Abraham, now old and well-stricken in age, is here seen in the full intelligence and power of his position and character as a man of God—as God’s man in that place. All he says and does proves this. He had the mind of God. But how beautiful to see an aged pilgrim, fresh, as it were, in his first love. The sight arrests the heart and invites us to linger over it for a moment. He had left country, kindred, and his father’s house; he had come to Canaan, but the Canaanites were there; enemies were all around; he was a stranger and a sojourner with his tent and his altar in the promised land.
Nevertheless, the land was his, the call of God was his, the promise of God was his; and these divine realities dwelling in his heart by faith, gave him to order his house according to the mind of God, and to walk before the people of the land in true moral dignity and becoming independence. Note, in passing, I pray thee, my soul, the importance of this subject in a christian point of view; I mean the call of God: of the heart and life answering to His call. It is only in the proportion that we are under the power of His call that we can take our place in this world as pilgrims and strangers; that we can be content with the promise of God when present things are all against us; that we can walk here as God’s hidden ones until Christ come. We know that we have all things in Christ, but the call of God separates us from this present evil world, even as Christ is separate from it. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”.... “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him, Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” John 17:1616They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (John 17:16) Cor. 1:20.
But this is a subject little thought of by Christians generally. It is so painful to nature, so difficult to obey, that we willingly forget that we are under such a call, and feel in nowise bound to obey it. “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred,” said the God of glory to our father Abraham, when he dwelt in Mesopotamia. This was separating work; but the call of God is as absolute now as then; the authority of His word is the same. It strikes at the very root of all that we hold dear naturally. Old and early associations must be given up, or rather left behind. Self must be denied, the voice of God must be followed. And when this is faithfully done, we shall find many of our old associates in nature, in the world, and even in the professing church, ready enough to separate from us, and that with no small feeling of bitterness and opposition. And we may have to pass through many a struggle before we can feel reconciled to all this, or before the authority of God’s word is established in the heart. Still, God will wait for us. He waited a long time before Abraham was right in heart, but He must have us so, sooner or later.
“Whosoever he be of you,” saith the blessed Lord, “that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” And again, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26, 3326If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)
33So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33).) These terms of discipleship have often been spoken of as extremely hard and most obscure in their meaning. The passage certainly does not mean that we are to hate our kindred as the natural heart hates; on the contrary, we will love them more keenly and more tenderly than ever. “Without natural affection,” is a feature of the apostasy. But the teaching of the Lord does mean, that we must deny self, take up His cross, and follow Him so fully, that to others it would seem that we were neglecting the nearest and strongest claims of kindred. But this may be a greater trial to the one who is following Christ, than to those who are left behind. The ties that would hinder us from following Him must be broken. If Terah hinders Abraham from entering the land, Terah must die at Haran. (Gen. 11:3232And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. (Genesis 11:32).) We must acknowledge grace to be stronger than nature. “Come unto me”... “Follow me”... “Abide in me,” are the Lord’s own words and clearly teach, that it is not enough to come to Him at first, but that we must follow Him day by day, and also abide in Him as our exalted Head in heaven. He is the measure of our separation from the world by faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
But rather, I would say, before leaving this practical point, let thy thoughts dwell on what thou hast gained, not on what thou hast given up. Let all that be left behind as unworthy of thy regret. (Phil. 3:4-104Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Philippians 3:4‑10).) The apostle, in writing to the saints at Ephesus, prays, “that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” Nothing less than “the riches of the glory of his inheritance,” is what thou art called to, and nothing less would suit thy calling. Surely there is enough here to attract the eye and the heart to heaven, and to draw them away from the things of earth; besides, we must not forget that the moral dignity and honor in being the heirs of such an inheritance, should lead us to walk in marked separation from the lowering and defiling things of earth.’Ours is “an holy calling.... the heavenly calling.... the high calling of God.” 2 Tim. 1:99Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (2 Timothy 1:9); Heb. 3:11Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; (Hebrews 3:1); Phil. 3:1414I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14).
We now return to our Patriarch, verse 1-9.
The charges which Abraham gives to Eliezer, clearly show how thoroughly he was in the spirit and power of his place as a heavenly stranger in the land; and how earnest he was for Isaac to be maintained in the same place of separation as he himself had been. All his thoughts and counsels now center on his son. A bride must be sought for the heir. But on no condition whatever can Abraham consent to Isaac’s going down to Mesopotamia, or to his being allied with the daughters of Canaan. This is full of instruction to us. “Put, I pray thee,” said Abraham to his faithful servant, “thy hand under my thigh; and I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.” This was new and strange work for a servant, and he very naturally supposes there may be difficulties in the way. He had no doubt often carried out his master’s wishes, but this was a line of service altogether new. “Peradventure,” said Eliezer, “the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land; must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou earnest?” Abraham’s answer is distinct and positive; his purpose is one, whatever the difficulties may be. “And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou, that thou bring not my son thither again.”
In all this we have beautifully shadowed forth the eternal purpose of God, confirmed by His word and oath, to glorify His Son as the exalted Man in heaven, and also to bless and glorify the church as associated with Him. Faith falls back and rests, not only on the work of Christ finished in time, but on the very thoughts and purposes of God’s heart, as revealed in the divine counsels before the foundations of the earth were laid. Rebekah knew nothing while in Mesopotamia of the counsels of Abraham’s family in Canaan; nevertheless, her call and future exaltation were founded on these.
So with the Christian, so with the church; hence we can join with the apostle, and say, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who bath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” Eph. 1:3, 43Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Ephesians 1:3‑4).