Passing the Baton: Part 2

PASSING THE BATON: PART 2

An Exposition of Genesis 25:1-11 and

Reflection on the Legacy of Abraham and Sarah

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: March 19, 2023

Series: The Book of Genesis

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

We are walking through the Book of Genesis in four stages. In the first stage, during the first six months of 2022, we journeyed from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 11:9 – from the dawn of creation to the dispersion at Babel. Then we took a two-month break from the Genesis Series and heard messages from other parts of the Bible. We began the second stage in the fall of 2022 and this stage also lasted around six months. During this second stage our journey has taken us from Genesis 11:10 to the end of today’s passage which is Genesis 25:11 – from a record of Shem’s descendants which brought us to Abraham, through Abraham’s remarkable life, and concluding today with Abraham’s death and burial. In keeping with my original plan and in order to help keep things fresh, after today’s sermon we will be taking a two-month break from the Genesis Series, and then we will start the third stage on June 4.

I aim to do two things in this sermon. First, to briefly unpack Genesis 25:1-11. And second, to reflect on the legacy of Abraham and his wife Sarah.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Holy Scripture says:

¹ Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. ² She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. ³ Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. ⁴ The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.⁵ Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. ⁶ But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.

⁷ These are the days of the years of Abraham's life, 175 years. ⁸ Abraham breathed his last died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. ⁹ Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, ¹⁰ the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife.¹¹ After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi. (Genesis 25:1-11)

A SUMMARY OF GENESIS 25:1-11

This passage unfolds in four parts.

Abraham’s descendants through Keturah (v. 1-4)

First, we learn about Abraham’s descendants through Keturah. Chapter 23 told us that Sarah died. Chapter 24 told us that Abraham’s son Isaac “took Rebekah, and she became his wife” (Genesis 24:67). Now Chapter 25 begins by telling us that “Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah.” (v. 1) They had six sons: “Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah” (v. 2). These six sons probably generated numerous descendants, although verses 3-4 only tell us about the line of descendants that began through Jokshan (the second son) and Midian (the fourth son). Jokshan had two sons, Sheba and Dedan (grandsons of Abraham and Keturah), and through Dedan came about three people groups: Asshurim (or Asshurites), Letushim (or Letushites), and Leummim (or Leummites). Midian had five sons: “Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah” (v. 4) – these also were grandsons of Abraham and Keturah. Although the statement that “[Keturah] bore him" six sons makes it clear that these are sons of Abraham, the text emphasizes that they are “the children of Keturah” (v. 4). This is just another reminder that the son of promise came only through Abraham and Sarah.

Of all the sons, grandsons, and people-groups mentioned in verses 2-4, the most significant in terms of biblical history is Midian. In due course, Moses will flee to Midian and will marry the daughter of a Midianite priest. Later, the Lord will give Israel into the hand of the Midianites because of Israel’s sin, but later the Lord will raise up Gideon to defeat the Midianites. All these happenings are, in a sense, extended family conflicts! Of course, as all human beings are descended from Adam and also from Noah, in reality all the conflicts in our world are extended family conflicts.

Although the Lord’s promises to Abraham are primarily focused on the covenant promises extended through Isaac, don’t forget the Lord’s promise to Abraham that he would “be the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:4). In terms of physical lineage, Abraham is not only the forefather of Israel (stemming from Isaac’s younger son Jacob), but also of the Ishmaelites, the Asshurites, the Letushites, the Leummites, the Midianites, the Edomites (stemming from Isaac’s older son Esau), and whatever other nations stemmed from Keturah’s other sons. Abraham is indeed the father of many nations.

Abraham’s estate (v. 5-6)

Second, we learn about Abraham’s estate plan with respect to leaving his inheritance to the next generation. The bottom line is that Abraham put all his eggs into one basket, and gave the basket to Isaac. Remember, Abraham had eight sons total: he had Ishmael by Hagar, he had Isaac by Sarah, and then he had the six sons of verse 2 by Keturah. But only Isaac was the son of promise and the heir of the covenant promises. Therefore: “Abraham gave all he had to Isaac.” (v. 5) This doesn’t mean he didn’t care about his other sons: “But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts” (v. 6). In so doing, Abraham diminished his estate by the amount that he gave to each of his other sons. But once that action was taken, what remained of his vast estate went entirely to Isaac. This goes right along with what Abraham’s servant told Rebekah’s family in Chapter 24:

“The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys. And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has.” (Genesis 24:35-36)

Further, “while he [Abraham] was still living he sent them [his other sons] away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.” (v. 6) This action would have reinforced the idea that Isaac was the sole heir of Abraham’s estate and the sole heir of God’s covenant promises.

Notice that the other sons are identified as “sons of his concubines” – this once again serves to highlight the uniqueness of Isaac. Isaac, the son of Abraham and his proper wife Sarah, is not like the other sons, who are “sons of [Abraham’s] concubines”. The use of the term “concubines” is interesting and instructive. The phrase refers to Keturah (Chapter 25) and Hagar (Chapter 16). Although Keturah is referred to as “wife” in Genesis 25:1, and Hagar is also referred to as “a wife” in Genesis 16:3, nevertheless they didn’t have the same high standing that Abraham’s wife Sarah had. Keturah is specifically called “Abraham’s concubine” in 1 Chronicles 1:32. But as Genesis 25:10 tells us, Sarah was “his wife”.

The emphasis on Isaac’s unique status as sole heir is a fitting conclusion to the biographical record of Abraham’s life, which was so focused on the appointed offspring that was crucial to the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham.

Abraham’s death and burial (v. 7-10)

With that biographical record now complete, what remains is a brief notice concerning Abraham’s death and burial. One hundred years earlier – at the age of 75 – he had left Haran and traveled to Canaan. He fathered Isaac at the age of 100. His wife Sarah died when he was 137. His son Isaac married when he was 140. His grandsons Jacob and Esau were born when he was 160 – even though the birth of Jacob and Esau isn’t recounted until later in Chapter 25, it happened several years before Abraham’s death. And now, at the age of 175, his days were completed (v. 7). Verse 8 employs formal language in order to tell us that a man who had lived a long and productive life had finally died: “Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.” (v. 8)

The phrase “gathered to his people” is used several times in the Old Testament as a way of describing a man’s passage through death into the mysterious realm of after-death: it is used of Abraham (Genesis 25:8), of Ishmael (Genesis 25:17), of Isaac (Genesis 35:29), of Jacob (Genesis 49:33), of Aaron twice (Numbers 20:24 and Numbers 20:26), and of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:50). While the phrase by itself doesn’t tell us much about what happens to people after death, it is a gentle witness to what becomes clear later in Scripture: physical death is not the end of a person’s existence. While the bodies of the deceased are laid to rest in the earth, the souls of the righteous are immediately ushered into a place of comfort while the souls of the wicked are immediately ushered into a place of torment. The souls of both the righteous and the wicked await the day of physical resurrection when every human being will stand before the Righteous Judge and will be judged in accordance with the character and conduct of his or her life. At the judgment, each person will either we welcomed into eternal blessedness or sent away into eternal punishment (see Matthew 25:31-46). Scripture says: “[An] hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his [the Son of Man’s] voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29) By way of application, you do well to understand that one day you also will be gathered to your people. Therefore be diligent to make sure that your people are the people who live under God’s promise, not the people who perish under God’s judgment.

After Abraham’s death, his two oldest sons teamed up to bury their father. Although Ishmael was the oldest, notice that verse 9 names Isaac first:

“Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife.” (v. 9-10)

Abraham purchased this burial site in Chapter 23, and there he had buried his wife Sarah. Now Abraham was laid to rest in the same place.

God blesses Isaac (v. 11)

Finally, we are told that after Abraham’s death, “God blessed Isaac his son” (v. 11). We have been prepared for this moment all along: Isaac, the son of Abraham, will carry forward the covenant promises under the blessing of God. After all this, “Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi” (v. 11), the very place where Hagar had realized that the Lord saw her and cared for her:

“So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.” (Genesis 16:13-14)

Beer-lahai-roi means ‘the well of the Living One who sees me’[1]. In terms of his physical location, Isaac lived in a place that was named for the Living God who sees and cares. In terms of his spiritual location, Isaac lived under the care of the God who saw him and blessed him after his father Abraham died.

THE LEGACY OF ABRAHAM AND SARAH

We Must Look Back

With over 13 chapters of the Book of Genesis focused on Abraham, Abraham is of critical importance to the unfolding biblical storyline. Those who come onto the scene after Abrahammust look back to Abraham. God’s call upon and covenant with Abraham function as an anchor, a firm foundation upon which to stand and build, a basis for hope, and a pattern for our own walk with God.

