JESUS AND THE BIG MISTAKE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le-TG4sRRiQ
Time to dwell on our Fallen Flesh.
Part of humanity seems to have an enduring ability to fail.
Top to bottom, we manage to fail.
We let people down and they let us down. We maintain a standard of excellence for ourselves that we expect others to live up to. We also maintain a standard for them that they can't possibly achieve.
And sometimes for ourselves. Those are the times we say, "If only I had done that..."
This makes up a significant part of our lives. Blaming ourselves: blaming others: blaming...
We must realize that this is part of the lie.
Only God is capable of perfection and when we start the "blame thing" we forget no one, not the people in high office or in the land of the rich, not the people who live very poorly and are supposed to have some kind of spiritual growth because of it, not the middle classes that do so much work and support so many programs for health and help to the whole society.
The demand for perfection from our rulers leaves us continually unhappy with leadership and leads so many of them to think they actually are gods or are god-like and to act as if they can dictate any program or spending for themselves or for various programs with little regard for the effect on their people. It leads to the discontent that forms revolutions. Revolts occur and the new rulership decides it too must have an iron fist of rule to suppress those who would revolt against them. It leads to ideologues who believe their system of economics or laws or ideals are the only way when every previous ideology has been proven wrong. It led many of ur current leadership who watched our economy fail under a philosphy of regulation-free economic systems such as the banks and markets and insurance companies, following Adam hall's notion that the Market will correct itself to, as the media has taken to saying of their candidate, "double down" on the error and blame the few controls which have temporarily rescued the system despite their obstructionism, for the fact the recovery hasn't been fast enough. They now wish to crash the US economy again using the same type of housing loan requirements and and repeating the errors in auto loans. If we think the rich are not well aware that this idea will perhaps destroy the US for good, we need only look at the number of them who are running as rapidly as they can from Trump. And the number buying homes in other countries which are likely not to be destroyed by another banking crisis or have governments of their own so corrupt the money will buy temporary safety. While, in the meantime, the presidential race is fueled by candidates pointing out the imperfections of their opponents as if that somehow qualifies them for the office.
The demand for perfection from others has leveraged the US population into political segments who often vote on onte issue:abortion, guns, civil rights, defense, economy,
The demand for perfection, fixing the meal right, bringing home enough money, disciplining the children correctly or at all, being good at golf for the team sports at the job, being the perfect cook, having the housework always up to par, being the neighborhood pal or in on the gossip with all the wives or husbands. being the bedroom artist, the friend and lover, the one who is there all for every soccer game, every basketball-football-baseball-hockey moment. leads to more family disaster, more divorces more children with one parent than almost anything.
"It's my belief
Pride is the chief cause
In the de-cline
Of the number of husbands and wives."
"Husbands and Wives"
Roger Miller
1966
The demand for perfection leads us to feel pressure for performance at every turn: business; sports even the casual weekend tennis match or weeknight bowling match; the bedroom; the part of our hair, the cut of our clothes; the car we drive; the name on our suit's label or the pocket of our jeans; on a school test; with our friends in the things we know, the places we've seen, the women or men we date: money for which the concern leads to the belief that there is never enough, even when we have gold-plated toilets; finally, life itself, can we live with who we are, what we've done, the side effects of the disease we have, the pain, anguish, the mental deterioration. The demand so often leads to suicide, the killing of self by gun or poisons of some sort or merely by seeking after so much that our true self dies and is replaced by a monster of greed and self-interest.
WE live in fear because of it. Fear we will not be good enough, fear we will have to deal with something we can't handle. Fear we will die before our dreams come true.
I stopped in the midst of the Opening story on Abraham because he is suddenly at that point of failure, the big mistake. I mentioned God had appeared to him, As he appeared to Adam and Eve, toe Enoch, to Cain. I want it firmly in our minds: Jesus was, is always there and we always have had grace, unmerited, unearned, undeserved grace.
