Hewn from a ROCK

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and we being the seed (and fruit) of Abraham should experience the wonderful things he did. That enjoyment however, is predicated on doing the things that he did. The Bible commands us in Isaiah 51:1-2

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many.”

Look to Abraham and learn from him how to love God, obey God, worship God, acknowledge God, sold out to God, and in turn be blessed and increased by God. I am doing a study on Abe and with the help of the Holy Spirit getting revelation on what the Lord wants me to copy from my Father Abraham.

Abraham is first mentioned in Gen Ch 11 in the genealogy of Shem. His father was Terah and he had two brothers, Nahor and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot and he died young (well, by the standards of those days). Abe married Sarai and Nahor married Milcah (we will see this family again in Gen 24). They all lived in a place called Haran.

First thing we hear about Sarai is that she was barren. She was NOT fruitful. She had no children. In Ch 12 we are told that she was very beautiful. So beautiful that Pharaoh's servants praised her to him and he took her as a wife. Isn’t it interesting how you can have something totally beautiful in your life but have barrenness in the same place? Like that great shop you opened with a wonderful window display and excellent customer service but no profits? You know what I’m talking about.

In Gen 12 the Lord commands Abe to get out from the familiar and go to a place God would show him. The familiar is the old way of doing things, which is rooted in man’s natural effort. It is the “same old, same old” or “this is how it has always been done” way of thinking. This is God saying, “Get away from all that, and come into my way of doing things.” And God makes some tremendous promises based on him walking away from the old way of doing things, into God’s way. He says:

• I will make you into a great nation (Increase in numbers physically – offspring)
• I will bless you (Empowerment to get wealth)
• I will make your name great (Honor and Glory)
• You will be a blessing (A conduit of God’s goodness to others)
• I will bless those who bless you and curse those you curse you (Divine protection)
• All the people on the earth will be blessed through you (That is you and me)

So Abram left. He obeyed God. He left all that was familiar and comforting and chose to do things God’s way. Obedience is key.

I see Abe doing something here that will become a study for another day; he builds two altars in quick succession to the Lord. After God promises the land to his offspring, Abe builds an altar to the Lord who appeared to him. Then again he builds another altar to the Lord and calls on the name of the Lord. When the Lord gives you a word, build an altar by giving an offering to him based on that word. By that you acknowledge his word and him, and you give thanks as well. It is your way of saying “let it be unto me according to the word of the Lord”

Then something interesting happens, there is a severe famine in the land. Why is it that every time you get a word from the Lord a famine comes? Abe is forced to go to Egypt for preservation. Check this out, while there, a wealth transfer happens. Pharaoh gives him sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants and camels. That is the exact opposite of what should happen in a famine!! Instead of all his animals dying off from starvation, he is preserved and indeed they are increased. Just because there is a famine does not mean you have to die! You are hewn from Abe, in famine you will be both preserved and increased. Why? Because you are blessed and the blessing is not subject to the natural. By virtue of the blessing you are a supernatural being and you increase whether the conditions are favorable for increase or not!!

Now Abe was a man just like you and I, he feared that he would be killed for his fly wife so he tells a lie that she is his sister and omits the fact that she is his wife. Now, this is strange right here. You would expect God to rebuke Abe, instead God punishes innocent Pharaoh and his house with “serious diseases” (vs 17) which causes them to realize that Abe lied. Favor aint fair!! God was still preserving him, even when he was clearly on the wrong God was still protecting him.

Needless to say he gets kicked out of Egypt with all the wealth he had acquired.

So what do we learn from our daddy right there:

• Obedience is key
• The promise is fulfilled when you are in obedience
• Get out of your old mindset, step into the supernatural
• When God gives you a word build an altar on that word
• You don’t have to die in the famine; God will command a wealth transfer for you.
• The blessing of God is not subject to natural circumstances so please stop looking around you
• Favor sure aint fair and YOU are highly favored.