10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, `This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you." 14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. 15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. 17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, `She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
INTRO. PROMISES: OF CONTRACTS AND COVENANTS
Prior to becoming a pastor, I worked as an auto insurance claims adjuster. On one occasion, I was faced with the unpleasant task of denying coverage to a person who holds a policy with our company. Apparently this gentleman had rented a very large truck to move to a new house and in the process of making the trip he had allowed another a third party to drive the truck which contained the entire contents of his home. While making the trip the person driving fell asleep at the wheel and rolled the truck into a ditch. Now, miraculously this gentleman, and the driver of the vehicle survived the accident but unfortunately the truck and all of its contents were destroyed in the process.
Now, as you can imagine this person reported the accident to our company with the expectation that he would be compensated for the replacement of the truck, the items in the truck, and the medical bills that were incurred because of the accident. Unfortunately the provisions of his policy did not provide coverage for a vehicle of this weight and they also do not provide coverage when a person other than himself or a resident relative is driving a rented vehicle. Because he did not abide by the terms of his insurance contract there was no coverage for his loss.
A relationship based on a contract is dependent on both parties upholding their part of the agreement and many people mistakenly believe that a Christian’s relationship with God mirrors this contract relationship.
For example:
* God helps those who help themselves.
* If I keep the Ten Commandments I will go to heaven.
* If my good deeds outweigh my bad deeds I have peace with God.
* I am not as good as Mother Theresa but I have never murdered or hurt anyone therefore I deserve to go to heaven.
The Bible, however, pictures the Christian relationship with God as a relationship based on God’s promise to be faithful in spite of our unworthiness and faithlessness. Abram’s story here serves to illustrate.
I. THE PROBLEM OF BELIEVING THE PROMISES OF A GOD WHO KEEPS THEM
1. The story of Abraham’s journey into Egypt comes in an odd place in the book of Genesis. As you may remember just previous to this event Abraham had heard the command of the Lord God to leave his native land of Ur and enter into the land of Canaan. This command was accompanied with promises. Lets recall them.
Gen. 12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
2. The Scripture testifies to us that Abraham did exactly as God had told him. He left Ur, he separated himself from his fathers household Haran, which was on the borders of his native country of Babylon and he entered Canaan. Abraham responded faithfully to God. God then made one more promise to Abraham
Gen. 12:7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
3. The substance of God’s promises can be reduced to a Covenant union with God and that union manifgested in foru things:
* Identity (i.e."I will make your name great.")
* Protection (i.e. "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.")
* Offspring and Land (i.e. "To your offspring I will give this land.")
* A Unique Mediatorial Role (i.e. "and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.")
4. From that point on and for the rest of his life Abraham’s initial faith in God would be tested. In fact the Jewish rabbis have identified for us at least ten separate tests in the life of Abraham. In each one of these tests one or more of the promises that God had originally made to Abraham is placed in danger of going unfulfilled. At each one of these tests two questions come to our mind:
1) Will Abraham believe the promises that God made to him?
2) Will God keep the promises that he made to Abraham?
With these two questions in mid let us return to our text . . .
I. PROBLEMS BEGET MORE PROBLEMS
1. God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants (v. 7), but then a severe famine comes and drives him to move to Egypt. Will Abraham lose the land that was promised to him?
2. Abraham then foresees a second problem. He reasons that if he is dead, then the promises of God will be doomed to failure. One cannot, after all , have children if one is not alive to procreate. Abraham responds by conceiving of this deceptive and cowardly scheme to save his own neck.
3. The scheme, however, backfires and creates the most tangible problem of all. The first two problems were somewhat intangible and correctable, but then Pharaoh’s sees the beauty of Sarah and he takes her into his harem. Sarah is seemingly lost forever and with her promises of God for children.
