Fourth:Father Abraham Flunked His First Test

Father Abraham Flunked His First Test

Don’t get me wrong. It is not my intention to show the father of faith in poor light; yet I think it is useful to learn some lessons from the patriarch’s sometimes wayward, early walk under God’s direction.

Let’s turn to the book of Genesis, chapter 12; from the language used in first verse we can deduce that by this time Abraham knew God and was used to being spoken to by Him. The use of the phrase “the Lord had said unto Abram” in verse one indicates that this is not the first time God was speaking to Abram. Apparently the communication channels between them were open. God tells Abram that He will bless him and make his name great. He sends him to a land that He will show and clearly states that He will make off him a great nation. We see that Abram doing just as the Lord had said; wonderful! He obeys forthwith, asking no questions.

Again in verse 7 God reiterates His promise. So the Lord had spoken at least twice about giving him the land. And the obedient Abram moves from place to place within the land of Canaan, arrives at Bethel, builds an altar and calls upon the name of the Lord.

So far so good.

Courtesy: SpeedBible by johnhurt.com

There is a little turning point in verse 9: and Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

It is not known if this was in accordance with God’s will. Was Abram getting carried away by the momentum of his movements? Was he getting too comfortable with God, not bothering to check with Him if it is alright to move on? Indeed, was he taking God for granted?

It appears from the events that unfold subsequently that Abram does stray from God’s will in deciding to go south. He was led, we may conclude, by his own desire to explore the land. He didn’t stop when he should have. He pressed down God’s will and allowed full reign to his own will.

Sound familiar?

God may have spoken to us and given us His guidance at a certain point in our life. But unless we maintain a constant relationship with Him and keep listening to His voice, we too may fall into Abram’s error.

Complacency.

For some time everything may be hunky dory and we may bask in the brilliance of sunshine. God is somewhere up there and we imagine of Him an attitude of benign indulgence. But beware, God cannot be mocked (Galatians 6:7).

Not surprising therefore that soon enough Abram experiences famine. And what does Abram do? Immediately he goes to Egypt. I suppose there was reason enough for Abram to be very concerned, for the Bible says the famine was grievous in the land; but there is no mention here of Abram talking to God about the problem. God had called him to go to the land of Canaan not Egypt, but at the first onset of trouble, Abram decides to move – on his own counsel.

Famine in more than one sense – his relationship with God goes totally dead.

You’d think that our man had wandered enough – first south and then west – in his own steam and was completely out of touch with God. It gets worse in verse 11! Suddenly he realizes his wife is beautiful, pays her a back handed compliment and asks her to fudge her marital status. She was to announce to anyone who asks that she was his sister , the argument being that if the Egyptians know that Abram was the husband they will have no qualms about eliminating him. This was a society where adultery was considered  a crime whilst killing was commonplace. Abraham knew this and was afraid for his life. He was prepared to lay Sarai’s virtue on the altar of expediency.

Selfishness in a saint!

Gripped by fear of what might happen in a foreign land, Abram quickly forgets all of God’s promises. Promises that spoke very specifically of his (Abram’s) name: that in his name shall all the families of the earth be blessed. But having lost his connection with God, Abram wants to play safe, takes matters into his own hands and  puts himself in control. God is quietly taken out of the equation and is nowhere in the picture!

“There is a way that seems right to a man but the end thereof are ways of death” says the  writer of Proverbs (16:25). Again “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Sadly Abram fails.

To be sure his worldly wisdom seems vindicated as everything goes according to prediction. The Egyptians set sight  on Sarai, are captivated by her beauty and the princes of Pharaoh take her into the Pharaoh’s house and things are going well for Abram  – for a while. Sheep, oxen, asses, camels, servants! Material prosperity for sure, but was it a blessing from God?

Hardly!

After giving Abram a long rope, God gets into the act. Another turning point. The Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house  greatly because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. Instead of being a blessing as he was called to be, Abram had turned out to be a curse for Pharoah’s household. The episode has an inglorious end, with Abram and his company getting booted out of Egypt.

What a fall.

In the first place, Abram shouldn’t have moved from Bethel – the place where he built an altar. And he could have turned back when he first encountered famine in the self-directed journey south. Then again, having decided to go to Egypt, he could have trusted God to preserve him and his household. After all he was the recipient of specific promises! He fails to realize that “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Proverbs 21:1).

A succession of errors,  a succession of lost opportunities. One thing leading to another, in a swift downward slide from God’s exalted calling.

How sad it is that our faith in the efficacy of a lie often exceeds our faith in God. Is anything too hard for the Lord?(Genesis 18:14). Is situational ethics – the “when in Rome syndrome” – robbing us of our witness? God is fully capable of keeping His promises, whatever the circumstances, however you have compromised yourself – if only you will cry out to Him, even out of the depths.

Yes, there are lessons to be learnt from the failures of the Father of Faith.

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