Following in the Footsteps of Abraham

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ABRAHAM

by John Douglas

Our speaker at church yesterday is a great believer in dating people in the bible so here I am today dating Abraham ...

Genesis spans 2300 years in 50 chapters
Chapters 12 to 25 cover his life of 175 years
Chapters 2 to 6 cover 2000 years
There is no record of Abraham's first 75 years of life
Born about 2166 BC
Left home at 75
At 80 talked with Melchizedek
First son born at 86
Saw judgment of Sodom at 99
Isaac born when 100
Sarah buried when he was 137
He lived 115 years before Jacob and family went to Egypt

We first read of Abraham at 75 years of age.

"The fact that this great patriarch's walk with God did not begin until later life, gives us cause for encouragement as well. Some of us who have reached our golden years may be tempted to feel that the best of our lives is behind us. That might be true physically but it does not have to he true spiritually. God has a ministry not only for the young but for the old also. Remember Anna and Simeon in the temple when Jesus was presented as a baby. This could be a key time in your life when the Lord will begin to work in your own soul in a way that you have never experienced before.

Abraham was 75 when he entered Canaan, when he got into victory, started to obey to the fullness of his ability."

Hebrews 11 mentions 14 leading servants of God - one verse is given to the description of Noah, Enoch and Abel. Abraham has 12 verses to himself, nearly as much as the rest of the people mentioned in Hebrews 11 put together. 

Abraham was a Semite, born about 2166 BC into a pagan family living in the land of Ur in Babylonia. 

Why study Abraham?

2 reasons: because it was through Abraham and his descendants that God chose to mediate the covenant blessings and because Abraham demonstrated a pattern for every faithful believer walking the path of obedience to the Saviour.

He was persuaded of the existence of the heavenly city to which he would travel with all the saints. Abraham the man of obedience came to a high point of crisis at the sacrificial altar with Isaac his son; Isaac was the type through which Abraham learned of things to come.

4 spiritual cameos of Abraham's spiritual experience ...

1. He left all for Jesus. he saw Christ's day in many ways and was glad. But what did he give up for the Lord? He turned his back on his homeland never to return. He departed from his father's grave, struggled to leave Lot and gave up Ishmael. Even Eliezer had to be eliminated in the making of his faith. It was his response to the final demand of discipleship which saw him place his beloved Isaac on that altar on Moriah's heights, marking out, centuries before the time, the hill called Calvary. That experience outshines all other experiences as the grand climax of his spiritual pilgrimage.

2. He identified with the Land. There is no other land like the Land of Promise, for it is the land of Israel, the land of the bible and the land where Jesus walked. Abraham believed God would give him, in the fullness of time, that land for a personal possession, although the scriptures reveal that he was to die first without ever having received it. The only piece of it he ever owned was the grave he lay in and he had to buy that before he could have it.

3. He is the spiritual father of the whole family of God's redeemed. The epistle to the Romans proclaims 7 times in one chapter that Abraham is father of all who are justified by faith in Jesus. This means that there is one integral and indivisible family gathered under one head (Romans 4 verse 1; Galatians 3 verses 7, 8 and 29). This one family consists of all God's people irrespective of the times in which they lived.

4. He is a pilgrim travelling to the New Jerusalem. The earthly inheritance is for him and for us, the type of the heavenly. Places in the land and experiences in his life are a constant and powerful reminder of that which is eternal. Abraham's interest in the heavenly is not eclipsed by his commitment to the earthly. While Abraham is always the pilgrim, the stalwart follower of the Lord in the land he is ever looking for the oncoming Day of Christ, the day that made him glad - "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11 verse 10)

Genesis 12 verses 1 to 3 - the three-fold call of God to Abraham

The essence of discipleship - leaving all for Jesus.  The Lord never does just a single work at a time. God has a definite purpose in bringing Abraham to Canaan; however the secondary import of all that Abraham is passing through, is that God is teaching him and all who follow in his footsteps a powerful lesson on discipleship.

Abraham learns of the Lord Jesus

John 8 verse 56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad." Abraham knew about the Saviour. He did it for Jesus' sake. The verse emphasizes, he saw it. He saw clearly the Day of Christ. He saw something of the sufferings of Christ. He saw something of the glory of Christ that should be revealed at the Saviour's return in the clouds of heaven. When Abraham left all, he left all with Jesus Christ in mind.

Abraham had to get out of Babylon

In addition to teaching Abraham how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, God would also deal with his pilgrimage to the Land of Promise. But in between all of that, God had another purpose that of drawing this man out of a wicked environment. 

Jeremiah 50 verse 38 gives us a vivid picture of the spiritual declension of Babylon: "A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images and they are mad upon their idols."

It is difficult to imagine the depth of wickedness in that horrible place. The idolatry of pagan society in days of old was no little thing - it was anguish, cruelty, darkness, horror - a nightmare we would not even want to describe.

A person who is "mad" about something is completely consumed, captivated and motivated by that thing. It is first in his life. Babylon was mad about idols but God's will for Abraham held forth for him something far, far better than that. 

You must learn to put the Saviour first!

The strange place called Ur of the Chaldees

Ur is derived from a word which means light. Consider Babylonish religion. The region of the whole territory was called light. The light of Babylon was there. Ur of the Chaldees was the religious capital of Babylonia, the place where the apostasy was at its worst. "If the light that is in thee be darkness, the Saviour said, how great is that darkness!" For the citizens of Babylon, Ur was the central place, their "Mecca". This was, to them, the place where men could find their way to God, but in reality it was an abomination from start to finish. It was a place of horrible darkness. Hebrews 11 verse 8 tells us that Abraham went out - by faith. 

The Lord knew where Abraham was going. 

The need for patience when seeking guidance

Guidance is gradual. Very often, if not all the time, when the Lord is leading you forth you do not see the end from the beginning. The Lord shows you only a little glimmering at a time. he will show you only enough to enable you to take the first step. Abraham could see the first few steps ahead, but as for the rest of the way, he could not discern it. He trusted the Lord with it.

Why God kept the land of Israel in mind

Abraham did not know where he was going. He had never seen the land of Canaan before, though he might have heard of it. The Lord did know the way, for Genesis 12 verse 1 says "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." In the Hebrew bible, the word land has the definite article. It makes all the difference. God had a definite place in mind. 

Deuteronomy 32 verse 8 - the last sermon of Moses. "When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel."  In the days of Adam, when the Lord had in mind the separation of the earth among the sons of men, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. That statement means, if it means anything, that God allocated the territories of the earth to the respective nations all around the land of Israel. He had the land of Israel in mind, Israel as a people, and certainly Israel as a country. The land of Israel was already in the mind of God when Adam stood in Eden's garden. We can echo the words of Scripture which say, Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world (Acts 15 verse 18).

