trust God when we are totally unable to see how He is going to work out His will? Abraham demonstrated that he could.

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" (Job 13:15).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Genesis 22:7-9 Hebrews 10:7 1 John 2:2 Colossians 2:6-7 Romans 6:13

A Submissive Faith

Genesis 22:7-9; Colossians 2:6-7

Isaac probably knew that he was the sacrifice. He could have resisted because he was no longer a child; he was probably between 17 and 25 years of age. Physically, all the advantages were his. His father was old; he was young.

Here the Word of God introduces us to the submissive trait that seems to have been the strong factor in Isaac's life. He was characterized more by submissiveness than by aggressiveness.

Abraham was the one with an aggressive faith, but Isaac had a submissive faith--willing to be what God wanted him to be. Even when he was offered as a sacrifice, Isaac submitted himself to his father because God had so willed it.

Isaac's submission was a picture of Christ's submission to the Father. Jesus Christ was the sacrifice for the sins of the world so that the holy standards of the Heavenly Father might be satisfied.

Concerning Christ, 1 John 2:2 tells us that "he is the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

Jesus was submissive to the Heavenly Father's will. The purpose of the Father and the Son was one. God the Father willed the sacrifice to be made, and the Son willed to be the sacrifice.

The life of the Lord Jesus Christ is summed up in the statement "I come ... to do thy will, O God" (Heb. 10:7). What a wonderful God we have!

"Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Rom. 6:13).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference James 2:17 Genesis 22:9-12

Action Proves Faith

Genesis 22:9-12

This was the triumph of both Abraham and Isaac. Faith was now a proven fact. God said, "Now I know that thou fearest God" (Gen. 22:12). Abraham had passed the supreme test, and God's voice broke into the awful silence and said, "Now I know."

Faith is always proved by action. In his epistle James said, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" (2:21,22).

Along with these statements, Romans 4:2,3 needs to be taken into consideration: "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

It is common to hear people say, "You must have faith." But faith itself is as rare as a true gem. The kind of faith that causes a man to launch out into the deep from the shore of present circumstances is practically missing.

Where is our faith today? Perhaps you ask, What is faith? When taken in its most basic meaning, faith is believing what God says and then acting upon it. If we do not act upon what God says, this is an evidence that we really do not believe.

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2:17).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 Peter 4:16 Romans 8:31-32 Genesis 22:13-19

Passing the Test

Genesis 22:13-19

Abraham had proven he was willing to sacrifice everything--even his son of promise. He evidenced that his greatest need was to know God.

This reminds us of the Apostle Paul's statement: "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Phil. 3:10).

Genesis 22:16 records God's words: "By myself have I sworn." Because there is no one greater, God can swear by no one greater than Himself.

God told Abraham that He would bless him and multiply his seed as the stars of heaven (spiritual seed) and as the sand on the seashore (earthly seed) and that his seed would possess the gate of his enemies.

The time is coming when the nation of Israel will possess the gate of her enemies--both her religious and earthly enemies.

Abraham experienced the truth of the principle stated in Romans 8:31,32: "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

Abraham had graduated. His days of probation and testing were over. His diploma was inscribed with the words "Abraham, the friend of God and the father of the faithful."

"Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf" (1 Pet. 4:16).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 Peter 3:4 Psalm 119:9-16 Genesis 24:63

God Honors Quiet Dedication

Genesis 24:63; Psalm 119:9-16

Have you ever considered yourself so small in the sight of God that you thought He would never do for you what He has done for men like Abraham, Isaac or Jacob? I am sure you have.

In our study of the life of Isaac, we find a man who was very common, like most of us. Yet God chose to call Himself "the God of Isaac."

In contrasting Isaac's character with that of his father and that of his son, we see that Isaac experienced fewer of Abraham's triumphs of faith and fewer of Jacob's failures.

Of the three patriarchs--Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--the only one who never left the land of Canaan was Isaac. He was born in the land of Canaan, and he died there without ever going outside the boundaries of the land.

This was quite different from Abraham and Jacob. Perhaps this was because God realized Isaac had a weakness so great that if he had left the land, he might not have returned.

Genesis 24:63 helps us to understand the kind of man Isaac was: "Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide." Thus, we see that Isaac was a quiet and retiring man.

He did not have the active, aggressive disposition of his eminent father, but he was deeply concerned about his relationship with God. He was gentle, retiring and unresisting in his relationship with God.

Are we, too, concerned about our relationship with God?

"But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (1 Pet. 3:4).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Genesis 26:1-6 1 John 2:17

Don't Rely on the Flesh

Genesis 26:1-6

Genesis 26 tells us of an important test that Isaac experienced: "There was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar" (v. 1).

Isaac forsook the place where he was living--the place of his fellowship with God. He went to Gerar and left behind the place of the altar.

Isaac was headed toward Egypt--and possibly that is where he would have gone--but he stopped enroute at a place called Gerar. This city was in the land of Canaan, although it was well on the way toward Egypt.

Because those who went to Egypt usually did so as a reliance on the flesh, Egypt became a symbol of the world. Those who live independently of God and rely on natural resources are spiritually in Egypt.

God was not going to allow Isaac to go into Egypt. His position on the outer fringes of the land certainly evidenced an advanced position of backsliding within the range of very dangerous influences.

This was a test for Isaac, and he failed it utterly. However, God remained true to His time-honored principle of not testing a believer beyond what he is able to bear but making a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13).

God knew how much Isaac could stand, and He knows how much we can stand.

"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1 John 2:17).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Genesis 26:7-11 Romans 7:18 Proverbs 22:6

Like Father, Like Son

Genesis 26:7-11

Had Isaac not gone to Abimelech, he would not have had to lie about his wife. He lied about his wife just as his father, Abraham, had lied about his wife, Sarah. Isaac left his communion with God and ended up by sinning against the Lord.

There are two important lessons we need to learn from Isaac's imitating his father's example.

First, it is much easier for children to imitate the weaknesses or vices of their parents than to excel in their virtues. It is easier because it is natural.

Second, while Abraham and Isaac were men of vastly different temperaments, each succumbed to the same temptation. When famine arose, they fled for help. While they were in the land of the enemy, they both became afraid and lied about their wives.

This proves that natural man is under the control of the same adamic nature in which there is no good thing. The Apostle Paul recognized this and said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not" (Rom. 7:18).

Abraham and Isaac both had the adamic nature, even as we do, and they yielded to temptation in similar situations. They had to realize that unless they applied the grace of God, they would inevitably fall into sin. This should also serve as a warning to us.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Prov. 22:6).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Ephesians 4:7 Genesis 26:3 Genesis 26:12-14

Backslidden but Blessed

Genesis 26:12-14

How is it possible for God to bless a person who is out of fellowship with Him? God had permitted Isaac to go to Gerar to be tested. Isaac was yet too weak in the faith to be severely tested.

God told Isaac, "Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I aware unto Abraham thy father" (Gen. 26:3).

God's blessing was upon Isaac even though Isaac was out of the center of His will. God often brings His children back to Himself by showering unexcelled goodness upon them.

Romans 2:4 emphasizes this as a principle of God's working when it says, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

God allows these things to happen for a purpose. Since Isaac was not able to endure ultimate testing, God permitted him to go as far as Gerar where He was able to teach him some valuable lessons.

Isaac was blessed of God and prospered, but this does not mean that every person who prospers is blessed of God. There are many in our day who are prosperous, yet they believe and live contrary to the teaching of the Word of God.

Many leaders of false cults have been prosperous, but this is no indication they have been blessed of God. In Isaac's case, however, his prosperity did result from the blessing of God.

"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Eph. 4:7).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Exodus 33:14 Hebrews 13:5 1 Samuel 16:7 John 7:24 Genesis 26:14-16

Blessing and Presence

Genesis 26:14-16

Many people confuse the blessing of the Lord with the presence of the Lord. How often we measure a person or his work by the outward appearance, rather than seeking to understand the inner essence of the person himself.

"The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). John 7:24 reminds us: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

It is possible for a man to become very great and have many possessions and yet not have the full joy of the Lord's presence. Isaac was such a man.

In Genesis 26:3, when God told Isaac, "I will be with thee, and will bless thee," this was the same as saying, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5). This was the presence of God.

Many times we are more concerned about the blessings of God than we are about the presence of God. Where do you stand in your relationship with the Lord?

People often say, "God is good to me," by which they mean that they have experienced good health or prosperity. What a person possesses is not always a safe measure of his dedication to the Lord.

"My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest" (Ex. 33:14).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Genesis 26:17-20 Psalm 119:67

Heading Home

Genesis 26:17-20

After Abimelech's command, the Bible says that "Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there" (Gen. 26:17). Isaac left Abimelech, but he did not go very far.

The Bible again refers to Isaac's digging wells when it says, "Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them" (v. 18).

