The Olympics have just finished, and you may have heard an announcer speak of “the degree of difficulty” of a program or a routine by a gymnast. The degree of difficulty is a rating which reflects the difficulty of the maneuver or action an athlete is attempting to perform in sports. The higher the degree of difficulty, the higher the potential score if the person is successful.
Abram’s degree of difficulty in believing the LORD in our account this morning is off the charts. What the LORD presented to him was unbelievable from a purely human perspective. So as we try to appreciate Abram’s dilemma, let’s review. Yes, this is Abram, who God later named Abraham, and, yes, he is a man of faith and a friend of God. And, yes, he is a famous Bible character and the revered patriarch of the Jews.
But not then. Not on that day and not at that moment. Not as he stood there and the LORD called him to an outrageous plan and amazing promises. This is part of the wonder of God and the wonder of the Story of God and the wonder before us in Abram’s chapter of God’s Story. God brings Abram into the storyline and introduces him to his role in a drama that encompasses all the families of the Earth. Wonderful things are to come, but in this moment before all the greatness and recognition, Abram is merely a Bedouin herdsman living in a dark, pagan land.
So what does he do when the LORD speaks to him about this amazing plan? He is a believer, so he does what believers do. He believed God and obeyed him. Believers believe. It’s what we do.
GENESIS MESSAGE 19 / Genesis 12
SEASON FINALE: Abram–The Blessing and Danger of Faith