If I Listen

Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, "I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake."
Genesis 12:10-13

This learning that we must trust in God is a long process. For some reason, and I am sure it is an excellent reason in Abram's eyes, he needed to tell the authorities that Sarai was not his wife. It could be, like today, that women in that day were objectified and used and owned and Abram was starting to play into their game.

Abram and husbands today are to be those who guide, protect, care for, and love their wives like Christ loved the church. The minute a man begins to look after his self, and make his comfort, pleasure, and desires dominant, he will be in trouble. Abram was looking out for himself, not Sarai. Therefore, there is trouble.

God is both merciful and gracious and dealt with Abram and Sari in a way that allowed minimal harm to all. I wonder, though, what damage was done to the private relationship between Abram and Sarai, or if trading women and objectifying them was so ordinary that this was no big deal. Culture can begin to dictate what we think is a big deal and what we feel is nothing. That role belongs to God, not to the majority opinion.

If I listen to God, He intervenes and takes care of the situation so that we win in the end. But, on the other hand, if I ignore God, He takes care of the situation in a way that will make me wish I did not ignore Him.


https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What will you do with the facts?

Image
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4 (ESV) Luke, the physician, does not claim to be an eyewitness account of what happened with Jesus, but he is one who personally evaluated the claims of those who had been with Jesus. As a doctor, he felt compelled to get the facts about Jesus’ miraculous birth recorded for Theophilus so he could have all his doubts erased. There is no reason to doubt Luke’s scholarship, methods, and conclusions. There is no reason to doubt unless your belief system has become the basis of your understanding, and you have slipped into thinking that whatever you belie...
Read more

Watch Him Work

But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?" And David said, "As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. 1 Samuel 26:9-11 (ESV Strong's) Waiting on God….Waiting on anyone or anything can be difficult. Waiting often means waiting for something to be transferred to our control. We do not like things we cannot control. David could have quickly taken matters into his own hands and get on with being king. He could easily have justified his actions before all his loyal subjects. Yet, those who live by faith do not spend time justifying their actions; instead, they give reasons for them. David understood that God was going to make him king. He needed to watch Him work. We do not need to help God accomplish His will; we just need to be obedien...
Read more

One Day…

"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed." 1 Samuel 2:9-10 (ESV)   There is no way to fight God, and one would be foolish to attempt such folly. Yet, some seem to be in a continual battle with the Almighty. You would think they would learn quickly the error of their ways.   Strength never determines victory; proximity does. Those close to God and obedient to Him win, for there is no way to lose. The lies of Satan often blur absolutes in an attempt to make the will of God debatable.   One day, all who have ever lived will see and recognize Him as God. For some, it will be the most tragic day of their existence. For others, it is the culmination of lives well lived. Our choices today ...
Read more