The God of Abraham is often known as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is known as a trans-generational God. A God who goes beyond one generation and touches the lives of the generations yet to come. He is many things to many people. To some He is Abba, to others He is Emmanuel to others He is Jehovah. He introduces Himself as I Am and His name YHVH cannot be uttered. He is many things to many people but to Abraham, He was Friend.
But you, O Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
Isaiah 41:8 ( NIV)
And the scripture was fulfilled that says “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
James 2:23 (NIV)
A Peek into their Friendship
Love is patient,love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
Love, true love is revealed as the foundation of their friendship.
1. Love is patient
Abraham waited patiently on the promise of God, 25 years to be exact!
…Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.
Genesis 12:4( NIV)
Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
Genesis 21:5 ( NLT)
2. Love is kind
The Lord was kind to Abraham. He fulfilled the promise He made to Abraham. He made him the father of a great nation (see Romans 4:16-17) and he blessed him with great wealth (see Genesis 24: 34-35). Above all, the LORD gave Himself to Abraham.
After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.”
Genesis 15:1 (NIV)
Abraham was also kind to God. He was willing to offer his son, whom he had waited on for 25 years, as a sacrifice to his Friend. He withheld nothing from his Friend. As we have learnt, the Lord provided an alternative sacrifice, in the place of Isaac.
3. Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud
Abraham was not moved by earthly riches and possessions. He was concerned with honoring God, even though it meant forsaking great wealth. (see Genesis 14:22-24)
4. Love is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs
Abraham was just as human as we all are. He repeatedly made mistakes, yet his Friend always seemed to “have his back!”
Now there was a famine in the land,and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are.When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?”he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
Genesis 12: 10-20( NIV)
Abraham repeated this same scene years later with Abimelek ( read Genesis 20:1-18). Yet in spite of this, God did not bring up his past deceit. God continued to honor him with His friendship.
5. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth
God visited Abraham and confided in him.
Then the LORD said, ” Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”
Genesis 18:17( NIV)
The LORD revealed to His friend the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. What did Abraham do with this revelation from the LORD? He began to plead for righteousness:
Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”
Genesis 18:23 (NIV)
The LORD spared the life of Lot and his family in response to His friend’s request.
6. Love always protects
To rescue his nephew Lot, Abraham went to war against 4 kings and defeated them (see Genesis 14). In as much as he had 318 trained men with him, it could only have taken the hand of God for him to be successful against 4 kings and their armies.
7. Love always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Romans 4:18-21(NIV)
Your Turn
Romans 2:13 tells us that God does not show favoritism. If He was a Friend to Abraham, He can also be your Friend.
The question is, do you want the God of Abraham, your God to be your Friend?
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15(NIV)
If you are in Christ, you are a friend of God ( Romans 5:1, 5:10 ). Walk in that friendship by getting to know Him through His Word (John 1:1-3), under the guidance of the Holy Spirit ( John 16:13) and act on His Word.