Grace extended to the "holy line" Noah, Enoch. the other "fallen line" Cain and his children, because eboth lines were Fallen Flesh, from the grace extended to Adam and Eve,
Jesus pops up time and again in Genesis nd we come to inderstand His grace reaches back there as well.the power of His sacrifice to cover ALL sins means it reaches back to the beginning and the notion that there will always a remnant (("I have preserved a remnant" Isa 65;9,
see also Romans 11;5, Genesis 54;7, Noah from Genesis 7 or go to http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Remnant) of believers. Realizing the depths of this mercy we understand even more profoundly Jesus' notion of the tares and the wheat.
Mt 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
(KJV)
While this is often aptly applied to the Church, still it has application in Genesis and really throughout history, since God always intended Israel would evangelize as he meant it for the Church as well. A spiritual obedience to the decree that man would have a nomadic existence after Eden. It is hard to tell the wheat from the tares when we wheat behave like tares and look just like them. Harder still when the tares are busy looking like wheat.
And we have that role reversal here:
Ge 12:10 And because there was little food to be had in that land, he went down into Egypt.
11 Now when he came near to Egypt, he said to Sarai, his wife, Truly, you are a fair woman and beautiful to the eye;
12 And I am certain that when the men of Egypt see you, they will say, This is his wife: and they will put me to death and keep you.
13 Say, then, that you are my sister, and so it will be well with me because of you, and my life will be kept safe on your account.
14 And so it was that when Abram came into Egypt, the men of Egypt, looking on the woman, saw that she was fair.
15 And Pharaoh's great men, having seen her, said words in praise of her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh's house.
16 And because of her, he was good to Abram, and he had sheep and oxen and asses, and men-servants and women-servants, and camels.
17 And the Lord sent great troubles on Pharaoh's house because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
18 Then Pharaoh sent for Abram, and said, What have you done to me? why did you not say that she was your wife?
19 Why did you say that she was your sister? so that I took her for my wife: now, take your wife and go on your way.
20 And Pharaoh gave orders to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and all he had.
(BBE)
Jamieson, etc:
14. when Abram was come into Egypt--It appears from the monuments of that country that at the time of Abram's visit a monarchy had existed for several centuries. The seat of government was in the Delta, the most northern part of the country, the very quarter in which Abram must have arrived. They were a race of shepherd-kings, in close alliance with the people of Canaan.
Adam Clarke:
Verse 15. The woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.] Pharaoh appears to have been the common appellative of the Cuthite shepherd kings of Egypt, who had conquered this land, as is conjectured, about seventy-two years before this time. The word is supposed to signify king in the ancient Egyptian language. If the meaning be sought in the Hebrew, the root erp para signifies to be free or disengaged, a name which such freebooters as the Cuthite shepherds might naturally assume. All the kings of Egypt bore this name till the commencement of the Grecian monarchy, after which they were called Ptolemies.
Matt Poole;
Ver. 15. The princes also of Pharaoh, i.e. the officers and courtiers; whose great design was to gain their prince's favour by gratifying his lusts.
The woman was taken into Pharaoh's house, i.e. taken and brought, one word for two. So the word take is used Ge 15:9,10; Ex 18:2; 27:20, &c. Not to his bed, but the house of his women, where they were purified and prepared for the king's presence and society, as Es 2:8,9, that in due time she might be his concubine or wife. Thus even the ceremonies of courts serve the providence of God, and give opportunity for working her deliverance.
So we have the situation. Abraham has lied. Sarai has lied also. Abe has compounded the lie by letting Sarai be taken as a mate to Pharaoh. He has gotten riches out of the deal so telling the truth n ow would cost him the riches, and maybe his life which he sought to preserve by lying. He could lose his wife and everything now.
But keep in mind this is a lapse in faith. He has lost focus as has Sarai. God promised to make his the father of nations and he has yet to have a child. Fear has corrupted faith. He has not trusted
god and has dragged everyon involved into god's anger.
