When they were few in number and of little account, and sojourners in it (the land), wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, He allowed no one to oppress them. He rebuked kings on their account, saying, "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm." (Verses 12-15)
Sarai was gorgeous. Abram's half-sister...and wife. A famine in their own land forced them into Egypt. Knowing that Sarai's beauty would captivate all her saw her, Abram told her to lie. Say she is his sister, not his wife, if any should ask. His fear? They would kill him to keep her. The princes of Pharaoh did see Abram's wife and praised her beauty to the Pharaoh, who took her into his harem. The Egyptian ruler paid Abram well for his "sister." Sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys and camels. So Abram kept his mouth shut. An iffy husband, at best. Only thing is, a great plague came with her. From the day she entered his courts, Pharaoh had nothing but trouble. Too sick to care about taking her as a wife. Sarai was safe. For the time being.
"What have you done to us?" cried Pharaoh when the vomiting and nausea let up a little. "Why did you lie and say this woman was your sister?" Sarai was standing there beside the mighty ruler, looking lovely. Glad to see her man come to get her. "Take her! Get out!" And Pharaoh let him keep the farm he'd given to Abram. Now a rich man.
That was the first time Abram played that game. The second was with Abimelech, king of Gerar. God had renamed Abram, Abraham. Sarai was now Sarah. Both names mean princess. Hmmm. Abram meant exalted father. But Abraham, father of a multitude. And Sarah, the princess, was barren. What a soap opera of "little account" people. Lying the same lies. Caught in the same circumstances. Their God always having to redeem their messes. Abimelech couldn't sleep. "You're a dead man!" said God to him in a dream.
"What?!" The king is nonplussed. "What have I done?"
"You've taken another man's wife!" God judged.
"I haven't approached her! She's just like she came to me! Please don't kill me and innocent people!" Abimelech is sweating in the dream. "I didn't know! I took her with integrity of heart. He lied!"
"I know, Abimelech," replied a softened God in the dream. "I am the One Who didn't let you touch her. But if you don't return her to her husband, you will surely die!"
End of dream
.
As God promised his anointed prophet would do, Abraham prayed for Abimelech. God had made the king's entire house barren because of Sarah. Their wombs were opened when Abraham prayed. Oh, the irony.
Then Abraham, father of multitudes, takes his princess wife and drives before him all the sheep and oxen and servants the king gave him to appease the God Who scared him to death. In his tunic pocket jingle a thousand pieces of silver given to him by Abimelech as a sign he didn't touch Sarah sexually. Abraham and his own barren wife then traveled on. It would be years before Isaac, their boy "laughter" is born. Sarah no longer turning heads. Abraham too old to care. What in the world was God doing?
Choosing, I think. Certainly the God of Abraham didn't covenant with him because of the man's stellar integrity. It was after the Pharaoh's near miss that the God of the Universe made covenant promises of future multitudes coming from the loins of Abram. God decided this was the man. Struck a blood soaked oath with him, initiated by His own choosing. "You will be a great nation." And his Sarai barren. "But not yet." In the interim, God used the goods of the world to enrich the man and woman. Used their plotting and lying, even, to bring them into His promises. God the protector of the ones He chose to love. God knowing where their wanderings would take them. Saw something in Abraham and Sarah others couldn't. They'd believe. And when they didn't? He moved their destinies along anyway. Making kings and princes bend to what He wanted.
Are you worried today that He won't come through for you? Do you think He's incapable these days of interfacing with the problems of your life? Our God has chosen us as surely as He chose the father of multitudes and His little princess. He's made covenant with us, the new covenant in His blood, to abide in and with us through everything. Including the stuff we do that's not so pretty. Abraham and Sarai should give us courage to believe that we can be far from perfect, though we shouldn't strive for that, and still have God fight with us through this life. He's at work in me and for me. Despite me. He can open the barren womb of a ninety year old woman and bring forth a child aptly named Laughter. God still can raise the dead, heal the sick, provide for our needs and rescue us from the pit. All because He chooses to love us "little account" ones who sojourn on Earth. God knows what He has planned for our lives. Where we fit in. How to use even our mistakes to move us forward. Life is messy. It got messier even for Abraham, the father of our faith. But in the midst of our personal chaos is a God committed to us by covenant love. Warts and all.
