8. THE POWER OF FAITH |
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Has anyone ever sent you on a special mission that caused you to go far away? How did you feel? Were you happy to go? Was it an adventure or a hard task? Were you ever sent to tell someone a special message? Was it happy news or sad news? How did they receive the news? Today we will look at some people who were sent on a special mission to help a lot of people.
Halil was a farmer in the village of Erzincan. After World War II, he got married and had several children. In 1965, his oldest son, Savas, was 20 years old and newly married. Halil, knowing his son was a hard worker, called him to his side one day to speak with him.
“Savaş, I have something very important I want you to do. It is a task that will involve tremendous personal sacrifice on your part. It is a job that will take you far from here, far from me, your mother and your brothers and sisters. You will face hardships. But you must endure and be faithful to what I have called you to do. What I am asking you to do will be an honor to me and a blessing to your family and to your nation. I am sending you to Germany to find work in a factory or business. You can make a lot of money there and we need you to send a portion of it to us. We will use the money for your brothers and sisters and your wife’s siblings. If you do this, we will be able to send them to the best schools. They will have to opportunity to attend university, work for the government, and start businesses. Son, I am putting all my hopes in you”
Savaş was perplexed. He did not want to move away from his family. They were as precious to him as life. How could he go to another country? He would need to learn German. He would need to adapt to a new culture. Everything would be so different. And he would have to do it all by himself. There would be no family to rely on and only his wife would be by his side. What would she say? Would she resist the whole idea and make life very hard? Would they be happy there?
“I will talk to Nurhan and I will give you an answer in a few days father,” Savaş said.
When Savaş told his wife Nurhan about the request, she was very thoughtful and serious.
“Savaş, this is a huge thing your father is asking of us. When will I see my father and my mother? When will we see our brothers and sisters? It is so far. What if we can’t learn German? What if the German people don’t accept us? How will we get used to their culture? I would miss Turkey so much. I don’t know. Let me think about it.”
Nurhan thought about the difficulties but also the bene fits. Her siblings would have a chance at an education and in turn they too could provide more things for the family. At last she agreed to go with her husband to Germany and begin a new life.
When they first landed in Germany, they realized how much cooler it was. But after a short time, the Germans accepted Savaş and Nurhan well. They made friends and learned the language. Savaş found a job at a tool factory and began to earn good money. As agreed, he sent the money back to Erzincan. His brothers and sisters and his wife’s siblings were able to go to good schools and they were successful. One became a teacher, another an officer in the army and still another a doctor. Everyone in the family was very proud of Savaş and Nurhan. They knew that their success had been in part due to his sacrifice in going away from home and making money in Germany. Savaş understood that his coming to Germany was a blessing to his family and an honor to his father. But it was his father's comment about being a blessing to Turkey that most puzzled him.
One day Savaş and Nurhan decided to visit their family in Erzincan. As they were driving in the car toward the village it was like a dream. “Did it really happen?” he thought to himself. So many years had passed. Everything looked so different. When they got to the eld where he had helped his father plow with an ox, he saw a big shiny red tractor. Savaş knew that if he had not gone to Germany that tractor would not be there. And the sight of his smiling father on top of that tractor made it all worth it. He almost jumped out of the car before it stopped, ran to his father, kissed his hand and hugged him as if he would never let go.
As they continued together toward the village, Savaş told his father all about Germany, his job and his home. They also talked about the family. Unlike before, there was no dust coming up from the road because now it was paved. There were new buildings painted red, green and yellow, made from concrete, not stone and wood. There were so many cars in the village.
Savaş read the banner as they entered: Welcome home Savaş and Nurhan. A drummer and a pipe player (zurnacı) were there to greet them. It was like they were celebrities. Everyone was happy to see them and Savaş and Nurhan could not have imagined how much they missed their home.
Savaş saw his brothers and sisters. One was a teacher and another an officer in the army. Nurhan’s brother was a banker and her sister a doctor. And their children were going to well-equipped schools.
Savaş turned to his father and said,
“Father, I know that I didn’t pay for all this but I know that I played a part in it. I didn’t understand what you meant when you said that I would be a blessing to Turkey. But I do now. I know that neither I, nor even my brothers or sisters alone can accomplish what needs to be done for our nation. But by sacrificing, by being an example, our children and our children’s children and their children can realize a stronger Turkey. One person can really affect a multitude of others.”
Halil turned to his son and said,
“I am proud of you son. Not only for what you did for us, but for thousands who will never know you, only the influence that you have left through others.”
