Our Unbelief and God's Faithfulness - The Life of Abraham
Main idea:
Despite our total unworthiness, God is faithful to his word. Following him is a process of truly coming to grips with that reality and letting it reshape our hearts.
Outline:
1. Abrams "genius" plan
2. Abram's lies bear fruit
3. God's undeserved faithfulness
Application:
• Have you ever truly grappled with the consequences of your sin? Have you ever seen your sin as a the most destructive and dangerous force in your life?
• What is your view of God? Do you see him as a God who is unwaveringly faithful to his promises?
• Is your life built on a deep confidence in the promise and power of God? What role do his promises and his words play in your confidence today?
Scripture References:
• Genesis 12:10-20
• Hebrews 12:1-2
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Genesis 12:10-20
People who train for surgeries have to understand the concept of a sterile field. And very often this is something that is a big challenge because people don't realize how unconscious their actions are.
A person can spend a few minutes putting on a surgical suit and gloves and then absent-mindedly itch their face compromising the whole suit, needing to taking it off and put a whole new one.
So it is with our faith. Often times our heart has developed such deeply engrained pathways of thinking and feeling we don't realize how quickly we click back into trusting our own selves and living as if God and his promises don't exist.
the journey of faith is a complicated and dynamic one. Just because we have trusted God yesterday doesn't mean we are doing it today.
It seems there is no end to our ability to doubt God and his faithfulness.
And yet this is the primary battle in our hearts - to really own and grasp the fact that God is truly faithful, even when we are not.
God does not leave us hanging. He never goes back on his word. And when push comes to shove, our only true hope can be his promises and his word.
The problem is that we are so hard wired into our own self saving responses and our tendencies to put our trust in everything BUT God, we are often unaware of the amount of pockets and habits of unbelief in our lives.
This is what we see in the life of Abram as his story develops.
1. Abrams "Genius" Plan
10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a while because the famine in the land was severe. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live. 13 Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.”
Abram's epic journey started off with a bang.
He received the promises of God. He took God at his word. He made the leap of faith, he took the risk - he left his native world to follow God into the unknown.
He was surrounded by doubt and yet he countered that doubt by worshipping God in the midst of it. He planted the flag in Canaan, the promised land.
Whats next in the story?
"there was a famine in the land....the famine in the land was severe..."
what happens when God makes promises?
They come under fire. circumstances change and his promises seem to be threatened.
The promised land where Abram has followed God is engulfed in a severe famine. Moses emphasizes land twice.
What does Abram do?
• Kicks in to his own plans.
Packs up and heads down to Egypt. No sign of consulting God.
Canaan is more dependent upon rainfall whereas egypt has always had the stability to the nile river.
Not only this. When he gets to Egypt he fears another threat.
11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live. 13 Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.”
If we do the math - Sarai was 65 years old at this time. Its a funny thing to see the conversations in teh commentaries about this. How can it be that at 65 she still dangerously beautiful?
Some say since they lived to be 120, 60 in their time was more like 40.
John Calvin has the worst theory. He said Sarai was still beautiful because she had not yet been pregnant.
"Nothing will deteriorate the image of a woman like persistent child birth."
Most of the men in our church will have a word with him in heaven on that one.
Anyways,
Abram sees a grave threat to his life because his wife is dangerously beautiful. He creates a lie to protect himself.
Notice the words here, "please say you are my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account..."
His whole focus here is his own safety and well being. Not really considering what this will mean for her...
Its often tempting to mix the truth down a bit - to bend the facts - to keep ourselves, our reputation, our plans safe.
We even do it to "keep God's plans safe" - sadly this is seen in the church a lot.
Lies are the method of the enemy. Dishonesty is the total opposite to the ways and the people of God. Abram will soon learn that.
2. Abram's lies bear fruit.
14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s household. 16 He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.
"...the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh..."
Sure enough. This also highlights Abram's status. He is a soujorner in Egypt. He is not an egyptian. But he is also powerful enough and wealthy enough that he is known and he is noticed when he arrives.
"so the woman was taken into Pharaoh's household..."
No mention here of her consent.
Ancient leaders had a habit of having a large collection of wives and women in their palace. This was not unusual.
Did Abram anticipate that this may happen? He had to have considered it a possibility. If he tells them she is his sister, he is implying that she is single and available.
