Immediate Obedience and Faith

“In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.” (Ge 17:26-27 AV)

This puzzles me.  Not the facts of the passage, but rather, our need to know that Abraham circumcised his entire household on the same day.  All came under the covenant on the same day.  There was no rest between.  Because men who are circumcised as adults experience discomfort that can last up to three days is even more interesting.  The pragmatic mind would have spaced it out so the family was not laid up for three days and vulnerable to attack.  Abraham did not do that.  God gave him the sign of circumcision as a sign of the covenant between He and Abraham. Abraham did not delay in keeping his end of the bargain even though there was risk involved.  He saw the favor of God and immediately Acted upon it so as to not bring into jeopardy the grace of God.

Prioritizing obedience and faith is always wrong.  When my children were little, I taught them immediate obedience.  What I did was to chasten them according to how quickly they obeyed. If they obeyed immediately, there was no chastening.  There was gratitude for the respect they showed me.  However, If I had to tell them more than once to do or not do something, then there were consequences.  I was never that parent who ‘counted to three’.  No need.  They either obeyed or suffered consequences.  The more they ignored my instruction, the more harsh the consequences.  I never got angry, upset, or frustrated.  The consequences were the motive for learning immediate obedience.  I did this for their own good.  If they were headed down a dangerous path, I needed them to heed my voice lest they suffer far worse consequences than my chastening.  I needed them to trust me.  I needed them to follow me so they would stay out of harm.  But this character trait of immediate obedience is not limited to issues of safety.  They can also be necessary to take advantage of an opportunity.  An opportunity may only happen once and be there for a very short time.  If one does not hop on it, it will be gone forever.  Immediate obedience and faith are always rewarded.

We tend to prioritize obedience and faith.  We put it in a checklist of tasks or responsibilities and when it fits into our plan, we obey or trust.  If it is not in the schedule, then we put it off.  Not Abraham.  He was a man of implicit trust in God.  When God told him to leave UR, he packed up and did so.  When the LORD told him to offer Isaac, it went to the top of the list.  You never see Abraham dawdling over the word of God.  When God revealed His will, Abraham immediately trusted and obeyed.  This is why he is the father of all those who choose to live by faith.  This is why he is perhaps the best-known of all Old Testament patriarchs.  He did not hesitate.  No matter the risk, if God told him to do it, then he did.  He left the risks up to the LORD.