So then it depends not on man's willing or man's running, but on God. Romans 9
Sarai was gorgeous. Abram's half-sister...and wife. A famine in their own land forced them into Egypt. Knowing that Sarai's beauty would captivate all her saw her, Abram told her to lie. Say she is his sister, not his wife, if any should ask. His fear? They would kill him to keep her. The princes of Pharaoh did see Abram's wife and praised her beauty to the Pharaoh, who took her into his harem. The Egyptian ruler paid Abram well for his "sister." Sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys and camels. So Abram kept his mouth shut. An iffy husband, at best. Only thing is, a great plague came with her. From the day she entered his courts, Pharaoh had nothing but trouble. Too sick to care about taking her as a wife. Sarai was safe. For the time being.
"What have you done to us?" cried Pharaoh when the vomiting and nausea let up a little. "Why did you lie and say this woman was your sister?" Sarai was standing there beside the mighty ruler, looking lovely. Glad to see her man come to get her. "Take her! Get out!" And Pharaoh let him keep the farm he'd given to Abram. Now a rich man.
That was the first time Abram played that game. The second was with Abimelech, king of Gerar. God had renamed Abram, Abraham. Sarai was now Sarah. Both names mean princess. Hmmm. Abram meant exalted father. But Abraham, father of a multitude. And Sarah, the princess, was barren. What a soap opera of "little account" people. Lying the same lies. Caught in the same circumstances. Their God always having to redeem their messes. Abimelech couldn't sleep. "You're a dead man!" said God to him in a dream.
"What?!" The king is nonplussed. "What have I done?"
"You've taken another man's wife!" God judged.
"I haven't approached her! She's just like she came to me! Please don't kill me and innocent people!" Abimelech is sweating in the dream. "I didn't know! I took her with integrity of heart. He lied!"
"I know, Abimelech," replied a softened God in the dream. "I am the One Who didn't let you touch her. But if you don't return her to her husband, you will surely die!"
End of dream
.
As God promised his anointed prophet would do, Abraham prayed for Abimelech. God had made the king's entire house barren because of Sarah. Their wombs were opened when Abraham prayed. Oh, the irony.
Then Abraham, father of multitudes, takes his princess wife and drives before him all the sheep and oxen and servants the king gave him to appease the God Who scared him to death. In his tunic pocket jingle a thousand pieces of silver given to him by Abimelech as a sign he didn't touch Sarah sexually. Abraham and his own barren wife then traveled on. It would be years before Isaac, their boy "laughter" is born. Sarah no longer turning heads. Abraham too old to care. What in the world was God doing?
Choosing, I think. Certainly the God of Abraham didn't covenant with him because of the man's stellar integrity. It was after the Pharaoh's near miss that the God of the Universe made covenant promises of future multitudes coming from the loins of Abram. God decided this was the man. Struck a blood soaked oath with him, initiated by His own choosing. "You will be a great nation." And his Sarai barren. "But not yet." In the interim, God used the goods of the world to enrich the man and woman. Used their plotting and lying, even, to bring them into His promises. God the protector of the ones He chose to love. God knowing where their wanderings would take them. Saw something in Abraham and Sarah others couldn't. They'd believe. And when they didn't? He moved their destinies along anyway. Making kings and princes bend to what He wanted.
Are you worried today that He won't come through for you? Do you think He's incapable these days of interfacing with the problems of your life? Our God has chosen us as surely as He chose the father of multitudes and His little princess. He's made covenant with us, the new covenant in His blood, to abide in and with us through everything. Including the stuff we do that's not so pretty. Abraham and Sarai should give us courage to believe that we can be far from perfect, though we shouldn't strive for that, and still have God fight with us through this life. He's at work in me and for me. Despite me. He can open the barren womb of a ninety year old woman and bring forth a child aptly named Laughter. God still can raise the dead, heal the sick, provide for our needs and rescue us from the pit. All because He chooses to love us "little account" ones who sojourn on Earth. God knows what He has planned for our lives. Where we fit in. How to use even our mistakes to move us forward. Life is messy. It got messier even for Abraham, the father of our faith. But in the midst of our personal chaos is a God committed to us by covenant love. Warts and all.
So then it depends not on man's willing or man's running, but on God. Romans 9
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