In Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength, and in Your favor our horn is exalted. (Psalm 89:16-17)
When Abraham was called to come out of the land of the Chaldeans, it seems that he obeyed immediately — a tendency that would be the hallmark of his life. When commanded to present Isaac as a burnt offering, he didn’t hesitate but immediately set out to fulfill the Lord’s command, yet knowing God would be faithful to fulfill Him promise that, “In Isaac shall your seed be called” (Genesis 21:12). The point is that Abraham took God at His Word and, dutifully, obeyed whatever he was instructed to do, thus it is written, “he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).
Furthermore, knowing that Abraham would be an obedient servant, when God called him, He blessed him saying, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing … and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3). In other words, because he walked in righteousness — and taught his children to do likewise — God ordained that he and his seed should be a source of blessing to all nations. In so doing, the seed of Abraham is favored by God, and consequently, “their horn (strength) is exalted.”
To be clear, God’s people are not exalted because of our own merits but because God has chosen to bestow His favor upon us. That being said, when we walk upright before Him as Abraham did, there is a blessing that goes with it; in fact, there is inherent blessing and favor in doing what is good and righteous. That is why the psalmist said, “in Your righteousness we are exalted” and by the favor of God upon us, our strength and place in this world is exalted, no matter what our enemies may say. And for that we thank our Heavenly Father; may His favor remain upon us and may we be steadfast in our duty to Him.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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