A Faithless Man and A Faithful God

Big Idea

Tension: Why would God rescue Abram if he was so faithless?

Resolution: Because God is a faithful God.

Exegetical Idea: God is faithful to the covenant even when Abram is faithless.

Theological Idea: God is faithful to save even when sinners are faithless.

Homiletical Idea: Christ is faithful to save even when we are faithless.

Outline

Exposition: Background

Inciting Incident: There was a famine so Abram went down to sojourn in Egypt (Gen 12:10)

Scene 1: Abram went down to Egypt (11-16)

Abram’s discussion with Sarai

Abram’s faults:

lies/half truths (9th commandment)

forces his wife to commit adultery (7th)

cowardice like Adam (6th)

Greed (8,10)

Sets a terrible example for his son (5)

This was abusive and wicked behavior. Yet Sarai was complicit. Sin is complex.

Just because someone in your life agrees to go along with something does not make everything automatically okay.

She was very beautiful

Pharaoh took her into his house

It went well with Abram

Everything seems like it’s going well until...

Scene 2: The LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house

God afflicted Pharaoh and his house with plagues

The emphasis is that even PHaraoh and the Egyptians know better than to do what Abram did

He sends him out with his wife

We have no idea how Pharaoh found out it was Abram, we’re not suppose to, the emphasis is very much on what Abram has done

The emphasis is instead on the “why” question that Pharaoh asks

but the story doesn’t answer why Abram did that. So this story actually invites us to ask “Why”?

Some options:

Maybe Abram and Sarai don’t have a very good marriage.

Maybe it was because of Lot.

The thing is God had just told them, “Whoever dishonors you I will curse”

The reason that Abram did this is because he does not have faith. He does not believe that God will accomplish his purposes. He did not trust God to keep the promises!

Isn’t this exactly the sin of Eve in the garden when Satan whispered in her ear, “Did God really say?”

Why would God still help them?

Parallels to the Exodus would have reminded the Israelites of how God had saved them from Egypt.

"Sojourn”

Plague

Coming out of Egypt

God kept his Word even though Abram did not

When we are faithless he is still faithful.

The bottom line was, God had covenanted with Abram, and he wasn’t going to let anything, even Abram’s sin stop him. Even when we are faithless, he is still faithful.

Deuteronomy 9:4

Deuteronomy 9:4 ESV

“Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you.

Isaiah 54:10

Isaiah 54:10 ESV

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Application

This should chasten us: None of us is beyond acting like Abram here. All of us ought to be consistent and check our hearts. Are we really believing the promises of God? It is really easy to rationalize and justify our sins like Abraham does.

This should comfort us: None of us is beyond the covenant love of Christ. What can separate us from the love of God for us in Christ? (Romans 8:31-39) You are not too far gone for the love of God. So do you feel overwhelmed by your life like God has abandoned you in the pit, do you feel broken and burdened by your sins, do you feel like everyone else in your life has forgotten you, why wouldn’t God?

Romans 8:31–39 ESV

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.