God's Faithfulness in Our Failures

Psalm 105:1-14;42-45

Psalm 105:1–14 NIV

1 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 2 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 4 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 5 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, 6 you his servants, the descendants of Abraham, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob. 7 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 8 He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, 9 the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. 10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: 11 “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.” 12 When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, 13 they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. 14 He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:

Psalm 105:42–45 NIV

42 For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham. 43 He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy; 44 he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for— 45 that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the Lord.

Judges 16:23–30 NIV

23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.” 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.” 25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

James 1:2-5,12-17

James 1:2–5 NIV

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

James 1:12–17 NIV

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Introduction:

Genesis chapters 1 & 2 start out great! We find God creating a beautiful earth and universe. He has also created man “in His image” to have companionship with and to rule over the earth. But things take a drastic turn in Chapter 3. Man turns from God and things go downhill from there. Man fails, God rescues, man fails, God rescues, and man fails again. By the time we finish chapter 11, it feels hopeless except for God’s promise found in Genesis 3:15, that a man will be born that will crush Satan and the hold he has on this world.

By the end of chapter 11 it is difficult to see how this could happen. However, chapter 12 offers us hope from the despair we feel from the other chapters. God now moves to initiate the source of the offspring to come.

Last week, we saw how God called Abram out from a pagan people to set up a unique nation to be God’s people. Through this nation God would demonstrate His ability to lead and provide for those who follow Him.

Stand with me this morning as we read from where we left off last week.

Genesis 12:10–13:2 NIV

10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” 14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. 15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. 17 But the Lordinflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. 1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

The word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

Pray

I. Great Victory; Miserable Failure

Have you ever noticed that after something wonderful happens, you suddenly feel depressed? And it is usually about this time, some difficulty presents itself. Our depressed mood causes us to knee jerk in response. We often fly into action to fix the problem before taking time to ask God what He would recommend we do.

This is where we find Abram. He has arrived in Canaan. He has walked through the land God has promised His family from north to south. As he has traveled through the land, a problem has come to his attention. This problem presents the first trial that comes his way since he left Haran. So, let us look at…

A. The Problem: Trial by famine (Gen 12:10a)

Genesis 12:10 (NIV) 10 Now there was a famine in the land...

Trials come to all of us at times. In this case, Abram is faced with a trial by famine.

It is difficult to know if Abram’s arrival during a famine was a consequence of his delay in Haran, or an act of Satan to discourage Abram from trusting God, or just one of those everyday difficulties that come from living in a fallen world suffering under the curse of sin. No matter what the case, Abram had a choice to make. How was he to handle this crisis?

Trials or times of crisis are not limited to Abram. We all suffer from various trials or crises throughout our lives. In those moments, we too must make a choice. How do we deal with them? Do we immediately think of God and ask for His wisdom and direction? Or do we forget God in the moment and try to solve it on our own? James 1:2-3 says,

James 1:2–3 (NIV) 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Difficult situations test us by nature. They place us in a position to act on faith or to act in what we feel is self-preservation. Sometimes, God may orchestrate events to test us, but it is never to tempt us to do wrong. In fact, James says in verse 13,

James 1:13NIV

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

God does not need to test us to see what we will do. He already knows what we will do. When He tests us, it is for our sake. God tests us to help us either identify a weakness within us or to build our confidence to make us stronger.

Abram had been consistent with God until this crisis presented itself. He was probably feeling pretty good about things, however this crisis will reveal that he has a dangerous flaw. He has not yet learned he could lean on God on all occasions.

Think back to the last crisis that occurred in your life. What was your first thought? What was your first action? Did you step back and kneel in prayer asking for God’s help and direction? Or did you charge forth until you were out of steam and then in desperation seek your Heavenly Father?

When we seek God, we can respond to the crisis. However, when we do not seek God, we often just react and that is what Abram did. Look with me at…

B. The Reaction: Fear Driven Decision (Gen 12:10)

Genesis 12:10 (NIV) 10 ... Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

Abram had so much faith that God was giving him the land, that he traveled across it setting up altars claiming the land. But before he even gets settled, he abandons the land of promise to find security from a famine. What Abram does is not an intentional sin, Abram just reacted. He fell back into old practices of taking care of business for himself. He made a “fear driven decision”. There is no action taken to make another sacrifice to God or to pray. He is driven by his emotions, not God.

Abram’s arrival in Egypt is very revealing. When Abram arrived in Canaan, he made an altar and prayed to God. He traveled throughout Canaan doing the same. However, in this moment, there is no time taken to pray. Then, when he arrives in Egypt, there is no altar built. There is no sacrifice made. There is no “calling upon the name of the Lord” as he had done in Canaan.

