Failed But Not Finished - 2
Wrong Choices - Genesis 12 and 13
It is now known that when Abraham was called by God to go from his home town of Ur in Mesopotamia, to an unknown land 1000 miles away, he was leaving behind a cultured and sophisticated life-style. It could not have been easy for him and his wife Sarah. God then made a covenant with him, promising him a land, a nation & a blessing. But how was he going to live up to the high calling of God? I wonder if you can recall the time when you trusted Christ as your Saviour. For some days you were on cloud nine, enjoying God's peace, and rejoicing in the joy of sins forgiven. Perhaps all of these were experienced by Abraham but his faith had not yet been thoroughly tested. Amy Carmichael, who served the Lord for many years in India, wrote "Life can be difficult, sometimes the enemy comes in like a flood, but then is the time to prove our faith and live our songs". Warren Wiersbe once said: "A faith that can't be tested can't be trusted".
In our study this week, under the heading of "Failed but not Finished", Abraham faces special tests, and as you and I are faithful to God we, too, will face similar tests. We will look at them in the three ways in which they came to Abraham, through Problems, People and Possessions. This is a very relevant message for us in our day!
Problems – Genesis 12 Verse 10
In Genesis 12 verse 10 we read that there was a famine in the land of Canaan, and Abraham "went down into Egypt". Was this the start of his departure from God's will? The land where Abraham was living had abundant vegetation, but in the summer season it was almost desert. On this occasion the drought was particularly bad because we read "the famine was severe". So it was a very difficult problem for Abraham, feeding his flocks, herds and servants. He thought he was in the place God wanted him to be, yet a gigantic problem had hit him! Choices opened up to him; what should he do? Retrace his steps to the more fertile area to the north? Should he stay put and "brave it out"? His expert knowledge told him that certain death lay along that pathway and he was no fool! There seemed to be only one choice left open to him. He must go south to Egypt, with its bountiful supply of food. Perhaps it didn’t occur to him that the God who had brought him into Canaan was the God who could meet his needs. He had cared for him over the 600 mile journey from Ur to Haran and the 400 miles from Haran to Canaan. Surely He could help him over a small problem such as a famine? Who controls the food supply anyway? Well might we ask Abraham why he had overlooked another choice open to him - he could have prayed! I wonder what problem you can’t handle just now as you listen to my voice? Don’t overlook the great value of prayer!
Next we see Abraham going down into Egypt. It is always dangerous to leave the place of God's appointment! Think of Naomi and her husband, who in a time of famine went into the country of Moab. Naomi survived but she lost her husband and two sons! In our study today we will see that Abraham made the wrong choice and he lived to regret it!
Never forget that we can safely leave the choice to God. We will now look at …
People – Genesis 12 Verses 11 to 20
If Abraham failed God in making the wrong choice, he certainly failed after entering the land of Egypt. He started to look at his wife, Sarai, in a new light. Whilst in normal circumstances most wives would be very pleased for their husbands to tell them they were beautiful, this time it was different. Abraham told her how attractive she was, and then said "If we’re not careful, the men will kill me so that they can have you, so tell them that you are my sister". This was a dreadful thing to do, for he was risking the moral safety of his wife to save his own skin! This was the man who had been called and blessed by God. This was the man who is held up to us in the New Testament as a man of faith, whose example we should follow. He was afraid of people, and was ready to put his wife in danger to save himself! It was fear instead of faith, lying and deceiving instead of taking God at His word. It was fantasy instead of fact. He certainly should have known better! I wonder if he said "God will take care of Sarai?"
We then read that Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler, took Sarai into his own house, and he could so easily have taken her out of his harem, and used her for his own purpose if God had not protected her. The strange thing about it is, that although Abram was the guilty party, the Lord permitted him to prosper in Egypt, and He actually plagued Pharoah and the Egyptians, so that the truth would come out. Once again, as so often in scripture, we see suffering through sin. How many times in the Bible and in real life today do we see that sin brings suffering upon us and others .The very man whom God had called to be a blessing to the nations brought them judgement! Warren Wiersbe writes "God forgave his sin, so what's the problem? The big problem is that everything Abram received in Egypt later caused trouble".
There is a clear principle coming through this incident; God can protect us from people who would do us harm if we are prepared to live in obedience to Him. Finally, we will look at Abram’s …
Property – Genesis 13
We see Abram being sent out of Egypt, back to the land of Canaan, and the record runs "And Abram was very rich" (Genesis 13 verse 2). Abram had failed the first two tests miserably, but God hadn’t finished with him, and he passed this next one with flying colours. Perhaps the secret lies in the fact that after leaving Egypt, he returned to Bethel, which means "The House of God". And we read that it was "the place of the altar". It was the place where he had met God, and worshipped Him. The altar was the place of repentance and forgiveness. It was the place of consecration and peace. Perhaps, as you listen to my voice today, you feel that you have let God down badly. May be, like Abram, you haven’t been fair to your partner. Or you’ve lied and cheated, and like him you’ve even made money out of it. Will you come back to the best possible place for forgiveness, reconciliation and healing. Come back in faith to the cross of Christ. Realise again that you may have failed but God hasn’t finished with you yet. The way back is always the way of repentance. Are you having problems with people? Remember that God made people, and He knows them. Will you trust Him to sort things out? Perhaps you are worried about what you need? God knows and will provide. If you are too concerned about what you think you ought to have, then God says: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the necessary things will be added to you" (Matthew 6 verse 33). May God bless you.