We live in a society that loves to break from the past and to break from the traditions that have been passed down to us. Now I’m all for breaking from the sinful past and from empty traditions. But when it comes to the rich heritage that God has gifted to us through His people and that God has preserved for us in the Scriptures, I don’t want to break from it. Instead I want to stand in it, savor it, celebrate it, and stick to it. Simply put, we must learn to look back with gratitude to our forebears and to the trail that they – under God’s blessing – blazed for us.

Since those who believe in Jesus are “the sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7; also see Galatians 3:29), then we must remember that we stand in the promises that God made to Abraham. God’s promises to Abraham are a covenant foundation to which we must continually return.

When the afflicted children of Israel cried out in Exodus 2, we are told that “God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” (Exodus 2:24)

When the prophet Micah ends his book with a beautiful description of God’s steadfast love, compassion, and forgiveness, he concludes with this prayer to the Lord: “You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.” (Micah 7:20)

When we turn to the pages of the New Testament, what do we find? After Mary had been told by the angel that she would give birth to “the Son of God” (Luke 1:35), she praises the Lord and celebrates the Lord’s mercy. She concludes her praise-song by saying, “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:54-55) Likewise, after John the Baptist was born, John’s father Zechariah blessed the Lord for

“[raising] up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham” (Luke 1:69-73).

The promises that Abraham received, as well as the faith that he had and the obedience that he rendered, are foundational to understanding what it means to live as members of God’s gracious covenant.

Regarding the inclusion of Gentiles in God’s gracious covenant, our Lord Jesus said: “many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11). Gentiles who believe in the Messiah stand on the shoulders of the Hebrews patriarchs, and at the appointed time we will feast with them at the table of the Lord in the eternal kingdom of peace.

It is profoundly right for Christian believers to sing to each other:

“Father Abraham had many sons,

Many sons had father Abraham,

I am one of them and so are you,

So let’s just praise the Lord!”[2]

We must also give Sarah her due. When the apostle Peter encourages women to adorn themselves with true beauty ­– “with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:4) – his thoughts turned to Sarah: “For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.” (1 Peter 3:5-6) If you want to dance with the spirit of the age, you will look elsewhere for inspiration. But if you want to display that which is very precious in the sight of the God who sees you, then God sets Sarah before you as a pattern to follow.

We Must Look Forward

Speaking of a pattern to follow – as we come now to the home stretch – I want you to learn one final lesson from Abraham and Sarah. This is a lesson that is rightly considered when we consider their deaths. Let me connect Genesis 23:2 and Genesis 25:8 to a New Testament text, then I’ll unpack it. Genesis 23:2 begins, “And Sarah died” (Genesis 23:2). Genesis 25:8 begins, “Abraham breathed his last and died” (Genesis 25:8). Hebrews 11:13 says, “These [including Abraham and Sarah] died in faith, not having received the things promised” (Hebrews 11:13). Abraham and Sarah died. They died as they had lived: “in faith”, trusting God and His promises. And yet, at the time of death, they had not yet “received the things promised” to them.

Earlier I indicated that our society often fails to look back with gratitude and receive the rich heritage that God has stored up for us through the faithful men and women of the past. And that is true. But it is also true that people often fail to look forward to the future that God has promised to those who trust Him, because they are so fixated on the present moment, the present comfort, the present distress, the present relief, the present advantage, the present problem, the present pleasure. Instead of living in view of an unfolding future that rolls into eternity, people live in the deceptive illusions of the here and now, and this is why they lay up treasure on earth, where banks fail and wars break out and dreams are shattered.

And so, to encourage us in the right direction, we need to see and understand that Abraham’s life was profoundly future-oriented by God’s design. God promised to do things for Abraham that would never happen in Abraham’s lifetime: “I will make of you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2); “To your offspring I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7); “all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever” (Genesis 13:15); “I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted” (Genesis 13:16). Then in Genesis 15 Abraham learned that his descendants wouldn’t come into possession of the land until over four hundred years later, since God promised that his offspring “[would] be afflicted for four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13) in a foreign land before possessing the land of Canaan. As for Abraham, he wouldn’t be around at that time, for God had told him: “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.” (Genesis 15:15) Because of both God’s instruction and practical considerations, Abraham knew he wouldn’t be around when God’s promises were fulfilled. The last promises to Abraham that Scripture recounts included “I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven” and “in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:17, 18).

Consider what Abraham and Sarah had when they died

Consider these lavish promises – great nation, innumerable descendants, possession of the promised land, and decisive global impact – and then consider what Abraham had when he died: in terms of the covenant, he had one son Isaac and Isaac’s wife Rebekah, and their two sons Jacob and Esau. That’s it. God had also made lavish promises concerning Sarah: “I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of people shall come from her.” (Genesis 17:16) Now consider what Sarah had when she died: one son Isaac, as yet unmarried. That’s it. And that doesn’t look like much to fleshly eyes. However: “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13). Remember the words Abraham spoke to the Hittites in Genesis 23: “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you” (Genesis 23:4).

The upshot of all this is that Abraham and Sarah both had to trust the Lord to keep His promises to them by fulfilling those promises in and through their offspring after they were dead. They trusted the Lord to keep His promises to them by fulfilling those promises to their offspring after they were dead. Do you have the capacity to follow in their footsteps?

God’s promises orient us to the future

God’s promises give us an orientation to the future, and His commands tell us how to build into the future that He has promised. “I have chosen him [Abraham],” the Lord said, “that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” (Genesis 18:19) Later, the Lord told Abraham that He would indeed fulfill His promises to Abraham regarding Abraham’s offspring “because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:18). God doesn’t give us promises so that we’ll sit down and indulge ourselves in pious non-activity. Instead, God gives us promises to orient us to the direction in which we should be traveling. God’s commandments are always the pathway into the promised land. And our obedience builds into the future that He has promised.

Now I acknowledge that Abraham had received very specific promises and that we don’t find ourselves in exactly the same situation. But Abraham’s situation remains instructive for us as we go about the task of building for the future that God has promised.

Although there are times when God graciously allows us to see a measure of good fruit in the short-term, often times we must simply trust the Lord to bring about the desired fruit in His time frame – perhaps many years from now, perhaps a few decades from now, perhaps after we have died. Think about the Lord’s promise to “multiply your [Abraham’s] offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). How long would that take? When the events of Genesis 22 took place, Abraham might have been around 115 years old, give or take. Abraham would be 160 years old when his grandson Jacob was born. Fifteen years later, at the age of 175, Abraham died. Many years later Jacob’s entire family was relocated to Egypt: “All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons” (Exodus 1:5). It wasn’t until many decades after Abraham’s death that “the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:7). Abraham knew that he wouldn’t be alive at the time when the promises were fulfilled. But he lived by faith and he died in faith.

Are you willing to live for the benefit of future generations?

Are you willing to lay a foundation for, make an investment in, and leave a legacy to future generations? Some of our fellow Christians started South Paris Baptist Church in 1885. As far as I know, for 138 years this local church has stood in the truth of the Scriptures and proclaimed the message of salvation in the Oxford Hills. Decisions that they made then, affect us now. We benefit from their groundwork; we stand on their shoulders. The decision that this church made several years ago to switch from a deacon board to an elder board established a healthy leadership trajectory that we have been building upon and developing over the last five years. The decision that this church made several years ago to codify its commitment to biblical sexuality was not a momentary burst of noisemaking, but was putting down a “here we stand” stake in the ground with implications for future churchgoers. In all of this – from the founding of this local church and every subsequent decision to affirm biblical truth and resist ‘the spirit of the age’ that has derailed so many congregations – in all of this we are blazing a trail for future generations of disciples to walk in.

Abraham and Sarah desired a heavenly country

With Abraham as our example, we must have a contentment in the Lord that allows us to pursue faithfulness even though we may not be around for the bumper crop. Of course, Abraham knew that his descendants’ future possession of the land of Canaan wasn’t the ultimate reference point of God’s promise. For that passage in Hebrews 11 has more to tell us:

“These [Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob] all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13-16)

They had their eyes on a heavenly country. Their heart was oriented to the city designed and built by God (Hebrews 11:10). And so, in an ultimate sense, the bumper crop – the superabundant harvest – won’t be manifest until the new heaven and new earth. In this sense, “the things promised” are always future no matter what time period you’re living in. Therefore, Hebrews 13 tells 1^st century Christians – and all Christians since – to live with the same future orientation that Abraham and Sarah had: “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)

