The Father of Faith
Genesis 25:1-34
Message #16
More than anything else in the Life of Abraham, we have learned that Abraham is “The Father of True Faith.” Abraham had plenty of failures, errors, and mistakes. But Abraham’s life is meant to put faith on display, not put a perfect life on display.
Oswald Chambers says (paraphrase)
We are not called to become one of God’s Perfect Specimens for His Museum . . . We are called to live in perfect relationship to God so that the net result of our life is not admiration of US, but a longing after God.
Abraham’s life is meant to cause a longing in each of us to live a life of faith in God.
Abraham is the Father OF Faith, and so today, as we close our study on the Life of Abraham, I just want to hold up the faith of Abraham. Not to elevate Abraham. But elevate the life of faith in God.
In Genesis Chapter 25, Abraham’s death is “framed” (front and back) by what became massive genealogies, and this is possibly one way that God was fulfilling his promises to Abraham here on earth.
In Genesis 13:16 God said to Abraham, I will give you so many descendants that they cannot be counted!
In Genesis 15:5 God said to Abraham, count the stars in the sky if you can, that’s how many descendants you will have.
In Genesis 17:6 God said to Abraham Your descendants will become many nations.
Now, the Bible is clear, that ultimately these promises were fulfilled spiritually in Jesus Christ. But God also fulfilled these promises physically on earth.
Abraham lived approximately thirty-five years after Sarah died, and Abraham continued to have another six additional sons who would birth many physical Nations of peoples.
Genesis 25:1-2 (NLT)
1 Abraham married another wife, whose name was Keturah.
2 She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
And then the children of two of these sons are listed. The Bible says “wife” here, but further on in chapter 25, Keturah is called a concubine because the word is interchangeable based on the context.
Genesis 25:3–4 (NLT)
3 Jokshan (son #2) was the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s descendants were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. (Nations of Peoples)
4 Midian’s (son #3) sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were all descendants of Abraham through Keturah.
Most of these sons and their descendants settled in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia and Yemen) (East side of the Red Sea), and they spread throughout that area.
And Ismael’s sons were previously sent to Egypt and Libya, and they spread through that area.
Look down at verse 18.
Genesis 25:18 (NLT)
18 Ishmael’s descendants occupied the region from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. There they lived in open hostility toward all their relatives.
Ishmael’s sons settled in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, and spread into Libya on the west side of the Red Sea. And, as the end of verse 18 says, the descendants of Ishmael lived in open hostility toward all their relatives, and for the most part, they still do today.
And through these two genealogies came too many Nations and too many people groups to even count. But although God brought all those physical nations through Abraham, the Son of Promise was still Isaac. That is clear from Genesis to Revelation and Isaac is going to pick up the Patriarch banner right here, and he is going to carry that banner through generations all the way to Christ.
Genesis 25:5 (NLT)
5 Abraham gave everything he owned to his son Isaac.
There is no second heir listed. There was no “sharing” of the inheritance. Abraham sent all his other sons away from Isaac – away from the Promised Land.
Abraham sent Ishmael away in Chapter 21, which is how his descendants ended up in Egypt and Libya. And here, in Chapter 25, Abraham sends all six of his other sons away from Isaac and away from the Promised Land.
Genesis 25:6 (NLT)
6 But before he died, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines (Hagar and Keturah) and sent them (Meaning sons of Keturah) off to a land in the east, away from Isaac.
Isaac was the sole heir, and Isaac alone remained in the Promised Land. All Abraham’s other sons settled in the areas surrounding the Promised Land. But those other sons were not disregarded or cursed by God. It was that there was only one true seed that would ultimately lead to Jesus Christ, and God was ensuring that line from Abraham to Jesus Christ would remain intact from the very beginning.
And so, finally, Abraham’s life comes to an end.
Genesis 25:7–8 (NLT)
7 Abraham lived for 175 years,
8 and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death.
