And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. Genesis 17.1

How could he be perfect when no one is perfect?

While thinking about the answer to this question and meditating on Abraham, I understood that it is only possible to be perfect when obedient faith is separated from every feeling.

Like all human beings, Abraham had weaknesses, feelings; he was human, so every time he mixed obedient faith with his feelings, he had problems.

Abraham mixed his feelings for his family with obedient faith when he left Haran and allowed Lot to go with him. God told him to leave his country, his family and his father’s house, but by letting Lot go with him, he delayed God’s plan in his life, because God had to wait for them to separate to appear to him and show him the land of Canaan.

Then, because of the famine, Abraham decided to go to Egypt. God told him to go to a land that He would show him, but He did not say to go down to Egypt. When he was close to entering Egypt, he asked Sarah to say she was his sister because he was afraid they would kill him. Sarah was taken to Pharaoh’s harem, and Abraham endured some long bitter months away from his beloved wife. And Abraham would have felt the pain of seeing her in the arms of another man if it weren’t for God forbidding it from happening! (Genesis 20)

Finally, after ten years in Canaan, the feeling of pleasing his wife made him listen to Sarah and took her servant Hagar, which brought forth a nation that has always had conflicts with Israel.

After these events, God appeared to him and said, “Walk in My presence and be perfect…”

You cannot walk in the presence of God using the faith and the heart.

You cannot be perfect without an obedient faith.

God was clear: “I am the Almighty God…”

In other words: Do not trust anyone, do not please anyone, do not listen to anyone, do not doubt, do not be afraid, do not use your emotions! Be perfect by simply obeying My voice.

Now, it is even more evident why he walked in silence when he brought Isaac to the Altar. He did not ask for anyone’s opinion, there was no fear, there were no doubts…

He was perfect as he walked with his sacrifice for three days, without mixing his emotions with an obedient faith.