Can I Ask That? – Part Eight – Why Did God Call Abraham and Enter Into Covenant with Israel?
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2012%3A1-3&version=NIV
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God is looking for people who have willing hearts with whom he can work. Are you willing to be one of those people? If so, it starts by saying, “God, I want to be a person with a willing heart, with whom you can work to advance your reign on earth, just as it is in heaven.
Head/Mind – Helpful Information
Humankind was created to be God’s covenant partner in governing the world. Genesis one tell us that after creating the world, God looks upon all that he created and pronounced it very good. The world had everything that it needed to promote the flourishing of life. And, into this world, God set humankind, a unique species that has a capacity for God. We also have a God given task to love this world, to care for it, and to use its resources wisely, giving direction to the world. When humanity turned its back on God and left Eden, one could say that paradise was lost. We lost our home and our place in this world. But, one could just as accurately say that paradise was unrealized. By that we mean that we never got to find out what this world could like if taken under the wise management and care of God’s creative reign.
So, the earliest part of the Biblical story is God looking for a family that he can work with to put his plan back on track. And large portions of history go by with no willing partners to join God in his work. And what that means is that God’s work largely comes to a standstill, waiting patiently for someone who has a heart he can work with.
I know that a lot of people ask, “When will God do something? Why is his work going undone in our time? Why is the world not changing for the better?” But could it be that God is asking the very same thing? God will not reign by fiat. Nor will he over-ride all of our bad decisions. Instead, he waits patiently to work with us to advance his reign on earth. God picks Abraham and his family because they were willing to join God in his work. And so, God chooses the Hebrew people as a place where he can start.
In my mind, one of the things that convinces me that this is true is recurring phenomena of anti-semitism, a vile, demonic sin if there ever were one. Anti-semitism is evidence that an “un-believing” world actually knows that the story is true and they hate it. Why, after all, would they be jealous of Israel’s relationship with a God they don’t believe in? If you told me you had a special relationship with a fairy godmother who live in a magical shoe, I might think you were off of your rocker, but I would not be jealous of it. I might even pity you a bit.
The fact of antisemitism shows us that the world actually knows the story is true and they are furious at the Jews for being God’s chosen people.
Heart – The Personal Connection
But should we Gentiles be jealous of the Jewish people. On one hand, no; for God loves all people.On the other hand, we can have what the the Swedish Theologian Kirsten Stendhal called holy envy, which is the ability to see something beautiful and worthwhile in another person’s faith tradition, without having malice toward them for having it, or without becoming dissatisfied with one’s own faith tradition.
Through Jesus, all have access to God, Jew and Greek alike. So, the Apostle Paul asks, “What advantage, then, is there in being Jewish? A lot! First of all Jews had been entrusted with the very word of God…to them belongs the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the Torah, the temple, worship, the covenant promises, the patriarchs, and through them the ancestry of the Messiah (Romans 2, 3, and 9).
God has blessed the Jewish people in many, many ways; but why? The answer is so that they could be a blessing to others and so that through them, God could bless the entire world.
Genesis 12:2-3 God says to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
In other words, God will use this family to show his love to the world. Through this family has come the Messiah, who makes it possible for all people, everywhere throughout the world to become a part of God’s covenant family.
1 Peter 2:10 says, “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
Galatians 3:14 says, “Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.”
Hands – The Practical Application
Through Jesus, you are now part of Abraham’s family, which means God loves you and desires to pour blessings into your life. But he does so for the purpose of using you to bless those around you. You are now God’s partner, and your life work is to show the world how much God loves the world.
You are blessed in order to be a blessing. So, this morning, I want to ask you, who has God placed in your life for you to bless? Is it the hard working waiter/waitress in your favorite restaurant? What would a generous tip mean to her? Is it the new kid in your school that is having a tough time making friends? What would it mean to him to be invited out with you and your friends?
Who was put in your life so that you could point them to Christ? God is looking for people who have wiling hearts, with whom he can work to advance his reign on earth. Are you willing to be one of those people? It starts with offering your heart to Jesus, receiving the gift of baptism and identifying with a local church.