I am making my way through the bible again, chapter by chapter, with the use of the Through the Word App. I mentioned this app before and it's truly fantastic. So I thought to myself, why not provide a breakdown from each chapter of the bible on the blog? So begins a new series...Chapter by Chapter Bible Summaries.
We already know the story of God creating the heavens and the earth. The story of Noah and the ark is a very famous story as well. So lets begin with Abram! Just a note, Abram is later renamed Abraham by God.
God makes himself known to Abram and instructs him to go from his country (Harran) and away from his people. God wanted to separate Abram from his land and people because they worshipped pagan idols. God has huge plans for Abram and for the plan to succeed, there could be no other gods.
"I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples of earth will be blessed through you." - Genesis 12:2-3
God makes this covenant with Abram to make him into a "great nation" which means descendants for Abram. At this point, Abram is already 75 years old and he has no children with his wife Sarai! Can you imagine being told by God that you will become a first time father even though you are already a senior citizen? Keep in mind, people lived longer during these times, possibly because the human bodies (their genes) were more pure and less diluted from the first man, Adam.
Abram, Sarai, and their nephew Lot headed to the land of Canaan with all their possessions and servants, as God had instructed. When they arrived in Canaan, God tells Abram that He will give this land to Abram's descendants, which will later become Israel! So Abram builds an altar with a pile of stones to honor God for his families' blessings.
From here, they camp in Bethel and then head to Egypt due to a great famine in the land. What Abram does next shows he did not fully trust God to protect him from the Pharaoh or his people. When they enter Egypt, Abram explains his plan to Sarai. Abram instructs Sarai to tell others she is Abram's sister. Why would he do this you ask? Well, he feared the Egyptians would kill him in order to take his wife as their own because of her beauty. She was so beautiful, apparently Abram thought men would literally kill to be with her.
Sarai supports her husband's wishes and word quickly spreads around Egypt of the beautiful woman who has arrived with her brother. The Pharaoh gets wind of this and takes Sarai to be his wife. In doing so, Abram is treated well and gifted sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and servants. So Abram gets the safety he was hoping for along with all the gifts as an added bonus but...his wife is taken from him! If nothing is changed, how will God's promise come to be? Abram won't create a great nation with his descendant(s) if his wife becomes a bride of the Pharaoh.
Thankfully, God quickly notices what happened and makes His presence known! He inflicts serious diseases on the Pharaoh and his household for taking Sarai, the wife of Abram. The Pharaoh discovers the reason for these inflictions and approaches Abram.
"So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?" - Genesis 12:18
Pharaoh quickly hands Sarai back to Abram and commands him to leave his land immediately. Abram, Sarai, and Lot gathered all their possessions/gifts and left as requested. Chapter 12 comes to an end and Abram's family leaves Egypt wealthy in animals and servants. Most importantly, they witness the power of God! One would think after witnessing God's power, Abram and Sarai would put their brother/sister shenanigans behind them but...we will later find out they repeat this ruse once again several chapters from now.
Humans seem to have this habit. We can have a sign that God is with us yet with the passing of time comes amnesia, and we can make the same mistake twice and doubt Him. This chapter makes me wonder though. How different would the story have been if Abram displayed his trust in God and was honest with the people of Egypt about his wife in the first place? Would there have been more blessings for Abram? Would God have used Abram to connect the people with Him? Maybe trusting God in this moment would have brought Abram and Sarai a child sooner? Take time to think about your lives. Do you fully trust God in everything you do? Consider what blessings you might have missed out on when you didn't lean on Him unconditionally.
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Ken is a blogger at Christian Pals Blog. He enjoys anything creative and playing golf.
Proud father, husband, and servant of God.
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Thank you for your efforts in presenting this chapter by chapter bible summary. I look forward to reading them. Fully trusting in God, I believe, is a goal for which all but a select few of us must constantly strive. Fear seems to have a way of insidiously creeping in, especially when we think or feel that we are "doing well". This has been true eons ago during biblical times of old, as well as, in current day experience. So, how can we then trust in God in a meaningful productive way? At the core of many religious traditions, not the least of which is christianity, the three main tools used to strengthen our resolve to grow closer to God-to trust Him-are prayer, mortifications (the denial of those things which are considered licit - the gold standard being fasting), and finally alms giving or other works of charity directed especially toward those most in need. These form the core of practice which keeps us charged and protected from those powers that would seek to pervert our most well intended spiritual purposes. The practice of these three principles works to draw us away from the habit of striving to satisfy our baser appetites and toward a new habit of detaching from a perception of the self, the basis of our original sin. I pray that others will find your presentation as informative as I have. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteFear does seem to creep in. This makes me think of the apostles when they were on the boat and saw a man walking on the water and fear gave way thinking they were seeing a ghost. Then when Peter stepped out onto the water with Jesus, he did so trusting Him, but he started doubting (saw the wind) and began to sink. Jesus claimed "You of little faith. Why did you doubt?" We are just like Peter. We have our moments of trust and moments we fear.
DeleteIt may seem impossible to fully trust God 100% of the time, all the time, but it doesn't mean we should stop trying. In rough or dangerous moments in life, many people put their trust in God and amazing things happen!
Glad you enjoyed this new series and Thank you for sharing. We look forward to writing and learning along with you all!
Amen brother! Great gospel example of the need for and the effects of trusting Christ.
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