Genesis 16:1-25:18, An Exercise of Lifelong Faith

Introduction

Good morning, beloved! It is a great joy to once again open God’s Word with you. If you have a Bible, and I hope that you do, I invite you to open with me to Genesis 16. You may have noticed that I have an ambitious task this morning. We’re going to cover a lot of ground. Needless to say, we won’t be able to cover everything. But we will keep our eye fixed on the main thing as we conclude God’s dealings with Abraham. Before we begin, let’s pray and ask the LORD to bless our time in His Word.

PRAY

During our college years, Jamie and I attended a school in the northeast mountains of Georgia. It was a beautiful part of the country in the Blue Ridge mountains. Whenever I think back to that season of life there are a number of things I remember. Of particular interest this morning, I remember what it was like driving through those mountain roads. The drives were full of ups and downs, twists and turns. Sometimes there would be lookouts that permitted you to see far off. Other times, the views were obscured by sharp turns and steep mountain cliffs and vegetation.

As I was thinking about that this week it occurred to me that this is the course of life too. Our lives are filled with ups and downs, twists and turns. Some we can see coming far off. Others seem to come upon us out of nowhere. Life is a journey to be sure. The Christian life is a journey of faith. Through the mundane ordinary times, all the ups and downs, and twists and turns and unforeseen circumstances we are to walk by faith, trusting the LORD through it all. Needless to say, that is easier said than done, right?

I think it is human nature for us to get too focused on singular moments in our lives that cause our faith in the LORD to ebb and flow. Because of that, we need reminders from God’s Word, such as the account of God’s dealings with Abraham, to remind us that life in this world is not about us and our circumstances. Accounts like this one of Abraham serve to lift our eyes out of our own circumstances and remind us of a big God doing big things in the world and in history all for the sake of His own glory and the joy of His people in Him above all else.

Last week, as we examined the first half of God’s dealings with Abraham, we saw a display of God’s faithfulness. We are to trust God in all circumstances, knowing that he is faithful and committed to the fulfillment of all His promises. All of that really continues through God’s dealings with Abraham to the end of his life that we will examine this morning. But I want us to see God’s faithfulness to Abraham through the lens of living by faith. After all, that is what we are all called to do as well. God’s people are to live by faith.

MAIN POINT––Live by faith trusting God’s promises, power, protection, and provision.

Living By Faith

Trust God’s Promises

The first thing I want us to see is that we should trust God’s promises. With particular regard to Genesis 16, I want us to see that we should trust God’s promises in times of waiting. Look with me at Genesis 16 as I READ GENESIS 16:1-6.

After living in the land of Canaan for ten years, Abram and Sarai still haven’t had a son as God promised. Ten years had passed since the memorable covenant of Genesis 15 where God had reaffirmed His promises to Abram concerning his own offspring. And still, he and Sarai remain childless. What are they to do? What we see here is, rather than waiting on the LORD, they determine to take matters into their own hands.

Though the LORD had shown himself faithful to Abram and made a binding covenant with him, they allowed their doubts to get the best of them. “So much time has passed since God made the promise. Has he forgotten? Does He need our help? Is there something more we need to do?” Whether it was confusion, or doubt, or both––seeing that she is still barren, Sarai plots to give her servant Hagar to Abram so that she can bear a son for them.

This was a common practice in the ancient near east. Nevertheless, though common, it was contrary to God’s intended purpose for marriage between one man and one woman for life. This was certainly not what God intended in order to bring about the fulfillment of His promise. Like Adam did with Eve, Abram listened to the voice of his wife, Sarai. This was a moment where Abram should have led his wife to trust the LORD and His timing. Instead, like Adam, Abram failed to lead his wife and honor the LORD in this moment.

Abram listened to Sarai and took Hagar to be his wife. And the plan worked, sort of. Hagar did in fact conceive and by the end of Genesis 16 she gives birth to a son for Abraham, named Ishmael. But just as we should come to expect, things got more complicated and difficult in Abram’s household. Sin like this just breeds further sin. The situation only got worse. Right from the moment it was known that Hagar conceived it produced envy, jealousy, and strife in the household.

Hagar looked at Sarai with contempt and Sarai treated her harshly. This is the consequence for not waiting on the LORD. For not trusting Him and His good and perfect timing. Ten years was just ten years too long for them. It seems to me that we are not that different when it comes to our own impatience in waiting on the LORD. We want everything our own way in our own timing. But God doesn’t operate according to our schedule.