In the Garden of Eden God already had the population of the earth in mind. The earth would be divided into nations and in that allocation of territory to the various nations, God would determine their bounds in accordance with the placement of Israel. He would set Israel in the midst of the nations for Ezekiel 5 verse 5 says "Jerusalem is set in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her."  All around the city of Jerusalem, God put mountains - the Mount of Olivet the best known and other mountains - all of which can be seen to the present day. Then out there on a wing to the north God placed that little hill called Calvary. God put it there in the midst of the nations.  When God called Abraham out of faraway Babylon, he had Israel in mind. He had redemption in mind. He would show him the country; and before the life of Abraham was through, God intended to show Abraham the very place where the Cross would be lifted up, where that final sacrifice for sin would be made once and for all.

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad." The Lord would accomplish the great scheme of redemption on the hill which today stands outside the city wall.

Abraham did not go the whole way with God at the first

Disobedience. Abraham is holding back on one hand. Then Abraham erred in the other direction and went too far. Abraham went only halfway. Genesis 11 tells us that he got as far as Haran and then he stopped there. Also he brought his father with him, Actually the scriptures say in Genesis 11 verse 31, "And Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran his son's son."  This was in obvious disobedience to the command of the Lord - "Abraham leave the country, leave your kindred and leave your father's house." But the old man came too. Terah actually took Abram. 

"They went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan." The intention was to go all the way with God. The verse continues "and they came unto Haran and dwelt there." They were on their way to Canaan but they came only so far as Haran and they dwelt there out of the will of God. 

Terah means delay

Haran means dry ground

Genesis 12 "Now the Lord had said" - "had" God had already settled this matter; God had already made his will clear to Abraham. But Abraham is stuck, stuck at Haran. 

If you have come only halfway with God you are not in the right place at all. As long as Abraham went only halfway he did not stand to receive the promise and God himself gave Abraham a definite promise. 

Some information about Abraham not given until very much later

Acts 7 verse 2 "The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran (Haran). And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran (Haran); and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on; yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child."

God promised to give the land where he would lead Abraham, to him and to his seed; yet Abraham never received the land. he had only a small bit of territory that he finally brought for a grave. Acts 7 verses 2 to 5 tells us that Abraham did not get even enough of the land for him to set foot on. Abraham journeyed for those 100 years walking around the land that God had promised him, surveying all the while the mountains and the valleys, the rivers and the seas. He looked at the land that God had promised and he believed God; yet he never so much as set foot on it.  God will keep that promise. God will bless Abraham in keeping with every detail of the promise he originally gave. The God of glory appeared personally to Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia in far-off Ur of the Chaldees.

Abraham actually met with God and he believed God. And God counted it to him for righteousness. When God gives the word, he fulfills it.

The seven-fold reward God had in store for Abraham

First, I will make of thee a great nation; 

Second, I will bless thee;

Third, make thy name great;

Fourth, thou shalt be a blessing - obey God now and you will be a blessing

Fifth, I will bless them that bless thee;

Sixth, and curse them that curseth thee;

Seventh, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed

We can see God has placed emphasis on different people - in the first section, you can see Abraham himself.

Then in verse 3 there is a reference to others.

In verse 2 God speaks of Abraham and in verse 3 he speaks of others. No man lives unto himself. In verse 2 there is also an application to Israel. In verse 3 you can see the blessing reaching out to all the earth, to all the families of the earth ... That includes you!

The 2 things we need to know about every blessing God gives

First, blessing comes by bowing the knee. "blessing" comes from a word that means to bend the knee.  You cannot have the best that God has for you unless you bend the knee at the mercy seat. No man has ever lost by obeying God. 

Second it is clear that the blessing of God goes on for all eternity.  All the families of the earth, not only in Abraham's day but on and on and on since that time, continue to receive God's blessing. We too, have been sharing in the goodness of God. We have been blessed through the obedience of Abraham. We are blessed in Christ forever.

Isaiah 51 verse 2 "Look unto Abraham your father and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone and blessed him and increased him."

Look at Abraham as an example and learn from his mistakes. "Look" means to look with a great deal of thought, intently if you like, with the heart, to Abraham your father. Remember God's promise to Abraham is still to be fulfilled. You also have yet to see all the promises of God fulfilled. Remember that Abraham received a call and began to follow that call. Do not be forgetful of your origins. Do not forget the starting point on the road to heaven. Every child of God will have occasion to look back to that hour when, by the call of God, he started out for heaven and for home.

Obedience to God sometimes leads to a lonely path

Abraham did not get all the way to Canaan the first time he set out. Notice the little word "alone" in Isaiah 51 verse 2 "for I called him alone". God had already spoken in the Ur of the Chaldees, making his will perfectly clear to Abraham with that threefold command: Abraham was to get out of his own country, he was to get away from his kindred, and he was to get away from his father's house. yet, Genesis 12 verse 5 informs us that Abraham took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son. In addition we know that Terah, Abraham's elderly father was also in the company. We know that this situation was not what God had commanded, for the Lord had definitely indicated that discipleship would require that Abraham say goodbye to his father and goodbye to Lot whom he regarded as his own son. But things are not always as easy as they first appear.

The family pitched their tents at Haran and that was halfway to the land of Canaan. The child of God, instead of going all the way, may easily settle for less. 

Always there must be the kind of obedience which conforms exactly to the Word of God

There is an afterwards for Abraham and for us! When Abraham's father was dead, Abraham came at last to the point of obedience. In Genesis 12 verse 4 those touching words appear: So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him. 

Lot went with him - Lot just went. Lot went with Abraham. He had no call from God to go to Canaan. He had no conviction as Abraham had to leave all for Jesus' sake. There was no heart in what Lot was doing. No record of Lot at prayer, or of Lot looking to the Lord for guidance before he made his way to Canaan. Lot was simply a fellow traveller. Although he was a believer he seemed to be the kind of man who had no conviction. He had no strength of character. He seemed to be the kind of man who was one man one day and a completely different man another day.

Some people who profess the Lord's name are like that. They don't show the kind of resolve that we would expect. Nail your colours to the mast! Stand for the Lord! Don't be ashamed of the Lord but follow him in earnest discipleship. Lot just went along. Every step along the way of life must be in accordance with the Word of God. Every association formed, every friendship forged must be in complete submission to the scripture. 

Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him. This obedience was not the case with Lot. God did not call him to take that step with Abraham. There are 2 classes of Christians: those who go by the Word - and they can look for the blessing of God - and those who like Lot merely go.