Abraham was seventy-five when he left UR, and so for one hundred years, Abraham walked by faith as a pilgrim and a sojourner in this land, becoming “The Father of Faith.”
And then, the estranged half-brothers Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury their father.
Genesis 25:9–10 (NLT)
9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. Z
10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites and where he had buried his wife Sarah. (in chapter 23)
And many years later, this cave would be opened again, and Isaac would be laid here by his estranged sons Jacob and Esau (Genesis 35).
But the next ten chapters in Genesis are all about God blessing Isaac, and it starts here in verse 11.
Genesis 25:11 (NLT)
11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who settled near Beer-lahai-roi in the Negev.
Isaac is in the area of “The God Who Sees Me.”
This is where God met Hagar when she thought she and Ishmael were going to die.
This is where Isaac was walking when he met Rebekah.
This is where Isaac would cry out to God for his wife Rebekah to have a child.
And so, the lineage of the Patriarchs begins. Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, and whose twelve sons became the Twelve Tribes of Israel. And through the tribe of Judah comes the SEED. The ultimate Heir of Abraham – Jesus Christ, and through faith in Jesus Christ, we become spiritual descendants of Abraham, who is the Father of Faith.
Abraham received the promises of God – by faith. And the promises of God that Abraham received – by faith, we receive by faith!! By faith, we become partakers of the promises, and we become spiritual heirs of Abraham. God is immutable – he does not change.
Turn over to the Galatians Chapter 3.
Galatians 3:26–29 (NLT)
26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.
28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.
The promises of God have always come to us by faith. When Abraham believed God in Genesis 15:6, the Lord counted him as righteous – because of his faith, and that was four hundred and thirty years before God gave the law through Moses.
Why, then, was the law given? I’m glad you asked. Look at verse 19.
Galatians 3:19(a) (NLT)
19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised . . .
And then verses 21-22.
Galatians 3:21–22 (NLT)
21 Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.
22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing (putting our faith) in Jesus Christ.
Please, take the time to read all of Galatians Chapter 3 carefully. We’ve got to understand being made right with God has always been by faith, and Galatians Chapter 3 really helps us understand the role the law played in the full plan of God.
The Life of Abraham is meant to bring glory to God by showing us how the incredible, miraculous plan of God of a People and a Land would bring the Savior of the world to save all those who put their faith in him. And the life of Abraham continues to point the way to faith – throughout the New Testament.
We’ve already seen through the life of Abraham that we are:
1). Heirs of the promise BY FAITH – in Galatians Chapter 3
In Christ, we are Abraham’s spiritual offspring and heirs of the promise of God (Galatians 3).
And then, in the New Testament, we see through the Life of Abraham that:
2). Salvation is BY FAITH – in Romans Chapter 4
Romans 4:5 (NLT)
5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.
Romans 4:13–14 (NLT)
13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.
14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.
Romans 4:16(a) (NLT)
16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift . . .
Our salvation comes by faith, just as Abraham’s did.
And we see through the Life of Abraham that:
3). Our works come from OUR FAITH – in James Chapter 2
James 2:21–23 (NLT)
21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.
23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
Abraham’s faith was shown in his actions. His faith led to real, obedient action.
And we see through the Life of Abraham how:
4). We can live a life OF FAITH – Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11:8–10 (NLT)
8 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.
Abraham’s eyes were not set on this lifetime or on this world. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God and we can live in that exact same faith – today.
Hebrews 11:13 & 16 says (NLT)
13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.
. . .
16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Are our eyes set so intently on this world? On this temporal life? Do we think all of God’s promises are for this vapor of a life? All the saints in the Hall of Faith of Hebrews Chapter 11 did not receive God’s ultimate promises here in this temporal life.
BUT – they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.
They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.
Through the life of Abraham, we learn:
1) We are Heirs of the Promise - BY FAITH
2) Our Salvation is Completely - BY FAITH
3) Our Works Come From - OUR FAITH
4) We Can Live a Life – OF FAITH
Thank you, Father Abraham, for being “The Father of Faith.” May our lives be transformed by the same faith that you first lived out almost 4,000 years ago.
