"Back to Bethel"
Genesis 13:1-3
Genesis 13:1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Introduction: Have you ever wondered about what happens when a believer rebels or disobeys or gets out of God’s will? What happens when a Christian sins and make no mistake, Christian do sin. Listen to what the Apostle John has to say about this subject in 1 John 1:8 & 10 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” Sometimes our backsliding is a descent into a living hell like King David and at others it is a slow long drift away out of God’s will. In any case we must know what the Scripture has to say about repentance, restoration and recommitment for the believer.
To illustrate this unfortunate truth I’ve chosen perhaps the most famous name in the Bible. Abraham is the “father of faith” for his faith is the prototypical faith of the Christian life but even though he possessed great faith and a genuine faith in God, it was not a perfect faith as we shall see in this week’s study. My prayer is that you and I can learn something that will help us in our journey of faith that will help us today and tomorrow. First let’s look at:
I. The Place of Consecration
In chapter 12:
a. His surrender to the will and word of God.
We know that Abraham first heard the call of God while still in Ur and that led by his father Terah he and his family relocated to Haran. It was there after the death of his father that there was a renewed call to move to what would be his home, the land of Canaan.
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
b. His separation from his home, family and friends many of whom were idolaters that were exerting an unwholesome influence on Abraham.
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
c. His sacrifice
When Abraham arrives in Bethel he pitches his tent builds an altar, offers sacrifice and performs an act of worship. The last phrase of verse 8 is particularly interesting in its translation. It indicates that Abraham publically invokes the name of Yahweh (Jehovah) Luther translates this “he preached concerning the name of the Lord.” A good translation would read, “to use the name of the Lord in worship.” Remember how important this is for him. His family worshipped idols and even after they left Ur and relocated to Haran there is still evidence that his father and members of his family were still worshipping idols. It is not until his father’s death and the move to Canaan that he invokes the name of Jehovah and worships Him exclusively.
Genesis 12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
The point to this first section is we see the conversion of Abraham, his commitment to separation from idols to God and an active and vibrant faith expressing itself in sacrifice and worship.
II. The Place of Compromise
Something very unusual happens when we get to verses 9-10 that is important. Abraham’s behavior can be characterized in one word. He backslid, or better put, he had what C. H. Spurgeon called “faith’s fainting fits.” In verse 8 Abraham is finally in the place that God wanted him to be in but he does not stay there long for he literally “pulls up his tent stakes” and descends into Egypt. Abraham’s backsliding ways are a teachable moment for all believers. Observe that there was:
a. His testing
One of the misconceptions that people have is that when they place their faith in God that everything will be “smooth sailing” going forward but nothing could be farther from the truth. Remember God’s promises to Abraham in verses 1-3 to make him a great nation, to bless him, to make his name great, to make him a blessing, to bless those that bless him and curse those that curse him? The problem for us is that every promise from God is conditional and we are often required to wait on the Lord’s timing for Him to bless us. It would be many years before some of these promises were realized for Abraham. It is also true that the Lord will test our faith to see if we can be trusted to obey His word and do His will. This testing will temper our faith (make it stronger) if we continue to trust through the trial!
b. His trouble
Abraham did something that we often do. He gave in to an irrational fear. Let me explain what I mean. According to Acts 7:2 God spoke to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees (Mesopotamia) and told him to begin a journey to a place that He would show him. The first leg of this trip was to Haran which was over 600 miles. He lived in Haran, became very prosperous and heard from God again to continue his journey until he arrives in Canaan in verse 5. He finally arrives at a place called Shechem which was another 400 miles and then 20 miles more to Bethel. So he has traveled with his family over 1,000 miles and God has protected and provided for him the entire time. Here is the problem. He is in Canaan where God told him to go but we read in verse 9 that he was “…going on still toward the south…” and verse 10 tells us that he justified this because there was “…a famine in the land…” so he left Canaan and travels further South until he arrives in Egypt, a journey of 250 miles. Egypt is a metaphor for rebellion, and disobedience in the Bible so there is a tremendous amount of symbolism in Abraham leaving Canaan where God told him to go and going to Egypt where we see him in a very unflattering, unattractive light. Fear is the opposite of faith. The Bible tells us that “…2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
c. His testimony
In preparation for their arrival in Egypt Abraham instructs Sara his wife to tell a “half-truth” about their relationship. His wife Sarah is his half-sister in that they have the same father but a different mother. This type of marriage would certainly raise an eyebrow today but back then it would not. Also, Sarah was a great beauty and he is fearful that the Egyptians will kill him and take her if they think that she is his wife but that if they think that she is his sister that he will be spared. This is not Abraham’s finest hour. Not only does he involve his wife in this untruth, but when Pharaoh finds out about this falsehood Abraham is asked to leave Egypt and is “shown the door” by this heathen king. Pharaoh literally sends his personal bodyguard to “escort” Abraham out the country. What a terrible testimony when we disobey God and when we allow our actions to be controlled by fear and not by faith. There is a post script this story. In Genesis 26:6 we read, “…And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon…” Let’s put Abraham’s behavior in perspective:
