I cannot help but to ponder life in the days of our father Abraham.  While we may romanticize such biblical times, the truth of the matter is that life was very difficult.  In many ways life was simply about survival.  Abraham lived in a world where food and water were often scarce, famines common, long seasonal migrations were necessary and threats of capture and enslavement real.  The world of Abraham was filled with numerous gods, religions and superstition.  We know from the scriptures that Abraham’s own father and family worshipped false gods and idols.

And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith YHWH God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. (Joshua 24:2 KJV)

As keepers of the Torah and followers of Yeshua, who are surrounded by numerous religions and superstitions, and rejected by the practitioners of Talmudic Judaism and Christianity, we may be able to relate in some small way to Abraham’s lonely effort to maintain his faith and worship of the One True God. The heathen had numerous temples, shrines, pillars, priesthoods, and altars at which to worship their numerous gods.  But Abraham had no such temple, shrine, church, synagogue or priesthood to worship YHWH.  We may also recall that in the days of Abraham there were no Torah scrolls, scriptures, bibles or prayer books. Abraham’s faith was simply a LIVING FAITH.  Worship for Abraham was not reduced to or limited to singing songs of praise, reading an appointed reading, praying prescribed prayers, or to a specific period of time on a set day of the week.  For Abraham, worship was walking in faith and obedience to the living voice of YHWH.  Abraham simply lived his life, caring for his family, tending to his flock, conducting his business, and showing hospitality to others.  Daily life was lived in the presence of the Eternal God.  Abraham lived in the knowledge and understanding that YHWH alone was the Sovereign of the universe.  Abraham was aware that from time to time YHWH would speak to him and direct him in a specific action or change of life.  Abraham walked out his daily life in obedience to these revelations and directives. This obedience to the revelation of YHWH in his daily life was, and is, true worship.      

Learning to live in the presence of the Eternal One is not always easy for us.  We know that from creation man was created with a carnal or sensual nature as well as a spiritual nature.  Our spiritual nature makes it possible for us to commune with the Spirit Creator.  Our carnal or sensual nature is what makes it possible for us to manifest the revelation received in our spirit from the Creator to the rest of the world.  From the days of Adam this has been our calling;.  But at the fall of Adam and Havah their eyes were opened—and mankind chose to become predominantly a sensually oriented being.  In other words, we are more accustomed to, and evev prefer to, learn from our physical senses than from our spirit in communion with the Spirit Creator.  This fondness for the sensual is what led humanity to begin carving and casting idols of their gods.  It is also this preference for the sensual that has caused men to follow visible men rather than the invisible God.  We may recall the children of Israel, after departing Egypt with all of its many temples, priesthoods, and idols, demanded that Aaron build them an idol to follow when Moses delayed coming down from Mount Sinai.

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. (Exodus 32:1 KJV)

The children of Israel wanted something they could see, hear, smell, touch, and taste, to cast their eyes upon and follow—whether it be a man or an idol.  This sensual addiction is what seduces man into bondage to religion and tradition.  Much as Adam tried to replace the glory of the image of YHWH, that he once wore without shame, with a fig leaf of his own choosing, we too have often sought to replace a life of faithful obedience to the living and eternal Creator with a few hours of singing, reading, and praying.  Religion, in many regards is just a convenient replacement for genuine faith and obedience.  After running through the prescribed religious rituals we feel as if we have fulfilled our religious obligations and duties and can get on with our lives.  It is this same sensual preference that causes believers to seek the miraculous and manifest presence of YHWH to strengthen an other wise weak and  fragile faith. At the same time, many believers ignore or forget about the eternal veiled presence of YHWH.  We often deceive ourselves into thinking that if we cannot see YHWH or hear YHWH, that YHWH is not present.  YHWH is eternal.  There is nowhere in time or space that he is not. Therefore YHWH is forever present.  We must learn to distinguish between his manifest presence, such as the pillar of cloud and fire that rested over the Tabernacle, and his veiled presence which is eternally present.  As eternal, there is never a time (or place) where YHWH is not.  Abraham seemed to understand this reality and was able to live faithfully within it.  Without the aid of the visual or sensual accoutrements of religion Abraham learned how to live even his mundane life in the knowledge of the veiled presence of YHWH. 

Not only do we all tend toward the sensual but to some degree we all suffer from what I call “the Naaman Syndrome.”  Naaman, as you may recall, was a captain in the army of the King of Syria that conquered Israel, who happened to be a leper (2 Kings 5:1ff).  He was directed by an Israelite servant girl to visit the Prophet Elisha for healing.  Naaman was known to be a great and well honored military man who had accomplished great exploits in his lifetime.  Naaman sent a message to the prophet Elisha enquiring what he must do to be cured of his leprosy.  The prophet responded by telling Naaman to go jump in a river.  Actually, he told him simply to bathe seven times in the Jordon river.  Expecting something more challenging, grand, and appropriate to his level of honor and exploit, Naaman was offended by such a common suggesting as bathing in the Jordan.  But Naaman’s aides persuade him to obediently take the dip and be cured.

And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? (2 Kings 5:13 KJV)

Many of us, also desire to serve YHWH in some grand and glorious fashion that will bring as much honor to ourselves as it does to YHWH.  We want to be famous Torah teachers, worship leaders, elders of congregations and noted leaders of a movement.  But what YHWH is truly asking from us is simply to live in the awareness of his presence even in our mundane daily life.

And now, Israel, what doth YHWH thy God require of thee, but to fear YHWH thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve YHWH thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, (Deuteronomy 10:12 KJV)

 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth YHWH require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8 KJV)  

Our lives and service do not need to be spectacular or grand to be useful, pleasing or beneficial to YHWH.  We do, however,  need to be obedient to what the Spirit Creator is teaching us to walk in.  Abraham, free from all demands and expectations of religion, humbly and obediently lived his life in the presence of the Eternal One, whether veiled or not.  We too must learn to cling to the reality that YHWH is eternally present with us even when we cannot see him with our eyes, or hear him with our ears.  Faith—is the recognition that though unseen, YHWH is!    This is the faith of Abraham.  We must recognize that everything we have has come from the Creator.  Everywhere we go, the Creator is there.  Thus we are always in the presence of YHWH. Learning to live every minute of every day in the presence of YHWH is what YHWH desires of us.  To humbly and gratefully enjoy every minute of every day, to live the life in constant awareness and communion with the Creator is what the Eternal One is inviting us to do.  It is not magnanimous, spectacular, flamboyant religion that the Eternal One is seeking from us, but a simple and humble life of genuine faith lived in his presence.