As a person who walked and lived before God, Abraham lived in fellowship with God (Gen. 18) as one who called on the name of Jehovah, the living God (Gen. 21:33). The third altar that he built for Jehovah was at the oaks of Mamre, which were in Hebron (Gen. 13:18). Hebron means “fellowship.” Abraham’s building an altar and staying in Hebron shows that he not only worshipped and served God but also lived in constant fellowship with God. Hence, it was at the oaks of Mamre that God appeared to him in a human form (Gen. 18:1-21). God considered Abraham His intimate friend (Isa. 41:8; James 2:23), and Abraham welcomed God as a friend, inviting God to rest under the tree in front of his tent, preparing water that God might wash His feet for His refreshment, and feeding God with a rich meal for His satisfaction. Furthermore, he received revelation from God regarding the birth of Isaac and the destruction of Sodom. The birth of Isaac is related to Christ, and the destruction of Sodom is related to God’s judgment on sin. God showed Abraham that, in order to accomplish His plan for the fulfillment of His purpose, Christ had to come and sin had to go. This is the important revelation that Abraham received as he lived in fellowship with God.
As a person who lived by faith in fellowship with God, Abraham was able to overcome the striving of his brother and to give in to his brother (Gen. 13:7-11). He knew that he was in the hand of God and under the care of God. Therefore, when his herdsmen strove with Lot’s herdsmen, he trusted in God’s care, not striving for himself or choosing for himself. He even fought for his brother (Gen. 14:12-16). After Lot separated himself from Abraham, pitched his tent toward Sodom, and was taken captive, Abraham took three hundred and eighteen men from his house to fight against the four kings and their armies. With a small number he defeated a much larger number of men and thereby rescued Lot. Then God supplied Abraham’s need in a timely manner, sending His priest, Melchisedec, to minister bread and wine to him and to bless him (Gen. 14:17-20). Abraham’s victory adjusted and restored the entire situation, and testified to the fact that God is the Most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth. Abraham also went one step further, overcoming the temptation of earthly possessions (Gen. 14:22-23).
Although Lot went back to Sodom after he was rescued, Abraham never lost his concern for him. Hence, in his fellowship with God, when he heard that God would destroy Sodom, he repeatedly interceded before God for Lot (Gen. 18:22-32). As a result, when God overthrew Sodom, He remembered Abraham’s intercession and delivered Lot from destruction (Gen. 19:29).
As a person who walked and lived by faith and in fellowship with God, Abraham was favored by God with the promise that all the families of the earth would be blessed in his seed and that he also would become one who would be blessed and not be cursed (Gen. 22:18; 12:2-3). This is the covenant of promise that God made with Abraham. It was the precursor of the covenant of grace in the New Testament, and it was also connected with that covenant. Hence, the New Testament says that by giving Abraham the covenant of promise, God preached the gospel to him, saying that all those from among the nations who would believe into his seed, Christ, would be blessed with him (Gal. 3:8-9); that is, they would receive the all-inclusive Spirit as the ultimate consummation of the Triune God, who reaches us (Gal. 3:14).
Abraham was one who had faith in God, walked and lived by faith, lived in fellowship with God, and called on the name of Jehovah. Yet, even such a one, when he encountered temptation, left the place appointed by God and went downhill, going down to Egypt, where he even lied by telling the truth, caring not for his wife but for himself (Gen. 12:10-20). In that failure he was kept by God (Gen. 12:17-19) and learned the lesson that God took care of him in every situation. After that failure Abraham lived in intimate fellowship with God (Gen. 18). However, a short time later he repeated the same failure by journeying toward the south, toward Egypt. Moreover, he again used his old tactic and thereby exposed his hidden weakness, which was to sacrifice his wife for his own preservation. However, God still cared for him. He delivered Abraham and his wife from evil and considered him His prophet who would pray for the barren one, though he and his wife also were barren at that time (Gen. 20). His experience tells us that even such a great man of faith still needed God’s mercy and care. Abraham’s story was a model. Throughout the ages, many who have fully believed in God and have lived in God’s presence by faith have had the same defect and weakness that Abraham had, yet they have still received God’s mercy and care and have even been used by God to minister God’s blessing to others.