Divine Reckoning

Abraham is regarded as one of the spiritual giants of the Biblical story.  Over twelve chapters of Genesis tell his story and he is remembered often by those who wrote the pages of the New Testament.  No one who stands on the stage of Biblical history stands as tall as Abraham, but if we are looking for a perfect man, we must surely look elsewhere.  The old patriarch was not perfect.  Twice he tried passing off his wife as his sister to protect himself.  Though promised a son by the Lord, he took matters in his own hands, had a son by a slave woman, and would have passed the child off as the one promised.

 

When God looked at Abraham, he did not note his perfections or his imperfections, but his faith.  In the 15th chapter of Genesis we read in verse 6, "And he (Abraham) believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness."  When Paul was writing his letters to the church, he remembered this word about the father of the Hebrews.  Several times in the New Testament, Abraham is lifted up because of his faith.  Long before people were believing in Jesus, God reckoned Abraham as a righteous man because he believed in Him and what He was saying.

 

Abraham was a wealthy and powerful man, but it was his faith which was seen by God.  It still works the same way.  Nothing has changed.  When God looks in our direction, He looks for an Abraham like faith.  He looks for one who believes, who depends, who regards nothing more important than being in a right relationship with Him.  Surely there is nothing greater for us to know than the fact that we have been reckoned as righteous by God.