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    The Blog in Between - Genesis 21:1-21PostedFriday, December 18, 2009 @ 7 AMByTed DuncanTaggedAbraham family forward by faith Genesis  

    This week we're using our blog to "fill in the blanks" in chapters 20 and 21 as we prepare to hear God's word from Genesis 22 this Sunday.

    Genesis 21:1-21

    Even amidst the laughter and the joy surrounding the birth of Isaac (Genesis 21:1-7), tension still remained as a consequence of the sinful decision to surrogate God’s promise through Hagar over a decade earlier.

     

    Once again, laughter enters into the story (see Genesis 17:17; Genesis 18:9-15; Genesis 21:1-7) as Ishmaels’ behaviour (most likely a mocking laughter) during a family dinner rains on Sarah’s parade and proves to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Abraham is obviously still significantly attached to Ishmael as it records that “the thing was very displeasing” to him (Genesis 21:11).  God speaks into the pain and hurt of this family and affirms Sarah’s suggestion to send Hagar and Ishmael on their way.

     

    Just like in chapter 16 Hagar finds herself pushed out and threatened in the wilderness.  This time she is accompanied by her teenage son who quickly succumbs to the elements. Once again, God shows Himself to be faithful. Hagar went “a good way off” from her dehydrated and suffering son saying “Let me not look on the death of the child”. Even though she could not bear to look at her son as he suffered and fought for his life, God saw. God reminded Hagar that He is El Roi, the “God who sees” (Genesis 16:13). He provides her with a promise for Ishmael’s future (I will make him into a great nation – Genesis 21:18) and provision for their immediate needs (Genesis 21:19). Even when we can’t bear to watch, God loving and compassionate gaze is always on our circumstances.

     

    Paul uses this historical event as a means of illustrating the difference between Judaism and Christianity in Galatians 4:21-31. Seeking eternal life and blessing from God through human effort and obeying the law is identified with Abram and Sarai’s scheme to fulfill God’s promise on their own terms through Hagar. God’s miraculous work accomplished on the cross through His Son Jesus Christ, a descendent of Abraham (Matthew 1:1), is symbolized by the miraculous birth of Isaac, the child of promise (Galatians 4:23).

     

    As you look at your life and your relationship to God ask yourself today, “Am I living like a slave: thinking that I have to earn favour with God?” or “Am I living like a child of promise (Galatians 4:28) and walking by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26) full of joy and gratitude because of what Christ has done for me?”

    the Blog in Between Genesis 20:1-12PostedWednesday, December 16, 2009 @ 10 AMByTed DuncanTaggedAbraham forward by faith Genesis

    Thus far, our FORWARD BY FAITH series has been a chapter by chapter and verse by study of the life Abraham as recorded in the book of Genesis. On Sunday December 13th we finished at chapter 19:38 and this coming Sunday we’ll be starting off at chapter 22:1. In light of this, over the next few days I’ll be posting blog entries with brief reflections on the content between these two points. I hope you find them helpful and encouraging.     

    Genesis 20:1-12  

    Albert Einstein is given credit for defining insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. In Genesis 20:1-12 we see a living example of this principle.   Abraham is on the move again, taking his tents, livestock and people down south to Gerar. On this excursion we see Abraham lapse into his old ways of being driven by fear instead of faith. 

    Even though the “say you’re my sister” scheme had disastrous results in Egypt, Abraham supposedly thought the same strategy would produce different results. He chose to deceive the king of Gerar in hopes of preserving his own life at the risk of his wife’s honour and dignity. Thankfully, just like in the Egyptian episode (Genesis 12:10-20) God supernaturally intervened, rescuing Sarah and once again rebuking Abraham through a pagan ruler. 

    There are a couple of lessons here that we can take away from this passage.  

    1. Be on your guard against falling into sins that plagued you in the past.
    I get scared when I hear someone say “I used to struggle with this or that, but God has taken that away”. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that God can change our desires as we delight in Him (Psalm 37:4), but we must pursue wisdom in setting boundaries for the purpose of ensuring that we never return and become entangled by the sins that once held us captive.

    2. Be aware of the effects of our sin on our children.
    I heard a preacher a few weeks ago say that he is beginning to see sins of his past that he hadn’t dealt with immediately emerge in the lives of his adult children. This is sobering reality. Later in Genesis 26:6-11 we see Abraham’s son fall into the same trap of deception.

    3. Keep God’s power and provision at the forefront of your mind.
    I’m stuck by Abraham’s comment to Abimelech when he is trying to excuse his sinful behaviour He says that he figured “There is no fear of God in this place” (Genesis 20:11) therefore he had to lie in order to protect himself. It’s interesting that this comment comes on the heels of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Surely there was no fear of God in that place and God certainly handled that situation in such away that those who needed to be judged for not fearing Him were judged and those who needed to be protected were protected.

    4. Understand that God can use anyone.
    I think the awkwardest (is that word?) moment in the story has to be when God tells Abimelech to ask Abraham to pray for him because he’s a prophet (Genesis 20:7). I’m sure Abimelech must have been like: “Ok…So you want me to get the lying coward guy with a sham of a marriage to pray for me?” This is just another reminder of the reality that we are saved by grace alone through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10; Genesis 15:6). Once again we can take encouragement from the fact that God saves, and uses imperfect people to accomplish His purposes.
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