The Amazing Abraham

No 3 Man's chief end is to Glorify God.

We also noted the reality of a Covenant Promise, which related to this call. It was Individual, National, and Universal Blessing would be Abram's portion because of his obedience to God.

But as Abram's new adventure with God was just beginning, his initial obedience was only partial, for we find Abram wasting time in Haran…For six years he lived in a barren place because he did not sever the ties of the flesh; he took His father and Lot with him.

Then, after his father Terah died, Abram was once more on the move "Walking By Faith" until he arrived in the land of Promise. We see him "Worshipping & Witnessing" as he builds an altar and called on the name of his God. He pitched his Tent and built an altar. A tent and Altar, this was all that Abram had. To the end of his life, he was what man called a "Nomad".

But this man was now walking with God on the path of Faith, learning more of the great attributes of the God, who had called him out of darkness into the light of His Salvation. Back in the land of Chaldees, Abram's brother Nahor built a city and called it after his own name. The World may have considered Nahor a great success and Abram a great failure, but with God it was the other way around. Abram was the real success.

Nahor's name means "Snoring" I am reminded that this man was asleep, and unconscious, to his spiritual need. The old nature, which man has inherited from Adam, delights itself in outward things; it settles downs comfortably in this world, asleep to the danger the soul faces without a saving faith in Christ.

On the other hand, the believer has been aroused to his need before God, and has, through faith, received the spirit of Christ. He is now a Pilgrim and a stranger in this world, with no permanent dwelling place. Yet, he has all that he needs " A tent and an Altar"

Abram, openly acknowledges his God, he recognises His Presence and he directed his worship towards Him, approaching Him with sacrifices and praise, abiding in close fellowship with Him

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Abram was dwelling in the place of real blessing, but soon he was to learn that the path of a separated man is never an easy one

Suddenly Abram's circumstances changed, for this is ever a changing world. The dark cloud of famine had appeared in the sky of Abram's Faith. His first test has arrived a famine in the land of promise.

This famine constituted a new experience for Abram. As far as we know, he had never experienced a Famine before, either in Ur, or in Haran. Imagine what might have been going through his mind "I came all this way for this! I thought that this was going to be a land of Blessing".

1. The Pressure Upon Abram

The rains, which usually fell in the latter part of the year, had failed; the crops were burned up long before the harvest time. There was no grass to feed the flocks, and precious little water to drink. We can well imagine the complaining and the murmuring Abram would have had to listen to, from those who were close to him; even his servants and herdsmen would have brought pressure to bear upon him.

No doubt Carnal Lot would have made his voice heard. Uncle Abram, you were out of your mind to leave our own country to travel to this unknown land. Now we are going to perish and its all your fault!

Abram you obeyed this new God whom none has ever seen. One who was full of promises but He has failed to deliver. We are going to perish along with the livestock".

Yes, Abram would have had to listen to a lot of complaints from those who had travelled with him from Ur.

Then Abram would have had to listen to the taunts of the Canaanites who dwelt in the land.

"Where is your God now, this invisible God to whom you offer sacrifices, build Altars and worship" Where is the God that you say, brought you to this land?

After having travelled all the way across the desert, Abram now faced the danger of being wiped out in the land, where God had promised to bless him.

A stranger in a strange land surrounded by a strange and hostile people. He also had the responsibility of vast flocks of flocks and herds and now he was faced with disaster!

Had Abram made a great mistake? How would we have reacted in such a Crisis? How did Abram react? Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

Abram took decisive action. He went down into Egypt, but he not only went down geographically he went down spiritually. His place of departure was Bethel (the house of God) he left his Altar, his place of Worship.

He acted on his own initiative. He had not consulted God as to what he should do and this was the root cause of all the evil, which followed. He had now forsaken the "Path of Faith" he was out of step with God and soon he found himself in the depths of lying, compromise, disobedience and dishonour.

Forsaking the path of Faith, for whatever reason, always brings complications. A whole series of events now followed in Abram's experience, which stemmed from his lack of trust in God.

There were two things that Abram did not expect to find in the land of Canaan---the Canaanites and the Famine--- but both of these were there in the Sovereign purpose of God, to test his Faith. Abram failed his first test and he went down into Egypt. It is always a downward path when one gets out of step with the Lord.

The land of Egypt, in scripture, is often symbolic of the world, a world which is no friend of Grace.

Isa 31:1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!

Abram, in his hour of crisis failed to look to the Holy One! Instead of saying, "although, there is plenty in the land of Egypt, I will stay in the place where the Lord has brought me, I will remain here until He tells me to move on! I will trust Him to meet my need during this time of famine".

