Genesis 11:27-15:21, A Display of God’s Faithfulness

Introduction

Good morning, beloved! I am so thankful to have the privilege of opening God’s Word together with you. If you have a Bible, please open with me to Genesis 11. We are continuing our high altitude flyover study of the book of Genesis. This morning we will be looking at the beginnings of God’s dealings with Abram from the end of Genesis 11 through Genesis 15. Let’s begin first by praying and asking the Lord to help us understand and apply His Word to our life and ministry before we get started.

PRAY

How are you when it comes to trusting others? Do you consider yourself generally to be a trusting person? Or do you find it rather difficult to trust others? I suppose your answer to that question might depend on a number of factors. What are you being asked to trust? Or who are you being asked to trust? In what circumstances do you find yourself that will affect the level of trust you might have?

Most of us here this morning are confidently trusting that our chair will keep us from falling to the floor. Perhaps you trust those whom you have known for a long time and there has been a pattern of trustworthiness. You trust your spouse of fifty years with whom you’ve endured much together in life. You trust your doctor who has treated you for twenty years. You trust the mechanic who has dealt honestly with you for over a decade.

When life is going well or when the stakes are lower, we find it easier to trust others. When life is not going well, or when the stakes are much higher it is more difficult to trust others. Sadly, because of the effects of sin and the fall, even our capacity to trust God is affected. We too often allow life's circumstances to cloud our judgment of God's character and trustworthiness. Is He faithful? Is He really able to do what He said He'll do? Is He really still committed to His promises?

Like the first readers of Genesis, we too are affected by the Fall. As a result, we too struggle to trust God as we navigate life in this fallen world. Israel was tempted at many points to not trust the promises of God. Like Israel, we also too often struggle to trust God and His promises. God gave them––and by extension has given us––these passages so that we might trust Him all the more as we realize the certainty of His faithfulness in the fulfillment of His promises.

MAIN POINT––Trust the LORD in all circumstances, knowing He is faithful and committed to the fulfillment of all of His eternal plans and purposes.

Trust the LORD

The first thing I want us to see is that we can and should Trust the LORD. Follow along with me as I read Genesis 11:27-12:9.

Having given us the details of earth’s primeval history––that is Creation, the Fall, the Flood, and ongoing human sin down through the generations––Moses is now bringing our focus to a particular family. More than that, in these opening verses, he zeros in on a particular man in this particular family. A man named Abram. Now, we should point out that the account of Abram’s life is very significant in Genesis and the rest of the Bible.

The first eleven chapters of Genesis covered a large swath of human history very quickly (at least 2000 years). But now, the narrative will slow down quite a bit. We'll be focused on God's dealings with Abram (later Abraham) from Genesis 12 through 25. Really, for the rest of the book of Genesis, God will be dealing not just with Abram, but with three generations after him all the way to the foundation of the nation of Israel. This is simply a biblical author's way of providing emphasis and saying "pay attention, this is really important!"

So, all that we will see over the next couple of weeks in God's dealings with Abraham, are very significant for our understanding of who God is and what He is doing in the world for the sake of His own glory. In these opening verses we are given some important information for the rest of this account. Sort of a preface to all of it. For one thing, we learn that Abram and his family are from Ur of the Chaldeans. This would have been a region in southern Babylon, now modern day Iraq.

Abram and his family being from Ur of the Chaldeans prepares us to see the incredible display of God’s grace. They were from a pagan nation serving other gods. There was nothing inherently righteous about Abram that made God choose him. He just did so according to His own gracious and sovereign will. When they read this, the nation of Israel should have recognized that their founding as the people of God was founded upon the principle of God’s grace––His unmerited favor.

Ultimately, there was nothing for them to boast about in themselves. Tracing their roots all the way back to their father, Abraham, their entire relationship with the LORD was one of His own sovereign grace and choosing. If they were ever to boast, it was to be in Him and Him alone––His abundant grace and mercy––that He would choose them out of all the families of the earth.