The costly business of disobedience weighed against the fulness of blessing God bestows on those who please him

You can miss out on God's best for your life.

Get thee out - God gave that command to Abraham when he was back there at the Ur of the Chaldees and the strength of the passage here is "Get thee out for thine own sake." When God calls us to do something, he does not take special delight in a Christian's making some sort of sacrifice. Don't ever think that the Lord commands his people to do hard things without his providing a benefit for them somewhere else along the line. The Lord is full of loving kindness; he always acts on behalf of his people. When the Lord gives you direction there is always a blessing just around the corner. You will never obey God for nothing. No man is a loser by following in the footsteps of the Saviour. Always there is more beyond for the believer. It was for Abraham's sake.

There is an element in following the Lord. No man ever came to be a disciple of Christ - taking up his cross and following the Saviour - without having to forsake something. The Lord will bless us with something far better!

It is a privilege to receive God's word and it is certainly a privilege as well as a joy to walk with the Lord. There is always more than before. God has blessings without number. 

It is either the right place or the wrong place

There are 2 distinct possibilities for every Christian: that of being in God's will and in God's place and that of being out of God's will and in the wrong place altogether. Verses 4 to 9 show Abraham in the right place, that is in the land of Canaan, the Land of Promise. In verses 10 to 20 we find him in the land of Egypt, in the wrong place. It was even more difficult to keep Abraham in Canaan that it was to get him there. When Abraham was driven to go beyond the borders of Canaan, visiting the land of Egypt, he went too far. For God's people we sometimes fall short and would need to go on a little bit further along the way of following the Lord and others have shot away beyond the boundary and have gotten themselves out of the will and place of God's direction.

The 4 characteristics of life in Canaan

Life in the land of Canaan is associated with pilgrimage - verse 6

It is God's will for the believer to engage in a pilgrimage. "And Abram passed through. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land." 

The name Hebrew occurs in reference to the people of God only when it is used in speech by foreigners or to foreigners. Every instance where God's ancient people in Israel are called Hebrews, therefore is when a distinction is made between them and other nations. The name Hebrew is special; its use is a means of separating God's people from the rest of men. While you are here on this earth as a redeemed child of god, he wants you to be distinct from the rest of mankind. Some of us are afraid of being different; we want a kind of anonymity that enables us to blend in with the rest of society. It is not God's will for you to walk that pathway. He means you to be an example and witness to the world. He did mean you to be different. The name Hebrew then is most significant.

Furthermore, the Hebrew is one who does not belong here; he is just passing through. These words pass through, derive from the very same root as that from which we get the word Hebrew. Abraham was acting the Hebrew, living out the part of the Hebrew while he passed through the land as one that did not belong. He was saying by his very manner of life, "I am a stranger here; I am just passing through." Notice how Genesis 14 verse 13 describes Abraham: And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew:"  This is the first time in the bible when the name Hebrew is used as a classification and Abraham is the first man to be honoured with that name. He lived up to his name. By his example in everything, Abraham was the Hebrew. He belonged to the other side. He was just passing through. He was a stranger there.

God wants you to know that you cannot, you dare not allow the roots of your life to get down too deeply into the world. There is that within every man and woman that strives to send down deep roots. The first characteristic of the child of God is that he is passing through this world, He is not to be a permanent resident. The Lord tells you that heaven is your home, and so it is. Meanwhile you are not a home; you are merely passing through.

Verse 8 "removed" - "And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel." Canaanite was then in the land. All around Abraham were those who did not belong to God. Abraham was in the middle of them but he was passing through; he did not seek to abide with them. He did not make the mistake that Lot made. You would not find Abraham dwelling among them.

Verse 9, Abraham journeyed and once more he was a traveller. He was the Hebrew. He was passing through all the time. he was a man on a journey. Every Christian must know that he also is on a journey. For the believer, he is not at home in the world.

The second mark of the pilgrim is the presence of the Lord - verse 7

Twice over the fact of the Lord's presence is made known: "And the Lord appeared unto Abram." Again at the end of the verse, the Holy Spirit records, "and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him." Take note of the repetitions in the bible. The Lord repeats those things that we need to take in. God did not appear unto Abraham in Haran, the wrong place for Abraham to dwell. But now that Abraham has reached the land of Canaan and come into full obedience, the Lord has appeared unto him there. God speaks to the believer when he is in the right place with himself. if it is your desire and prayer that the Lord would speak more and more to your soul, then seek for all that you are worth to be right in the centre of the will of God.

Third, a believer who walks in God's will seeks the Lord through the propitiatory work of Jesus Christ or to put it simply, a yielded Christian worships on redemption ground. Again verse 7 tells us, "Unto thy seed will I give this land and there builded he an altar unto the Lord." This verse reminds us that all the blessings of God come to Abraham by way of the altar. Prayer and praise ascend to God from the altar, and the blessing of God descends upon the altar. Abraham worships the Lord on the ground of the redeeming blood. It is significant that Abram in the right place with God is now building an altar. He worships there on redemption ground. Notice the blessing of God upon Abraham. Even the way God speaks to his soul and the way that the Lord makes his presence known to Abraham must not be passed over. We need to see that God meets the Christian who worships on redemption ground. We need to ask the Lord to teach us the power of the blood. In the spiritual place of prayer, in the place of conflict, in the place of following on to know the Lord, we will have to have recourse continually to the cross work of Christ. Abraham built an altar.

Maybe you have started to build your prayer life on your own attainments. Maybe you have started to build your prayer life on your own reputation, on your own estimation of yourself. It is just as perilous for you to build your prayer upon your own works as it is for the ungodly man to build his prayers on his works. If God accepts you, if he hears your prayers, if he receives your worship, if he speaks to you, it will not be because you are faithful, it will be because of Jesus' blood and righteousness.

Abraham's first thought is to build an altar. Genesis 12 verse 7 tells us he builds an altar and worships the Lord. Abraham has learned to put the Lord first. By way of contrast, look at Genesis 11 verse 4 "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower." The first act of the ungodly peoples of the earth, who were gathered together at Babylon or Babel was to build a city. The city is obviously different from the tent. The city holds quite a number of  inhabitants. The city consists of maybe hundreds of houses and these are permanent dwelling places. The city keeps its position. It does not move every 5 years, half a mile in this direction of 5 miles in that direction. Those who are in the city determine to send down their roots. This is the abiding place. The city is a fixture. But Abraham's first thought is to build an altar. To learn these hallmarks of the disciple's life in the land of Canaan, we must notice the importance of being a pilgrim - a man on a journey with no permanent abiding place; we also must notice the importance of the presence of the Lord; and we must see here that Abraham is praying at the altar - he cried to God on the strength of Christ's atoning work.

