Abraham
Monologues
The Faithful Men Of God
Six Monologues Of Biblical Heroes
In spite of everything that has been said about me as a man of faith, I haven't exactly been a perfect man. I want you to know that right now. I have made many drastic mistakes in my life. I don't know why God chose me as a man of faith. That had little to do with me. It was basically God's choosing. I am Abraham (bows). God talked to me on different occasions and told me profound things, including many promises I did not understand, but I always believed him and did my best to obey him. God did not talk to anyone that I knew. He had not talked to my father. I tried to be worthy of God's attention, and wanted to be worthy of God's respect when he spoke to me, but I couldn't. I could never be worthy of God. I didn't know what to do. All I could do was listen attentively to God and attempt to discern what his purpose was for me in my life. In the beginning, God instructed me to take all of our possessions and travel to a new land which he would show me. He then gave me many promises. He promised to make a great nation from me. He said he would bless me and make my name great. He said I would be a blessing. I heard God speak to me, as I said, and I believed him and obeyed him when I was supposed to, although I certainly did not fully understand his meanings, or how he would accomplish his promises.
I have always been wealthy. I was born that way, and generally I took it for granted. My parents had many possessions, extensive property and numerous cattle. I married a beautiful woman named Sarah whom I love deeply, or at least, that is what I thought. We gathered all our estate together, our possessions and cattle, and traveled to the land of Canaan from our secure home in Ur in the Chaldeans. It was the will of God for us, and He had instructed us to do this. I had to leave everything I had ever known and it was extremely difficult emotionally. I don't think people understand how attached they are to their relationships and surroundings, whether they even like them or not, until they have to leave them behind. I had to leave my parental home and my relatives and face the unknown. I did this out of faith, because God said to do it. It wasn't my choice.
When we crossed the border into Egypt, the Pharaoh became impressed with the beauty of my wife. And, that is exactly what I expected to happen. I always knew Sarah was beautiful. He was even more impressed with her because she said she wasn't married to me. She did this because I told her to do it. I told her to save my life and risk hers, instead. I was afraid that if we went into the land of Egypt the Pharaoh would want to kill me to get Sarah, so I asked her to lie about our marriage right away. I didn't have to do that. I just did it for convenience. I did it so if there were any problems in Egypt, I would save my life at the expense of hers. As a result of what Sarah told him, Pharaoh took her with him. He wanted her as his wife. He had no intention of killing me, it seemed. But, when he heard from Sarah that she was not my wife, he was interested in her. And, he presented me with valuable gifts in fair exchange for the gift I had given him. I did not know what to do. Inside, I was deeply sorry for what I had done. The grief and sorrow which I experienced was so great that I wanted to end my life. But, that would not help Sarah at all. I had to face my crime realistically and completely. Surprisingly, it was the God of the universe who had claimed me as a man of faith who told Pharaoh the truth about my deception. I did not have the courage to do it. My wife was restored to me. I had to beg for forgiveness from her. I had no right to have her back. I had to explain that I had always loved her, but I was so scared that I couldn't think straight. It was not easy for me to do. I knew I deserved nothing from her. She could easily have gone back to her family where we came from, but she did not. She forgave me for what I had done. After that, I became much more respectful toward her and tried to be a better husband. I know I will never get over the shame I experienced as a result of what I did. My accumulation of wealth did not help me with integrity and courage in the face of danger. It was God and God alone who helped me when I couldn't help myself. I could not buy the courage I needed and will need in the future of my life to face danger honestly and openly.
Hymn "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" (verses 1 and 2)
One small point of contention between Sarah and me had always been the fact that we did not have any children. We both wanted children and certainly I wanted an heir. God listened to me and promised me an heir born in my own home. He said my descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the universe. I told Sarah we would have an heir but she became despondent because of her age when the subject of children came up. Unfortunately, she decided that in order for us to have an heir, it would have to come from her maid, Hagar. Hagar was a slave I had purchased for my wife. Of course, I had no feelings for the slave one way or the other. I listened to Sarah and I disliked the idea. But, I considered that she might be right. At any rate, I did not want to stand up to Sarah. I had no idea where I would get an heir if it was not from her slave, and so I took the slave, and she became pregnant. The slave and Sarah then became jealous of each other. Finally, her child was born. She called him Ishmael. He would be part of my household and would be my heir.
After the birth of Ishmael, God spoke to me again and repeated his promises. He also said that I would have an heir by Sarah. I realized that I had made a tremendous error with Hagar. As God promised, Sarah bore a child whom we called Isaac. I cannot tell you our delight over the birth of our son. Then, Sarah demanded that Ishmael and Hagar leave. She was furious when she realized that Ishmael would be part of my inheritance and an heir to the estate. She couldn't stand that. I didn't mind, but Sarah became enraged at just the thought. I sent them away into the desert wilderness. Although God had promised to bless Ishmael, I never saw either of them again.
Isaac grew into a fme boy. He was surrounded by constant attention from Sarah, me and our servants. Then, God spoke to me. His statements to me were brief and definitive. He told me to
sacrifice my beloved son who was so important in my life and Sarah's. I can't tell you the horror that filled my heart when I heard these words from my God. I did not understand why I had to do this, but my God was my creator and I had to obey. I cannot tell you about Sarah and her reaction. It was indescribably painful. If I sacrificed my own son, I would have no reason to live myself and I immediately considered suicide. I took the boy and some servants to the mountain in Moriah. I chopped the wood for the fire myself. I put it on my son's back and he willingly carried it. After all, my son loved me. I took a knife and we went up to the mountain together. At the top of the mountain where we would have our sacrifice, I asked my son to lie down on the altar where our sacrificial lamb would be. He was my son who loved me, and he obeyed me as I obeyed God. He did not understand. I bound him there on the altar; and we were alone. I raised my strong arm with the knife's sharp point aimed straight at the son I loved, with the intent to destroy him in obedience to God. At that exact moment in time, an angel of the Lord stopped me from going through with the sacrifice.
God wanted to make certain that I loved him more than my son, and I had proved it to him. It had been a severe test of faith. From that point on, God said that his eternal promises to me would start. I untied the knots that held my son on the sacrificial altar and told him about my deep relationship with God. My son listened to me, and together we went back down the mountain and returned to our home.
Faith is difficult to live by. It is not always easy to understand. Rules and regulations would be so much easier to live with. There would be so much less dependence on God for us, his people, and our lives would be more in our own control then. It is easier for us to believe that we know what is best for us. It has been said that I was a man of faith. Perhaps, but I cannot forget that I am a man who has made many mistakes. I would rather say that we have a God who is faithful to us. He is just, in spite of our human inadequacies and failures. I would say that it is our God who is faithful and gives unlimited mercy and loving kindness to those who call him their own. I pray that includes you and your family. I pray that you are in the family of faith and are numbered among my descendants as stars in the universe who live out their lives shining faithfully for their God.
I have always been wealthy. I was born that way, and generally I took it for granted. My parents had many possessions, extensive property and numerous cattle. I married a beautiful woman named Sarah whom I love deeply, or at least, that is what I thought. We gathered all our estate together, our possessions and cattle, and traveled to the land of Canaan from our secure home in Ur in the Chaldeans. It was the will of God for us, and He had instructed us to do this. I had to leave everything I had ever known and it was extremely difficult emotionally. I don't think people understand how attached they are to their relationships and surroundings, whether they even like them or not, until they have to leave them behind. I had to leave my parental home and my relatives and face the unknown. I did this out of faith, because God said to do it. It wasn't my choice.
When we crossed the border into Egypt, the Pharaoh became impressed with the beauty of my wife. And, that is exactly what I expected to happen. I always knew Sarah was beautiful. He was even more impressed with her because she said she wasn't married to me. She did this because I told her to do it. I told her to save my life and risk hers, instead. I was afraid that if we went into the land of Egypt the Pharaoh would want to kill me to get Sarah, so I asked her to lie about our marriage right away. I didn't have to do that. I just did it for convenience. I did it so if there were any problems in Egypt, I would save my life at the expense of hers. As a result of what Sarah told him, Pharaoh took her with him. He wanted her as his wife. He had no intention of killing me, it seemed. But, when he heard from Sarah that she was not my wife, he was interested in her. And, he presented me with valuable gifts in fair exchange for the gift I had given him. I did not know what to do. Inside, I was deeply sorry for what I had done. The grief and sorrow which I experienced was so great that I wanted to end my life. But, that would not help Sarah at all. I had to face my crime realistically and completely. Surprisingly, it was the God of the universe who had claimed me as a man of faith who told Pharaoh the truth about my deception. I did not have the courage to do it. My wife was restored to me. I had to beg for forgiveness from her. I had no right to have her back. I had to explain that I had always loved her, but I was so scared that I couldn't think straight. It was not easy for me to do. I knew I deserved nothing from her. She could easily have gone back to her family where we came from, but she did not. She forgave me for what I had done. After that, I became much more respectful toward her and tried to be a better husband. I know I will never get over the shame I experienced as a result of what I did. My accumulation of wealth did not help me with integrity and courage in the face of danger. It was God and God alone who helped me when I couldn't help myself. I could not buy the courage I needed and will need in the future of my life to face danger honestly and openly.
Hymn "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" (verses 1 and 2)
One small point of contention between Sarah and me had always been the fact that we did not have any children. We both wanted children and certainly I wanted an heir. God listened to me and promised me an heir born in my own home. He said my descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the universe. I told Sarah we would have an heir but she became despondent because of her age when the subject of children came up. Unfortunately, she decided that in order for us to have an heir, it would have to come from her maid, Hagar. Hagar was a slave I had purchased for my wife. Of course, I had no feelings for the slave one way or the other. I listened to Sarah and I disliked the idea. But, I considered that she might be right. At any rate, I did not want to stand up to Sarah. I had no idea where I would get an heir if it was not from her slave, and so I took the slave, and she became pregnant. The slave and Sarah then became jealous of each other. Finally, her child was born. She called him Ishmael. He would be part of my household and would be my heir.
After the birth of Ishmael, God spoke to me again and repeated his promises. He also said that I would have an heir by Sarah. I realized that I had made a tremendous error with Hagar. As God promised, Sarah bore a child whom we called Isaac. I cannot tell you our delight over the birth of our son. Then, Sarah demanded that Ishmael and Hagar leave. She was furious when she realized that Ishmael would be part of my inheritance and an heir to the estate. She couldn't stand that. I didn't mind, but Sarah became enraged at just the thought. I sent them away into the desert wilderness. Although God had promised to bless Ishmael, I never saw either of them again.
Isaac grew into a fme boy. He was surrounded by constant attention from Sarah, me and our servants. Then, God spoke to me. His statements to me were brief and definitive. He told me to
sacrifice my beloved son who was so important in my life and Sarah's. I can't tell you the horror that filled my heart when I heard these words from my God. I did not understand why I had to do this, but my God was my creator and I had to obey. I cannot tell you about Sarah and her reaction. It was indescribably painful. If I sacrificed my own son, I would have no reason to live myself and I immediately considered suicide. I took the boy and some servants to the mountain in Moriah. I chopped the wood for the fire myself. I put it on my son's back and he willingly carried it. After all, my son loved me. I took a knife and we went up to the mountain together. At the top of the mountain where we would have our sacrifice, I asked my son to lie down on the altar where our sacrificial lamb would be. He was my son who loved me, and he obeyed me as I obeyed God. He did not understand. I bound him there on the altar; and we were alone. I raised my strong arm with the knife's sharp point aimed straight at the son I loved, with the intent to destroy him in obedience to God. At that exact moment in time, an angel of the Lord stopped me from going through with the sacrifice.
God wanted to make certain that I loved him more than my son, and I had proved it to him. It had been a severe test of faith. From that point on, God said that his eternal promises to me would start. I untied the knots that held my son on the sacrificial altar and told him about my deep relationship with God. My son listened to me, and together we went back down the mountain and returned to our home.
Faith is difficult to live by. It is not always easy to understand. Rules and regulations would be so much easier to live with. There would be so much less dependence on God for us, his people, and our lives would be more in our own control then. It is easier for us to believe that we know what is best for us. It has been said that I was a man of faith. Perhaps, but I cannot forget that I am a man who has made many mistakes. I would rather say that we have a God who is faithful to us. He is just, in spite of our human inadequacies and failures. I would say that it is our God who is faithful and gives unlimited mercy and loving kindness to those who call him their own. I pray that includes you and your family. I pray that you are in the family of faith and are numbered among my descendants as stars in the universe who live out their lives shining faithfully for their God.
