Today ... read Genesis 20 and experience a little dejavu!
Did you find yourself a little stunned at this chapter? Not so much stunned by the event itself ... bizarre as it seems to us ... but stunned by the near exact repetition of Abraham's previous sin in Egypt which had such far reaching affects and for which Abraham was chastised by God. You know of "Pilgrim's Progress". Well, this chapter could fall under the title, "Pilgrim's Regress".
What can we learn for ourselves?
Fear is a powerful motivator. I don't believe it is any accident that the instruction from God to "fear not" is the most repeated command in all of scripture. Fear leads us to do things we would not ordinarily do ... and to not do things we know we should do. However, Abraham is not fearful in other circumstances! He went to war against a federation of 4 kings. His fear seems to revolve around Sarah. There is some insecurity there that seems so out of character with the rest of his life. Lessons for us? Where are your strongest insecurities? I think we need to be able to identify them. I think we need to be aware of their powerful impact on our lives ... our decisions ... our behaviors.
Another thing about this sin of Abraham ... we must not miss that it is an old sin - repeated. Did he and Sarah not learn from the earlier experience and rebuke from God? I think they did learn ... back then ... but years have passed. It seems to me that we would be wise to be ever aware of our proclivity toward certain sins in our lives. I think that is why alcoholics are always willing to call themselves alcoholic even when they have decades of sobriety under their belts. They are well aware of the possibility of sudden relapse and failure. We must stay vigilant ... because while I know that God forgives and even forgets ... Satan does neither. Satan knows well our weaknesses and vulnerable areas ... and as soon as our guard is down ... the attack will come. Be on guard ...
A third observation ... while Abraham apparently doubted God's ability to take care of him, it did not change God's ability or willingness to do so. God did not "dump" Abraham because of this repeated lack of faith. Listen to James Boice:
But the sin did not change God's view of Abraham. Abraham was still "a prophet". He was still God's man.That is so encouraging to me! In all of the New Testament references to Abraham's journey (Romans 4, Galatians 2 & 4, Hebrews 11) this failure is not recorded. You see, with God, forgiveness is forgiveness. God is still sovereign - even over my failure and sin. His purposes will prevail. God is still gracious - even when we sin. That's not an excuse ... it is not a fact to lead us into a cavalier attitude toward sin. It is a remarkable reality that sends us to our knees in gratitude and determination to be ever more diligent in our confession and surrender of self to this kind of God. To serve this God ... the greatest privilege ... the greatest joy ... the greatest opportunity in all the world. This is my God!
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