Oswald Chambers says (paraphrase)
We are not called to become one of God’s Perfect Specimens for His Museum . . . We are called to live in perfect relationship to God so that the net result of our life is not admiration of US, but a longing after God.
Abraham’s life is meant to cause a longing in each of us to live a life of faith in God.
Abraham is the Father OF Faith, and so today, as we close our study on the Life of Abraham, I just want to hold up the faith of Abraham. Not to elevate Abraham. But elevate the life of faith in God.
In Genesis Chapter 25, Abraham’s death is “framed” (front and back) by what became massive genealogies, and this is possibly one way that God was fulfilling his promises to Abraham here on earth.
In Genesis 13:16 God said to Abraham, I will give you so many descendants that they cannot be counted!
In Genesis 15:5 God said to Abraham, count the stars in the sky if you can, that’s how many descendants you will have.
In Genesis 17:6 God said to Abraham Your descendants will become many nations.
Now, the Bible is clear, that ultimately these promises were fulfilled spiritually in Jesus Christ. But God also fulfilled these promises physically on earth.
Abraham lived approximately thirty-five years after Sarah died, and Abraham continued to have another six additional sons who would birth many physical Nations of peoples.
Genesis 25:1-2 (NLT)
1 Abraham married another wife, whose name was Keturah.
2 She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
And then the children of two of these sons are listed. The Bible says “wife” here, but further on in chapter 25, Keturah is called a concubine because the word is interchangeable based on the context.
Genesis 25:3–4 (NLT)
3 Jokshan (son #2) was the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s descendants were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. (Nations of Peoples)
4 Midian’s (son #3) sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were all descendants of Abraham through Keturah.
Most of these sons and their descendants settled in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia and Yemen) (East side of the Red Sea), and they spread throughout that area.
And Ismael’s sons were previously sent to Egypt and Libya, and they spread through that area.
Look down at verse 18.
Genesis 25:18 (NLT)
18 Ishmael’s descendants occupied the region from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. There they lived in open hostility toward all their relatives.
Ishmael’s sons settled in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, and spread into Libya on the west side of the Red Sea. And, as the end of verse 18 says, the descendants of Ishmael lived in open hostility toward all their relatives, and for the most part, they still do today.
And through these two genealogies came too many Nations and too many people groups to even count. But although God brought all those physical nations through Abraham, the Son of Promise was still Isaac. That is clear from Genesis to Revelation and Isaac is going to pick up the Patriarch banner right here, and he is going to carry that banner through generations all the way to Christ.
Genesis 25:5 (NLT)
5 Abraham gave everything he owned to his son Isaac.
There is no second heir listed. There was no “sharing” of the inheritance. Abraham sent all his other sons away from Isaac – away from the Promised Land.
Abraham sent Ishmael away in Chapter 21, which is how his descendants ended up in Egypt and Libya. And here, in Chapter 25, Abraham sends all six of his other sons away from Isaac and away from the Promised Land.
Genesis 25:6 (NLT)
6 But before he died, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines (Hagar and Keturah) and sent them (Meaning sons of Keturah) off to a land in the east, away from Isaac.
Isaac was the sole heir, and Isaac alone remained in the Promised Land. All Abraham’s other sons settled in the areas surrounding the Promised Land. But those other sons were not disregarded or cursed by God. It was that there was only one true seed that would ultimately lead to Jesus Christ, and God was ensuring that line from Abraham to Jesus Christ would remain intact from the very beginning.
And so, finally, Abraham’s life comes to an end.
Genesis 25:7–8 (NLT)
7 Abraham lived for 175 years,
8 and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death.
Abraham was seventy-five when he left UR, and so for one hundred years, Abraham walked by faith as a pilgrim and a sojourner in this land, becoming “The Father of Faith.”