Beloved, if you are a Christian, the same is true of you this morning. There is nothing for you to boast about in and of yourself. Not your good works. Not your family of origin. Not your faith. All that you have and all that you are in Christ is a gift of God’s grace and mercy to you. Apart from His grace––His unmerited favor––not one of us would be here today. Not one of us would have any hope in Christ. Praise God for His mercy and grace which He has lavished on us in Christ.

Non-Christian friends, even you being here this morning––no matter how young or old you are––your presence here this morning is an act of God’s mercy and grace. That you would be here and hear the good news of the gospel and perhaps find mercy by believing in the LORD and what He has done in the person and work of the LORD Jesus Christ. Do not harden your heart. Do not spurn the LORD’s kindness in bringing you here today.

We also learn that Abram’s wife, Sarai, is barren. Knowing that Sarai was barren creates a tension with God’s promise to Abram that can only be resolved by God’s power, faithfulness, and commitment to see His plans and promises fulfilled all for the sake of His own glory. We should know that absolutely nothing is impossible for our God. Nothing can stop Him from accomplishing His eternal plans and purposes for His own glory and the joy of His people in Him.

Having zeroed our lens in on Abram, Genesis 12 begins with a Word of command from the LORD. He commands Abram “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” With that, if Abram obeys, God promises him particular blessings. He promises a great nation (with land and people), a great name, and that he will be a blessing to all nations. Moreover, God promises to be so committed to Abram that He will bless those who bless him and curse those who dishonor him.

Incredibly, Abram obeyed God. Now, this was no simple act of faith. What the LORD was asking Abram to do here was huge. This was an incredible act of faith on Abram's part. What may be lost on us in our modern day is how family centered and patriarchal this society was. The vast family network of this time period was everything to a person. Their means of provision, protection, acceptance, and identity.

The LORD is telling Abram to leave all whom he knows and holds dear. His support system and protection against danger. His source of strength and provision. He leaves all of that to go to the land the LORD told him to go. There was no phone, or email, or FaceTime. No social media network. “Goodbye” in those days was really and truly “goodbye.” This was an incredible display of God’s grace in choosing Abram, no doubt. But by God’s grace, this was also an incredible act of faith on Abram’s part!

That’s what we learn later in Genesis 15:6, which is further confirmed in the New Testament. Abraham didn’t obey out of a vacuum. Abram’s obedience was rooted and grounded in faith. He believed God and His Word. So much so that he acted upon that deeply rooted faith. Beloved, our faith is to be an active one. A faith that is lived out. One that leads to and produces the fruit of obedience. In fact, obedience is faith in action; faith lived out tangibly and practically. Obedience is the expression and evidence of faith.

Imagine if you were to participate in a trust fall exercise. You're standing on the platform with eyes closed and your back to several strong young men who are able together to catch you as you fall backwards. Your leap, or fall, into their arms demonstrates your belief, your faith, that they will in fact catch you and keep you from falling. Your faith in such a reality is based on sound reason and clear evidence that they can and will catch you. So you act upon it.

So too we live by faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. Having cast ourselves wholly upon the mercy of the LORD in Christ, knowing that He can and will keep us from falling all the way to the day of redemption, we live with eyes of faith fixed upon the LORD Jesus. The fruit of Christian obedience, being conformed to the image of Christ according to His Word, is the outworking and demonstration of our faith in Christ. This is exactly what James the brother of Jesus makes clear in James 2 where we see that faith without works is dead.

Abram further demonstrates his faith in God and His promises when he gets to the land. When Abram and all who were with him arrive in Canaan we learn in Genesis 12:6 that “At that time the Canaanites were in the land.” But in spite of the land already being occupied by a mighty people, the LORD reaffirmed the promise that he would give this land to Abram’s offspring. Thus, Abram worshiped the LORD. Twice he builds an altar to the LORD––in Shechem and then again near Bethel. And he “called upon the name of the LORD.”

We’ve seen that phrase before back in Genesis 4:26. It is a way of expressing that he praised the LORD, that he proclaimed the LORD, and he petitioned the LORD in prayer. In every way possible, Abram expressed faith in and dependence upon the LORD. Both by believing God’s Word and acting on it as well as living a life devoted in worship to God for who He is and what He has done.

He is Faithful

Now, lest we have this picture of a perfectly faithful man who never fails to perfectly trust the LORD, we’re given this less than stellar account of Abram. He may have faith in the LORD, but he is still a man living under the effects of the Fall. He still has a sin nature and thus sins against the LORD as he fails to trust Him. That’s what we see beginning in Genesis 12:10. Let’s read Genesis 12:10-13:1.

Abram and all who were with him were in the Negeb––the southern part of the land of Canaan–– and a severe famine had come upon the land. So, Abram journeyed further south into the land of Egypt. There was the Nile river keeping the land there well watered and fruitful. It would have provided what anyone needed who might be fleeing a famine. Makes sense to go there. I don’t think we can judge Abram here as having sinned for doing this. It’s what he does when he gets there that calls his integrity into question.

Apparently, Abram’s wife, Sarai, was a beautiful woman. So beautiful in fact that Abram is worried the Egyptians might kill him in order to get her. So, he comes up with this ruse to have everyone believe that she is merely his sister. It was a half-truth. We learn later that she was in fact his half-sister. Nevertheless, a half-truth is still a lie because it isn’t the whole truth. She was in fact his wife. And in order to save his own skin he sells her out so that she ends up being put in Pharaoh's harem where she could be used for his name and his pleasure.

Remember that part of God's promise to Abram included "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse." It seems that Abram saw the danger before him and it clouded his perception of God’s faithfulness. This episode in Abram's life is not exactly his shining moment. We see his fickle, faithless, and cowardly heart on display. Rather than fear the LORD, he fears man. Rather than trust the LORD for provision and protection, he takes matters into his own hands in a selfish, cowardly, and sinful way. Hardly a knight in shining armor!

Lest we look down on him with judgmental eyes we must admit, beloved, that we are not all that different from Abram. When we forget that God is faithful, we are tempted to take matters into our own hands. Even in sinful and wicked ways like he did. We may not sell out our spouses. But there are plenty of other ways we might compromise our integrity and give way to our own faithlessness.

Perhaps in the midst of financial difficulty we are tempted to fudge the numbers and cheat on our taxes. Work is getting more difficult and less enjoyable so we begin taking shortcuts in our work and responsibilities, not serving to the best of our ability for the glory of God. We find ourselves at odds with someone and begin gossiping about them to make ourselves look good and to feel better about ourselves. We fear missing out on something and we manipulate others to get what we want and what we think we need.

We despise our present circumstances and grumble about everything, longing for an ideal past that is gone or a future that may never happen, thus robbing ourselves of the opportunity to be faithful where God has us. We fail to be intentional in cultivating a healthy marriage with our spouse and then we want to give up on our marriage when things look difficult and hopeless. In all of these circumstances we are tempted to take matters into our own hands and do what is right in our own eyes, rather than trust the LORD and do things, in faith, his way.

Still, God is faithful even when we are unfaithful. Don’t misunderstand, this truth should certainly not be taken as a license to sin. We do not sin that grace may abound. We should never presume upon God’s grace and mercy or take it for granted. In fact, when we sin and give in to faithless disobedience, we confess our sins, knowing that he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. By God’s grace through faith, we flee temptation and pursue righteousness for His name’s sake.

In spite of Abram's faithlessness, God is faithful. Though Abram had forgotten the LORD's protection and provision, the LORD Himself had not. He mercifully protected Sarai––something Abram should have done––and He mercifully protected Abram and continued to bless him with protection, even though he showed himself undeserving of such grace and mercy. Another evidence of God’s incredible grace toward undeserving sinners like us.

