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August 1, 2004
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Believing God with Abraham
Pastor Brian Shimer
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"The Great Ruse"
Genesis 12 and 20
- The wonderful story in the movie The Notebook begins as Noah
falls for Allie one summer, woos her and eventually wins her affections.
The summer is too short and she is whisked off to her true
home leaving Noah despondent over the loss. He writes her every day for a year, letters that never reach her hand. Assuming she doesn't care anymore, he signs up for WWII, survives, but they do meet again - and that's all I'm going to tell you.
In the review written by editor Steve Beard in GoodNews Magazine, he says this is a movie about (quote) "enduring and passionate love that burns brightly with flames at the outset and ends up graduating to white-hot coals that last a lifetime. There is an everlastingness about it, a certain mysticism, an unmistakable magnetism, and an undying attraction that carries on to the exit gate of life." (GoodNews July/Aug 2004, editorial by Steve Beard, ubp)
The story line was penned by novelist Nicolas Sparks who brought to novel and to the theatre A Walk to Remember and A Note in the Bottle. His novels are known to be moral. There are some things he won't allow his characters to do. His novels and movies are also known to be tearjerkers. Or as one reviewer wrote: "(He) knows how to keep the tissue manufacturers in business." (ibid.) Indeed sitting in the theater you can hear the sniffles all around you as nearly every woman in the place, and possibly a guy or two, is reaching for the Kleenex and then a hand to hold
Movies like The Notebook are called "Chick flicks" for they appeal more to the feminine. They are the shows where the prince charming does all the right stuff to win the girl's heart.
- One thing prince charming does not do in a typical chick flick is lie about his beloved or put her in danger. Indeed his every action is to protect and defend her, he is the Dudley Doright of the screen. However, that is not what always happens in life. In real life, love may be enduring but relationships go through trials and tribulations where both parties make a mess of what God had planned in the relationship.
This is why the Bible would not be good chick flick material. The Genesis account of Abraham, were we to read the whole story, has some adrenalin pumping material in it. But more than that, the section we are looking at today has material in it that would not draw a kind tear from any woman in the place but rather a good punch.
It reminds me of when I used the movie Titanic as a parable to illustrate the love of God for us, and told the whole plot of the movie in the message and one woman punched me on the way out of church for I had destroyed the ending for her. I'm still sorry for that!
But that is the kind of reaction Abraham and Sarah's story will bring too. It is not a tearjerker, but a kneejerker. It is a story which displays the kind of blunders made by man in relationship to his woman. But blunders also made by all people in general in life in relationship to God.
- Not once but twice we find our hero Abraham lying about his relationship to Sarah, putting her in harm's way in order to save his own skin.
First when they go to Egypt because of a famine in the Promised Land, Abram is reported as saying to her, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife,' Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."
"Say you are my sister," Abe tells her. Now in chapter 20 we learn that she truly was his half sister, the daughter of his father but not of his mother. So in some way they are telling part of the truth, but half of the truth or omitted truth is still a lie. And the great ruse is that the lie is Abram's scheming way to accomplish two things:
- First, he wants to be treated well. He wants to prosper through her loss of being taking sexually by another man!
- Second, he wants to live - even if it means Sarah is used.
Abram is interested in sparing his own life and his name at his wife's expense. In this instance in Egypt, she is indeed taken by Pharaoh just as predicted, yes every commentator agrees that "they do it" and it does go well with Abram.
But God is not pleased. Pharaoh's household is punished because of Sarai. And the chapter ends with Pharaoh's sharp questions "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me… Why did you say…" and then the couple's expulsion from Egypt: "Here is your wife, go!"
The second time is told about in Genesis 20, 25 years later, after God changes their names, this time in the kingdom of Gerar with King Abimelech. Again Abraham and Sarah are passing as siblings and this king takes Sarah, but before the king touches her, God comes to him in a dream, saying, "You are as good as dead." At that point that dream may have felt like a nightmare. What a great way to begin a conversation!
The king professed his innocence and God said, "Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live…" (6,7).
Here they are not expelled from the land, but invited to remain. The king speaks to Abraham with similar words as Pharaoh used, but this time Abraham responds saying that "everywhere they have gone" they have told this story (20:13).
It has been a great ruse - and here it is all exposed and healed. Abimilech tells Sarah she has been vindicated. Abraham, now with 25 years of experience following and trusting God under his belt, prays as God's prophet for Abimilech and his household is healed.
- But until this point - in this one area of relationships with other people, they have lived a lie when Abraham did not need to resort to a lie at all.
Go with me to chapter 12 verses 1 through 3 and read aloud with me what God said to Abraham as he called him from Haran to the Promised Land.
The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 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 on earth will be blessed through you."
Look at the specific way God promised that he would give LAND, a GREAT NAME, and BLESSINGS which he could not contain. Now that is plenty, right? With that there was no need to resort to this old RUSE in every place! But look what else God promised that through Abraham: "all the peoples on earth will be blessed…"
But instead of blessing, because of the fears in his heart, Abraham had brought judgment on two people groups. God may have taken Abraham out of Haran, but had not taken the effect of Haran out of Abraham yet. Still Abraham was acting like his forefathers in Babel. He was still trying to "make a name for himself" He was not really trusting God for everything God had promised.
- This part of Abraham's story can be said this way: "When I am grasping for my own future, I am not clinging to God."
Abraham is still the father of faith, there is much worthy of applause in his simple obedience to God and we will speak more of that in future weeks, but first, I just want to look at this great Ruse told by him and by Sarah wherever they went, For it was this which was his attempt through the sacrifice of Sarah to make a name for himself, to preserve his life, to prosper.
The question then rests with us - where are we doing what Abraham did? Where are we willing to make sacrifices for self preservation out of our fears? God has made the same and better promises to us than to Abraham - we are called the "light of the world," the "salt of the earth" and God has also promised us new names. Yet do we act as if we must "build our own futures," "make a name for ourselves," rather than relying upon what God has promised?
The same questions can be asked from many angles…
How do we "live a great ruse" by clinging to all our own efforts to make something of our lives instead of trusting in what God has promised?
How do we buy things, surround ourselves with the right people, parade in the right circles in order to "make a name for ourselves".
What do we do "everyplace we go" that betrays our very trust in God?
Where are we grasping for our own future rather than clinging to God?
I think of men and women sacrificing their very lives to jobs that promise greater and greater rewards while sacrificing those around them.
For God says to you child, I will bless you and make your name great.
He says, I will bless you and you will be a blessing.
He says, all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
Are you willing to trust God?
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