When we are tried

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son


Yesterday we touched on the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON aspect of this verse but I don't want to leave the rest untouched.


By faith Abraham WHEN he was TRIED.


Some people have this illusion that when God chooses someone to be His that He puts a hedge about them and lets them live in peace and happiness with untold riches. It's not true. I'm not saying everyone that is chosen by God lives in poverty and pain, but there is NO set formula with God's chosen. Yes, some became kings and were rich, others became kings and were poor, some chosen remained God's, others turned their back on God. Once chosen by God does not mean always chosen. Let's liken God's chosen to a marriage between a woman and man for a short analogy- the bride (God's chosen) and the groom (God). If the chosen bride commits adultery that doesn't make them any less chosen that first time, but it does make them worthy of divorce, right? Obviously the chosen is no longer chosen to be God's.


Yes, God has chosen people throughout history- we can read it in God's word. We can learn all about how the various chosen acted and lived out their lives- with God, turning their backs on God, sinning, being forgiven.


The chosen are also tested and tried, sometimes very severely, sometimes throughout their lives. Here in this verse in Hebrews we are told that Abraham was tried and when he was tried he used FAITH to endure his trial.


Lets imagine Abraham's trial for a moment.


For many, many, many years you are promised a son from your beloved wife. Years come and go, your youth comes and goes, you are old in age and past child producing then by the miracle of God and God alone you are able to produce that longed for promised child. You love this child of promise as much if not more than any human has ever loved a child before. You nurture this child because this is the promised child who will go on to make you a father of nations, this heir will produce an heir and so on until the world is filled with your descendents innumerable. Abraham has been promised this son and the future with this son. When we have children we do so with an uncertain promise. We have no clue how long our children will live or if they'll be able to reproduce, we hope, but we don't know. Abraham had it from God that he would receive a promised child and father a nation of heirs. Now having finally received the promised child and watching this child grow, filled with all the hope that at last God's word has come to pass, Abraham is at rest. Right? Think about the relief he must have been experiencing since the birth of Isaac. Finally he could relax knowing that as God promised it was coming to pass. Then… out of the blue, without any warning, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only promised son, Isaac.


Sacrifice HIM! Just imagine it… imagine Abraham's internal emotional turmoil and yet… by FAITH


Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son


He offered up Isaac. By faith he did as God asked of him. He was being TRIED. God's chosen was TRIED. We can't believe that we are to go through life trial-less when we choose God. We can't base our relationship with God on the trials we are called to endure or…unfortunately fail at. We can't be called to endure something on the same level of emotional pain as Abraham had to endure, and believe that God has abandoned us. GOD DOESN'T abandon us! WE abandon God. We lose our FAITH. We let our human, carnal minds jump in and reason that God is hateful to put us through trials so severe. We put God on our level as being sinfully cruel. We don't let ourselves understand that God tries us for OUR good. Our faith is tried, and as our faith is tried it is purified and made stronger- just as gold tried in fire. Gold is tried in fire to purify and strengthen it.


Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.


Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.


Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.


1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:


Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich…


Gold tried in fire.


Our faith is tried.


If Abraham's faith was tried are we to believe that we won't have our faith tried? We won't know what form our trial or trials will take, they could be horrific. They could mean actually losing a beloved child in an accident, through illness. We just don't know what we are going to be called to endure in this life. We know that horrific things happen all the time and for every victim of horror there is a family having to endure the pain of what their loved one is or has endured. Sometimes watching is more painful to us than anything, wishing we could be the ones undertaking the pain rather than our loved one.


No matter what we are called to endure, no matter the trials that come and there could be more than one, there could be daily trials, hourly trials, minutely trials, no matter what we need to have FAITH that beyond all the trials large and small, numerous and sparse, we have a God that has promised to us eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior now and forever!


There is eternal life beyond the pain of living, we have to believe in our God who is faithful.


Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)


Reading about this particular trial of Abraham's faith, we have to understand that none of us are called to endure less, and we may be called to endure more. We will have our trials we can expect no less.


By God help us, may our faith be sure, may we have the faith of Abraham to endure and believe in God, that God is faithful no matter what we face.


By His grace, by His mercy now and forever!


In His love!


Amen.