Our flesh is naturally impatient. But our God is patient. Even more, one of the fruits (or evidences) of the Spirit at work in us is patience. Sometimes God may work things in a seemingly short amount of time. But, it seems to me that God works over years, decades, entire lifetimes, and generations. Which is totally contrary to the way we want things in our culture of instant gratification.

We want to see more people come to know the LORD and be saved. We want to see our church full of people joyfully worshiping God together. After all, the LORD Jesus promised that He would build His church. Yet we look around and not every chair is filled. Sometimes people leave. People we dearly love. We’re sharing the gospel with others. Inviting them to worship with us. But, according to our eyes and our wisdom, progress seems slow.

Has God forgotten His promise? Is He too slow? Do we need to take matters into our own hands and do things our way? Of course not. We are to trust Him and keep plodding along faithfully in all that we do according to His Word, seeking Him in prayer together. That’s what we’re supposed to do. God’s timing is not our timing. In His infinite wisdom His timing is perfect. He is never late. His promises arrive precisely when He means them to.

We then come to Genesis 17 and we learn that we are to Trust God’s Promises and do things His way. While we wait on Him and trust Him, we are to live lives that are set apart to Him and for Him. Let’s READ GENESIS 17:1-21

Between Genesis 16 and 17 thirteen years go by. I think Abram is still believing that Ishmael would be his heir. He’s now been in Canaan for 24 years and he had one son. He’s 99 years old. Sarai is beyond her childbearing years and 90 years old herself. What else could he possibly be expecting? In spite of Abram's faithless disobedience, the LORD will still see His covenant through.

Thirteen years after Ishmael was born, the LORD visited Abram again to reaffirm His promise. If we're honest, we can understand Abram's reaction. He is astounded, but not in a good way. We see him laugh in verse 17. He sort of scoffs at the idea that a nearly 100 year old man and his ninety year old wife would have a son of their own. But God was gracious with him, even in his doubting.

Nothing is impossible with God. He will be sure to see His promise to Abram fulfilled and He will do so in such a way that no human being will be able to take credit for the fulfillment of that promise. Only God has the power to overrule the laws of nature and see to it that His promise is fulfilled by an old man and wife who is barren. God will get the glory. No one else. He will not allow Abram to get credit by doing things his own way through Hagar.

In Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abraham. What we have here in Genesis 17 is God establishing His covenant with Abram. It is not a new covenant, but a further elaboration of the covenant already made. In establishing the covenant, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. Then he gave the sign of the covenant, commanding Abraham and all the males of his household to be circumcised. This would serve as a tangible reminder to Abraham and all who came after him of God's covenant faithfulness.

It would also serve to distinguish them from the nations as God's covenant people whom He called to Himself. In Genesis 15 we see clearly that it is God alone who will see to the fulfillment of the covenant obligations. But here, in Genesis 17, we see that Abraham still has some responsibility. He must obey God and do things His way. What are we to make of this? How can God’s covenant simultaneously be unconditional (God will do it) and conditional (man must obey)? That is part of the glory of Christ and the cross, beloved.

Abraham believed God and was counted righteous by faith. He obeyed God and was circumcised. But he was far from perfect. He still had a sin nature and stumbled along the way. The same is true of all Israel who came after Him. That is until the faithful covenant representative, the last Adam came onto the scene. The LORD Jesus perfectly obeyed on our behalf, then died the death that we all deserve for our covenant disobedience. God unconditionally fulfilled His covenant promises in fulfilling all the conditions of obedience for those who are in Christ Jesus.

By faith in the LORD Jesus Christ and His life, death, and resurrection, we are counted as righteous because of Him who fulfilled the law and all of its demands in our place. With that, he then gives us Himself––His Holy Spirit––to indwell us and enable us to walk blamelessly before Him. By faith in the LORD Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in you, you can walk in a way that is pleasing to the LORD. You can do things His way and live as a set apart people to the LORD.

The requirement for outward circumcision of the flesh no longer stands. Instead, it pointed beyond itself to circumcision of the heart. If you are in Christ, God has given you a new heart that desires to live for Him all for His name’s sake. Beloved, this has incredible implications for each and every believer here in our fight against indwelling sin. Because of the Spirit’s work in us we actually can put to death the deeds of the body and grow up to greater maturity in Christ.

You actually can love one another. You actually can outdo one another in showing honor. You actually can be faithful to your spouse in thought, word, and deed. You actually can put off anger and malice and slander and obscene talk. And when you stumble, as we all do and will in many ways, you actually can confess your sins, not cover them up, and you can know that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The life of faith leads us to be a distinguishable people, beloved. A set apart people, holy to the LORD. Beloved, look to the LORD Jesus Christ by faith and live His way by faith because of the Spirit of Christ that is at work in you, all to the praise of His glory.