Abram took his eyes of the Lord and he went down, straying away from his God. After his seasons of communion and fellowship with the Lord, after his mountain top experience with God, Abram soon found himself a backslider.

The Ephesians strayed out of the "Will of God" by leaving their first love! Beloved, Believers who are in the Egypt of bondage today, know deep in their hearts, that they have left their Bethel. They have left the house of God, the Altar, the place of worship and communion with God.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Sadly, Robinson wandered far from those streams and, like the Prodigal Son, journeyed into the distant country of carnality.

Until one day -- he was travelling by stagecoach and sitting beside a young woman engrossed in her book. She read out a verse she thought was beautiful and asked him what he thought of it.

Prone to wander -- Lord, I feel it --

Prone to leave the God I love.

Bursting into tears, Robinson said, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."

How easy it is for any of us to stray away from the Lord and to lean upon our own understanding in times of trial. Abram's mind was focused on the Famine and he had forgotten the promises of God.

The One, who would feed his descendants in the wilderness with Manna from heaven, would also have feed him during the famine. The One who ordered the birds of Prey the Ravens, to bring meat to Elijah while he was at the Brook Cherith, would have provided for Abram.

The One, who fed the five thousand with five Barley loaves and two small fish, could also have fed the father of the faithful and his travelling companions.

Friends, in New Testament language, Abram needed to learn, what we must continue to learn as we travel the Path of Faith. It is the teaching of the Lord Jesus.

Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

God knows all about our Needs,-- Trials, and the Burdens we bear and knowing He Cares for us! The believer can say from experience

Amid the Trials that I meet,

Amid the Thorns that pierce my feet!

One thing remains supremely sweet

Thou thinkest Lord of me.

The Cares of life come thronging fast

Upon my soul their shadow cast

But their gloom reminds my heart at last

Thou thinkest Lord of me.

The lesson that the Lord is teaching us from this experience is, let him who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. For, many will be the attacks of Satan along the "Path of Faith" for this path is never an easy one to follow.

Yet there was something far deeper and more sinister in all of this! This was not just a time of testing for Abram; it was the time when Satan made his first move to destroy Abram.

So that he would not have descendants. Then there would be no heir of promise. For the Promised Messiah, the seed of the woman would come from the lineage of Abram.

Satan was trying to frustrate the purpose of God concerning the promise of a Saviour, who would come into this world to deal with the problem of man's sin.

Beloved, beware, for his tactics have not changed! He is still seeking to frustrate the purposes of God, in the life of the Church and in the lives of His people.

Satan is ever seeking to draw the people of God down into the Egypt of this world, drawing us into by path meadow and away from God, to mar our testimony.

Like Abram, we must learn to keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Lord, trusting Him at all times, bringing everything to Him in Prayer.

Trust in the Lord and don't despair,

He is a friend so true, no matter what your troubles are

Jesus will see you through.

1.The Pressure Upon Abram

2.The Perils that faced Abram

Verses, 11-20 Forsaking the path of Faith always brings its own complication and perils, which soon grip the heart with fear. As he approaches Egypt, Abram's Faith has gave way to fear. Abram's wife Sarai was a most attractive woman, and Abram begins to reason like an unsaved man. verses 11-13)

In ancient times, it was standard practice if a man wanted to secure himself a wife from another man, all that he had to do was to murder that man. Then he could legally claim all of that man's possessions including his wife. Abram was well aware of this degenerate behaviour among the heathen. He had seen this in operation in Ur.

He began to fear for his life; yet he did not seek God concerning his fears. Fear imprisons, fear paralyses fear disheartens, and, most of all, fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life.

Then Abram's "Fear" gave way to "Falsehood and deception"

Gen 12:13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

What a selfish despicable request! It's a wonder that Sarai ever spoke to him again.

We might ask, is this really the same man who left Ur. of the Chaldees, and put his trust in God and travelled miles on the path of Faith?. Is this really the man who was called "the father of the faithful?

It is the same man? What a web of falsehood and deceit he was now spinning. There is no knowing just how far a child of God will sink when they get out of touch with God. How deceitful the heart is, and above all things and it is desperately wicked.

Of course, Abram could have sought to justify himself, by pointing out that after all Sarai was his half sister. In the sight of God a "Half Truth is a whole Lie"

All heaven, must have wrung its hands, as the news of Abram's lie was made known.

Instead of Depending on God Abram had turned to Deception. He was now Trembling instead of Trusting. There was Fear where was there was Faith. Abram was prepared to defile the one who was a chosen vessel unto the Lord, and through whom He would fulfil His promise concerning his seed. Only for the intervention of God, the womb of Sarai would have been contaminated by a Satan controlled king.