There is a story in the Bible of someone who is very well known and whose influence has spanned the whole planet. He too, like Savas, was asked to go to a far-away place. The one who did the calling was God himself. His journey started from the city of Ur in what is modern day Iraq and his name was originally Abram. His father's name was Terah and he had two brothers. After his brother Nahor died and Abram married Sarai, the whole family left Ur and moved to Haran. The commonly believed site of Haran is in the southeastern part of Turkey about 40 kilometers from Şanlı Urfa. Haran was an important junction on the trade route from northern Mesopotamia and the center of an important moon cult. It is in Haran that Abram's father died and God first speaks to him. Let's continue the story in Genesis chapter 12 verses 1-3.
1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
It must have been a struggle for Abram to think about leaving his family and going to a far-away place. Perhaps like Savaş he might have thought, “How can I be apart from the family I love? What will happen to me in this new place? Will I be able to speak the language and will the culture there be different from my own? And what did God really mean when He said that all the families of the earth would be blessed in me? What could I do that would effect the whole world? Or what will my descendents do?” But the questions and doubts didn't linger long. Abram believed God and set out. Let’s continue with verses 4-9:
4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy- five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
Perhaps you know how hard it is to pack up and move even with professional movers and trucks. Imagine what it was like to travel on foot with your goods on camels. The dust from the road is in your hair and in your clothes and you are sweating from the hot sun. When evening comes you are exhausted from walking all day but you have to make camp and prepare meals and bedding. There is no provision for a bath and yet you have to get up the next day and travel again. They probably wondered when they would arrive and as they climbed every hill they hoped it would be the last. And yet while it was hard, what a blessing it must have been to have the God of the universe as a guide. God had made a covenant with Abram and promised that He would bless the whole world through him and give the land of Canaan, that is modern day Israel and Palestine, to Abram’s descendants. Outside of God's word, Abram had no guarantee that he would ever see this land and to some his journey was deemed foolish. But he continued to give thanks and push on. Let’s look at verses 10-20:
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 "Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 "Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." 14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 "Why did you say, 'She is my sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way." 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
Although this story is short and squeezed into the greater narrative of Abram's journey, it reveals a few things to us. First, Abram was always in constant danger from enemies and elements of nature. To meet these obstacles, Abram had to have great faith in God. Second, although Abram had a special relationship with God he was still a normal man. He had feelings, worries, and doubts. God had led him thus far and yet Abram seems to have forgotten about God's
protection. Third, even the pagan Egyptians knew that lying was bad and so they scolded Abram for his deceit. Fourth, the plan that he devised to save his own life could have ruined the covenant he had made with God. But God interceded and prevented the Pharaoh from taking Abram’s wife to be his own. So why did God allow all of this to happen? Perhaps He was testing Abram and this incident revealed that Abram needed to trust God more. But one thing is sure, God protected the promise that He had just made with Abram that his descendents would possess Canaan and be a blessing to the whole earth. Let's finish by reading the first few verses in Genesis chapter 13:
1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD.
While in Germany, Savaş did not fully understand how his life would impact his family or the nation of Turkey. He could not imagine his influence extending to many generations. Did Abram understand what value his life had? Did he understand just how God would bless the world through him? Probably not, but later in the scriptures we will see how God fulfilled the promise he made to Abram.
There once was a very rebellious group of people in the far corner of the empire. The Sultan could have sent the army to oppress the people, after all it was the Sultan’s kingdom and he had all the right to do so. Instead of the army the Sultan sent a good ambassador. What? Do you send an ambassador to your own people? But that is what he did.
The ambassador was kind to the people and listened to their complaints. He helped them in the affairs of their lives. He told the people that the Sultan was desiring good for them and would protect them from enemies. The people listened as the ambassador shared the bene fits of remaining loyal to the empire and the Sultan.
Some of the people believed the ambassador, many did not. When the ambassador died, his son took his place and continued the policy of helping the people. This continued for several generations. Then the enemies attacked the people. One of the descendants of the first ambassador led the battle against the invaders. The ambassador himself was killed, but the people were saved.
So what is God doing with Abram? Why did God come to Abram with a promise of being a blessing to the whole world? Let's take a step back and review what has happened up until this point. God promised that a descendant of Eve would crush the serpent's head and evil would be destroyed. But this didn't happen right away. The world was filled with wickedness and God was forced to destroy almost the entire human race. He would not allow sin to continue to grow at that rate, but he needed to preserve someone for the sake of His original promise. So He chose Noah. Was Noah the promised one who would crush the serpent's head? No. After the flood people gathered at Babel and de ed God. So God fought against evil by scattering the people to the four corners of the earth. But God did not forsake the people of the world and he still intended to keep his promise. He had a plan to destroy evil and bless the world through one man.
He then chose Abram, told him to leave his homeland and guided him to a foreign country. God promised Abram three things: to give the land of Canaan to Abram’s descendants, to make them a great nation, and to bless the whole world through them. So we see that although God scattered the nations because of their evil deeds, He also had a plan to bless the people of the world in righteousness through Abram and through his descendants. In essence, Abraham became an ambassador to the world.