What a wonderful kindness from the LORD. He knows our frame. He knows, even as we are in Christ and have put on a new nature that we still struggle against sin, the flesh, and the devil. What a comfort to know that if we have truly been brought near to God by His grace, we can never sin our way out of it. Maybe you’re here this morning and you’ve backslidden into some pattern of sin. There is certainly a warning for you to not continue in that sin. But, I want you to hear the warmth of God's grace wooing you to repentance and restoration. It’s not too late.

Abram left Egypt and returned to the Negeb in southern Canaan, along with his possessions and all who were with him. By God’s grace, the promise remained intact because no harm came to Abram or his wife. God graciously preserved him and all that he had. Then, contrary to his sinful faithlessness in Egypt, we see an incredible display of faith on Abram’s part once back in the land of Canaan. Let’s read Genesis 13:2-18.

We see here that Abram had many possessions. But with him was his nephew, Lot, who also had many possessions. Of particular interest is that each of them had a large herd. As they settled back in the land near Bethel, it became apparent that where they were could not sustain both of them and their respective livestock. So a dispute arose between each of their respective herdsmen.

Now, Abram has a choice here. He is the patriarch of the family. Likely, Lot was with him because his father had died and he had become Abram’s responsibility. Abram also had the promise of God’s blessing. He might have told Lot to move along somewhere else. He could have surveyed the land himself and taken what seemed to be the better land. But that’s not what he did. Here is a moment where we see him exercise his faith and trust in the Lord. Rather than manipulate the situation to get what he wanted, he freely offered Lot first choice of the land.

Here we have a great example in contrast of what it is to walk by faith and not by sight. We see that Abram once again has “called upon the name of the LORD.” He is worshiping Him and trusting Him. But Lot, much like Eve did with the forbidden tree in the garden, is looking with worldly eyes at the land to the east. He sees it is well-watered and desirable. He gives no consideration to the people he will be dwelling with. A people who are described as “wicked, great sinners against the LORD.”

Notice the parenthetical comment by Moses about this being before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Israel would have read this and remembered the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They would have known that Lot was choosing the wrong place for the wrong reasons. But Abram, with eyes of faith, settled in the land of Canaan which the LORD had promised him and his offspring.

Beloved, we may be tempted to insist on what we think we deserve. We may be tempted to try and manipulate circumstances so that things work out in our favor. But, like Abram, we should remember that all that we have is ours only by God’s grace. It is God’s unmerited favor to us. We don't need to swindle or strong arm our way to dominance over others to get what we think we deserve. If we are trusting the LORD and resting in His sure promises to us in Christ then we can graciously defer to others and entrust ourselves to the LORD.

With Abram in the promised land, the LORD reaffirmed his promise to Abram. He and his descendants after him will surely inherit this land. Abram is able to see it all right before his very eyes. He’s able to walk up and down it. More than that, the LORD tells him how numerous his offspring will be. As vast as the dust of the earth. We all know that such a task of numbering the grains of sand on a beach or dirt in our farm fields is impossible. So too, Abram’s offspring will be too numerous to count. An unfathomable and incredible blessing.

Clearly, this promised blessing had a profound effect on Abram. Yet again, he built an altar to the LORD and worshiped Him. That is what God’s grace and faithfulness ought to lead all of us to do––worship Him. He is worthy to be praised because of who He is and what He has done for us in Christ. We dare not yawn or shrug our shoulders at God’s mighty work of salvation in our lives. God’s people worship Him in faith as a response to what He has done and is doing for His glory and our joy in Him.

As we get to Genesis 14, we once again have an incredible display of God’s grace and favor that rests upon Abram and Abram’s rightful trust in the LORD as a result. As you survey the contents of Genesis 14:1-16 we are given some details about the inhabitants of the land. In summary, you have these five kings who have been subject to one king, Chedorlaomer, and his three allies. According to the text, those five kings rebelled against Chedorlaomer. So, he and his allies attacked them, overthrew them, and plundered them.