Matt Henry's take on it:
Ver. 14.
II. The deliverance of Sarai from this danger. For if God did not deliver us, many a time, by prerogative, out of those straits and distresses which we bring ourselves into by our own sin and folly, and which therefore we could not expect any deliverance from by promise, we should soon be ruined, nay, we should have been ruined long before this. He deals not with us according to our deserts.
1. God chastised Pharaoh, and so prevented the progress of his sin. Note, Those are happy chastisements that hinder us in a sinful way, and effectually bring us to our duty, and particularly to the duty of restoring that which we have wrongfully taken and detained. Observe, Not Pharaoh only, but his house, was plagued, probably those princes especially that had commended Sarai to Pharaoh. Note, Partners in sin are justly made partners in the punishment. Those that serve others' lusts must expect to share in their plagues. We are not told particularly what these plagues were; but doubtless there was something in the plagues themselves, or some explication added to them, sufficient to convince them that it was for Sarai's sake that they were thus plagued.
2. Pharaoh reproved Abram, and then dismissed him with respect.
(1.) The reproof was calm, but very just: What is this that thou hast done? What an improper thing! How unbecoming a wise and good man! Note, If those that profess religion do that which is unfair and disingenuous, especially if they say that which borders upon a lie, they must expect to hear of it, and have reason to thank those that will tell them of it. We find a prophet of the Lord justly reproved and upbraided by a heathen ship-master, Jon 1:6. Pharaoh reasons with him: Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? intimating that, if he had known this, he would not have taken her into his house. Note, It is a fault too common among good people to entertain suspicions of others beyond what there is cause for. We have often found more of virtue, honour, and conscience, in some people than we thought they possessed; and it ought to be a pleasure to us to be thus disappointed, as Abram was here, who found Pharaoh to be a better man than he expected. Charity teaches us to hope the best.
(2.) The dismission was kind and very generous. He restored him his wife without offering any injury to her honour: Behold thy wife, take her, Ge 12:19. Note, Those that would prevent sin must remove the temptation, or get out of the way of it. He also sent him away in peace, and was so far from any design to kill him, as he apprehended, that he took particular care of him. Note, We often perplex and ensnare ourselves with fears which soon appear to have been altogether groundless. We often fear where no fear is. We fear the fury of the oppressor, as though he were ready to destroy, when really there is no danger, Isa 51:13. It would have been more for Abram's credit and comfort to have told the truth at first; for, after all, honesty is the best policy. Nay, it is said (Ge 12:20), Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, that is,
[1.] He charged them not to injure him in any thing. Note, It is not enough for those in authority to do no hurt themselves, but they must restrain their servants, and those about them, from doing hurt. Or,
[2.] He appointed them, when Abram was disposed to return home after the famine, to conduct him safely out of the country, as his convoy. Probably he was alarmed by the plagues (Ge 12:17), and inferred from them that Abram was a particular favourite of Heaven, and therefore, through fear of their return, took special care he should receive no injury in his country. Note, God has often raised up friends for his people, by making men know that it is at their peril if they hurt them. It is a dangerous thing to offend Christ's little ones. Mt 18:6. To this passage, among others, the Psalmist refers, Ps 105:13-15, He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not my anointed. Perhaps if Pharaoh had not sent him away, he would have been tempted to stay in Egypt and to forget the land of promise. Note, Sometimes God makes use of the enemies of his people to convince them, and remind them, that this world is not their rest, but that they must think of departing.
Lastly, Observe a resemblance between this deliverance of Abram out of Egypt and the deliverance of his seed thence: 430 years after Abram went into Egypt on occasion of a famine they went thither on occasion of a famine also; he was fetched out with great plagues on Pharaoh, so were they; as Abram was dismissed by Pharaoh, and enriched with the spoil of the Egyptians, so were they. For God's care of his people is the same yesterday, today, and for ever.
Abram lets God down, he has made am mistake which he certanly learned from and certainly said to himself, as we all so often do, "Well, I'll never do that again."
Ge 20:1 And Abraham went on his way from there to the land of the South, and was living between Kadesh and Shur, in Gerar.
2 And Abraham said of Sarah, his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream in the night, and said to him, Truly you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man's wife.
4 Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, Lord, will you put to death an upright nation?
5 Did he not say to me himself, She is my sister? and she herself said, He is my brother: with an upright heart and clean hands have I done this.
6 And God said to him in the dream, I see that you have done this with an upright heart, and I have kept you from sinning against me: for this reason I did not let you come near her.
7 So now, give the man back his wife, for he is a prophet, and let him say a prayer for you, so your life may be safe: but if you do not give her back, be certain that death will come to you and all your house.
8 So Abimelech got up early in the morning and sent for all his servants and gave them word of these things, and they were full of fear.
9 Then Abimelech sent for Abraham, and said, What have you done to us? what wrong have I done you that you have put on me and on my kingdom so great a sin? You have done to me things which are not to be done.
10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, Why did you do this thing?
11 And Abraham said, Because it seemed to me that there was no fear of God in this place, and that they might put me to death because of my wife.
12 And, in fact, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:
13 And when God sent me wandering from my father's house, I said to her, Let this be the sign of your love for me; wherever we go, say of me, He is my brother.
14 Then Abimelech gave to Abraham sheep and oxen and men-servants and women-servants, and gave him back his wife Sarah.
15 And Abimelech said, See, all my land is before you; take whatever place seems good to you.
16 And he said to Sarah, See, I have given to your brother a thousand bits of silver so that your wrong may be put right; now your honour is clear in the eyes of all.
17 Then Abraham made prayer to God, and God made Abimelech well again, and his wife and his women-servants, so that they had children.
18 For the Lord had kept all the women of the house of Abimelech from having children, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
(BBE)
What???!!! Didn't he learn anything?? This is years later, God has added to his covenant with Abram and the man is now Abraham. Sarah is his wife. They have been nomadic, settling here and there, Sodom and Gomorrah have just been destroyed. The rewards of sin blatantly obvious. They were not yet parents, so the same idea applies that God had not yet fulfilled His promise and so they were meant to live on until it was done.
Still we again had the lie, the same lie, and the new king receives appropriate punishment and will later beg Abraham to stay on the country of the Philistines so God will bless them for housing him.
Two things strike me: 1) obviously his grandson Jacob would learn nothing from this story: 2) no matter our sin, no matter our tendency to actually REPEAT that sin or our refusal to acknowledge we have a special destiny given us by God and are His forever once we accept that destiny in faith, God remains faithful. he will reserve us beyond our sin. Eden proved it, Noah proved it. Abraham proved it.
Make no mistake of your own, these moments were his big mistake and the grace of Jesus washed back to preserve him and Sarah because of the promise of God.
Sin can separate us from God no matter what but He will always find a way to bring us back if we accept the offer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfkhqpl81NA
http://christianpersecutionindia.blogspot.com/2016_08_01_archive.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le-TG4sRRiQ
Time to dwell on our Fallen Flesh.
Part of humanity seems to have an enduring ability to fail.
Top to bottom, we manage to fail.
We let people down and they let us down. We maintain a standard of excellence for ourselves that we expect others to live up to. We also maintain a standard for them that they can't possibly achieve.
And sometimes for ourselves. Those are the times we say, "If only I had done that..."
This makes up a significant part of our lives. Blaming ourselves: blaming others: blaming...
We must realize that this is part of the lie.
Only God is capable of perfection and when we start the "blame thing" we forget no one, not the people in high office or in the land of the rich, not the people who live very poorly and are supposed to have some kind of spiritual growth because of it, not the middle classes that do so much work and support so many programs for health and help to the whole society.