Discussion Questions
Halil was a farmer in the village of Erzincan. After World War II, he got married and had several children. In 1965, his oldest son, Savas, was 20 years old and newly married. Halil, knowing his son was a hard worker, called him to his side one day to speak with him.
“Savaş, I have something very important I want you to do. It is a task that will involve tremendous personal sacrifice on your part. It is a job that will take you far from here, far from me, your mother and your brothers and sisters. You will face hardships. But you must endure and be faithful to what I have called you to do. What I am asking you to do will be an honor to me and a blessing to your family and to your nation. I am sending you to Germany to find work in a factory or business. You can make a lot of money there and we need you to send a portion of it to us. We will use the money for your brothers and sisters and your wife’s siblings. If you do this, we will be able to send them to the best schools. They will have to opportunity to attend university, work for the government, and start businesses. Son, I am putting all my hopes in you”
Savaş was perplexed. He did not want to move away from his family. They were as precious to him as life. How could he go to another country? He would need to learn German. He would need to adapt to a new culture. Everything would be so different. And he would have to do it all by himself. There would be no family to rely on and only his wife would be by his side. What would she say? Would she resist the whole idea and make life very hard? Would they be happy there?
“I will talk to Nurhan and I will give you an answer in a few days father,” Savaş said.
When Savaş told his wife Nurhan about the request, she was very thoughtful and serious.
“Savaş, this is a huge thing your father is asking of us. When will I see my father and my mother? When will we see our brothers and sisters? It is so far. What if we can’t learn German? What if the German people don’t accept us? How will we get used to their culture? I would miss Turkey so much. I don’t know. Let me think about it.”
Nurhan thought about the difficulties but also the bene fits. Her siblings would have a chance at an education and in turn they too could provide more things for the family. At last she agreed to go with her husband to Germany and begin a new life.
When they first landed in Germany, they realized how much cooler it was. But after a short time, the Germans accepted Savaş and Nurhan well. They made friends and learned the language. Savaş found a job at a tool factory and began to earn good money. As agreed, he sent the money back to Erzincan. His brothers and sisters and his wife’s siblings were able to go to good schools and they were successful. One became a teacher, another an officer in the army and still another a doctor. Everyone in the family was very proud of Savaş and Nurhan. They knew that their success had been in part due to his sacrifice in going away from home and making money in Germany. Savaş understood that his coming to Germany was a blessing to his family and an honor to his father. But it was his father's comment about being a blessing to Turkey that most puzzled him.
One day Savaş and Nurhan decided to visit their family in Erzincan. As they were driving in the car toward the village it was like a dream. “Did it really happen?” he thought to himself. So many years had passed. Everything looked so different. When they got to the eld where he had helped his father plow with an ox, he saw a big shiny red tractor. Savaş knew that if he had not gone to Germany that tractor would not be there. And the sight of his smiling father on top of that tractor made it all worth it. He almost jumped out of the car before it stopped, ran to his father, kissed his hand and hugged him as if he would never let go.
As they continued together toward the village, Savaş told his father all about Germany, his job and his home. They also talked about the family. Unlike before, there was no dust coming up from the road because now it was paved. There were new buildings painted red, green and yellow, made from concrete, not stone and wood. There were so many cars in the village.
Savaş read the banner as they entered: Welcome home Savaş and Nurhan. A drummer and a pipe player (zurnacı) were there to greet them. It was like they were celebrities. Everyone was happy to see them and Savaş and Nurhan could not have imagined how much they missed their home.
Savaş saw his brothers and sisters. One was a teacher and another an officer in the army. Nurhan’s brother was a banker and her sister a doctor. And their children were going to well-equipped schools.
Savaş turned to his father and said,
“Father, I know that I didn’t pay for all this but I know that I played a part in it. I didn’t understand what you meant when you said that I would be a blessing to Turkey. But I do now. I know that neither I, nor even my brothers or sisters alone can accomplish what needs to be done for our nation. But by sacrificing, by being an example, our children and our children’s children and their children can realize a stronger Turkey. One person can really affect a multitude of others.”
Halil turned to his son and said,
“I am proud of you son. Not only for what you did for us, but for thousands who will never know you, only the influence that you have left through others.”
There is a story in the Bible of someone who is very well known and whose influence has spanned the whole planet. He too, like Savas, was asked to go to a far-away place. The one who did the calling was God himself. His journey started from the city of Ur in what is modern day Iraq and his name was originally Abram. His father's name was Terah and he had two brothers. After his brother Nahor died and Abram married Sarai, the whole family left Ur and moved to Haran. The commonly believed site of Haran is in the southeastern part of Turkey about 40 kilometers from Şanlı Urfa. Haran was an important junction on the trade route from northern Mesopotamia and the center of an important moon cult. It is in Haran that Abram's father died and God first speaks to him. Let's continue the story in Genesis chapter 12 verses 1-3.
