Overcoming Difficulty

Overcoming Difficulty

Genesis 20: And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. ² Now 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 by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

 

⁴ But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? ⁵ Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”

 

⁶ And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. ⁷ Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

 

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Seeing Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed was probably too much for Abraham to bear. He did not know if Lot was alive or dead. All he knew was the area seemed cursed. He may have remembered GOD’s promise that the territory that was promised was far greater than originally imagined. He, Sarah and all of their employees left the area that GOD had appeared.

 

My Observations:

• Abraham had already gone north to Egypt and east from the land of the Chaldeans, so this time he went south.
• Sarah was so beautiful, that at almost ninety, Kings wanted her.
• Abraham told a half truth to the local king because he saw the practices of other kings and feared the worst would happen.

 

Imagine hearing GOD say “I will make you a great nation” and “Go from your father’s house to a place I will show you” but experiencing difficulty. Abraham’s wife was almost kidnapped in Egypt and when they returned to the land GOD showed him, it was too small. Lot left and got kidnapped. Abraham had to rescue him. Then the place that he rescued got destroyed by GOD.

 

Things were not looking like a promise. But Abraham believed. He left the land after seeing difficult times. Sarah had faith and traveled with him. Abraham told a half truth about his wife, causing her to almost be kidnapped again. GOD intervened.

 

Challenge

• Why did GOD tell Moses about Abraham, Sarah and Abimelech’s actions and conversations?
• Has GOD given you a vision and you have faced difficulty after difficulty?
• Can you place your trust in the LORD, knowing that each difficulty is accounted for in HIS plan to prosper you?