The demand for perfection from our rulers leaves us continually unhappy with leadership and leads so many of them to think they actually are gods or are god-like and to act as if they can dictate any program or spending for themselves or for various programs with little regard for the effect on their people. It leads to the discontent that forms revolutions. Revolts occur and the new rulership decides it too must have an iron fist of rule to suppress those who would revolt against them. It leads to ideologues who believe their system of economics or laws or ideals are the only way when every previous ideology has been proven wrong. It led many of ur current leadership who watched our economy fail under a philosphy of regulation-free economic systems such as the banks and markets and insurance companies, following Adam hall's notion that the Market will correct itself to, as the media has taken to saying of their candidate, "double down" on the error and blame the few controls which have temporarily rescued the system despite their obstructionism, for the fact the recovery hasn't been fast enough. They now wish to crash the US economy again using the same type of housing loan requirements and and repeating the errors in auto loans. If we think the rich are not well aware that this idea will perhaps destroy the US for good, we need only look at the number of them who are running as rapidly as they can from Trump. And the number buying homes in other countries which are likely not to be destroyed by another banking crisis or have governments of their own so corrupt the money will buy temporary safety. While, in the meantime, the presidential race is fueled by candidates pointing out the imperfections of their opponents as if that somehow qualifies them for the office.
The demand for perfection from others has leveraged the US population into political segments who often vote on onte issue:abortion, guns, civil rights, defense, economy,
The demand for perfection, fixing the meal right, bringing home enough money, disciplining the children correctly or at all, being good at golf for the team sports at the job, being the perfect cook, having the housework always up to par, being the neighborhood pal or in on the gossip with all the wives or husbands. being the bedroom artist, the friend and lover, the one who is there all for every soccer game, every basketball-football-baseball-hockey moment. leads to more family disaster, more divorces more children with one parent than almost anything.
"It's my belief
Pride is the chief cause
In the de-cline
Of the number of husbands and wives."
"Husbands and Wives"
Roger Miller
1966
The demand for perfection leads us to feel pressure for performance at every turn: business; sports even the casual weekend tennis match or weeknight bowling match; the bedroom; the part of our hair, the cut of our clothes; the car we drive; the name on our suit's label or the pocket of our jeans; on a school test; with our friends in the things we know, the places we've seen, the women or men we date: money for which the concern leads to the belief that there is never enough, even when we have gold-plated toilets; finally, life itself, can we live with who we are, what we've done, the side effects of the disease we have, the pain, anguish, the mental deterioration. The demand so often leads to suicide, the killing of self by gun or poisons of some sort or merely by seeking after so much that our true self dies and is replaced by a monster of greed and self-interest.
WE live in fear because of it. Fear we will not be good enough, fear we will have to deal with something we can't handle. Fear we will die before our dreams come true.
I stopped in the midst of the Opening story on Abraham because he is suddenly at that point of failure, the big mistake. I mentioned God had appeared to him, As he appeared to Adam and Eve, toe Enoch, to Cain. I want it firmly in our minds: Jesus was, is always there and we always have had grace, unmerited, unearned, undeserved grace.
Grace extended to the "holy line" Noah, Enoch. the other "fallen line" Cain and his children, because eboth lines were Fallen Flesh, from the grace extended to Adam and Eve,
Jesus pops up time and again in Genesis nd we come to inderstand His grace reaches back there as well.the power of His sacrifice to cover ALL sins means it reaches back to the beginning and the notion that there will always a remnant (("I have preserved a remnant" Isa 65;9,
see also Romans 11;5, Genesis 54;7, Noah from Genesis 7 or go to http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Remnant) of believers. Realizing the depths of this mercy we understand even more profoundly Jesus' notion of the tares and the wheat.
Mt 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
(KJV)
While this is often aptly applied to the Church, still it has application in Genesis and really throughout history, since God always intended Israel would evangelize as he meant it for the Church as well. A spiritual obedience to the decree that man would have a nomadic existence after Eden. It is hard to tell the wheat from the tares when we wheat behave like tares and look just like them. Harder still when the tares are busy looking like wheat.