One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. Why? Because we tend to be driven by our emotions. Now keep in mind that Abram is still a relatively new believer. He has faith, but it is still infant faith. James said to consider trials “pure joy.” Why? Because they help us to mature in our faith. As we rely more on God, we learn self-control. Self-control helps us to “persevere” as James puts it. We learn to respond through following God instead of reacting on our emotions. Emotions are wonderful things. Without emotions, we would have no way of experiencing joy, peace, comfort, etc… Many of God’s blessings are experienced through emotions; however, emotions were never meant to lead us. Our mind is to be focused on God allowing Him to lead us.

1 Peter 1:13–16 (ESV)13Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

We all tend to have default reactions. For some it is fear. For others, it may be self-confidence. For another, avoidance. There are various ways people react. No two of us are alike. Take a moment to think what your default reaction is? If you can identify it, it can help you recognize when you are reacting instead of responding with God.

As we learn to place our reliance on God, we see how He miraculously provides for us in times of crisis and our spiritual maturity grows a bit more each time. However, when we tackle issues on our own, we have bought into the lie that “we can handle things on our own.”

Things typically go from bad to worse because our weaknesses are made apparent when we act in self-preservation. Abram did just that and quickly began to rationalize and make bad choices. These choices not only caused him to sin, but placed others in a position of sinning also. Look with me at the rationalizing of Abram.

C. The Rationalizing: Self-Delusion: (Gen 12:11-13)

Genesis 12:11–13 (NIV) 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

We quickly learn that Abram has escaped one trial to walk into another. He is now entering a fertile plain that will provide food, but he is in danger of being killed for his wife since she is so beautiful. Here is where Abram crosses the line from unintentional sin to intentional sin. He perpetrates a lie. In this circumstance, a major character flaw is revealed in Abram. In fact, this character flaw does not end with him but will be evident in the family line that follows him. It is the flaw of “deception.” Not only is Abram lying, but he is trying to deceive the people of the land. This problem of “deception” continues to grow with each generation causing many heartaches in their family. However, Abram is not seeing the truth because his rationalization is really self-delusion. He is sure he can handle this on his own. He is putting his confidence in himself and his abilities to manipulate the situation to his advantage.

Whenever we act on our own without God’s direction, we to are self-deluding. However, we cover it up by rationalizing our circumstances. Abram is rationalizing several times in this crisis. The first rationalization is that it is okay for him to be in Egypt because of the famine. But if he truly believed this, why has he not yet made an altar to God? I believe it is because he knows he has acted outside of God’s wisdom.

Second, he is rationalizing that it is okay to lie about Sarai being his wife since she really is his sister. We see him give this excuse in Genesis 20 when he makes this same dumb decision. (Do not judge him harshly. I bet if we looked closely at ourselves, we could find times when we have done the same). Look at what Abram says to king Abimelech in Gen 20:12.

Genesis 20:12 (NIV) 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife.

However, his greatest self-delusion is that he is in control. You see, Abram is not the cad you think he is for doing this. He did not think he was sacrificing his wife. He thought he had all the circumstances in full control. The law of the land was that a man could not marry a woman without her father’s permission and in case of his death, the permission was given by her brother. So, Abram thought he had an out. He could just turn down any would-be suitors. That may have worked except for one little wrinkle. But before we look at that wrinkle, take a moment to ask yourself a couple questions.

Is there something you are rationalizing in your life? Some behavior, addiction, or habit you are self-deluding yourself about?

We can rationalize and delude ourselves as much as we want. But no matter how much we think we are in control, there is always a wrinkle.

Look with me at “the wrinkle” in Abram’s case.

D. The Wrinkle: Circumstances Outside Our Control (Gen 12:14-16)

Genesis 12:14–16 (NIV) 14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. 15And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

Now Sarai was 65 years old by this time. Of course, they lived longer in those days. They probably ate healthier than we do, and they had more exercise. Also, Sarai would have stood out among the Egyptian much like a fair-skinned blonde would stand out in an Indian camp. She would be a unique beauty in this land of Egypt and Pharaoh’s officials could not help but notice. Pharaoh, like any king of his day, coveted this rare beauty. He quickly sent to Abram to have her.

No matter how much you may think you have things under control, there are always wrinkles proving there are “circumstances outside our control”.

Abram thought he had it all worked out. What he never counted on was that the man proposing for Sarai’s hand would be Pharaoh of the land. An average man would have had his nose out of joint, but to deny Pharaoh was certain death. He has surely brought upon himself the very tragedy he was trying to avoid!

It is always the same. No matter how much we think we are in control, there are always wrinkles that quickly reveal there is no such thing. Only God has control of everything.

Psalm 22:24–28 (NIV) 24 For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

That is why we can trust God! When we fail to do so, we not only put ourselves in jeopardy, but we also jeopardize our loved ones.

Even more, Abram is jeopardizing God’s blessing. God had promised him descendants but now he has lost his wife to Pharaoh. He has also missed an opportunity for a new blessing. That of seeing God provide for him and his family during this famine. In later years, Abram’s son will face a famine in Canaan. He considers going to Egypt, but God tells him to stay in the land that was promised to him and He will provide for him. And God did provide. Isaac didn’t have to leave home to be provided for. Abram would have had that same blessing if he had sought God’s will.