At the same time however, Abram is chilling - he is living the life.
16 He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.
This is the deceptive power of sin. Sometimes we know what we’re doing is wrong but the immediate benefit keeps us pulled in and keeps has committed to something that we can clearly see is destroying our own family or those around us that we love.
Earlier, we saw a parallel between Abram and Adam - both men are a source of God's blessing to all of creation.
Here we see another parallel - both men stand by and allow their wives to be put in danger.
We were talking in the theology class a few weeks ago about the mystery of God's providence in leading all things at the same time as giving us responsibility and decision making power.
How do the two go together? Its a mystery. God is sovereign and nothing can stop or ruin his purposes. And yet our choices matter. Our sinful compromises matter. Our failure and surrender to sin has devastating consequences on our lives and the lives of the people around us.
This is especially important for men to hear because in his creation order God has given men the task of leadership, protection and provision within the family. God made men strong so they would take responsibility. So they would not run from their task of doing that which is dangerous and risky - but faithful to God's calling.
3. God's undeserved faithfulness.
17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife, Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave his men orders about him, and they sent him away with his wife and all he had.
While Abram is counting his cash prize others are suffering for his actions.
His wife is the property of another man.
To add to that, God remains true to his promises in protecting Abram - he inflicts plagues on the house of Pharaoh.
The irony in the story is that there are two instances of people talking - the first is Abram, crafting his plan to lie. The second is Pharaoh, expressing his shock at Abram's actions.
The pagan ruler seems to have more sense of true and righteousness than the one who carries the promises of God.
What is also interesting is that it Moses is drawing some very clear parallels here between the story of Abram and the story of the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt.
Both include a famine that brings God's people to Egypt. Both include God's people being enslaved by Pharaoh. Both include God afflicting the Egyptians with plagues. Both include God's people leaving Egypt with great wealth.
Parallelism and repetition are some of the most important tactics of the OT authors.
What is Moses trying to point to here?
The story of the Bible is the story of God's presistent faithfulness desmight the weakness and unbelief of his people.
God does not abandon his people. He is always with us even when we forget that he is.
If it was up to us, we would loose our salvation 100 times a day.
Does this mean that Abram has a never ending get out of jail free card? Does this mean that he can do whatever he wants and God will always just fish him out and bless him?
Does this mean we can do whatever we want, and we know that God will still save us and forgive us?
No way.
Here God intervened in a miraculous way to preserve the promise.
But Abram's choises still have consequences. He is kicked out of Egypt. Disgraced. Embaressed. No doubt this did not help his marriage.
Later we will see how the story develops even more as Sarai offers Abram her slave so that he can have kids with her. Hagar was from Egypt.
God is showing Abram here that he means what he says. Even if it means miraculously intervening to preserve the family. At the same time this promise depends on faith - its a promise that is rooted in a real, living relationship with God.
Abram needs to learn to trust God. God is saying, "look I'm here just like I said. But what about you? What is it going to take for you to REALLY trust me?"
The greatest threat to the promises of God is Abram himself.
God can save anytime, he is not the frustrated parent that we are. He is cool and collected. And he lets us mess up to teach us - he wants something more than just a specific result - he wants to teach our heart to walk by faith.
What is it going to take for you to truly trust God? For you to grow in trust in him?
Hebrews 12:1-2
"Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
We were all born into this world lost in sin. But he came into our world to get us out, to lead us out in triumph.
He could easily submit us, force obedience. But he doesn't. He wants our heart. He wants us to see how much he cares for us, how much he loves us, how faithful he is to his promise to bless and to buy us back from sin.
Trusting in God is a process of learning to not trust in our human judgement.
We must learn to distrust our own abilities. This is the only way we learn to walk by the Spirit in the promises of God.
Abram saw a deadly threat where there was none. He acted on that false vision. He put his wife and God's promises in jeopardy.
Application:
• Have you ever truly grappled with the consequences of your sin? Have you ever seen your sin as a the most destructive and dangerous force in your life?
• What is your view of God? Do you see him as a God who is unwaveringly faithful to his promises?
• Is your life built on a deep confidence in the promise and power of God? What role do his promises and his words play in your confidence today?
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' name
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand
When darkness veils his lovely face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
His oath, his covenant, his blood
Supports me in the 'whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand