ABRAMS TRIAL OF FAITH

Genesis 12:10-13

Morning Meditation 1/13/2014

"And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee."

Abram answered the call of God to leave the land of his birth and go to a country that God promised to give him. When he arrived in Canaan, there was a famine in the land. The Scripture calls the famine "grievous." This was a long way from a "land flowing with milk and honey." One might imagine that Abram was a little confused between what God said the land was, and what it was when he arrived.

John Gill says that the famine was because of the sins of the inhabitants of the land and the trial of Abram's faith. This is probably a correct analysis. So as we look at this episode in Abram's life let's look first of all at--

THE TRIAL AFTER THE BLESSING

In the first part of this chapter God made an outstanding covenant with Abram. He had to leave that experience with ecstatic praise. To be confronted with this great trial so soon after the blessing of God came to him is shocking.

There is a principle here. Many times our greatest trials follow the greatest blessing. I have had this happen. I have seen it happen to others. Those severe trials that follow so close on the blessings of God are times definitely planned of God to contribute to our spiritual growth. But we also have our carnal mind that kicks in and tells us that something is wrong with us that this is happening.

The point of importance is when you have unusual blessing from the Lord, keep your eyes pinned on the shadows, because Satan is waiting to pounce on you and take the joy that you received from the blessing. Next--

LEANING ON ONE'S OWN UNDERSTANDING

Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

The thing that made the most sense to Abram to solve the immediate problem was to go to Egypt for help. Egypt is always a type of the world. So Abram went to the world for help.

Note how this is stated. Genesis 12:10, "And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land." There is not a pause between the famine in the land and Abram's going down into Egypt to sojourn there. There are two important things here. First, Abram did not seek the Lord. God is able to supply our needs in the midst of our greatest trials. But Abram chose to seek help from the world.

Second, Abram's intention was only to "sojourn" in Egypt. The use of this word means that Abram did not go to stay. It was a trip for survival. When the believer goes to Egypt for help it is never to stay long. But most of the time he stays longer than intended. Next--

ABRAM BEGINS TO LIE ABOUT HIS WIFE TO SAVE HIMSELF

We could call that a cowardly act. When man gets out of the will of God, he will do some of the stupidest things. I wonder how Sarah felt about this. I don't think she would ever forget what her husband did here. It did not break up her marriage but Abram gave Sarah something that she would have to deal with for a long time. She might have said to herself, "Is this the way Abram is going to act every time he gets in trouble?"

ABRAM'S LIE ONLY AMPLIFIED THE PROBLEM

When Pharaoh took Abram's wife into his harem, God sent a plague on Pharaoh and his house because he had taken Abram's wife. So what Abram did, did not solve the problem at all. Again, we must trust God for our protection. A Christian cannot hid under a lie without getting caught. God has ways of pulling the cover off. And when He does it is a lot worse that if he had told the truth to begin with. Abram was not trusting God for his protection. But the grace of God protected him in over ruling his sinful attempt to protect himself. Finally--

PHARAOH SENT ABRAM BACK INTO THE WILL OF GOD

Genesis 12:19-20, "Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had."

Sometimes God uses unusual circumstances to get us where He wants us. This meditation shows how quickly one can get out of the will of God by trying to work things out for himself.

This was a trial of Abram's faith and he failed. But the grace of God will get us back to where we ought to be. God does take care of His children.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White