And we have that role reversal here:
Ge 12:10 And because there was little food to be had in that land, he went down into Egypt.
11 Now when he came near to Egypt, he said to Sarai, his wife, Truly, you are a fair woman and beautiful to the eye;
12 And I am certain that when the men of Egypt see you, they will say, This is his wife: and they will put me to death and keep you.
13 Say, then, that you are my sister, and so it will be well with me because of you, and my life will be kept safe on your account.
14 And so it was that when Abram came into Egypt, the men of Egypt, looking on the woman, saw that she was fair.
15 And Pharaoh's great men, having seen her, said words in praise of her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh's house.
16 And because of her, he was good to Abram, and he had sheep and oxen and asses, and men-servants and women-servants, and camels.
17 And the Lord sent great troubles on Pharaoh's house because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
18 Then Pharaoh sent for Abram, and said, What have you done to me? why did you not say that she was your wife?
19 Why did you say that she was your sister? so that I took her for my wife: now, take your wife and go on your way.
20 And Pharaoh gave orders to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and all he had.
(BBE)
Jamieson, etc:
14. when Abram was come into Egypt--It appears from the monuments of that country that at the time of Abram's visit a monarchy had existed for several centuries. The seat of government was in the Delta, the most northern part of the country, the very quarter in which Abram must have arrived. They were a race of shepherd-kings, in close alliance with the people of Canaan.
Adam Clarke:
Verse 15. The woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.] Pharaoh appears to have been the common appellative of the Cuthite shepherd kings of Egypt, who had conquered this land, as is conjectured, about seventy-two years before this time. The word is supposed to signify king in the ancient Egyptian language. If the meaning be sought in the Hebrew, the root erp para signifies to be free or disengaged, a name which such freebooters as the Cuthite shepherds might naturally assume. All the kings of Egypt bore this name till the commencement of the Grecian monarchy, after which they were called Ptolemies.
Matt Poole;
Ver. 15. The princes also of Pharaoh, i.e. the officers and courtiers; whose great design was to gain their prince's favour by gratifying his lusts.
The woman was taken into Pharaoh's house, i.e. taken and brought, one word for two. So the word take is used Ge 15:9,10; Ex 18:2; 27:20, &c. Not to his bed, but the house of his women, where they were purified and prepared for the king's presence and society, as Es 2:8,9, that in due time she might be his concubine or wife. Thus even the ceremonies of courts serve the providence of God, and give opportunity for working her deliverance.
So we have the situation. Abraham has lied. Sarai has lied also. Abe has compounded the lie by letting Sarai be taken as a mate to Pharaoh. He has gotten riches out of the deal so telling the truth n ow would cost him the riches, and maybe his life which he sought to preserve by lying. He could lose his wife and everything now.
But keep in mind this is a lapse in faith. He has lost focus as has Sarai. God promised to make his the father of nations and he has yet to have a child. Fear has corrupted faith. He has not trusted
god and has dragged everyon involved into god's anger.
Matt Henry's take on it:
Ver. 14.
II. The deliverance of Sarai from this danger. For if God did not deliver us, many a time, by prerogative, out of those straits and distresses which we bring ourselves into by our own sin and folly, and which therefore we could not expect any deliverance from by promise, we should soon be ruined, nay, we should have been ruined long before this. He deals not with us according to our deserts.
1. God chastised Pharaoh, and so prevented the progress of his sin. Note, Those are happy chastisements that hinder us in a sinful way, and effectually bring us to our duty, and particularly to the duty of restoring that which we have wrongfully taken and detained. Observe, Not Pharaoh only, but his house, was plagued, probably those princes especially that had commended Sarai to Pharaoh. Note, Partners in sin are justly made partners in the punishment. Those that serve others' lusts must expect to share in their plagues. We are not told particularly what these plagues were; but doubtless there was something in the plagues themselves, or some explication added to them, sufficient to convince them that it was for Sarai's sake that they were thus plagued.
2. Pharaoh reproved Abram, and then dismissed him with respect.
(1.) The reproof was calm, but very just: What is this that thou hast done? What an improper thing! How unbecoming a wise and good man! Note, If those that profess religion do that which is unfair and disingenuous, especially if they say that which borders upon a lie, they must expect to hear of it, and have reason to thank those that will tell them of it. We find a prophet of the Lord justly reproved and upbraided by a heathen ship-master, Jon 1:6. Pharaoh reasons with him: Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? intimating that, if he had known this, he would not have taken her into his house. Note, It is a fault too common among good people to entertain suspicions of others beyond what there is cause for. We have often found more of virtue, honour, and conscience, in some people than we thought they possessed; and it ought to be a pleasure to us to be thus disappointed, as Abram was here, who found Pharaoh to be a better man than he expected. Charity teaches us to hope the best.
(2.) The dismission was kind and very generous. He restored him his wife without offering any injury to her honour: Behold thy wife, take her, Ge 12:19. Note, Those that would prevent sin must remove the temptation, or get out of the way of it. He also sent him away in peace, and was so far from any design to kill him, as he apprehended, that he took particular care of him. Note, We often perplex and ensnare ourselves with fears which soon appear to have been altogether groundless. We often fear where no fear is. We fear the fury of the oppressor, as though he were ready to destroy, when really there is no danger, Isa 51:13. It would have been more for Abram's credit and comfort to have told the truth at first; for, after all, honesty is the best policy. Nay, it is said (Ge 12:20), Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, that is,
[1.] He charged them not to injure him in any thing. Note, It is not enough for those in authority to do no hurt themselves, but they must restrain their servants, and those about them, from doing hurt. Or,
[2.] He appointed them, when Abram was disposed to return home after the famine, to conduct him safely out of the country, as his convoy. Probably he was alarmed by the plagues (Ge 12:17), and inferred from them that Abram was a particular favourite of Heaven, and therefore, through fear of their return, took special care he should receive no injury in his country. Note, God has often raised up friends for his people, by making men know that it is at their peril if they hurt them. It is a dangerous thing to offend Christ's little ones. Mt 18:6. To this passage, among others, the Psalmist refers, Ps 105:13-15, He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not my anointed. Perhaps if Pharaoh had not sent him away, he would have been tempted to stay in Egypt and to forget the land of promise. Note, Sometimes God makes use of the enemies of his people to convince them, and remind them, that this world is not their rest, but that they must think of departing.
Lastly, Observe a resemblance between this deliverance of Abram out of Egypt and the deliverance of his seed thence: 430 years after Abram went into Egypt on occasion of a famine they went thither on occasion of a famine also; he was fetched out with great plagues on Pharaoh, so were they; as Abram was dismissed by Pharaoh, and enriched with the spoil of the Egyptians, so were they. For God's care of his people is the same yesterday, today, and for ever.
Abram lets God down, he has made am mistake which he certanly learned from and certainly said to himself, as we all so often do, "Well, I'll never do that again."
Ge 20:1 And Abraham went on his way from there to the land of the South, and was living between Kadesh and Shur, in Gerar.
2 And Abraham said of Sarah, his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream in the night, and said to him, Truly you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man's wife.
4 Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, Lord, will you put to death an upright nation?
5 Did he not say to me himself, She is my sister? and she herself said, He is my brother: with an upright heart and clean hands have I done this.
6 And God said to him in the dream, I see that you have done this with an upright heart, and I have kept you from sinning against me: for this reason I did not let you come near her.
7 So now, give the man back his wife, for he is a prophet, and let him say a prayer for you, so your life may be safe: but if you do not give her back, be certain that death will come to you and all your house.
8 So Abimelech got up early in the morning and sent for all his servants and gave them word of these things, and they were full of fear.
9 Then Abimelech sent for Abraham, and said, What have you done to us? what wrong have I done you that you have put on me and on my kingdom so great a sin? You have done to me things which are not to be done.
10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, Why did you do this thing?
11 And Abraham said, Because it seemed to me that there was no fear of God in this place, and that they might put me to death because of my wife.
12 And, in fact, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:
13 And when God sent me wandering from my father's house, I said to her, Let this be the sign of your love for me; wherever we go, say of me, He is my brother.
14 Then Abimelech gave to Abraham sheep and oxen and men-servants and women-servants, and gave him back his wife Sarah.
15 And Abimelech said, See, all my land is before you; take whatever place seems good to you.
16 And he said to Sarah, See, I have given to your brother a thousand bits of silver so that your wrong may be put right; now your honour is clear in the eyes of all.
17 Then Abraham made prayer to God, and God made Abimelech well again, and his wife and his women-servants, so that they had children.
18 For the Lord had kept all the women of the house of Abimelech from having children, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
(BBE)
What???!!! Didn't he learn anything?? This is years later, God has added to his covenant with Abram and the man is now Abraham. Sarah is his wife. They have been nomadic, settling here and there, Sodom and Gomorrah have just been destroyed. The rewards of sin blatantly obvious. They were not yet parents, so the same idea applies that God had not yet fulfilled His promise and so they were meant to live on until it was done.
Still we again had the lie, the same lie, and the new king receives appropriate punishment and will later beg Abraham to stay on the country of the Philistines so God will bless them for housing him.
Two things strike me: 1) obviously his grandson Jacob would learn nothing from this story: 2) no matter our sin, no matter our tendency to actually REPEAT that sin or our refusal to acknowledge we have a special destiny given us by God and are His forever once we accept that destiny in faith, God remains faithful. he will reserve us beyond our sin. Eden proved it, Noah proved it. Abraham proved it.
Make no mistake of your own, these moments were his big mistake and the grace of Jesus washed back to preserve him and Sarah because of the promise of God.
Sin can separate us from God no matter what but He will always find a way to bring us back if we accept the offer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfkhqpl81NA
http://christianpersecutionindia.blogspot.com/2016_08_01_archive.html
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016
Christian persecution in India surges in first half of 2016; radical Hindus see threat to culture, identity
Hindu radicals are intensifying their persecution of Christians across India with no end in sight.
In the first half of 2016 alone, the authorities recorded at least 134 incidents of violence against Christians in India compared with 147 incidents in all of 2014 and 177 in 2015, according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India's Religious Liberty Commission, citing an independent report.
What's even more alarming, according to the Commission, is that the cases recorded from Jan. 1 to June 30 this year were "just a fraction of the violence on the ground," the Gospel Herald reports.
The persecution is widespread with the cases of violence against Christians reported in 21 of India's 29 states. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 25 cases.
The report attributed the rise in Christian persecution cases to the success achieved by Hindu radical groups in associating local cultural and customs legislation with Hindu religious practices, denouncing everything non-Hindu as a threat to their culture and identity.
In one area, "religious fanatics attacked a church and tried to set a pastor and his pregnant wife on fire after thrashing them," the report states.
In the first half of 2016 alone, the authorities recorded at least 134 incidents of violence against Christians in India compared with 147 incidents in all of 2014 and 177 in 2015, according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India's Religious Liberty Commission, citing an independent report.
What's even more alarming, according to the Commission, is that the cases recorded from Jan. 1 to June 30 this year were "just a fraction of the violence on the ground," the Gospel Herald reports.
The persecution is widespread with the cases of violence against Christians reported in 21 of India's 29 states. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 25 cases.
The report attributed the rise in Christian persecution cases to the success achieved by Hindu radical groups in associating local cultural and customs legislation with Hindu religious practices, denouncing everything non-Hindu as a threat to their culture and identity.
In one area, "religious fanatics attacked a church and tried to set a pastor and his pregnant wife on fire after thrashing them," the report states.
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