#DailyDevotion Walking Before The Lord Is Easier And Harder Than You Thought
2nd Sunday in Lent
Gen. 17:1When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”
It is interesting that this Sunday we go back in time five chapters. Here the Lord appears before Abram and identifies himself with the name God Almighty. Yet the promises, the convenient, the promise the Lord makes with Abram will require his almighty power. He is promising the make this man mostly dead and his wife whose womb has been dead for quite some time bear a child.
Now the premise upon which the Lord makes this covenant with Abram is that he walk before the Lord and be blameless. Now nothing in Abram’s life would indicate anything like moral perfection. He is known to fear men and to be deceitful at times. This will not change. So what does the Lord mean by this? It is much the same as our Lord Jesus Christ has told us himself as his holy people, ““Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48, NASB) and Peter”because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”” (1 Peter 1:16, NASB) . You may read this and think to yourself, “This is impossible!”
Indeed, it does seem impossible. But, “Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” (Galatians 3:6, NASB) To trust the Lord’s words is to walk before the Lord to be blameless. We walk in the faith that for the sake of Christ our sins are forgiven and our iniquities are removed from us. Abram walked in the same faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NASB)
Now the fact that it is our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is our righteousness before God does not preclude our and Abram’s desire to do good and be morally upright. Faith indeed upholds the law and loves the law. But our standing before the Lord is always by faith in Jesus and his promises. It is through our faith, in believing the good news that God justifies the ungodly for the sake of Jesus, that we walk according to the Spirit. Faith produces good works and mortifies the passions of the fallen flesh.
Now that Abram believes the Lord, the Lord makes his covenant with him to multiply him and make him the father of many nations. He will fulfill that literally and spiritually. Literally in that many of his children and grandchildren will become nations in that area of the world. Spiritually, through faith in Christ, the nations of the world are joined to him and become his children in Christ Jesus through baptism.
Heavenly Father, grant us such faith in your promises that we may walk before you blameless in the faith of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.