We also see that we should trust God’s promises in times of temptation. Jump over to Genesis 20. READ GENESIS 20:1-18

Well, it seems like we’ve seen this sort of thing with Abraham and Sarah before. As Yogi Berra once said, "It's deja vu all over again." Abraham once again sold out his wife, saying that she was merely his sister in order to save his own skin. In fact, it seems this was their lifelong pattern everywhere they went. God promised he would bless those who bless him and curse those who dishonor him. But Abraham once again failed to trust that promise and tried to protect himself in a selfish way.

Before we jump to judgment and condemnation, though, how many of us have been known to fall into the same patterns of sin, over and over again. How many times do we forget God’s Word? His promised Spirit that indwells us. His assurance that no temptation has overtaken us that is not also common to others. That He is faithful and provides the way of escape for us in those moments of temptation so that we can endure. In those moments, when we should seek Him and seek the aid of our church family, we simply revert back to the same sin.

We know we shouldn’t talk about others in gossip or slander. But they’re just so disagreeable to us we can’t help it. We know we shouldn’t explode in anger when we’re hurt or frustrated. Instead we should walk by the Spirit and exude love, patience, kindness, and self-control. But it’s just so much easier to blow off steam and get it off our chest. So we bite and devour one another rather than forgive one another and build one another up in love.

If you are a Christian, know that God has made perfect provision for you to live in such a way that you can please Him. He has given you His Holy Spirit for the work of sanctification, making you more and more like Christ day after day throughout the remainder of your Christian life. He has given you His Word that you might know how to live for Him and His glory by the power of Christ in you. In times of temptation, look to the LORD and trust Him. Know that His ways are best and He has given you all that you need in Christ to live accordingly.

In spite of their sin, the LORD still protected Sarah and Abraham from themselves. Abimelech would not have Sarah as his wife. The promise of offspring for Abraham and Sarah would remain intact.

Trust God’s Power

Living by faith, we are also to trust God’s power to do all that He pleases. Turn back with me to Genesis 18. The chapter opens with the LORD appearing to Abraham. Three men approached and it was apparent to Abraham that one of them represented the LORD. The other two were likely angels as we’ll see in a moment. Abraham showed incredible hospitality. While they ate, a conversation took place. Let’s READ GENESIS 18:9-15

Sarah heard the promise of a son herself and laughed just like Abraham did in Genesis 17. They are still slow to believe. But, once again, God is gracious and faithful in the face of our doubts. We're given an increasing picture of how bleak Sarah's hope of having a son is. She is advanced in age and beyond childbearing years. Knowing that she laughed, the LORD reminded them of His power to do all that He pleases––“Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

Sure enough, as promised, a year later she had a son. We see that in Genesis 21. All the years of waiting. God’s promise came to pass. Let’s READ GENESIS 21:1-7.

God fulfilled His promise and they had a son named Isaac. Certainly, the God who spoke the entire universe into existence is able to make an old man and his barren wife have a child. That's the point. God is able to do all that He pleases. Nothing is impossible to Him. And when God does what only God can do, it leads us to worship Him all the more. He does this so that He might be glorified.

None of this can ultimately be attributed to man’s doing.If there was any hint or chance that this was of natural means, rather than supernatural, there would be the possibility of God's glory being attributed to man. But God will not give His glory to anyone else. He makes known that there is none like Him and that He alone is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. He is dependent on no one to accomplish His plans and purposes.

Do you believe that God can do all that He pleases? That He is powerful and nothing can prevent Him from accomplishing that which is humanly impossible? Do you believe that He is able to save that person who seems so far from God that salvation seems impossible? Do you believe that He is able to save that marriage that seems so irreconcilable? Do you believe He is able to preserve and sustain your weak faith as you live amidst a faithless generation? Of course He can. Nothing is impossible for Him.

Beloved, this leads us to seek Him all the more in prayer. As we do so, we bring Him much glory as we express our utter dependence on Him and acknowledge that He alone is able to do all that He pleases. Come to our monthly prayer gathering and see this lived out in our church family. There we seek the LORD in prayer together, asking Him to glorify Himself in the spread of the gospel through our missionaries and sister churches and in our own lives as we make our requests known to Him.

And when God does what only He can do, it leads us to worship Him all the more. Certainly that’s what Abraham and Sarah did. They looked back on all of this and marveled all the more at what God had done. Beloved, we put all of our hope and trust in God’s power to do all that He pleases––all that He said He will do. So that, when the fulfillment comes, it will lead us to greater worship of Him.