And then, the estranged half-brothers Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury their father.
Genesis 25:9–10 (NLT)
9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. Z
10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites and where he had buried his wife Sarah. (in chapter 23)
And many years later, this cave would be opened again, and Isaac would be laid here by his estranged sons Jacob and Esau (Genesis 35).
But the next ten chapters in Genesis are all about God blessing Isaac, and it starts here in verse 11.
Genesis 25:11 (NLT)
11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who settled near Beer-lahai-roi in the Negev.
Isaac is in the area of “The God Who Sees Me.”
This is where God met Hagar when she thought she and Ishmael were going to die.
This is where Isaac was walking when he met Rebekah.
This is where Isaac would cry out to God for his wife Rebekah to have a child.
And so, the lineage of the Patriarchs begins. Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, and whose twelve sons became the Twelve Tribes of Israel. And through the tribe of Judah comes the SEED. The ultimate Heir of Abraham – Jesus Christ, and through faith in Jesus Christ, we become spiritual descendants of Abraham, who is the Father of Faith.
Abraham received the promises of God – by faith. And the promises of God that Abraham received – by faith, we receive by faith!! By faith, we become partakers of the promises, and we become spiritual heirs of Abraham. God is immutable – he does not change.
Turn over to the Galatians Chapter 3.
Galatians 3:26–29 (NLT)
26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.
28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.
The promises of God have always come to us by faith. When Abraham believed God in Genesis 15:6, the Lord counted him as righteous – because of his faith, and that was four hundred and thirty years before God gave the law through Moses.
Why, then, was the law given? I’m glad you asked. Look at verse 19.
Galatians 3:19(a) (NLT)
19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised . . .
And then verses 21-22.
Galatians 3:21–22 (NLT)
21 Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.
22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing (putting our faith) in Jesus Christ.
Please, take the time to read all of Galatians Chapter 3 carefully. We’ve got to understand being made right with God has always been by faith, and Galatians Chapter 3 really helps us understand the role the law played in the full plan of God.
The Life of Abraham is meant to bring glory to God by showing us how the incredible, miraculous plan of God of a People and a Land would bring the Savior of the world to save all those who put their faith in him. And the life of Abraham continues to point the way to faith – throughout the New Testament.
We’ve already seen through the life of Abraham that we are:
1). Heirs of the promise BY FAITH – in Galatians Chapter 3
In Christ, we are Abraham’s spiritual offspring and heirs of the promise of God (Galatians 3).
And then, in the New Testament, we see through the Life of Abraham that:
2). Salvation is BY FAITH – in Romans Chapter 4
Romans 4:5 (NLT)
5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.
Romans 4:13–14 (NLT)
13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.
14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.
Romans 4:16(a) (NLT)
16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift . . .
Our salvation comes by faith, just as Abraham’s did.
And we see through the Life of Abraham that:
3). Our works come from OUR FAITH – in James Chapter 2
James 2:21–23 (NLT)
21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.
23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
Abraham’s faith was shown in his actions. His faith led to real, obedient action.
And we see through the Life of Abraham how:
4). We can live a life OF FAITH – Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11:8–10 (NLT)
8 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.
Abraham’s eyes were not set on this lifetime or on this world. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God and we can live in that exact same faith – today.
Hebrews 11:13 & 16 says (NLT)
13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.
. . .
16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Are our eyes set so intently on this world? On this temporal life? Do we think all of God’s promises are for this vapor of a life? All the saints in the Hall of Faith of Hebrews Chapter 11 did not receive God’s ultimate promises here in this temporal life.
BUT – they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.
They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.
Through the life of Abraham, we learn:
1) We are Heirs of the Promise - BY FAITH
2) Our Salvation is Completely - BY FAITH
3) Our Works Come From - OUR FAITH
4) We Can Live a Life – OF FAITH
Thank you, Father Abraham, for being “The Father of Faith.” May our lives be transformed by the same faith that you first lived out almost 4,000 years ago.