Abraham: A Great Commission Father
By Scott Brown
Genesis 18:1-19
Abraham was a father and not a perfect one either. He created problems for his wife and children and he also had trouble telling the truth to the civil authorities. He shows us problems that every man struggles with. But God designed Abraham's experience for a purpose: as an example, so that we follow in his footsteps where he was faithful and when he was not, to avoid and repent of similar sins that we have been committing.
But, in spite of his weaknesses, he was called to the same task as every father. When God called Abraham, He called him to fulfill the great commission--through his family. His call and commission in Genesis 12 sets forth the great evangelistic program of God for all of human history. In this passage of scripture, God makes an incredible promise for the means of salvation for the following generations, and he links it to the trans-generational fatherhood of Abraham. God says to Abraham,
"I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And, in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' (Genesis 12:2-3).
Later in Genesis 15, God affirms and elaborates on the covenant he made with him in Genesis 12.
"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.' But Abram said, "Lord God, what will You give me seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Then Abram said, 'Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir! And behold the word of the Lord came to him saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And he said to him, "so shall your descendants be." (Genesis 15:1-5)
Notice what God has promised. God makes a promise to Abraham that will ultimately be fulfilled in Christ, for the salvation of multitudes. He links the promise to Abraham's role as a father and the fathers who would follow in his footsteps. The result will be that "all the families of the earth would be blessed" through Abraham's seed. It explains how it will be that at the end of the age, there will be multitudes of people from every tongue, tribe and nation, worshipping before the throne of God.
Notice also how this will be accomplished. What is the link between the promise and the fulfillment of the promise? Through a father, Abraham, God will bring forth a godly heritage from one generation to the next.
Most men do not make the connection between fatherhood and evangelism, but the Bible makes it clear that the work of fatherhood is one of the chief evangelistic enterprises established by God. God created fathers to be His great multigenerational evangelists. This is why I believe that recovering the fatherhood practices in Scripture represents the greatest untapped evangelistic opportunity before the church in our day.
Linking Fatherhood and Evangelism
To fully understand God's call to Abraham, we need to link two weighty things together: fatherhood and evangelism. And we need to look in both the Old and the New Testaments to observe it. Scripture inextricably links these two important functions. This is why the writer of Hebrews says,
"Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude - innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore." (Hebrews 11:12)
He is speaking of believers from the seed of Abraham, who are rescued from darkness through the loving kindness of a covenant keeping God.
Genesis 18 is making it clear that the evangelistic enterprise through Abraham is woven into the normal fabric of life in his household. The narrative shows the interplay of his relationship with his wife, in his household, and his offspring. Again, we see a powerful interaction between home life and evangelism - literally - the blessing of the "nations" and the "families of the earth."
With this as a backdrop, we come to Genesis 18, which shows us that during the normal flow of life in Hebron, God appeared to Abraham and revealed to him his life's purpose.
From these verses, we get a glimpse of Abraham's walk by faith. He is a man of intimacy with God. He loves God and demonstrates that love through his hospitality. He follows the counsels of the Lord regarding his children and teaches them to walk with God and to spread His Name on the earth for many generations, so that all the nations and families of the earth would be blessed.
This beautiful narrative puts on display a diverse set of situations and principles. We are given the privilege of seeing into the personal inner workings of the household of Abraham. We are shown some of the glaring weaknesses in the family as well as its' strengths. We see Abraham for who he really is, not the perfect father or husband, but one who has been chosen of God to declare His glory. Consistent with so many of God's words uttered to fathers, He comes with words of comfort and direction to His imperfect fathers. And He issues a great commission regarding the purpose of a man's life.
As spiritual sons of Abraham, we need to realize that Abraham's purpose is also our purpose. What we should see in this text is that Abraham is passing on a vigorous, God-centered family life that is a paradigm for future generations.
One of the most amazing aspects of this chapter is that in the midst of a colorful narrative revolving around Abraham's household and his visitors, there is given one of the clearest and most powerful descriptions in the entire Bible of a man's mission in life.
For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him." Genesis 18:19
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