DIGGING DEEP NO. 1000 – September 5, 2023 ABRAHAM – A STUDY OF FAITH IN GOD (PART 13) Gen.20: 1 – 18.

If you did not know who Abraham was, and you read this chapter for the first time, which of the two men would you say was the believer? Surely not Abraham the liar! It was not Abraham who showed integrity, and it was not Abraham whom God kept from sinning. Abraham’s failures were tragic, but from them, we learn some valuable lessons to help us in our walk of faith.

Believers do sin – This chapter would be an embarrassment to us except for one thing: the Bible tells the truth about all people, and that includes God’s people. Noah got drunk and exposed himself Gen.9: 20- 23. Moses lost his temper Numb.20: 1- 13. David committed adultery and plotted the death of a valiant soldier 2Sam.11: 14- 17. Peter denied the Lord three times Math.26: 69- 75. Barnabas lapsed into false doctrine Gal.2: 13. These things are recorded not to encourage us to sin, but to warn us to beware 1Cor.10: 12.

Why did Abraham sin? God gave him a new name (from Abram to Abraham) but that did not change his old nature 1Jh.1: 8. However, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the work of Christ on the cross, believers can have victory over sin Gal.5: 16, Rom.6: 1- 14.

The second thing is that Abraham moved into enemy territory. After living in Hebron for twenty years, he decided to go to the land of the Philistines. His move put him in a dangerous position Math.26: 41. After arriving in Gerar, Abraham began to walk by sight and not by faith for he began to be afraid Gen.20: 11. Fear of man and faith in God cannot dwell together in the same heart Prov.29: 25. Abraham forgot that his God is the Almighty God Gen.17: 1 who could do anything Gen.18: 14 who had covenanted to bless Abraham and Sarah.

The basic cause of Abraham’s failure was the fact he and Sarah had failed to judge this sin when it first happened in Egypt Gen.12: 10- 20. They had admitted their sin to Pharaoh and confessed it to God, but the fact that it surfaced again indicates that they did not judge the sin and forsake it Prov.28: 13. A lighthearted admission of sin is not the same as a brokenhearted confession of sin Ps.51: 17. If our attitude is right, we will hate our sins, loathe ourselves for having sinned, and despise the very memory of sins Ezek.36: 31. People who remember their sins with pleasure and enjoy them again in their minds have never judged their sins. Abraham and Sarah had convinced themselves that they were not telling a lie; it was only a half-truth Gen.20: 12.

When believers sin, they suffer – it took only a few seconds for Abraham to tell a lie; that lie became a seed that was planted and grew and brought forth bitter fruit.

What did this one lie cost Abraham?

1. It cost him character –the purpose of life is the building of character through truth. God is not just saving souls and taking people to heaven; He is also making saved people more like Jesus Christ and thereby glorifying Himself.
2. He lost his testimony –how could Abraham talk to his pagan neighbors about the God of truth when he himself had told a lie? Lot lost his witness in Sodom and Abraham lost his witness in Gerar. Imagine how humiliated Abraham was when Abimelech called him in, confronted him, and rebuked himGen.20: 9 “You have done things to me that should not be done”. Those words cut deep Col.4: 5, 1Thes.4: 12.
3. He lost his ministry –instead of being a source of blessing.12: 1- 3, he was the cause of judgment Gen.20: 17- 18. When a child of God gets out of the will of God, the discipline of God usually follows. Jonah caused a storm that nearly wrecked the ship. Achan brought defeat to Israel. David brought sorrow to his family.
4. Isaac repeated the same sin years later – Gen.26: 7- 11. It is sad when our sins affect outsiders, but it is sadder still when our sins are duplicated in our own families.

In Conclusion – The important thing is that we deal with our sins humbly and honestly, confess them to God, judge them and forsake them, and claim His promises of forgiveness 1Jh.1: 9- 10; Mic.7: 18- 19; Is.55: 6- 7.

Abraham and Sarah had a new beginning, and so can you.