II. WHAT OF THE PROMISES?
1. Lets answer our two questions. First of all did Abraham believe the promises that God mad e to him? The answer would have to be no. There can be no doubt that Abraham demonstrates himself to be an absolute creep in this situation. First of all, by using this cowardly deception Abraham called into doubt the promise of God to protect him by blessing those who blessed him and cursing those who cursed him. Secondly, by not coming clean after Sarah was taken into the harem, Abraham sanctioned the immoral act. In fact there is a strong contrast in this story between Pharaoh’s concern for morality and Abraham’s apparent lack of concern.
18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ’She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!"
2. Now to our second question. Does God keep the promises that he made to Abraham. The answer is undoubtedly yes. The Scripture tells us that Abraham was blessed with wealth and was treated well in spite of the fact that he was a real creep.
16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.
The Lord also cursed Pharaoh for taking Sarah. This fulfilled the Lord’s promise to curse those who cursed Abraham.
17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai.
Finally, The Lord brought Abraham, Sarah, and all of newly acquired wealth safely out of Egypt and back into the Land of Canaan, reversing all of the threats to the further fulfillment of the promises.
20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
III. THE DANGEROUS POINT: GOD IS FAITHFUL TO KEEP HIS PROMISES IN SPITE OF OUR FAITHLESSNESS. BUT GOD’S FAITHFULNESS MUST INSPIRE FAITH AND FAITHFUL ACTION IN US.
1. I for one am grateful that it has pleased God to reveal both the heroic actions and the utter failures of his people in Scripture. There are high demands for God’s people in his Word and I am comforted that even the greatest heroes of the faith stumbled along the way in their individual pilgrimages. Friends we must realize that when we say that God has promised us salvation and life in his Son it is not because we were lovely or pleasing to him. It has pleased God to call us to himself and our salvation and growth in Christ is accomplished by his grace alone. May God alone be glorified! He is faithful in spite of our faithlessness.
2. This sword cuts both ways, however. Do we come away from these kinds of stories with a license to be faithless creeps? Should we sin that grace may more abound? The Apostle Paul would say, "me genito" (Heaven forbid!/ May it never be!). These kinds of stories are included in the Scripture to inspire us to faith and faithful action. We are intended to learn from even the failure of Abraham. God has answered the question of whether he will keep his promises to us. He asks us, "Will you believe that I will keep my promises to you and order your life accordingly?"
IV. LEARNING BY REPITITION: YOU WILL BE BROUGHT OUR OF EGYPT
1. Incidentally this is not the last time Abraham pulled this cowardly stunt. He does the very same thing in Genesis 20 with Abimelech and then his son Isaac pulls the same stunt again in Genesis 26. By the time we get there we should be asking, "Don’t you guys get the point?" Abraham and Isaac look back at me through the lens of Scripture and say, "Michael, don’t you get the point?" God is faithful to keep his promises in spite of our faithlessness. But God’s faithfulness must inspire faith and faithful action in us.
2. The Children of Israel again went into Egypt, and then into Babylonian Captivity. God delivered them. Christ went to the ultimate exile, death on the cross. God resurrected him.
3. God uses the memory of his constant fidelity to the promises to communicate himself to us as a covenant-keeping God. The fidelity of God in Christ is reflected in Chirstian faith, hope, and love.
1) Will you believe the promises that God made to you in Christ?
2) Will God keep the promises that he made to you in Christ?
CONC. A NOTE OF SUCCESS
1. After beating on Abraham for a while, I thought that we might end this discussion by putting him back in the place in which the New Testament places him. He is called, after all, "the father of the faithful."
2. A few chapters and many tests later, Abraham again finds himself in a situation where the promises of God are placed in jeopardy. Listen to the comments of the author of Hebrews
Hebr. 11:17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, ¡§It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.¡¨ 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
1) Did God keep the promises that he made to Abraham?
2) Did Abraham believe the promises that God made to him?
God is faithful to keep his promises in spite of our faithlessness. But God’s faithfulness must inspire faith and faithful action in us. Abraham got the point. May God grant us the grace to get the point as well. Amen.
© 2001, Rev. Michael J. Pahls
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