IN HIS FOOTSTEPS

 

Out of all the patriarchs of old, Abraham is by far my most favourite. Apart from his desire for the blessings of the priesthood, his amazing obedience and righteousness, and his willingness to sacrifice, all of which are highly admirable, there is one thing about him that stands out to me the most.

Through Abraham and his life, I have a witness that we cannot become like the Saviour unless we save at least one person, whether in this life or the next. I will use him here as an introduction to the patriarchs of the Old Testament through this amazing story that illustrates my point:

"....Abraham 'was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot' (JPST Gen 18:2).  It was the hottest part of a very hot day, say the rabbis, with the sun beating down mercilessly.  As one writer recounts, 'Abraham sits in his tent door enjoying its grateful shade, and looking out on the plain of Mamre, from which the sun's fiery beams have driven men, birds and panting beasts to such shelter as rocks and trees and tents can afford'.

“Abraham, however, was not focused on himself and his discomfort, compounded by his recent circumcision, but was worrying for travellers who might need assistance on a day like that.  'Notwithstanding the intense heat and his own sickness he still sat there to invite any stray passer-by'.  

“When no one came, he sent his servant to go in search of anyone needing help, even though Abraham had planted trees for the benefit of travellers - rest stops along the way.  When the servant returned without success, Abraham determined to go himself.  It was then, says rabbinic tradition, that Abraham discovered the three travellers.

“Abraham might easily have remained seated, and simply directed a servant or subordinate to attend to these travelers. Or, says one writers, 'he may wait their approach, leaving them to solicit his hospitality.  Not he - Abraham arose and despite the scorching heat, and 'although he was in great pain from his wound, ran forward to meet them' and  'bowed himself towards the ground' (Gen. 18:2)." (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, p. 172). 

It is then that he received the promise of Isaac, because of his regard for his fellowman.

Wherever Abraham went in his journeys he acquired souls to save. The more I have studied about his life, the more amazed I have become but not surprised that he became ‘the father of the faithful’. Abraham exemplifies all the patriarchs because their one mission in life was the salvation of souls:

“And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good, and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.” (Abraham 3:23)

We might not rise to the status of Abraham or any of the patriarchs. We all have individualized responsibilities and directives in regards to saving others. It is the desire to save that matters the most. In my recent conversation with a friend, he disclosed to me the greatest level of that desire, that I have never even considered, when he told me that he has asked God to lay his inactive son’s sins on his shoulders. You cannot become Christ-like in a holier manner than this. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: As I Have Loved You by B. Laura Wilson)