Genesis 13 — Thoughts

Whose Father Is Abraham?

When I was a kid in Sunday School, we would sing a song about "Father Abraham" and his many sons. There was a dance that went along with it. It was a real crowd-pleaser.⁠

Years later, I would come to appreciate the depth of meaning behind that sort-of-silly song. Yes, Abraham was the first patriarch, the ancestor whose descendants became the entire nation of Israel. The song was about this on one level. But on another level, it was about us — everyone who has been saved by faith in Jesus.

Faith was the defining aspect of Abraham's life. He gets the longest entry in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11. And in Romans 3:16-17, Paul even writes about how, because of his faith, Abraham is the father of all who have faith:

"...the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: 'I have made you a father of many nations.'”

The amazing thing about reading this chapter of Genesis is that, when God promises to make Abraham's offspring "like the dust of the earth," we're reading about ourselves! We are the spiritual descendants of Abraham, the fulfillment of God's promise way back in Genesis.

But of course, this isn't because of Abraham. It's because of the One Abraham had faith in, the One who would come into the world through Abraham's family line and then save the world from its sin. God's promise to Abraham was fulfilled through of Jesus.⁠

(Originally written June 11, 2020)