Your Epitaph

Genesis 25:7-10

I remember my dad saying that all men have two things in common, they all have to pay taxes and they all die.  If dad had lived longer, he may have changed his mind on the first point, but he is dead on about his second position.  All humans die, but often, only the politician, the move star, and the rock singer get the acclaim of a life lived.  Abraham is given three verses in Genesis that would make the obituary in the local paper.  “These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years.  Abraham breathed his last and died in good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.  Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite.  There Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife.”

That is what would have made the paper in the death notices, and yet that is not his story, the story of Abraham begins in Genesis 12 and goes throughout the Bible.  What if that was all the information you were given on Abraham?  He must have been a good guy, and he sure lived a long time, and his two sons seemed to really care for him, that’s all you would get of this great mans life.  So lets put the story of Abram or Abraham’s life in more detail.

He was the son of Terah, and God spoke to him one day and said leave, leave all that you love and know and go where I will show you, and he did.  The God who told him to leave also told him that he would be the father of many nations, and best of all, he would be the father of the chosen people of God.  We observed these characteristics in Abraham, obedience – left home and friends at the call of God.  He was unselfish – gave Lot the first choice of the land.  He was courageous – defeated the robber kings.  He was benevolent  - gave tithes to Melchizedek the priest.  He was incorruptible - refused to receive gifts for the service rendered.  He was mighty in prayer, and was wonderful in faith – was willing to offer up his son, Isaac in obedience to God’s command.  Now that is a different epitaph from the three verses in Genesis.  But the apostle James in chapter two, verse 23 states; “and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” – and he was called a friend of God.” 

Not that long ago, Pastor Ray Still preached on the subject; “Are you a friend of Jesus.”  The apostle John states in John 15:15, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from the Father I have made known to you.”  It is a given, because of my new birth in Christ, I am His friend.  As I left the service that day, I knew that I was a friend of Jesus, but as the Spirit examined my heart, it was clear that I was not treating Jesus like a friend.  I was leaving him out of many conversations, many decisions, and though, he was my friend, it was not a friendship.  All of the characteristics listed above about Abraham are ones each of us need on our epitaph, but the greatest one is having the Creator call you His friend. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice