Isaiah 51:2 - Look to Abraham! Look to Sarah who bore you!
God is asking us to look to the perfect couple of the Bible – Abraham and Sarah as a model of Spiritual discipline, faith and character. Here are some key traits to note in this amazing couple in the Bible.
ABRAHAM
1. Fellowship with God
Abraham was known as the friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23). He was in constant communion with God. This is the reason he heard the will of God to leave his fathers house and move towards Canaan. His fellowship with God also fostered an intimacy where he even agreed to sacrifice his only son Isaac. A person who can fellowship with God is perfectly fit to lead his family to a victorious life.
2. Obedience to God
Abraham was known to obey God. When God called him, he was quick to respond, “…Here I am(Genesis 22:1)”. His obedience came out of his relationship with God where he trusted in the goodness of God towards him.
3. Faith in God
Faith is the evidence of things unseen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith can see where the eye cannot. Abraham walked with the eyes of Faith. He looked forward to a city whose maker and builder was God (Hebrews 11:8-10). He lived by Faith in a wilderness terrain where there was no source of livelihood. He was confident in the provision, protection and the presence of God in his life. Eventually, his life of faith and his title as the “father of faith (Romans 4:16)” became the model for all missionaries till date.
4. A Good Father
Abraham was quoted by God himself as a man who could lead and command his family well (Genesis 18:19). His success was in his ability to bring up Isaac in faith and obedience and so he passed on a spiritual lineage by which the Patriarchs of the Old Testament Issac and Jacob came into recognition.
5. A Life of Prayer
We read in the book of Genesis, the various altars that Abraham built unto God and worshipped Him (Genesis 12:7,8, Genesis 13:18, Genesis 22:9). Without Prayer, he would have never known the will of God. Prayer brings us into divine Grace.
SARAH:
1. Trust – She displayed Trust in the Authority of her Husband
2. Submission – Submitted to her Husband’s Will to Follow God.
3. Respect – She referred to her husband Abraham as “Lord” which reveals her deep respect towards Husband
4. Hospitality – She was present when the divine visitors visited her house and served them and received a blessing from them.
5. Fear of God – She had divine fear just as her husband had towards God.