All because Abraham obeyed God
MANY of us are familiar with the story of how God tested Abraham’s faith and obedience. God told Abraham to offer as sacrifice his son Isaac to Him. When Abraham lifted the knife to kill Isaac, his only son with Sarah whom he loved so much, the Lord said: “Lay down the knife; don’t hurt the lad in any way… “for I know that God is first in your life – you have not withheld even your beloved son from me. I, the Lord, have sworn by myself that because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your beloved son from me, I will bless you with incredible blessings and multiply your descendants into countless thousands and millions, like the stars above you in the sky, and like the sands along the seashore. They will conquer their enemies and your offspring will be a blessing to all the nations of the earth – all because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:1-2; 17-18)
*** God’s statement to Abraham – “all because you have obeyed me” – has indeed resulted in an overflow of blessings for the Jewish people. It is now clear why the Jewish people have managed to survive as a race despite the Holocaust carnage. It was predestined by God that the Israelites would be rescued from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses. How the Jewish people have survived the attacks of their Arab neighbors (despite the fact that they have been the underdog in terms of military resources) has a Biblical basis too. In spite of repeated persecutions and disasters for the past two thousand years or so, the Jews have survived as a distinct, recognizable, and special people in the eyes of God as well as in the eyes of men.
The foregoing story on how God tested Abraham’s faith and obedience answers the following questions of many people: What makes Israel special? What makes the Jewish people a class by itself? How come the Jewish people manage to survive the ordeals, disasters, harassments, and persecutions since Biblical times up to now? How come Israel stands out as a unique nation despite its small size? How come Israel is being closely watched by political leaders around the world?
*** No other national group has experienced the sufferings and the trials of the Jews from the time they were saved after 400 years of bondage in Egypt sometime in 1400 B.C. Moses was chosen by God to lead the Jews out of Egypt to the Land of Israel promised to their forefathers. Wandering for 40 years in the Sinai desert tested again the persistence of the Jews. Israel’s history includes periods when Israel was crushed by other people like the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Persians. Today, media is keeping a close watch on Israel’s moves to protect itself from military attacks from the Palestinians and other hostile forces around her. And more importantly, no other state has been the subject of numerous attempts to relegate her to a memory as Israel. Up to now, all these attempts have failed confirming truly the Biblical prophecies about Israel.
The message that I am trying to convey in this article is simply that everything that has been happening to Israel did not happen by chance. Israel’s history had been written in advance. The history of the Jewish people is a powerful demonstration of God at work in the affairs of human beings and of nations. I am referring to the God of the Bible who is also the God of history and the God of contemporary times. Hopefully, this story about Israel will challenge and inspire my readers to spend more time to read the Holy Bible and to know more about our Creator and our Savior.
God’s statement to Abraham All because you have obeyed me
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