Abram's Faith

(Genesis 12-14)

Hebrews 11:8-19 tells us all about the faith of Abram (Abraham). We read about his faith that leads him to leave his home and journey to a land promised to him. How he lived in a tent and traveled from place to place with faith that God would build a city that God would design and build. He trusted God to give him a son at a very old age through which God would bless mankind. And how Abraham, by faith offered his son as a sacrifice. We all know these stories and we all admire Abraham for his faith. But...

The story is not as simple as the Hebrew writer might record. While he is giving us the stories of Abraham's faithfulness, Genesis tells us the rest of the story and that should give us comfort. He is held up as a man of great faith and he was; but he was also a man of little faith at times. In the midst of demonstrating his faith, he would show his humanity. Let's see what I am talking about....

Genesis 12:1 begins with God talking with Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you." God promises to make him a great nation and give him blessings and bless all the people of the earth through him (pointing to Jesus). Pretty impressive stuff. "So Abram left, as the LORD had told him". (ch12, v 4) Abram packs his bags, grabs his wife and his people and heads out to who knows where. That takes faith! "God, I trust you to take care of us, I trust you to lead me to this far away place that I have never seen." (my thoughts) So far, so good.

As they travel, they come to the nation of Egypt. And this is where the problem begins. Because Sarai is a beautiful woman and since she looks so different from the Egyptian women, Abram thinks that the men in Egypt will desire his wife and kill him to get her. So he hatches a plan, he asks Sarai to lie and say that she is his sister if she is asked. "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." (ch 12, v 12, 13) A man of great faith? "God, I know you have promised to take care of us and deliver us to a new home, but I have to lie about my wife and ask her to shame herself and sleep with another man". (my thoughts)

You know the story, Pharaoh takes her into his home and he pays the price. Pharaoh and his family come down with all kinds of diseases because of Abram's deceit. He calls Abram in and has a difficult conversation with him. "What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 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!" (ch 12, v 18,19) Abram lies; he asks others to lie and puts his wife in the arms of another man. Faith?

So what are we to make of this mess? God selects Abram to be "the man" and his family to "the family" through which He is going to bless the world. Did God make a mistake in choosing him? Well, we know God doesn't make mistakes, so there must be another reason that Abrams shortcomings are listed for us to learn from. Let's retell the story with you in it....

As a Christian, you are an exile and sojourner in a foreign land, just like Abram. (1 Peter 2: 11)God has called you out of your native land (this world) and sent me on a journey to a promised homeland, just like Abram. (2 Corinthians 6:17). By faith, you accept His call and leave your home and begin this journey with Him leading the way, just like Abram. Along the way, you stumble, but you get up and keep going. Mistakes are made, but you make course corrections and stay on the path. Are you faithful? Let's see what John says about our walk, "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9) The point is this, you and I and Abram are going to make mistakes, and we are going to miss the mark. We will never live out lives of perfection, but if we keep walking, if we keep on getting up and following, we are faithful. Just like Abram, we are faithful.

God gives us real people with real lives to mentor us on our journey. He could have provided whitewashed stories of perfect people, living perfect lives and we would have felt like failures. But instead and for our encouragement, God gave us Abram and David and Paul and many others, real people that sin real sins to show us that we can be people of faith, even with our flaws. He calls us to walk the best we can, so we are without excuses, (Romans 12:1, 2) but He knows and understands our problem and He gave His Son to fix it. Live out your life of faith and your name will be added right alongside Abram and all the others that God has declared faithful. The story is still being written and you are part of it. Have faith.