Trust God’s Protection

Living by faith, we also trust God’s protection, knowing His character. In Genesis 18:16-33, the LORD made known to Abraham what He intended to do with Sodom and Gomorrah. The evil in those cities was so great that the LORD set out to destroy them. In turn, Abraham pleaded with the LORD concerning any righteous persons who might be in those cities. He made an appeal to the LORD's character, knowing He is just and righteous.

The LORD graciously heard Abraham and promised if He found ten righteous people that he would not destroy the cities. Let’s see how things unfolded from there. I will READ GENESIS 19:1-29

This is one of those passages that’s hard for us to read. We much prefer to read more uplifting passages. You likely won’t find the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah on one of those nice decorative pieces you can buy at Hobby Lobby. Nevertheless, we avoid such passages much to our detriment. We need passages like this that we would be reminded of the severity of sin and the reality of the coming judgment that we all deserve. Thus, it leads us to marvel that God would show any of us mercy.

Here we see the two angels of the LORD, appearing as men, come to Sodom. It doesn't take long for the men of the city to show the depth of their wickedness. They pursued them with the intent to sexually assault them. Lot took them in under his roof to protect them from what he knew would happen if they stayed in the town square. But, rather than trust the LORD to defend them, he cowardly offered his daughters to the men of Sodom. A moment of grievous sin and wickedness. By God's grace and mercy, such a thing did not happen.

Interestingly, in spite of this unrighteous moment on Lot’s part, Peter described Lot as a righteous man in 2 Peter 2. Certainly not because of his own inherent righteousness. Apparently, like Abraham, he must have believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. Because of this, The LORD protected Lot and his family. Clearly, there was no one else righteous in the city. The city was destroyed and only Lot and his family were rescued and experienced the LORD's mercy.

Even as Lot delayed in fleeing the city, the LORD showed him mercy, seizing him, his wife, and two daughters by the hand and setting them outside the city. Further, he allowed them to go to a closer town and waited for them to get there before bringing destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah. Unfortunately, Lot's wife did not obey the command to not look back and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

Like the flood in Noah’s day, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a mere foretaste of the coming judgment. We should look at this passage, like Abraham and Lot must have looked upon the destruction, and remember that we deserve the same fate if left to ourselves. This kind of destruction is what our sin merits. All of us deserve this fate. Yet, God has determined that He will show mercy to some. This whole scene leads us to marvel at God’s glory revealed in His justice and mercy.

Concerning Lot’s wife, she serves as a reminder to us that friendship with the world is enmity with God. We dare not linger or look back longingly over the worldly life we are to leave behind if we are in Christ. In looking back, Lot’s wife showed the true condition of her heart and she justly experienced the same fate as those in the city. Maybe that creates the question in your mind of why Lot was spared though he lingered in the city? Why didn’t he too get left behind or turned into a pillar of salt?

I think this teaches us that God will have mercy on those whom He will have mercy. The thing about mercy is that, by definition, no one deserves it. Every human being who has ever lived and will ever live deserves God’s righteous judgment for our sin and rebellion against Him. But according to His mercy, he spares some from that punishment. That is what makes it mercy. God’s justice and mercy are inextricably linked. You cannot have one without the other. In the absence of His justice there would be no such thing as mercy.

How then can you have any hope of experiencing God’s mercy? By faith alone in Christ alone. Like Abraham and supposedly Lot our only hope is to believe God and have it counted to us as righteousness. We acknowledge our guilt before the LORD and acknowledge that on our own we stand condemned before God. Then, in faith, we cast ourselves upon His mercy toward us in Christ who bore our sin and punishment on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

If you are here and not a Christian, know that your only hope of experiencing God’s mercy on that final day of judgment is to be found in Christ and Christ alone. Know for certain that final judgment is coming. Rather than try to hopelessly justify yourself, entrust yourself by faith to Him who judges justly. If you do, you will be counted among the many who marvel at God’s mercy toward you and worship Him for all eternity for who He is and what He has done for you in Christ. That is my hope for everyone gathered here this morning.

Trust God’s Provision

Finally, we are to live by faith trusting God’s provision. Follow along as I READ GENESIS 22:1-14.

We are to trust God’s provision in confusing times. Here is an incredible display of Abraham's faith! God told him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, who was supposed to be the promised offspring. Can you imagine what must have gone through his mind? How confusing this must have been. What is God doing here? How can this be? We’re not told what was running through his mind. The text actually seems to suggest that Abraham didn't question the LORD. He just did what he was told.