The true believer's life is marked by prayer

All the while Abraham is in the centre of the will of God, all the while he occupies territory in the land of Canaan, prayer characterizes his life. Abraham called on the name of the Lord. Prayer characterizes the life of a pilgrim, it is offered by one who is a stranger, it is breathed constantly by the one who stands only on the redeeming work of Christ. Are you on praying ground? Or have you moved away from God's will for your life? Until you draw near to him in obedience, you will find that your prayers will be few and that the heavens will seem as brass. In the life of the obedience disciple, prayer is like breathing - necessary for life itself.

The 4 characteristics of life in Egypt

It is marked by declension - verse 10

"And Abram went down" He took a downward step. This is always the direction of the first step in separation from God. Abraham went down to Egypt. The scripture always portrays Egypt as a type of the world. Consequently, as Abraham leaves the Land of Promise where God wants him to be, and makes his journey towards Egypt, he is not going up. It is not an upward way; it is a downward path. God knows all of our hearts. Once you are out of the will of God, once your steps lead you towards the world, you are declining. This part of Abraham's life should solemnize our hearts, for it shows us that even in the best of men, even in the best of God's people there can be a going down in the Christian life.

Some very special teaching about Egypt from the book of Jeremiah

Jeremiah 42 verses 13 to 16 gives us insight into the attraction which Egypt has for the pilgrims of God, as well as its dangers.

The group of people in this passage who are saying, "no" belong to the people of Israel, God's own people. They are at a crossroads. They have to decide whether to stay in the land of Israel - which is the command of the Lord to them - or whether to go down to Egypt. These people are facing hardship and danger in the land where the Lord has called them. They perceive Egypt to be a better, an easier dwelling place for the time. This dilemma is a bit like the decision Abraham had to make. There was a famine in the land of Canaan; there was trouble ahead, and Abraham considered what he should do.

The temptation for every Christian is to turn to the world. it doesn't take much to get God's people into the world. It is easy for a believer to make a mistake or to become forgetful and careless or perhaps to be overwhelmed and discouraged and be drawn away and enticed of his own lusts, and slide right down into the ways of the world. 

The people in Jeremiah 42 were not wise for they actually said no to God! When men say no, when they disobey, we can have only one word for them. We have to say: "Look", when you choose to turn your back on God's will and turn to the world, when you are saying no, you are not just saying no to the church, you are not just saying no to the minister, you are not just saying no to your parents; you are saying no to the Lord. You would need to learn to say no to Egypt. You would need to learn to say no to the world. You have been saying no to the Lord far too long. What does God say to those who contemplate breaking his commands? Listen to his words in Deuteronomy 10 verses 12 and 13 "And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the Lord and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?"

The beautiful face of the temptress of Egypt

But what was so tempting about Egypt at the time described in Jeremiah 42? The attraction was that Egypt was at peace. She was quiet from war. It seems that there is always war in Israel; there is always trouble wherever the people of God are. And to people who battle constantly, it seems as it there is nothing to bother the soul in Egypt - nothing there but tranquility. It is the world's idea of heaven. It appears that there is no scarcity in the world. It is far better to dwell in the land of God's choosing and endure battle, than to separate yourself from his safety, protection and blessing in order to be at ease. It is far better, Abraham to have a famine in the land of Israel and be there with God, than to be down in Egypt where you will have the promise of prosperity, but at the same time, the problem of being out of the will of God. What a powerful realization that is.

Furthermore, the Egypt life is characterized by dishonesty

"And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife ... say I pray thee, thou art my sister."

We notice that the nearer Abraham got to Egypt, the more like Egypt he became. Egypt was full of people who did not know the living God. Their ways were not God's ways. Abraham, on the other hand, was the follower of the one true God ; yet we find as he drew near to Egypt, that he began to deal with his circumstances as those in Egypt might have done. "When he was come near to enter into Egypt ... he said unto Sarai his wife ... say ... thou art my sister."  Abraham began to fear. He decided to lie. We find, as events unfolded, that Abraham not only told the lie but he started to live the lie. Sarah was taken to live in another man's house. How far down can a Christian go? Have you gone down so far that you are living a lie? Are you living by double standards, professing one thing but living another kind of life altogether? 

Egypt in scripture is the type of the world. The conclusion is not difficult: the closer to the world we come, the more like it we become. This world is not a safe place for the Christian. We cannot dwell in the world and remain free of its filth and deception.

The child of God in Egypt eventually encounters disease

In verse 16 we find the words, "And he (Pharaoh) entreated Abram well for her sake." Abraham had sheep and oxen, asses, men servants, maidservants, she asses and camels." Abraham is prospering. he is doing well in the land of Egypt but all the while in his own soul he has lost out with the Lord. He has gone down. 

Verse 17 explodes the dream "And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of - because of the sin of Pharaoh? No. Because of the idolatry of Egypt? No. Because of the wickedness of the heathen in that vast empire? No Because of Sarai Abram's wife. Because of Abraham's lie. Because of dishonesty. Because of the way Abraham has lost out with the Lord. Now what we do see in Abraham? He who should have been a blessing - in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed - becomes a curse to the people of the land. His life is a disaster. But God had promised in verse 3 that he would make Abraham a blessing. How then, by the time we get to verse 17 do we find that he is a plague and a curse? He is the very opposite of a blessing. He is a disaster to everyone around him. Has the Lord forgotten his promise? Has the Lord gone back on his word? On the contrary, God is being true to his word. The Lord undertakes to do great things for his people while they are in the centre of his will. God's people will be blessed and a blessing when they bend the knee, when thy humbly bow at the feet of their Lord and King. Let the child of God wander away, let him go downhill, let him turn his back on God's will and God's place, let him make for Egypt and as he gets near to Egypt, he begins to take on the lifestyle of the heathen. Instead of being a blessing he becomes a plague and a curse. Abraham is only a blessing when is in the land.''

There is a Pharaoh, an ungodly man and his household is actually plagued because of the man of God who has come into his land, a man of God, who for the time being, has forgotten the will of the Lord for his life.  You have to think very carefully about your testimony and how you live. The Lord saves you to be a channel for good and not for evil. Romans 2 verse 24 states that the nation of Israel fell into the same sin: For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you (Israel). God says in this book that he intended the whole nation to be a channel for good among the nations of the earth; but instead of being a channel for good, Israel turned her back on God, becoming a plague and curse throughout the nations of the earth, and a cause for blasphemy. You have caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. That word blaspheme includes criticism, false accusation, slander and cursing. God is saying that by your sin, you can actually cause the name of the Lord to be blasphemed.