When was the last time you experienced circumstances that made you feel “out of control?” This COVID year placed us all in that situation. Did it help you to seek God or were you afraid to go to God with the problem? Did you even think of God when it first started?

You can always turn to God in those times because God doesn’t react, God responds based on His promises. Look now at “God’s Response”on Abram’s behalf.

E. God’s Response: Faithful to His Promise Despite Our Failure (Gen 12:17-13:1)

Genesis 12:17–13:1 (NIV) 17 But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. 1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him.

Here we see the advantage of being followers of God. God is “faithful to His promises and his people despite our failures”. God does not expect us to be perfect and always make the right choice. He knows us to well for that. However, He acts on our behalf even before we ask Him too when we are trying to follow Him.

In Psalm 105:14 we see this God’s hand at work even when they inadvertently placed themselves in danger. We see Abram’s case alluded to in Psalm 105.

Psalm 105:14NIV

14 He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:

In Abram and Isaac’s life time, we see God rebuking kings to protect them and their wives when they make the same wrong decision about lying about their relationship.

In Judges, there is story after story of Israel’s failures and God’s response in faithfulness to restore them, even when they have done wrong.

Abram had not given up on God. He had not stopped believing in God. He just got a little sidetracked taking care of business on his own. And now we see God working on his behalf. God saves Abram and Sarai from the mess they got themselves into. They still will suffer some consequences from this action. They get expelled from the land where the food is found. They are resented by Pharaoh, who probably only allowed them to leave with the treasures he had given Abram as a bride price, to please their God. However, several of their ill-gotten gains will eventually cause problems. (Lot & Hagar issues). Yet God saved them from total disaster. Sarai was redeemed by God. Probably before she could be defiled. There is some speculation on this. However, there was usually a waiting period when a woman was brought into a harem. It allowed them to insure she was not pregnant and allowed beautification rituals to prepare her to be with a king (remember Esther?).

In protecting Sarai, God was protecting the avenue through which He would fulfill the promise to Abram. Women may not have been valued very highly in that day. But God always valued women and marriage. This is why God was determined that Sarai be the mother of Abram’s rightful heir.

Hebrews 13:4NIV

4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

But there is another way that Abram failed. God called Abram out to demonstrate through him God’s mercy and grace. In this circumstance this may have been accomplished but in a negative way. Pharaoh respected God, but more out of fear and with no real desire to serve God for himself since he felt misused and placed in jeopardy by God’s servant Abram.

This was not the only time Abram failed, but as time passes, we see Abram learning and growing in his faith. Abram worked at his relationship with God. He tried to follow God. Sometimes he made mistakes trying to do what he thought he needed to do. In those times, he was relying on his own ability and not God’s, but God knew Abram’s heart was in the right place. Abram was learning and growing closer to God.

Conclusion:

Trials are part of life. It is sin in the world that produces trials. By nature, trials or crises test our faith. Sometimes God allows difficulties to test us to strengthen us. Remember Job? God allowed Satan to pour the disaster on thick. During that time, a lot of men, Job included, were speculating on why God was doing what they felt He was doing. Of course, their ideas were wrong. In the end, it purged Job of all his wrong thoughts about God and gave Job a stronger faith in the end. God blessed Job in an amazing way afterwards. Not only did it help Job, but his life story has helped Christians throughout the generations.

The nature of a trial forces us to make a choice who to follow; God or ourselves. However, failure to make a right decision in a particular moment is not necessarily a sin. Sin is an act of rebellion against God or His law. Sometimes we just react and make a bad choice. That does not mean that we are rebelling against God. The good thing for us is that God knows the difference. He knows when we have failed because we have acted impulsively, and He doesn’t give up on us. He is patient and helps us to recognize where we have failed and how we can correct it in the future. Remember what James said.

James 1:2–4 (NIV) 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Sometimes we make wrong decisions in trying to follow God because we inadvertently get ahead of Him. However, we can make a greater failure by not trying to follow at all. If we are afraid to step out in obedience to God’s call for fear we will fail, then we will fail indeed. God cannot bless someone unwilling to try. Faith is not just belief, but it is acting because of that belief. We are saved by faith, but faith must always be accompanied by action.

James 2:20–24 (NIV) 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

Abram was a man of action. Sometimes those actions were not the right actions, but God still blessed him for trying and sticking with it. In the end, he was known as the friend of God. You too, can be a friend of God. You will make mistakes from time to time, but you will learn. You will grow and mature in your faith and begin to better understand His directions. Best of all, you will receive the prize for your diligence.

Let me close with the words of Paul on our action.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 (NIV) 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

And now a word from Paul on God’s action.

1 Corinthians 1:8–9 (NIV) 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Pray