In all that he had seen and experienced he remembered that the LORD had been faithful and good. So, he took Isaac to go and sacrifice him. Along the way we see hints that he is trusting the LORD to honor His promise concerning Isaac. He told the two men with him that he and Isaac will both return to them after they have worshiped the LORD together. He told Isaac that the LORD will provide for the burnt offering.

The author of Hebrews later tells us in Hebrews 11 that Abraham believed that God was able even to raise Isaac from the dead. Abraham believed God. He trusted Him. The LORD, seeing Abraham's faith, prevented him from killing Isaac. He provided a ram for the burnt offering and once again reaffirmed His covenant with Abraham.

Now, we must note that this is a unique moment in salvation history. God is not going to tell any of us here to sacrifice someone as a burnt offering. This event ultimately points forward to something far greater and far more significant. It points us to God’s provision of His only begotten Son as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of His people. As guilty sinners, like Abraham, we are to trust that God has provided the sacrificial Lamb to atone for our sins.

When we are tempted to despair and our faith is tested, like Abraham, we must look to God for His provision. We remember the gospel, preaching it to ourselves and to one another day after day, remembering it as our only hope amidst the confusion of life in a sinful world. We do not despise the ordinary means of grace He has given us. We spend time in His Word and commit to the fellowship of the saints in the local church where we can together be reminded of God’s provision in Christ as we gather together regularly.

We also trust God’s provision in uncertain times. We get to Genesis 23 and Sarah dies. By this point in his life and dwelling in the land, Abraham is well known and respected among the people there. So much that he is offered a plot to bury Sarah. He insisted that he would pay for it, not accepting it as a gift. We READ GENESIS 23:17-20

Up to this point Abraham had merely been a sojourner wandering in the land of Canaan. But now, he owns a share of the land the LORD promised to his offspring. Amidst the pain of losing his wife, Abraham received a glimpse and taste of the land promise God had made to him.

Even amidst death, God fulfilled His promise in seed form. It would grow to include all the land of Canaan in the conquest under Joshua hundreds of years later. One day, it will be finally fulfilled in the entire cosmos of the new heavens and the new earth when Christ returns.

Sarah is dead. Abraham is nearing death. As far as the promise is concerned he only has one son, Isaac, the promised offspring. Ishmael has been sent away. The spotlight is beginning to transition to Isaac. But there’s still some uncertainty. How will the promise continue through Isaac if he doesn’t have a wife of his own. READ GENESIS 24:1-9.

Abraham, once again, showed that he has learned to trust the LORD over the course of his life. He insisted that Isaac was to remain in Canaan. He insisted that his wife come from their people, not from the Canaanites who would later be destroyed. God’s promises rested with Abraham and those who were to come after him. Though it was an uncertain time, Abraham knew he could trust God for His provision to his son Isaac.

Just as he was commanded, the servant journeyed back to Abraham’s home country. Through a series of extraordinary events, in God’s kindness and providence, he discovered Rebekah. She journeyed back to Canaan where she was brought to Isaac. We’re told in Genesis 24:67–– “Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

Is that not what God’s provision does for all of us in times of uncertainty? He knows exactly what we need as His people to keep us from falling away. He knows exactly what we need to preserve us and see to the fulfillment of His promises to us in Christ. And because of that, we can find comfort in Him no matter what uncertainty we may find ourselves in. God’s provision is perfect and comes to us in His perfect timing, all to the praise of His glory.

With this new chapter, Abraham’s time has come to a close. READ GENESIS 25:7-11.

After 175 years, Abraham died and the blessing passed from him to Isaac. No doubt, as Abraham lay on his bed, death approaching, he was able to look at his son Isaac and see that God had been faithful. The torch was being passed to the one who would carry the promise forward. Certainly, he didn’t know how it would all play out after he was gone. But by this point, at the end of his life, he had come to learn that our God is faithful and keeps His promises. He will see to it all. “Great is thy faithfulness!”

Conclusion

What are we to do with all of this? I was reminded earlier this week by Chuck Tuthill about Paul’s words in Romans 15:4–– “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Beloved, be encouraged by what we’ve seen so far in Genesis and particularly in God’s dealings with Abraham. God is faithful. He is committed to seeing His promises fulfilled. All of this is clearly on display in the account of His dealings with Abraham.

God’s faithfulness continued after Abraham. All the way to the coming of the LORD Jesus Christ who gave Himself as a ransom for many. If you are in Christ, you too have this great hope of God’s faithfulness to you in Christ. Therefore, beloved, Live by faith trusting God’s promises, power, protection, and provision.