Life in Egypt will always bring great disappointment

I mean becoming disillusioned with the world, disappointed in Egypt, out of which Abraham had come to expect so much. In verse 19, we have Pharaoh reproaching Abraham saying Why saidst thou, She is my sister? So I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her and go thy way. The word go in this passage is very strong. It means that Pharaoh is saying literally, "Take her and go, get out of here!" Sometimes the wayward Christian will find things turning out very awkwardly for him, and he might even wonder why, chastened in heart and in soul, these things have worked out so badly. Abraham intended to go down to Egypt so that he could do better there than he was doing in the impoverished land of Canaan. He wanted the good Egypt offered, and he did, by his plan, increase in sheep, oxen, asses, men servants, maidservants, she asses and camels. But the truth of the matter was that he was just a plague and not a blessing. How disappointing! How disillusioning that Pharaoh should say, "Here is your wife, now you pack your bags and get out of here." There are times when things go horribly wrong for the Christian because he has not prayed. There are times when things go horribly wrong for the believer and God has called that one to himself because things are just not right.

Take her and go. Do you see that Pharaoh is offended? He is offended in finding out Abraham's lies. There is no such thing as telling one lie. It is not possible to tell only one lie. You will need to tell another to back it up and you will have to tell another one to back up those too. it is necessary for the Christian, even if it is unpleasant, just to face up to the truth. Pharaoh throws Abraham's lies right in his teeth. The ungodly man with whom he had come to work reproaches him and puts him in his place. What an embarrassment, what a disillusioning experience, what a disappointment! Instead of Abraham's playing the prince he certainly was (for he was the child of God), instead of Abraham's demonstrating the blessing of God to a heathen king (for he was the man to whom the promise of the blessing had come), instead of Abraham's instructing Pharaoh (for Abraham talked with God), Abraham was rebuked, rejected, and run out of town. Egypt robbed Abraham of all the benefits that he had so richly experienced while he had walked with the Lord in the land of Canaan.

Out of the will of God. You can follow in detail Abraham's downward steps to Egypt - no altar, no record of prayer, no appearing of the Lord. Those vital marks of life, the life of the pilgrim, the life of the Hebrew in the land of Canaan are beginning to disappear. Now Abraham's life is marked by Declension, Dishonesty, Disaster and Disappointment. 

What have you lost in your downward pathway into the world? You have lost out in prayer. You have lost out in the building of the altar. You have lost out on those precious times with God for which nothing else in the world will ever compensate. What should you do? Hear the voice of the Father. His voice calls you home.

The Christian who truly wants restoration will seek to return to the presence of his heavenly Father.

Genesis 13 verses 1 to 4 tells us "And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver an din gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai; Unto the place of the altar which he had made there at the first: and thee Abram called on the name of the Lord. How the Holy Spirit heaps words upon words that we might not miss his message! Abraham knew he had to go back to the place where he started, back to Beth-el, back to the place of the altar. He went ... even to Beth-el ... where his tent had been at the beginning ... Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first. And what was the first blessing that God restored to Abraham? Prayer, fellowship with God himself! ... and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. What is the significance of the altar? It is the picture of God's great sacrifice for sin, the precious shed blood. It is the place of the Cross of Jesus Christ who died to take away our sins. Where did you begin in your Christian walk? What was your first experience of God's love and pardon? It began at the foot of the cross. You knelt there in repentance and found God's love, cleansing and pardon. That's where it all began and that is the way back. Go back with Abraham to the altar. You will find your way home.

Abraham is back where he belongs - in the Land of Promise., once more in the will of God, in the place of the altar. 

Genesis 13 verses 2, 5 to 11

Times of conflict and testing often follow hard on the heels of spiritual victory. Abraham had finally returned to the land of blessing, to Beth-el, the place of the altar. There "he called on the name of the Lord." The peace in his own soul which surely had come when he returned to Canaan and met with God, must have been a blessed relief after the experience of Egypt. Yet, things were not to remain peaceful.

In God's work, even in times of revival, people show their weaknesses. Even in the best of times, God's people are still in the flesh and sometimes act so. Notice the phrase in verse 5 "And Lot also, which went with Abram." Lot here is associated with Abraham, identified with him. Lot being closely involved with Abraham, reflected upon that godly man simply by association, and as this story unfolds we shall see that Abraham suffered from Lot's foolish actions.

Scripture goes on to tell us, "And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together": for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. Sometimes material blessings are not blessings at all. Sometimes when we pray for a blessing we may not know what we are praying. We do not always ask wisely. We do not always think carefully about what we ask. And we do not always carefully seek the will and the glory of the Lord in the matter.

But suppose we have received a blessing from the Lord that has prospered us and helped us on our way in life - how have we responded? Sometimes when the Lord does good things for us or bestows his love on us in a tangible way, we act shamefully. We fail him. Notice verse 6 - what was the reason that they could not live together in peace? "For their substance was great" If they had been so poor that they had hardly a dozen in the flock, perhaps things would have gone much better. No, when God is good to us materially and helps us through those difficult times, it is not always the best for the soul. The body may do well, but the soul may dry up and shrivel. 

The sad discovery of strife among the people of God

Verse 7 tells us that there was "strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle." This is quarrelling between 2 household of relatives. It certainly is not God's will that there should be disharmony in the church.  The work of the Lord within a congregation can be hindered greatly if there are divisions and strife among God's people and these problems creep in very easily unless each member is actively praying for the unity of the Spirit in the church.

The vexation of Christians committing sin before the ungodly

This time of strife was an unhappy time in Abraham's life and certainly it was an even worse time for Lot who bore his own guilt in the matter. Verse 7 reminds us "the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land". The word means "at the same time". This trouble between the brethren took place in the presence of the enemy. These men quarreled in front of the ungodly. It was not a good witness for those who belonged to the camp that the difficulty between them could not be solved. When there is trouble in the camp of God the people in the neighbourhood soon get to hear of it. Practical Christianity is required of you by the Lord. It is not enough to know all the right things and be courageous in giving forth the gospel. In matters of conscience, your life needs to be pure.

Abraham and Lot - very rich - are "weighed down" with the care of worldly things

This strife arose from interest in worldly things. Notice verse 2 and also verses 5 and 6. Abraham is now very rich in cattle, silver and gold. Now he had cattle, silver and gold before he went to Egypt but it is clear from the careful reading of chapter 12 that Abraham prospered in material things while he lived in Egypt. Lot also did very well when he was in Egypt for he had his own personal flocks, herds and tents. There was no "togetherness" or unity between Abraham and Lot. All this was because of their interest in material things. The sequel to this upheaval, however, seems to indicate that Abraham kept right values all the time, and remained in fellowship with God, while Lot did not do so; therefore Lot was to blame all the while for the unrest. Lot got interested in worldly things. He could not dwell with Abraham.