How far-reaching are the consequences of man's sinful folly? We sin against God, we sin against our better selves, and ultimately our sin effects the lives of others.

How easy it is to go down into the realm of a cold hearted, fear filled backslider out of touch with God. How did Abram get himself into such a dilemma? Was there more to this than the Pressure of the famine?

Verse 9. Gives us the answer "And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. He moved on before God had told him to do so! He went ahead of his Lord instead of walking with him. Abram, failed to keep in step with the Lord and he went down.

Abram, went down to Fear, Falsehood, and this was quickly followed with Frustration..

Gen 12:14-15 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.

The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

When Abram arrived in Egypt his suspicion became a reality. Pharaoh's spies, who were constantly on the look out for beautiful women, quickly spotted Sarai’s beauty and her attractive foreign features and soon she was taken to Pharaoh's house, and made her part of his Harem.

How this must have inflicted on Abram deep feelings of guilt and shame. He had saved his own life but he had lost his wife to Pharaoh. He had lost the one who was to be the mother of his children, the chosen one of God, through whom the line of the Messiah would come.

Friends, life is a journey on a un -travelled road. There are times when panic can overwhelm us, as we contemplate what lies ahead of us. There are times when we get off course, and soon are filled with doubt and fear.

We need to always be sure that we are going in the right direction. We are travelling in the right direction when we are walking close to God. Then and only then can we walk in power and not in panic.

Verse 16 Informs us that Abram was "Favoured in Egypt"

Gen 12:16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

This sudden accumulation of wealth may have delighted Lot I can almost hear him say, "Cheer up uncle Abram! Look here is another flock of sheep on its way to you from Pharaoh"

Abram would just groan! He had lost Sarai, He has lied about their relationship! He had lost his self-esteem. He had failed his God! He had played the fool.

Yes in Egypt, he had acquired great riches, but the price tag had been very high.

Many, since Abram, have travelled the same road. They have become rich, prospered in material things but have become spiritual bankrupts. How important it is that we stand fast in the faith, ever asking the Lord to increase our faith. A Faith that is victorious over every dark cloud that appears on our horizon.

Oh, for a Faith like the Saints of old

Heb 11:33-34 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Lord Increase our Faith

Give me O Lord a Faith Serene,

That rests in Thee Alone

Assured that Divine Grace has made me all your own

1.The Pressure upon Abram

2.The Perils that faced Abram

3.The Punishment because of Abram

Gen 12:17-19

And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. The Lord sent plagues upon Pharaoh because of Sarai. The Lord would not have His chosen vessel to remain a captive in an Egyptian harem. Sarai would be a free woman in every sense of the word.

There is of course typical teaching from Sarai’s plight.

In Gal 4:22,23… The Apostle Paul reminds us that Abraham had two sons. One by the Bondwoman, the servant Hagar…that son was "Ishmael" The Other was Isaac, the son of promise and he was born of the free woman Sarai when she was well past the age for child bearing. God miraculously gave life where there was but death.

This was what He does through His Son of Promise the Lord Jesus, all who trust in Him for Salvation are free from the power of Satan, death, and hell

When Abram went down into Egypt he not only failed to protect Sarai, he put the purpose of God in salvation in jeopardy. But God stepped in and Plagues the house of Pharaoh

He protected His chosen one! It was not long before Pharaoh, sent for Abram

18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

What is this that you have done? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say that she was your sister? These were searching questions for an ungodly man to ask a believer. This highlighted his failure. These question must have pierced Abram and embarrassed him

How embarrassing for the Believer, when he is found out by the Ungodly. When lies, falsehood, and deception are exposed. How, grievous this is to the Lord and how damaging to His Work. Abram's deception not only affected him, but his whole household. A Christian, who is out of touch with the Lord is ever open to the scorn of the ungodly

How sad it is to note, at that moment in time that a pagan king looked more moral man than one who was a Believer in the living God. Abram's deception is recorded for our learning, and is a warning to us to keep in step with God and not to leave the path of faith.

The Punishment because of Abram

The Place where God drove Him

Ch 13--1-4

There was only one way for Abraham to go, only one place for him to get back on track, back to renewed fellowship with God. He went back to Bethel, and there he called on the name of the Lord.

We do not find him building Altars in Egypt, neither do we read of him calling on the name of the Lord. But God, in His great mercy brought the wander back to Himself, and he is still doing the same today. Oh how the Lord loves the backslider.

As we reflect on this Incident from the life of Abraham, may we say..

I would have the Saviour with me

For I dare not walk alone

I would have His presence near me

And His arm around me thrown

Then My soul will fear no Ill

While he leads me; where He will

I will go without a mummer

And His Footsteps follow Still.