Isaac had to redig the wells his father had dug, but even this was used of God because the trouble that came to Isaac kept forcing him to move closer to his home and to the place of the altar. At Gerar, he was only partway home and had pitched his tent where he should not have done so.

Isaac was a weakling in this respect, but probably no weaker than most of us.

Perhaps God has been speaking to you and you wonder why you have troubles. Maybe you have suffered a financial loss and you find it very difficult to understand.

Is God speaking to you in an effort to bring you back to Himself? You need to face these matters squarely and be honest with God as He deals with you.

"Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word" (Ps. 119:67).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Genesis 26:21-22 1 Peter 2:19-20 1 Peter 3:8-9 James 4:10

Not Insisting on Rights

Genesis 26:21,22

Isaac sought for satisfaction without a complete return, so he dug wells. However, there could be no real spiritual satisfaction until he completely returned to the Lord. God was forcing Isaac back to his homeland by permitting the Philistines to close up the wells he reopened.

However, even in this, Isaac showed a very lovely trait in his life. He did not insist on his own rights. He simply moved to another place.

First Peter 2:19,20 says, "For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."

The Philistines were treating Isaac wrongfully, but he did not insist on his own rights.

God rewarded Isaac for not insisting on his own rights. God patiently worked with Isaac until He had him in the place He desired him to be.

In 1 Peter 3:8,9 believers are exhorted: "Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing."

That is, we are to do good toward those who do us evil. God richly blesses the Christian who does this.

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up" (James 4:10).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Genesis 26:23-24 Genesis 21:28-31 Revelation 2:5 1 John 1:9

Restored Fellowship

Genesis 26:23,24

After Isaac dug the well at Rehoboth, the Bible says that "he went up from thence to Beer-sheba" (Gen. 26:23). The name "Beer-sheba" means "the well of the oath [covenant]."

Isaac's father, Abraham, had earlier made a covenant with Abimelech and gave him seven ewe lambs as a witness that he had dug the well (21:28-31).

Isaac made things right with the Lord at this well of the covenant--he had had enough of the wrangling of the world. Isaac went back to his life of the altar. How long does it take us to get back to the altar after we have backslidden?

When we have left the place of fellowship with God, we need to return to the first works as Christ told the Church of Ephesus: "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (Rev. 2:5).

Let us not fool ourselves when we are out of fellowship with God. Our need is to return to fellowship with God, and the way back is Calvary itself.

The Word of God promises that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Genesis 26:25 Romans 12:1-2 1 Corinthians 12:7

Three Absolutes

Genesis 26:25; Romans 12:1,2

If we want the power of God in our lives, we must observe the absolutes of God. There are three absolutes in particular that we must heed in order to have spiritual power.

First, we must recognize that all power belongs to God. In this age, it is God the Holy Spirit who is responsible to direct the work of God. Thus, we must recognize the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit to direct all spiritual work.

Second, we must recognize the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit in delegating this power to anyone He chooses. It is the Holy Spirit's responsibility to give spiritual gifts to people as He desires so the work of God will be carried out.

The third absolute we must recognize in order to have spiritual power in our lives is that of absolute commitment to the Holy Spirit.

Just as Isaac had to go back to the place God intended him to be, present-day believers must live according to the absolutes of God and be in the place He wants them to be if they are to have spiritual power.

Notice particularly that when Isaac returned to the place where God wanted him, he built an altar and called on the name of the Lord.

He experienced the joy of God's presence, and immediate progress took place in his spiritual life. He dug a well, and no one bothered him as they had earlier.

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal" (1 Cor. 12:7).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Genesis 26:30-33 Psalm 37:5-6 1 Peter 5:6

God Exalts the Totally Committed

Genesis 26:30-33

When we are abused by the unbelieving world, we need to remember the words of Psalm 37:5,6: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday."

God will vindicate us if we are totally committed to Him and trust Him for everything. Our need is to entrust ourselves completely to Him by committing all of our ways to Him.

Because Isaac dared to live the separated life, God poured out His blessing on him. Isaac was not offensive to the unbelievers, but he did that which was right in the sight of God.

As a result, God blessed Isaac, and the well his servants had dug produced water.

I urge you to seriously consider the benefits of not insisting on your own rights. As a believer, you have friends and neighbors who are closely watching you.

Are you the quarrelsome type who is driving them farther from the Lord? Even if they are saying things about you that are not true, why not suffer for the Lord's sake?

Do not try to reach them by compromising your standards, but rather live a life that is separated unto God, and He will mightily use you in reaching others for Christ.

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time" (1 Pet. 5:6).

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