1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
It must have been a struggle for Abram to think about leaving his family and going to a far-away place. Perhaps like Savaş he might have thought, “How can I be apart from the family I love? What will happen to me in this new place? Will I be able to speak the language and will the culture there be different from my own? And what did God really mean when He said that all the families of the earth would be blessed in me? What could I do that would effect the whole world? Or what will my descendents do?” But the questions and doubts didn't linger long. Abram believed God and set out. Let’s continue with verses 4-9:
4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy- five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
Perhaps you know how hard it is to pack up and move even with professional movers and trucks. Imagine what it was like to travel on foot with your goods on camels. The dust from the road is in your hair and in your clothes and you are sweating from the hot sun. When evening comes you are exhausted from walking all day but you have to make camp and prepare meals and bedding. There is no provision for a bath and yet you have to get up the next day and travel again. They probably wondered when they would arrive and as they climbed every hill they hoped it would be the last. And yet while it was hard, what a blessing it must have been to have the God of the universe as a guide. God had made a covenant with Abram and promised that He would bless the whole world through him and give the land of Canaan, that is modern day Israel and Palestine, to Abram’s descendants. Outside of God's word, Abram had no guarantee that he would ever see this land and to some his journey was deemed foolish. But he continued to give thanks and push on. Let’s look at verses 10-20:
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 "Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 "Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." 14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 "Why did you say, 'She is my sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way." 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
Although this story is short and squeezed into the greater narrative of Abram's journey, it reveals a few things to us. First, Abram was always in constant danger from enemies and elements of nature. To meet these obstacles, Abram had to have great faith in God. Second, although Abram had a special relationship with God he was still a normal man. He had feelings, worries, and doubts. God had led him thus far and yet Abram seems to have forgotten about God's
protection. Third, even the pagan Egyptians knew that lying was bad and so they scolded Abram for his deceit. Fourth, the plan that he devised to save his own life could have ruined the covenant he had made with God. But God interceded and prevented the Pharaoh from taking Abram’s wife to be his own. So why did God allow all of this to happen? Perhaps He was testing Abram and this incident revealed that Abram needed to trust God more. But one thing is sure, God protected the promise that He had just made with Abram that his descendents would possess Canaan and be a blessing to the whole earth. Let's finish by reading the first few verses in Genesis chapter 13:
1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD.
While in Germany, Savaş did not fully understand how his life would impact his family or the nation of Turkey. He could not imagine his influence extending to many generations. Did Abram understand what value his life had? Did he understand just how God would bless the world through him? Probably not, but later in the scriptures we will see how God fulfilled the promise he made to Abram.
There once was a very rebellious group of people in the far corner of the empire. The Sultan could have sent the army to oppress the people, after all it was the Sultan’s kingdom and he had all the right to do so. Instead of the army the Sultan sent a good ambassador. What? Do you send an ambassador to your own people? But that is what he did.
The ambassador was kind to the people and listened to their complaints. He helped them in the affairs of their lives. He told the people that the Sultan was desiring good for them and would protect them from enemies. The people listened as the ambassador shared the bene fits of remaining loyal to the empire and the Sultan.
Some of the people believed the ambassador, many did not. When the ambassador died, his son took his place and continued the policy of helping the people. This continued for several generations. Then the enemies attacked the people. One of the descendants of the first ambassador led the battle against the invaders. The ambassador himself was killed, but the people were saved.
So what is God doing with Abram? Why did God come to Abram with a promise of being a blessing to the whole world? Let's take a step back and review what has happened up until this point. God promised that a descendant of Eve would crush the serpent's head and evil would be destroyed. But this didn't happen right away. The world was filled with wickedness and God was forced to destroy almost the entire human race. He would not allow sin to continue to grow at that rate, but he needed to preserve someone for the sake of His original promise. So He chose Noah. Was Noah the promised one who would crush the serpent's head? No. After the flood people gathered at Babel and de ed God. So God fought against evil by scattering the people to the four corners of the earth. But God did not forsake the people of the world and he still intended to keep his promise. He had a plan to destroy evil and bless the world through one man.
He then chose Abram, told him to leave his homeland and guided him to a foreign country. God promised Abram three things: to give the land of Canaan to Abram’s descendants, to make them a great nation, and to bless the whole world through them. So we see that although God scattered the nations because of their evil deeds, He also had a plan to bless the people of the world in righteousness through Abram and through his descendants. In essence, Abraham became an ambassador to the world.
Discussion Questions
- If you knew that God was sending you on a special mission would you go? What if it meant you had to leave your family and friends?
- Would you sacri ce your career for your family? What about for a stranger?
- Was Abram the one who would crush the serpent's head and bring an end to evil or should we expect another who would come and do that?
- Why would God make a covenant with a human being? He certainly doesn’t have to promise anything to anyone, and yet He does. Why do you think He does that?