God did not give Abram up even though he had failed. If He gave us up when we fail, where would any of us be? Even though He has to let us feel the results of our mistakes, yet His love never changes.
God said to Abram, “Walk before Me, and be thou perfect.” Abram had not been walking before God when he became the father of Ishmael. It is so easy for any of us to walk before others, trying to please them instead of putting the Lord first. God would have us to be conscious of being in His presence at all times.
In the Presence of God
Some years ago there was a young man who really loved the Lord Jesus, and tried to please Him at his work. The other men did not like his quiet, living testimony day by day and tried to get him to do things which would spoil it. One day a number of them made a circle around him, and then when he could not get away, they told one of their bad stories. Then they all started to laugh, but he did not join with them in their sinful laughter. He knew the Scripture which says, “Fools make a mock at sin,” and so he remained quiet and sober. At last one of the men said, “Laugh, John.” His simple reply was, “Men, I live in the presence of God.” This made them all ashamed, and they soon left him. They did not want to be in the presence of God. If you are unsaved, dear reader, you, too, are afraid of meeting God, but if you will come to Him now, just as you are, He will save you, and His perfect love will cast out all fear.
When God spoke, Abram fell on his face before Him. There is always a reverence which is appropriate when we are in the presence of God. That is why we should close our eyes, and if possible, kneel down when we talk to God in prayer. It is very displeasing to the Lord to talk or whisper during prayer at Sunday School, in meetings, or at any time when others are praying.
The True Meaning of Ordinances
In order to confirm His covenant, God told Abram, now called Abraham, that every man child was to be circumcised. Circumcision was the sign of death, and it was to keep fresh in the mind of Abraham as well as his children after him, that the only ground of blessing was, and still is, through death. All this pointed on to the death of Christ. The children of Israel soon began to give great importance to circumcision as an ordinance but lost its true meaning. Then God had to say that their “circumcision is made uncircumcision” (Romans 2:25). It became only an empty form to them.
Professing Christendom has done much the same today with the two Christian ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s supper. God’s Word makes it very clear that these ordinances cannot save anyone’s soul. They cannot give life to one who is “dead in trespasses and sins.” Only faith in Christ and His finished work can do that. Nor are they necessary to salvation, for the thief on the cross went to be with the Lord, even though he was never baptized. Many dear Christians, too, have never partaken of the Lord’s supper. These ordinances are, however, precious Christian privileges, when their true meaning is laid hold of by faith from God’s blessed Word. If you are not saved, dear young reader, remember that nothing but living faith in Christ can save you.
Further Meditation
1. How did God confirm His covenant with Abraham?
2. What does the act of circumcision represent in a spiritual sense? What does “uncircumcised in the heart” mean in Jeremiah 9:26?
3. If you’re looking to learn a little about circumcision, then the article in the Concise Bible Dictionary by G. Morrish is a good place to start. You can read it at bibletruthlibrary.org by doing a library search for Article Number 80698.