The fact was that Lot could not dwell with Abraham in the tents of prayer, but he certainly could dwell in the cities of the plain. Lot tolerated so much sin and filth in Sodom, that his soul was vexed day by day. When the heart is not right, when a Christian is out of sorts with God, it is just incredible the kinds of things he might do.

The magnanimity of a mighty man of God

So how did Abraham conduct himself in the midst of this conflict? He demonstrated a life which took care to keep a pure conscience before God and man. He was a noble man, generous in spirit, large of heart. Bear in mind, that Lot never had any word from God to go to the land of Canaan, and he had no business being there.  Abraham could have said to Lot, "Just you get as far away from me as you can. Clear off of this territory. God has said this is my land and although I do not possess it yet, this land is for me. You need to pray to God for yourself, and get a share of territory from the Lord that you can call your own, but don't stay here in my domain." Nothing like these words ever came from Abraham's lips. Instead, we see Abraham's generosity of spirit in verse 8 "Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen." Although the herdsmen went to war, Abraham brought himself into the conflict. He took responsibility for the situation. He said "There ought not to be strife between the two of us, never mind the herdsmen. Let us resolve this problem in a peaceful manner." Instead of insisting upon his own rights, he makes peace. He says "Don't let us fall out over this thing. Don't let the devil get in. Don't let this thing get through to us." Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee.

Pray that such a situation will not tempt you to break fellowship with the Lord.

Going the second mile for God

Abraham's generous spirit went the extra mile. Though he owed Lot nothing, though he alone possessed the promise of land. Abraham gave up his right to sole possession. He even went so far as to offer Lot first choice of the territory. "Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left." The point of separation had been reached. Sometimes in God's work, separation must occur, although we don't like it. If it must happen, let us try to be like Abraham and say "There is the whole land; we are brethren."

Genesis 13 verses 10 to 13 tells us "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and behold all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." Watch carefully a separation between God's people. If one party has not put things right, then from the point of separation onwards, that man goes down, sometimes very, very quickly. Even if there must be a separation, it is a special time to remain guarded and extremely cautious. 

So, in the conflict, Abraham gave up his rights for conscience sake, indeed, for the Lord's sake he separated from Lot on the best terms possible. Lot seemed to get the choice land, but his life ended in tragedy. Abraham, on the other hand, was blessed immeasurably by God. He understood that true blessings were not temporal. Further God called himself the friend of Abraham.

Lot had gone down to dwell in Sodom. Of course he ought to have known better; he should never have been there in the first place. "The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly."  You would think that Lot would be doing the worst kind of evil in choosing a place to live where its inhabitants were called wicked. That was bad enough. But the scripture further emphasizes that the men of Sodom were sinners before the Lord exceedingly. This description is even worse. The words before the Lord means that the men of Sodom could sin with a brazen, hard-hearted, defiant attitude. They could sin in the very face of God. They could sin with impunity. It seems that these men did not have one thought of repentance. They could perform their sinful actions as if they were aware and yet unafraid, though all the while God was looking down from heaven upon them. They would say with a hard spirit, without conscience, without regret or desire to change. "Well this is the way we are living - and so what?" They were exceedingly wicked sinners before God. These were the people among whom Lot chose to dwell.

How we know Lot is saved - the testimony of scripture

2 Peter 2 verse 7 says "and delivered just Lot."  "just" means justified. The justified man is a saved man. This wayward man, this nephew of Abraham, was justified by God and therefore saved and on his way to heaven. A justified man is a saved man, a man on his way to heaven with all his sins put away. 2 Peter 2 verse 8 goes further - it calls Lot a righteous man. 2 Peter 2 verse 9 describes Lot with yet another word. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly. Now Lot was delivered from the judgment upon Sodom; therefore, these verses tell us, by inference, that Lot was a godly man. That means he is saved. Even as we see Lot's dwelling in wicked Sodom, the scripture makes it very clear that Lot is a justified man; Lot is a righteous man; and Lot is a godly man.

Lot did not deserve to be saved

Lot is actually a type of the believer. The believer can go in the wrong direction. he can get among the wrong company. Lot represents the believer who is backslidden, careless towards the will of God, swallowed up by the world and sorely chastened on account of his disobedience. But Lot is a saved man. 

He is an example for us to shun. Lot was a backslidden Christian. His example is important to warn us against the grievous sin of leaving God's fellowship and his story will enable us to answer 4 important questions:

1. How does God deal with the backslider?

2. What weakness of the flesh can tempt us to get out of God's will?

3. What actions and circumstances of life can set us upon a downward slide?

4. What is the answer for the backslidden Christian?

Lot came under the chastening stoke of God's hand

The New Testament account tells us that every day he lived in the city of Sodom, Lot's righteous soul was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. It was an offence to him to see the deeds of the wicked and to hear the words they were saying. His righteous soul was stung, discouraged, grieved. The atmosphere of the wicked city of Sodom was depressive to Lot's spirit. This grieving of the soul in the presence of sin is a sign of conversion. The unhappiness a person feels when he is away from the Lord is a good indication that God has done a work in the man's soul. He may be in the wrong place, but he knows all the while these things are wrong, and he really wants no part of them. If you are born again you cannot live with peace of mind in the city of the wicked. The Lord makes the backslider miserable. God wants to separate his people from the world; therefore, when they backslide or become cold and hardened in heart and begin to wander away, if they would judge themselves at such a moment, they will not be judged by the Lord. God will not have to use the chastening rod when they judge themselves, and then he will be faithful to bring them back to repentance. The wayward Christian may try to be like the world, but God will not allow him to go on the way he has been living. God chastened Lot sorely. Lot lost everything God gave him. He may have prospered for a while, but God saw to it that he came to the place of complete poverty. God would not allow him to go on unchecked. The Lord chastens the backslider. God must pull in the reins. God must pull you up to a standstill so that you will not be condemned with the world. He must show you, after all, that you are his child. 

The lovingkindness of a faithful God

Our faithful, wise and loving heavenly Father not only makes sure we cannot live happily out of fellowship with him. He not only chastens us as his children when we are turned out of the way but he does something even more wonderful when these actions do not bring us back to him. God delivers the backslidden child of God from his compromise. The passage in 2 Peter gives us a statement of God's love and mercy towards the backslider: And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. God delivered Lot from the judgment upon Sodom. These verses cry, "Look at what God did for Lot. He delivered that man who was so unhappy in Sodom. God removed him from that place." The Lord has a great interest in redeeming his saints, and he will deliver the godly out of temptation, the scriptures say. This is his will for you. Call upon him and he will answer you. 