Caught in the crossfires of course was Sodom’s newest resident, Lot, and his family. He’s taken captive. But again, God is gracious. Word reached Abram concerning his nephew and what had become of him. So he rallied 318 of his “trained men” and they went after Chedorlaomer and his allies. And they were successful! The LORD established the work of their hands and they prevailed against these armies and delivered Lot from captivity.

This is a further demonstration of the LORD's protection of Abram and those with him. But there’s more to it than that. God graciously provides victory for Abram in the face of overwhelming odds. As a result, we see Abram continue in faith to trust the LORD. Look with me there as I read Genesis 14:17-24.

Abram returned from victory and the King of Sodom came out to meet him. But we’re also introduced to another figure––Melchizedek, king of Salem (Jerusalem). We’re not given much detail about this man. The author of Hebrews describes the Lord Jesus as a priest after the order of Melchizedek––a far superior priest to the Levitical priests under Moses. His name means “king of righteousness” and we’re told that he was “priest of God Most High.” Melchizedek rightly attributed Abram’s success to the LORD’s blessing.

Clearly, we are to see this man as a fellow worshiper of the LORD along with Abram. Upon hearing his blessing of him and the LORD, Abram acknowledged this man as a fellow worshiper of the LORD. He affirmed that his victory is to be attributed to the LORD. He did all of this by offering a tenth of what he had to the man. Then, with this reminder of the LORD’s presence, protection, and faithfulness fresh in his mind, he is able to rightly perceive that the king of Sodom is not to be trusted or aligned with.

Unlike Melchizedek, the king of Sodom did not attribute Abram’s victory to the LORD. It seems that he’s rather underwhelmed by the whole thing. This wicked king took for granted the grace of God that was on display in Abram’s life. He made a petty offer of thanks to Abram. And Abram saw right through all of it. He rejected the offer, making clear that he will trust the LORD for provision and the fulfillment of His promises. He doesn’t need the worldly help of the king of Sodom. He knows the LORD’s promised provision will be far greater and worth the wait.

Beloved, we would do well to remember the same thing. It is the LORD alone who provides for and sustains His people. We can trust Him. We do not need to give in to the world or align ourselves with worldly ways to accomplish God’s plans and purposes. We have been given God’s Word which accomplishes the very purpose for which He sent it.

The LORD Jesus promised that He will build His church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against her. Do you believe that? Let us trust the LORD together, remaining committed to Him and His ways as revealed in His Word all for the glory of His own name.

He is Committed

Not long after these events, the word of the LORD again came to Abram to affirm the promises made. But Abram’s faith is a little weak in this moment. Look with me as I read Genesis 15:1-6.

Abram had just experienced a great victory because of the LORD’s blessing and presence with him. But that didn’t make him immune to doubts and discouragement. So, when the LORD reaffirmed that Abram’s reward would be very great, Abram shared his doubts with the LORD. And we can understand his doubts right? He’s been promised an offspring, yet he and his barren wife are advanced in years. According to Abram’s timeline, the LORD seems to be taking His time in making good on that particular part of the promise.

Just as He is with us in our doubts, the LORD was gracious with Abram. He knows our weakness. He knows our frame. He didn’t rebuke Abram. Instead, he doubled down on the promise. “Look at the stars, Abram! Count them if you can. That’s what your offspring are going to be like. Like the dust of the earth and the stars in the sky. You can count on it. Trust me!” Here in our more rural part of the country we get how incredible this is. Outside of town you can look up at the night sky and see the vast array of stars.

I remember when we first visited here we were graciously hosted by Dave and Dawn Buehler at their place in Lengby. I remember Jamie and I standing outside on their property one clear night just gazing up at the stars. We had come from Louisville where bright city lights hid such a display from our eyes. But not here. The stars we saw that night were innumerable as far as the eye could see. Surely, Abram stood in awe even more than Jamie and I did that night in light of the promise God was making to him.