1. He involved his wife in this deception.
2. He lost any chance of being a witness to Pharoah and the Egyptian people for Jehovah. It is sad when the King of Egypt behaves with more integrity than the man of God!
3. His son imitated the behavior of his father. Not many years later we see Isaac doing the same thing only this time it is a different King and Rebecca is now his “sister.”
4. I believe that Abraham’s nephew Lot was greatly influenced by what he saw in Uncle Abraham. When we have lost the moral high ground in our family it is hard to offer correction or advice to them. Our words often fall on “deaf ears.” This is the experience of Lot who “…pitched his tent towards Sodom…”
Genesis 19:14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
III. The Place of Commitment
It is always a tragedy when God’s people rebel and disobey Him and the result is a loss of testimony, broken fellowship with the Lord, hindrance of prayer life and a diminishment of spiritual power but with the Lord there is mercy, restoration and reconciliation.
a. His return
If the trip to Egypt was “down” then Abraham’s return to Bethel was “up.” We are told that he returned to the place “…where his tent had been at the beginning…” in verse 3 of chapter 13. Many a man or woman has had to go “home” to make things right. Canaan was “home” for it was the place that Jehovah had led him to. It was the place where he had been in the center of God’s will.
b. His repentance
There were no altars in Egypt for Abraham except pagan altars. “He came the second time to Bethel after his failure in the land of Egypt. He came to Bethel after a famine. He came to Bethel after lying to Pharaoh about the identity of Sarah. He came to Bethel blessed with cattle, silver, and gold. But regardless of a man’s social position in life, he must have an altar. The name Bethel means house of God. The house of God is the altar that Abraham came to most. Our greatest altars are in the house of God. The altars in the house of God are those of repentance, of consecration, of blessing, and of spiritual direction.” Philip Harrison Abrahams return back to Bethel included a time of personal penance and confession for his lapse from the truth as well as his thanksgiving to Jehovah for His protection and preservation of himself, his wife and family.
c. His rededication
Once Abraham has confessed and repented of his sin then worship can take place again. Remember that the phrase, “…there he called upon the name of the Lord…” indicates that Abraham publically invokes the name of Yahweh (Jehovah), “he preached concerning the name of the Lord,” and our earlier translation read, “to use the name of the Lord in worship.” Abraham can worship again with a clear conscience and a clean heart for he has gone back to Bethel physically but more important he has gone back to Bethel spiritually!
Conclusion: If you have find yourself like Abraham did, out of the will of God, disobedient to His word, your life is headed “South” spiritually, or you are already “down” in Egypt let me say that there is “mercy” with the Lord. The reason you are here this morning listening to this message from the Lord is that He has protected you and preserved you for this place and this purpose.
1 John 1:9 is a passage that often comes to mind when I think about this subject. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” and in Isaiah 1:18 we read, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”
PUSHING THE OUTHOUSE
A young boy lived in the country. His family had to use an outhouse, which the young boy hated. It was hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and always smelly. The outhouse was located near the creek so the boy decided that he would push it into the water. After a spring rain, the creek swelled so the boy pushed it in.
Later that night his dad told him that he and the boy needed to make a trip to the woodshed. The boy knew this meant punishment. He asked his father why to which his dad replied, "Because someone pushed the outhouse into the creek and I think that someone was you. Was it?"
The boy responded that it was. Then he added "Remember when George Washington's father asked him if he had chopped down the cherry tree? He didn't get into trouble because he told the truth."
"That is correct," the dad said, "but his father was not in the cherry tree when he cut it down."
Most of us have never toppled an outhouse, however we can identify with the boy in at least three ways. First, there is an urge within us that wants to do wrong. We call it the sinful nature. Second, our lack of goodness affects others. Third, there are consequences to our choices.
