FRIENDS VERSUS SERVANTS

"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:14-15).

Devotion 2 of 13

ABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD

No other religion boasts of friendship with its God. This is one of the many distinctives of the "great salvation" that is ours in Christ. Until Christ, there were few people of our race with whom the Lord could fellowship. That privilege was largely lost when sin entered into the very environment God had called "good." It is written that "Enoch walked with God" (Gen 5:22,24). Noah is also described as a "just man" that "walked with God" (Gen 6:9). Their "walk" however, was largely related to their revulsion with an iniquitous world in which they lived.

Jude provides us with a prophecy of Enoch. It was one of impending judgment, to be fulfilled immediately in the Noahic flood, and ultimately in the coming of the Lord and the destruction of the wicked. "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 14 15).

Noah's faith not only resulted in the saving of his house, but also in the condemnation of the world. As it is written, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; BY THE WHICH HE CONDEMNED THE WORLD, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
(Heb 11:7).

The walk with God enjoyed by Enoch and Noah was vital, but it was not fellowship at the level God desired. Being repulsed by evil is a requisite to fellowship with God, but it is not at the heart it.

This is devastating to a legalistic view of spiritual life. In my judgment, Satan has perpetrated the notion that being against evil is sufficient to obtain Divine approval. This is not the case! It is written of Jesus that He not only "hated iniquity," but that He also "loved righteousness" (Heb 1:9). It is clear from Scripture that true spirituality requires both traits. As it is written, "grace" teaches us not only to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts," but to "live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world," all the while "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ" (Tit 2:11-12).

A different dimension

Abraham stands unique among the sons of men. Because of that uniqueness, he is called the "father" of all who believe (Rom 4:11,12,16). When God promised Abraham "seed" as multitudinous as the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore, he "believed God" (Gen 15:6; 22:17; Rom 4:3; Gal 3:6; James 2:23). That faith endeared him to God, provoking Him to call Abraham His "friend." He required no further evidence to substantiate the promise. God's word was sufficient! "Art not Thou our God, Who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before Thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of ABRAHAM THY FRIEND for ever?" (2 Chron 20:7). "But thou, Israel, art My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of ABRAHAM MY FRIEND" (Isa 41:8). "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called THE FRIEND OF GOD" (James 2:23).

What a marvelous thing; to be known as "the Friend of God!" Note! He does not say "A friend of God," but "THE friend of God." "Friend," in this case, means "associate" or confidant. It is someone in whom another confides. In the case of Abraham, God divulged His intention to bless the world through his offspring. Considering the times, and the sparse amount of communication between God and the human race, this is a wonderful thing! The Living God took a man into His confidence, divulging something that would not be comprehended for centuries to come.

The remarkable word of the Lord on this matter challenges our mind. "And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do" (Gen 18:17). The immediate matter He revealed to Abraham was that He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. But that was not all. Abraham was so close to the Lord that God could not keep from revealing the plan of the ages to him. He had determined to bless the whole world, which He had previously destroyed by water. He would do so through the offspring of man--specifically, Abraham's Seed (Gen 12:1-3). This promise still challenges the minds of those dominated by the Spirit. How close Abraham must have been to the Lord for Him to reveal this secret in such spiritually primitive times! It certainly reveals the benefits of being the friend of God.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Jesus that You have revealed this aspect of Your Person--that You have willed to have friends among the sons of men.

-- Tomorrow: WHAT IS A FRIEND? --