Exploring Faith in Genesis

Often times we define terms in the Christian faith in a manner that may not accurately encompass what the entirety of Scripture might have to say about any given term. How would we answer this simple question: What is faith? Perhaps we would turn to Luther who wrote that "faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times.” We might consult one of the historic confessions of the Faith, which tells us that faith believes to be true whatever God reveals. Or perhaps we would seek our answer from contemporary theologians. One such theologian defines faith in its simplest terms as a personal faith in God.

From the statements above one could construct a definition of faith. Faith includes confidence in the object of faith. Faith also believes solely on the information available. Finally, faith is personal: one must have confidence in and belief in something or someone. For the Christian then, faith is having confidence in God and believing whatever information He has disclosed. The author of Hebrews captures this component of faith stating that ‘…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.’ We can conclude then that this definition of faith, which begins chapter 11, most certainly included the study of how faith was modeled in the Book of Moses, Joshua, and Judges.

Is the definition of faith having confidence in God and believing whatever information He discloses? How does the narrative of Genesis and the examples of faith (both good and bad) inform this definition? Like the author of Hebrews, let us search the scriptures to better understand what faith is, conforming the definition to the testimony of scripture instead of scripture being conformed to the definition.

There are a number of Hebrew words used in the Old Testament related to faith or believing in God. In Genesis however, we only find two primary Hebrew words equated to faith: emeth and aman. In fact, together, these two words are only used in a total of ten passages throughout the fifty chapters in Genesis. Obviously studying two words in ten passages will not give us a complete understanding of the concept of faith in Genesis. However, we will look at these two words as the starting point for defining faith from the narrative.

The Hebrew word emeth (אמת) is an adverb describing the quality of faithfulness and truth projected from or about someone. This word occurs seven times in Genesis and is descriptive of both God and persons. However, the weight of these seven scriptures speaks more of the faithfulness of God and less about the faithfulness of man. So what does this tell us about faith? What we can derive from the primary use of emeth is that because the God of Genesis is faithful, He is worthy to be the object of ones faith. God demonstrated His faithfulness to Jacob, and Jacob rightly made Yahweh the object of his faith. Genesis 32:4-5 records that Jacob said, '"O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,' I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies."'

From this passage we see that Jacobs’ faith expresses a confidence in the faithfulness of God. The Hebrew word aman (אמן) means to trust in, rely upon, believe in, or have faith. This word is only found three times in Genesis and each in the hiphil verb pattern. In this pattern, aman means, “to cause to be certain, sure or to be certain about, to be assured”. Of the three passages in which this word is found, only one passage lends itself to a better understanding of faith in Genesis. Moses records in Genesis 15 that, 'he [God] brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness' (Genesis 15:5-6) Because Abraham believed that God would fulfill His promise of a progeny more numerous than the stars, Abraham was declared righteous for believing.

In taking God at his word, Abraham demonstrates faith by believing God solely on the information disclosed to him. Abraham willingly trusts God based on the available information. The first recorded occurrence of Abraham taking God at his word is found in Genesis 12 where God commands Abraham to leave his fathers house and set out for a land that God will show him (verse 1). Then God promises to make Abraham a great nation, to bless him, to make his name great, and to make him a blessing (verse 2). Furthermore, God promises to bless anyone who blesses Abraham (Abram) and to curse those who curse him (verse 3). Based on these promises of God- and nothing further- ‘Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.’ (Genesis 12:4)

In Genesis 13 Abraham again demonstrates a trust in God based on the information available to him, and in addition to trusting God, we see that Abraham is willing to risk much on God’s word. Trusting in God’s promise found in 12:1-3, Abraham once again exercises faith in God allowing Lot to choose first which part of the land will be taken by each, thus apparently jeopardizing God’s intended plan of settling Abraham in Canaan. Lot chooses the visibly lush Jordan valley (perhaps because of the Jordan Valley’s visible abundance of resources?) leaving Abraham to settle in Canaan. Abraham believed that God would give him the land and risked giving it up on the promise of God. Abraham again risks upon the promises of God when, having learned that his kinsmen Lot had been captured by Chedorlaomers’ kingly forces, takes 318 trained men, defeats this great army against tremendous odds, and rescues Lot. From these examples, we learn that faith not only trusts based on the available information, it also risks much on the promises of God.

The defining illustration of Abraham’s faith is found in Genesis 22 where the Lord commanded him to sacrifice his son Isaac. The text reads, 'Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.' (Genesis 22:1-3)

God simply commands Abraham to take his son, his only son, and offer him as a burnt offering (on an unknown mountain!). Without delay, and with unquestioned obedience, Abraham leaves early the very next morning to accomplish that which the Lord had commanded. Likewise, God commanded Noah to build an ark based on God’s declared intention to end all flesh and destroy the earth (Genesis 6:14), and as verse 22 records, ‘Noah did this; he did all that the Lord commanded.’ In these instances, faith does not question. Faith does not delay. Faith moves in obedient action.

Yet, we have examples within Genesis where people do not express faith. Having just heard the promises of Genesis 12, Abraham diverts form his journey towards the land of promise, because of a great famine in the land (Genesis 12:10). Not trusting God’s provision or God’s ability to supply his needs, Abraham goes to Egypt in hope of surviving the famine. When Abraham finds that he has no means of provision, he flees to Egypt. Yet, when he has plenty of provision he makes completely different choices! In Genesis 15 we see the same man who will sacrifice his only son without question, begin to doubt whether God will provide an heir or not. Abraham’s pleading with God in Genesis 18 to not destroy the righteous of Sodom along with the wicked begs this question: does Abraham truly trust God? Does he not believe that God will save 50 men if there are 50 men? Yet Abraham continues to press God several times on the matter, as if every time God answers, Abraham believes God a little bit more. Surely Abraham should have been satisfied with God’s first promise to save 50!

Having heard God’s promise of a son, Abraham’s wife Sarah laughs in disbelief. Surely, Sarah would have been experiencing the faithfulness and trustworthiness of her husbands God. Yet, she does not believe. Having been told to flee to the mountains, Lot distrusts the heavenly advice and flees to the city of Zoar. In disobedience, Lot’s wife looks back at the destruction of Sodom and is turned into a pillar of salt. Abraham, the friend of God, intentionally deceived kings, lying to them about his relationship to his wife and causing Sarah to be a co-conspirator as she willingly pretended to be her husbands’ sister.

From Jacob we see that faith expresses a faithful confidence in the faithfulness of God. In the case of Abraham and Noah, faith trusts based on any available information. And trusting faith takes great risks, acting in unquestioning obedience. Yet, faith is not perfected in any of the people found in the Genesis narrative. These same people who exercise great faith also act in faithlessness. In addition, the moral character of a person is not always an indicator of one’s faith. In other words, where the Bible records expressions of faith in God, we find people who often do not trust, who question, who act out of faithlessness, and do not uphold the moral law of God. The faith that God declares as righteous is not always a perfect faith expressed by perfect people. It is a faith that trusts, risks, and obeys a personal God. As imperfect people, we must always praise God who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith, for those who believe in Him.