Are you as good as dead? Do you sometimes feel like it? Do you wonder if your days of effective service have passed?
On two occasions scripture describes Abraham with the phrase, “as good as dead” (Romans 4:19; Hebrews 11:12). He was promised a son, but was past the age for producing one.
In Genesis, the reactions of Abraham and Sarah to the specific promise by God are similar. Abraham “fell on his face and laughed” (Genesis 17:17), Sarah also “laughed to herself” (Genesis 18:12). Their advanced age produced incredulous laughter.
While God mildly corrected Abraham and gently rebuked Sarah by asking, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14), the New Testament is more gracious to both. The Holy Spirit praises Abraham’s faith by saying it did not weaken when he considered his 100 years-old body (Romans 4:19). God says of Sarah, “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised” (Hebrews 11:11). Abraham’s faith strengthened and Sarah’s faith empowered.
It was the faith of Abraham and Sarah that enabled them to produce “descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore” (Hebrews 11:12).
Even more than the sheer number of descendants they produced, it was how they raised them that depended upon faith.
“For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him” (Genesis 18:19).
Though they were both advanced in years, God selected Abraham for the faithful way he would raise his children. Abraham demonstrated that faithfulness by leaving all that he knew to go to a land he had never seen. Now late in life, Abraham was to raise his children to “keep the way of the LORD.”
This man who had waited a century for a son, was commanded by the very God who caused the birth to sacrifice him. He all but completed the act but was stayed by the “angel of the LORD” (Genesis 22:10-12). Abraham had already offered Isaac in his mind for the Hebrews writer says, “He considered that God was able to even raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back” (Hebrews 11:19). What a powerful teaching moment!
Abraham did all this after being declared as good as dead.
Perhaps the days of raising children are behind you, but not the days of faithful living.
What wonderful things are yet to be accomplished by you? What encouragement is yet to be given? What wisdom is yet to be imparted? What faithful example is yet to be seen? What love is yet to be shown? What doctrine is yet to be taught?
The latter years for Abraham were far more impactful than the earlier ones. When it comes to influence, you’re just getting started (see Titus 2:1-5).
Take heart, the church needs you!
by Lee Parish