Abraham wanted to make sure that he was living by faith, and that God only was going to be the blessing of Abraham, and Abraham would know it. No man would be able to brag that they helped Abram along the way. No, it had been God and God only. Abram had not only recognized the gift that God had given, but he in turn then, becomes a giver. He gave tithes as the Lord commanded to Melchizedek. So Abraham makes a public declaration that he will trust the Lord God to supply him.
Now, I want you to notice this, that there is another biblical principle that derives from this example, and that is that Abraham does not require of others what he requires of himself. Each person has to live according to the measure of their faith. Abraham’s faith was on God, but these other people’s faith was not in God, at least to the degree that Abraham’s was. So Abraham’s example was there and it could not be copied without the power to do so. Did they have the Spirit of God? I do not think so.
So each person has to be true according to the measure of their faith, rather than falsely pretending to a level they have not attained to. There is a whole chapter on this back in the New Testament, anybody know where it is? It is in Romans 14. It is the chapter that ends with, “for whatever is not from faith is sin.” It is where Paul says, “don’t offend people by trying to force things on them. Even your brother in the church.”
