Introduction
1. Abram’s faithlessness and failure in his character (12:10-16)
a) There is no indication in the Scripture that Abram sought the Lord’s guidance in this situation nor that the Lord told him to go to Egypt.
b) Abram knew very well that he would be put into a position where he had to lie and compromise and he still decided for it.
c) A sharp rebuke of Abram, the friend of God, for his untruthfulness from the godless, unbeliever, Pharaoh.
d) Many trustworthy commentators think Abram has sinned: John Calvin, Derek Kidner, William Henry Griffith Thomas, and Ligon Duncan, etc.
2. God’s faithfulness (12:17-20)
a) God uses a pagan king’s rebuke to get Abram back to the Promised Land to uphold His divine call.
b) God’s covenant are preserved by His sovereign intervention alone, not by Abram.
c) If Abram had got what he deserved, he would have been killed in order for Pharaoh to keep Sarai and all his possessions.
d) Is your God bigger than all the circumstances of your lives?
3. Abram’s repentance and restoration to his faith (13:1-4)
a) Abram returned back to the place of worship. The place where he had built an altar and called on the name of the Lord.
b) He repented and was restored to his faith by God’s grace alone.
c) Is there no punishment for Abram’s sin?
Applications
1. If you are called of God for His purpose, expect to be tested.
Why does God allow His children to be tested and live a suffering lives?
i) It is to test the genuineness of their faith.
ii) To produce perseverance and steadfastness in us.
iii) To show that God’s grace is sufficient for us.
iv) God is treating us as His sons to share His holiness.
2. The covenant promises are preserved only by the sovereign Lord’s intervention.
i) Repentance is not putting things right by our own effort after messing up our lives.
ii) Shorter Catechism Q 87 defines repentance unto life “as saving grace, by which a sinner, being truly aware of his sinfulness, understands the mercy of God in Christ, grieves for and hates his sins, and turns from them to God, fully intending and striving for a new obedience.”
3. Know the purpose of your calling.
i) Abram knew what God has promised him, the land of Canaan and not Egypt (v 10 – “sojourn”)
