I always had a problem with...

...how God blessed people in the Old Testament. Take David for example. He loved the Lord and worshiped outrageously, and was restless until the Lord had a home. Yet he kills Uriah, sleeps with Bathsheba, and reaps terrible consequences sending shock waves in his household for the next several generations.

And then his son Solomon loved the Lord yet served foreign gods through his brothel which was larger than some cities in the midwest. God says to Solomon that He would have taken his whole kingdom from him, yet because of the obedience of David God showed favor to Solomon and spared two tribes of Israel for Solomon's children to rule. Sweet. Yet the question that I've wrestled with remains:

How is this not conditional love?

Here are some thoughts I came up with today in my quiet time. I would love any comments you guys have regarding this as well.

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Solomon was extremely blessed--despite disobedience--because of David's wholehearted obedience. David was blessed and chosen because Good looked favorable on the servant Ruth. God smiled on Ruth and did not allow Israel to destroy itself during the time of the judges because of Joshua's fearless courage and obedience, and his dedication to bring the whole of Israel under service to the Lord. The Lord appointed Joshua because of the faith and obedience of Moses. God selected Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt because of the promise sworn to her through Jacob, Issac, and ultimately Abraham. All of these blessings seem to be given on account of obedience, righteous deeds, and the turning away from sin.


Yet with Abraham no previous track record was needed. Abraham received the promise through faith, which was credited to him as righteousness, NOT through deeds, acts, or wages owed to him through his good works. The promise was given by grace--for no reason whatsoever linked to Abraham's effort. It was totally unmerited, believed in through faith, and evidenced through obedience to what Abraham believed.
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I realized I could have discovered the same thing through any Romans 4 commentary, but I feel like this finally clicked in my mind today.

Praise Jesus, the author and substitute of our faith! Who offers salvation to us the same way he did to Abraham: by faith, entirely unconnected from our previous track record.