20 March, 2023
Post By : Admin
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DIGGING DEEP NO. 977 – March 21st, 2023 Gen.12: 10 – 20. |
Life can be difficult; sometimes the enemy comes in like a flood. But then is the time to prove your faith. A faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted. The Bible compares the Christian trials to the testing of gold in the furnace 1Pet.1: 7; Jb.23: 10. God’s purpose in allowing trials is not only to verify our faith but also to purify it and remove the dross. God knows what kind of faith we have, but we don’t know, and the only way to advance in the school of faith is to take examinations. Like Abraham, as you progress in the school of faith, you will face three special tests: circumstances, people, and things.
Circumstances – Gen.12: 10 in leaving his family and traveling to an unknown land, Abraham took a great step of faith. After he arrived, God visited him a second time and confirmed His promise to him. Abraham and Sarah probably expected to settle down and enjoy their new home, but God would not let them. Instead, God permitted a famine to come to the land. Why did God allow famine? To teach Abraham and Sarah a basic lesson that tests often follow triumphs. The children of Israel were delivered from Egypt and right in front of them was the Red Sea. They were delivered from the Red Sea and almost immediately there was no water to drink. After that came hunger; after that came to an attack from the Amalekites. Faith in Christ does not eradicate problems; the good news is we don’t face them alone for the Lord is with us. God uses the tough circumstances of life to build the muscles of your faith and keep you from trusting something other than His Word. Don’t try to run away from your problem. Instead of remaining in the land and trusting God to help him, Abraham went down into Egypt Gen.12: 10 in the Bible, Egypt is a symbol of the world system and its bondage, while the land of Israel is a picture of the inheritance of blessing God has for you Deut.11: 10- 12. When people went to Jerusalem, they went up; but when they went to Egypt, they went down. Going down to Egypt means doubting God’s promises and running to the world for help Is.30: 1- 2, Is.31: 1, Jer.42: 13- 17. When circumstances become difficult, remain where God has put you until He tells you to move Is.28: 16. God alone is in control of circumstances. You are safer in a famine in His will than in a palace out of His will. Abraham failed the test of circumstances and turned from the will of God.
People – once you enroll in the school of faith, you are not allowed to drop out just because of one failure; God has promised to make you succeed Ps.138: 8, Phil.1: 6. If you run away from one test, you will soon face another. Notice the changes that took place in Abraham’s life because he went down to Egypt:
Abraham moved from trusting to scheming. Abraham had no altar in Egypt and you don’t find him calling on the Lord for guidance and help. When you stop trusting God’s Word, you start leaning on man’s wisdom Prov.3: 5- 6; 1 Cor.3: 18- 20.
Abraham moved from confidence to fear. When you are in the place of God’s choosing, you don’t need to be afraid for faith and fear cannot dwell in the same heart Is.12: 2. The fear of God is the fear that conquers every fear Ps.112: 1, Is.8: 13.
Abraham moved from others to self. He lied so that it might “be well with me for your sake” Gen.12: 13. As the husband, Abraham should have thought first of his wife and not of himself. He should never have taken his wife there in the first place 1Pet.3: 7, Ephe.5: 25, 28- 29.
A husband out of the will of God can bring untold trouble to his wife and family.
Abraham moved from bringing blessings to bringing judgment. God called Abraham to be a blessing to the nations, but because of Abraham’s disobedience, judgment fell on Pharaoh and his household Gen.12: 17. If you want to be a blessing to others, then stay in the will of God. Jonah ran from God’s will and caused a storm that almost sank the ship. Like Jonah, Abraham lost his testimony before unbelievers and had to face embarrassment and rebuke.
In Conclusion – God graciously watched over his servant and brought him out of a difficult situation. If Sarah had become one of Pharaoh’s wives, what would have happened to the promise of the Redeemer? When we don’t let God rule, He overrules and accomplishes His purposes; but we pay dearly for our disobedience.