We may well wonder, given that he had such a good example in his Uncle Abraham, how Lot came to be in such sin and separation from God. Though Lot knew the Lord, he exhibited two weaknesses of the flesh that dogged him and dragged him downwards. 

First, Lot was easily led. I would call Lot a taken man. All through this account Lot is taken here and there. Genesis 11 verse 31 And Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran his son's son. Terah took Lot away from Babylon. Then he took him to the place called Haran, and from Haran, Abraham took Lot to Canaan. Later on, Abraham took Lot into Egypt. He is ready to go this way and that way, wherever Abraham goes, or wherever Terah goes. It seems as if Lot cannot use his own initiative except in the wrong way, as when he goes to Sodom. Do we not see people all the time who are easily led? They are easily influenced to do wrong, but not so easily led to do right. It seems to be a harder thing to lead them into the paths of righteousness. Lot can go anywhere. He does not have a character of his own. 

In the second place, Lot was fascinated by the world. Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom. Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom. He seemed drawn towards the place. Lot was going as far as he could away from the tents of prayer and as near as he could to the gates of Sodom without actually going into the city. He was sliding towards sin and away from God's fellowship. Jeremiah 2 verses 13 and 19. God classifies backsliding as an evil and bitter thing. God does not accept your backslidden state as an excuse for your sin. You are more to blame in the sight of God if you sit back comforting yourself with the way you can live in sin and live for the world because you are a backslider. 

Lot's backsliding was a progression of downward steps, one after the other. It is possible for the child of God to be on the downhill, step after step leading further away from blessing. As a Christian you need to be progressing upward. The path of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The path grows lighter because it is climbing up towards the sun. The path grows lighter because it is climbing up towards the sun. The Christian should be growing in grace. 

Lot was a fool. He pitched his tent as far as he could away from the tents of prayer and as near as he could to the city without going into the gates of Sodom. You cannot play with sin. You cannot play with the devil and do well. Don't deceive yourself. If the downward marks are there all too clearly in your life, then it is about time that you awakened and recognized your danger. The Lord is giving you a word, perhaps just in time, to save you from going on in your recklessness and folly. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

When Lot left Abraham and headed towards Sodom, the scripture tells us that he dwelled in the cities of the plain. How he could dwell there and not be able to dwell with Abraham is a strange thing, but when the heart is not right, God's people put up with sin much more easily than they will put up with other Christians. They will find fault in God's house and they will make excuses for the world. This was a foolish attitude on Lot's part. It was a step in his downward progression. His fascination with the world blinded his eyes to its dangers and he went from pitching his tent towards Sodom to dwelling right in the plain where Sodom was situated. In those early days, Lot must have thought, "I could never live there. I must not, for I am a child of God. It would be wrong for me to live right in the city, but I can stay outside as long as I am near to the gate to do business."

A Christian does not backslide in a day; he does not abandon God in one step. When the devil engineers your downfall, everything happens over a period of time. You start going after the world in a small way. It draws you. You make this mistake, another blunder, yet another error and sin is leading you down, down, down. 

The next thing we see is Lot dwelling in Sodom. Genesis 14 verse 11 and 12 tell us that Lot suddenly found himself in trouble. 2 confederations of kings went to war against each other in the valley of Siddim. The victors took a spoil of those cities and carried Lot and his goods away in the process. Abraham rescued Lot, who went back to live - in Sodom! By the time we get to Genesis 19 we learn that Lot continued to live in the wicked city. How did Lot come to actually dwell in such a place? Why did he stay there?

Lot never intended to live permanently in Sodom. We see this in Genesis 19 verse 19. The men of the city knew that Lot had declared he would not stay, for they said, This one fellow came in to sojourn. Lot must have explained at the start, "I'm here temporarily; on no account would I remain in Sodom!" The backslider always has to make excuses for himself, explaining his sin, and justifying his failure.

But the slide continued. Eventually Lot sat in the gate of Sodom, a place of position and prominence. He gained promotion. Lot not only continued to live in the city, but he began to take significant part in its activities. There he saw things he ought not to have seen. He heard things he ought not to have heard. How did he get to such a position? It certainly was not by accident. 

In the life of every Christian the devil can use difficulties, discouragements and disasters to weaken him and influence him to make a foolish decision, or to head in a wrong direction. This is what happened to Lot. God always makes a way to escape from every temptation. Ultimately the responsibility for Lot's sin was on his own shoulders. God never allows his children to endure more temptation than they can bear; but if a Christian refuses to heed God's warnings and fails to ask for his help in time of need, he will step out of the place of God's blessing. Events came into Lot's life which influenced him to head away from Canaan and into the world; and because Lot was weak in character, that is he was easily led and quite fascinated by the world, he succumbed to these temptations. 

The chickens come home to roost - Lot's past sins begin to catch up with them

The first significant event in Lot's downward slide was the quarrel in the camp. Lot quarreled with his brethren. Now if the devil can see to it that there is a falling-out between you and another believer, he will do that. The Christian needs to be on his toes. We need to recognise that there is an enemy. The arch-enemy of our souls is the devil, and even though we know what the bible says about him, we still are caught napping much of the time. We come to our prayer meetings, our worship services, and other church functions as if the devil does not exist. 

After this, Lot began to think about separating from Abraham. And the next event is recorded in Genesis 13 verse 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as thou  comest unto Zoar.  This moment seems like a small event, but it contained an element in the process of getting Lot into Sodom. Lot lifted up his eyes. He cast about looking for a place away from Beth-el, the place of the altar. He looked for the world to find a place to get away from his difficulties. He was looking for an excuse to leave godly fellowship to find a place where he didn't have to deal with the problems he was facing.

Lot left the tents of prayer - the second step in his slide downward. He would have been better leaving his herds. He reacted to trouble and strife in the wrong way. He thought that leaving Beth-el behind and going into the comfort of the world would solve his problems. He left the place where there was help and fellowship. Is it not strange how people blame the Lord when there is trouble? 

A strange threesome - Sodom, Egypt and Eden

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. Here we notice 3 locations: Sodom, Egypt and Eden. Eden's garden - Lot did not see any difficulty in likening Sodom to Paradise. Up there in the mountains, he scanned the length and breadth of the Land of Promise with Abraham. It seemed all the same to Lot. He could say, "Do you know that place down there is really green and lush. It looks to me like the Garden of Eden." Then the scripture adds the words, "It was really like Egypt." Those are words you want to think about.

