Person: Abraham
Epic Fail: Took maters into his own hands
God’s View: A man of faith

If you’re the type that needs things figured out before pursuing something: STOP! God calls people to do things even when the person has no clue what to do. Abraham is such a person. God told him to rise up and go to a land that He’d show him. Pack up, move, I’ll tell you later. Abraham as a holy man.

God’s Choice Man
Abraham and his descendants succeed for one reason: God chose Abraham. The story starts in Genesis 12 and following. God promises Abraham land, descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and blessing. Abraham and his wife had one son, Isaac. The path of his descendants would not be easy, rising up out of a land that was no their own.

Anyone who blesses Abraham’s family would be blessed, anyone who cursed it would be cursed. Abraham is the father of two great nation groups: Israel- sons of Isaac, and Arabs- sons of Ishmael. Wondering in the wilderness, God protected and prospered his family. Being the patriarchal head of Israel, Abraham is a hero.

Abraham’s Failure
Desperate for God’s promise, Abraham took maters into his own hands. Abraham was promised an heir, but at 100 years old He did not see it happening. Earlier Sarah talked Abraham into sleeping with her concubine Hagar to produce an heir, called Ishmael. The descendants of Isaac and Ishmael do not get along, as evident in the Middle East today.

God’s final view
God does not call Abraham a failure. Hebrews 11 describes Abraham and his descendants men of faith. They were not perfect men, but they were faithful men. To this day we deal with the consequences of Abraham taking maters into his own hands. God does not call Abraham a failure. Romans 4:18ff describes God’s view of Abraham:

In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.” Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Abraham was holy not because he never sinned, but because he pursued God.