In last week’s lesson on faith, looking at Hebrews 11:7, we learned from Abraham that when God tells you to do something, even if it is something that is as unGodlike as offering your firstborn child as a burnt offering, you can trust Him enough to know that when you obey, God is able to raise the dead. There is a fourth important lesson in faith that we can learn from Abraham, and interestingly, this stems from parts of Abraham’s life that are NOT mentioned in Heb. 11. As a result, our search today takes us first to Gen. 12:
“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. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” (Gen 12:10-13 NIV)
First of all, there is no record anywhere that says anything about GOD telling Abram to go to Egypt. Abraham left Ur to go “to the land that I will show you” (Gen. 12:1), totally following God’s command, but when the circumstances turned unfavorable, he didn’t wait for God’s guidance-he just fled to Egypt. And to make matters worse, he asks his wife to tell a lie for him to save HIS own life!
Many lessons can be learned from this story, but for now, let’s just focus on the fact that Abram, by acting in fear, by moving to Egypt, by asking his wife to lie for him, was NOT acting in faith. In fact, it could be recorded that “by NOT acting in faith, when there was a famine in the land, Abram went down to Egypt and asked Sarai to lie for him”. But the book of Hebrews doesn’t say that, does it? In fact, nowhere will you find this statement, or any other that points a finger at Abraham and criticizes him for what he’s done.
Let’s jump to another segment of Abraham’s life. “so [Sarah] said to Abram, ‘The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.” (Gen. 16:2-4)
Abraham had been promised a son. He was told on several different occasions that he would be the father of many nations (see Gen. 12:1-3,7, Gen. 14:13-14, and Gen. Chapter 15), yet at over 85 years old (see Gen. 16:2), he still had no child. His wife, barren all her life, was now well past childbearing age, and when she suggested that he take her servant as a wife, he readily agreed. Ishmael was born and trouble began. In fact, there would be strife between Ishmael and Isaac their entire lives, and there is still trouble between their descendents. Yes, Hebrews could have recorded the following: “by NOT acting in faith, Abram agreed to what Sarai said. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived, and the world is still reeling from the punches.” But it isn’t there. Neither is the incident mentioned negatively anywhere else in the Bible. In fact, Paul uses this very incident to illustrate for us the difference in the new and old covenants!
Why are these two obvious moments of lack of faith never mentioned in Heb. 11? Because friend, God is more interested in our moments of faith then in our moments of weakness. When we accept the gift of His son, suddenly the records no longer talk about our lack of faith. The only mention for any of us becomes what we do in faith.
Enough to ponder, friends. But do ponder this: When we, in faith, accept Jesus’ gift of righteousness, all of our moments of lack of faith are erased from the record, and the only thing God remembers is our moments of faith.
Have your moments of lack of faith been erased from your record, friend? Have you accepted in faith, Jesus’ gift of righteousness? If not, why not do it today?
Join us next week for the next lesson in Faith to be learned from the life of Isaac.
God bless you!
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Author, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets website, www.scripturalnuggets.org , Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org .
(To access tne entire “Faith” mini-series, please click here.)