At the same time, though, some of God’s promises to Abraham were realized when the children of Israel entered the promised land, and when the Canaanite cities fell to Israel under Joshua’s leadership, and when David was exalted as a great king in the Middle East, and when the Queen of Sheba sought an audience with King Solomon. Beyond that, there was the most profound fulfillment of God’s promises when Jesus came. Jesus said to His disciples: “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:16-17) Paul wrote that “the end of the ages has come” upon the church (1 Corinthians 10:11). Peter wrote that the Old Testament prophets who foretold “the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories” knew “that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven” (1 Peter 1:11, 12). So, even though we are still “[seeking] the city that is to come”, nevertheless we have experienced a greater measure of fulfillment of God’s promises than what was experienced by the prophets and saints of the Old Testament era, for now we know that these promises have been sealed with the Lord’s own blood, by which He purchased and purified His bride forever.

Will you have the outlook of Abraham and Sarah?

But even though we can’t replicate the exact historical circumstances in which Abraham and Sarah were situated and how God’s promises got increasingly developed and implemented over time, we can still ask this basic question: are you content to pursue faithfulness to the Lord even though most of the fruit of your faithfulness won’t be visible until far into the future? Are you willing to keep the path of obedience well-trod and well-marked and well-posted for future generations of believers? Will you have the outlook of Abraham and Sarah? Will you have the outlook of the Hebrew prophets? Will you have the outlook of Hugh Latimer? In the year 1555, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burnt at the stake for their biblical convictions. A short article about Latimer and Ridley recounts this remarkable scene:

“Sharing an embrace before execution Ridley said to Latimer “‘Be of good cheer, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flames or else strengthen us to abide it.’  to which Latimer responded, ‘Be of good comfort Master Ridley and play the man. We shall this day, by God’s grace, light a candle in England as I trust in God shall never be put out.’”[3]

The willingness to “light a candle” through martyrdom – and true martyrdom simply means bearing faithful witness to the truth through one’s death for the truth – the willingness to “light a candle” through martyrdom is the ultimate example of devoting your life in service to future generations. Are you willing to “light a candle” which will influence generations of people long after you have died? Are you willing to die so that others might live? Isn’t this the way of following Jesus?

Brothers and sisters, one of the great temptations that the world, the flesh, and the devil throw at us is the temptation to be obviously successful and impactful in the narrow confines of the here and now. After all, media outlets don’t typically run stories on people whose lives will prove to have produced much fruit 100 years from now and from the vantage point of eternity. That’s too boring to generate many clicks. That’s too boring to people who want exciting and inspiring news today. That’s too boring to people who want more and better stuff now. That’s too boring to people who want marketable and tangible results immediately. But God is in the business of using ordinary people who, through simple obedience, become building blocks in a spiritual house that will last forever. Just imagine Abraham, on his deathbed, perhaps attended by his 75 year old son Isaac and his 15 year old grandson Jacob, thinking to himself that this little band – in God’s faithful hand – was somehow going to grow big and influential and would become the key to reversing the curse and restoring the blessing to mankind. Abraham saw it and greeted it from afar (Hebrews 11:13), and he knew that it would come to pass.

Friends, don’t be duped by the superficial satisfaction of making a big splash in the here and now. Don’t be addicted to the need for an immediate payoff. Don’t require a certain amount of visible success to justify the choices that you have made. Don’t assume that faithful ministry attracts crowds of fans. Instead, trust the Lord and do not lean on your fleshly preference for outward impressiveness. Always live in view of eternity. Make choices that are in line with Scripture. Be content to walk in ordinary obedience as a faithful husband or wife; a faithful father or mother; a faithful grandfather or grandmother; a faithful member of the church; a faithful servant, employee, neighbor, and friend. For God is pleased to work through His faithful ones to weave together a storyline that will impact generations to come, and all of it will reverberate with great joy when all the children of Abraham and Sarah are feasting together in the banquet hall of God’s eternal city.

ENDNOTES

[1] From the English Standard Version footnote on Genesis 16:14.

[2] From the well-known children’s song, “Father Abraham.”

[3] “Latimer and Ridley Light a Candle.” Available online: https://lineagejourney.com/read/ridley-and-latimer-light-a-candle/.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Assohoto, Barnabe and Samuel Ngewa, “Genesis.” In Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars. Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor. Zondervan Edition (first edition published in 2006).

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. The Book of Genesis (Ariel’s Bible Commentary). Fourth Edition. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 2020.

Steinmann, Andrew E. Genesis (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2019.