3.

The repudiation of all reward from the king of Sodom "lest he should say, I have

made Abraham rich", stands for the crucifixion of the world (Gal. 6: 14).

4.

The offering up of Isaac, the beloved son, is the fellowship of His sufferings, the

conformity to His death, which is on the one hand intimately connected with the

perfecting, the prize, and the heavenly citizenship, and on the other is strongly contrasted

with those who mind earthly things, and constitute themselves "enemies of the cross of

Christ" (Phil. 3: 10-21; Heb. 6: 6).

So far we have traced the meaning of the statement, "By faith Abraham . . . . .

obeyed". Looking to the opening paragraph of this article we see that there is another

pair of statements to consider. The obedience of faith is found in A1, A2, "Go out",

"He went out". As we read Heb. 11: 8 it might appear that the fact that Abraham knew

all about the inheritance enabled him to step out in faith. "By faith Abraham, when he

was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance,

obeyed." This, however, is not the meaning. When he obeyed he did not have the

inheritance so definitely revealed, for the verse continues, "and he went out, not knowing

whither he went". This brings Abraham into line with the other examples of faith. "Faith

is the substance . . . . . of things not seen". Noah was warned of the things not seen as

yet. Abraham knew that he was to go into a land of the Lord's providing, and he knew

that it was to be his inheritance, but the revelation of that inheritance grew with his

Is there no parallel experience suggested in Eph. 1: 18? "That ye may know what

is . . . . . the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." Is there no parallel in I

Cor. 2: 9, 10? We shall learn presently that Abraham received a higher call and a fuller

revelation that eclipsed the original inheritance of the land, but this we must deal with in

its true place. For the time being we must stop. The thread is taken up in the record of

the next pair, Isaac and Jacob.

Let us not set aside this word "obey". True we are of faith, true we are not under law,

but under grace, true we are sons, not servants. Does this mean that obedience, the

obedience of faith, is not for us? "Though HE were a Son, yet learned He obedience

. . . . . all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5: 8, 9). The words obedience and obey mean

"to hear with submission". It is translated simply "hearken" in Acts 12: 13. It is

incipient in Heb. 3:, 4: in the words, "To-day if ye will hear His voice". Faith comes

out of hearing (Rom. 10: 17), and the obedience of faith is simply that hearing continued

throughout the walk of life.