We’re very clearly told in verse 6 that Abram believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. This verse bears so much significance for our understanding about how we as sinful people can be made right with the LORD. The New Testament picks this up in several places to make clear that God’s people are His people by faith and faith alone. We see this in Romans 4 and Galatians 3. Like Abram, we are justified––that is declared righteous––by faith alone and not by works.

Abram believed God and His Word––that His promises were true and would come to pass. Because of that God declared Him righteous and remained committed to Abram’s eternal good for His own glory. Beloved, if you believe God’s Word that you are a sinner deserving of His just wrath and you believe in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ––that His life, death, and resurrection are sufficient on your behalf––you will be saved.

If that describes you, know then that by faith, you have been declared righteous before God and you can know with absolute certainty that God is committed to seeing you through all of life’s ups and downs and that he will bring you safely home for your eternal joy in Him and for the sake of His own glory. God has committed himself to seeing His promises all the way through to fulfillment. That’s what we see with what remains in our text this morning. Let me read Genesis 15:7-21.

Here we have God’s covenant with Abram first enacted. Abram, though he believed God, was still exhibiting signs of uncertainty. But again, God didn’t rebuke him. He is gracious. God cherishes even the weakest signs of faith in us. The LORD powerfully demonstrated his commitment to Abram and the promise He made to Him in a covenant ritual that was well known in that day. What happens here is quite significant and it tells us a lot about God’s own commitment to His own glory and the fulfillment of His plans and promises.

Abram got the animals the LORD prescribed for the covenant ceremony. He prepared them the way the LORD instructed. A deep sleep overcame him and the LORD began to address him about what was to come. We learn that before the land promise can be realized, Abraham’s offspring will be enslaved in another land for four hundred years. Israel should have read this and been in awe of what God had done as they were delivered from Egypt and brought to the promised land.

Then we have the covenant ceremony. In this day, as the animals lay there cut in half, both parties of the covenant would pass between the cut animals. In doing so, both parties were declaring to each other “let what has become of these animals become of me if I do not fulfill my covenant commitments.” But notice what’s different in this particular ceremony. Abram doesn’t pass through the animals.

Only the LORD passes through, symbolically, as a smoking fire pot and flaming torch. What is significant here, is it is the LORD alone who is taking upon Himself the covenant curse should any of the covenant commitments not be kept. God alone will see to it that His promises will be fulfilled. In fact, He is the only One who can see to the fulfillment of His promises. He is the only One able to see His covenant through to fulfillment. That is exactly what He did in the person and work of the LORD Jesus Christ.

God the Son Incarnate, came into the world and fulfilled all of the law and its demands. Where Abram and his descendants after him were unfaithful, the Lord Jesus was faithful. He was the faithful covenant partner on our behalf. And yet, though He did not deserve it, He took the covenant curse upon Himself for our sin and faithlessness. He bore God's wrath on the cross in our place.

The faithful covenant partner was treated as if He was unfaithful for our sake. God knows that we are incapable of keeping up our end of the bargain. And so, he took it upon Himself to see to it that our portion was perfectly fulfilled and that His just wrath was satisfied by our faithful covenant Representative, the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God for His covenant faithfulness that is perfectly fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of King Jesus!

Conclusion

So where does that leave you and me today? What is our only hope in life and death? Christ alone. If you are not a Christian, my hope is that you will put all your eggs in this basket. That you will flee whatever else it is that you are putting your hope and trust in. Maybe it's your own attempts at being good and righteous. Maybe it's the fleeting joys and pleasures of this world. Whatever it is, know that it cannot satisfy you and it cannot reconcile you to a holy God. Only Christ can do that. I hope you will come to him in faith today.

If you are a Christian, keep your feet firmly planted on Christ the solid rock. Know for sure that you can trust the promises of God. God is gracious. God is faithful. He is committed to the fulfillment of His eternal plans and purposes for His own glory and the joy of His people who are in Christ. Beloved, Trust the LORD in all circumstances, knowing He is faithful and committed to the fulfillment of all of His eternal plans and purposes.