From that distance, the plain of the cities must have seemed like a heaven on earth. Everything looked green and lush, orderly, prosperous, attractive. But really, down there in the valley, inside those walls of the city of Sodom, it was a den of wickedness. It was hell let loose. It was anything but a paradise on earth. Many people are fooled by the world, especially the young. Why should Egypt be brought into the text?

After Abraham took Lot to Egypt, though he got Lot out of Egypt, he never got Egypt out of Lot. Lot could not forget Egypt; he liked it there. He liked the lifestyle. He liked the ungodly atmosphere. He liked the money. He liked to have all that there was in the world, because in Egypt he had found plenty, wealth and comfort. Egypt had a very high standard of civilization. Lot liked all the comforts that came with it. He remembered how luxurious Egypt had been. It was beautiful. It was sophisticated. It was interesting - fascinating. It was really living! And it was Abraham who took him there.

The marks of the world and the stains of sin which can never be blotted out from the mind

Abraham took Lot to Egypt and he never got over it. Lot never got Egypt out of his soul and one of the reasons he chose the city of Sodom was that it looked like Egypt. Be careful of your influence. If you take somebody where you should not be or direct them into an activity in which you should not take part, take sober heed what you do. 

There were 3 people who went into Egypt: Abraham, Sarah and Lot. These 3 were never the same again. You cannot backslide, you cannot break fellowship with God and get out of his will, and be the same as before. Sin leaves scars; it leaves memories. Sometimes it leaves shipwrecked lives. Abraham exposed Lot to Egypt and he never got over it. He developed a liking for Egypt and was no longer the man he was before. Abraham endangered his own life and marriage and put his wife in a dangerous situation when he went down into Egypt. Abraham got richer - at least he added to his riches - and learned how to lie. And while they were in Egypt, Sarah got Hagar, the woman who broke her heart and who nearly broke her home.

At the moment Lot lifted up his eyes to look toward Sodom, he had returned from Egypt to Canaan with Abraham and was dwelling at Beth-el, the place of the altar. He was where fellowship was had with the God of Abraham, yet he cast his eyes on the world. He was at the house of God (that is the meaning of Beth-el) and even there Lot lifted up his eyes and saw the cities of the plain. Lot lifted up his eyes to gaze toward the world.

The blight of self-will

Now comes the moment of his tragic choice. Genesis 13 verse 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan. Lot chose him. The wording is to convey that Lot chose for himself. He had only his own wishes in mind; he did not seek the mind of the Lord in the matter. There is no mention of prayer here; Lot did not build an altar and pray, "Now Lord, Abraham has allowed me to turn to the right or to the left. Lord, what should I do? What way would you have me to go?" No, Lot would not build an altar. Lot would not pray. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Lot knew nothing about the Lord's direction in choosing a way to go. He chose for himself. The fact was, he took a step in his life without asking God's will. And such a step is always a step down.

Lot chose for himself. There are thousands of Christians doing the same thing. Failure to acknowledge the Lord added one more step to Lot's progress towards Sodom. 

 Lured by the prosperity and the "bright lights"

Next, he decided to look for the means to improve his lifestyle. Of course, Lot wanted to better himself; and although he determined never to go into Sodom, Lot reasoned that he would have a ready market for all his flocks if he did business nearby. Remember all those flocks and herds, all the cattle that he had for multitude? Why would a man have all that stock and produce if he did not have a market? Of course, he needed a market. Soon because of his business dealings, Lot became a known figure in the city. His business was established and he gained promotion. he became a wealthy, prominent man. God gives us the means to work hard and keep the labours of our hands. But Lot decided he had to go deeper into the world in order to make a little more money. He was not content with all the wealth he had with Abraham back in Canaan. Discontent always set us on a downward slide.

Lot had it all worked out. He would never go into Sodom. He would just profit from the people of Sodom. The world is a place of change. Lot forgot that. And he forgot about the devil. He would go down on market days and play around with Sodom, but he would never go in. He would play around with the devil but he would never be caught. Satan meant to get Lot into Sodom. Take out the word Sodom and insert instead the word sin. Or try adding the word trouble. The meaning is the same: Satan means to get Christians into sin. He intends to bring them into trouble, especially if they are playing around with fire. 

How the devil got Lot into Sodom - in spite of a strong determination not to go into it

Circumstances change and unless you have the Lord in your life, leading you and walking with you, you can never tell what tomorrow will bring. You cannot get by alone. Change came to Lot suddenly; it was a disaster. Genesis 14 verse 2 tells us that a war started and this drastic change of events forced Lot to flee into the city for refuge. Lot was shoehorned into Sodom by events that he never foresaw. Lot was unprepared for disaster because he had deserted the tents of prayer and left himself wide open on the plains where there was no protection. He was too far away to get back before disaster struck. He ran into Sodom. Thereafter, he never got away from the place without carrying the stain of it on his soul.

You cannot laugh at the devil. You cannot play fast and loose with sin. The devil is stronger than you are and the events of life are not under your control. You need to be in the right place when difficulties appear. War came and suddenly. Lot could not stay in the plain where the battles raged; he did what he said he would ever do, in order to avoid being killed. Lot's whole life changed from that moment on, and we know that he apologetically explained his intention, when he sought a dwelling there. He said it was for only a short time, "just temporary you see." Only for the time being. So he used the word sojourn. And once he was in, that was it.

You cannot close your ear to God and to his word. You cannot pretend that because you are a backslider you can do what you like. You cannot control circumstances. You cannot win over the devil without the power of God. You are weak and foolish and needy. Do not leave the place of safety, the place of the altar where you will hear the sweet voice of the Saviour declaring his love that he has had for you from before the foundation of the world. 

Do not make Lot's mistakes.

1. Lot quarreled with his brethren.

2. Lot left the tents of prayer.

3. Lot made a choice without asking God's direction.

4. Lot was not content with God's provision,

5. Lot looked to the world for a more comfortable life style.

6. Lot found himself in the wrong place when disaster struck.

Lot stayed in long in Sodom that there came a time when the Lord had to send his angels to stir the man. God was going to judge the city, but Lot sat in the city gate. He was sitting there when the messengers of God came to bring him out, "Get up, man. This is the last night Sodom will ever have." Lot did not deserve such mercy. There are Christians who are just sitting down contentedly, letting things roll on. God is saying, "Child of God, get up. Don't be sitting there. Get up now! Flee this place." The Lord wanted Lot to get up because he had an interest in Lot's own ungodly friends and family as well. Lot was instructed to warn them to flee judgment. 

The terrible price of unjudged sin

God makes backsliders miserable and he chastens them. He lost nearly everything in Sodom. That is what sin does to Christians who try to live in the world. Lot lost his peace, suffering vexation every day he was there. He lost his children and some of them actually perished in the overthrow. He lost his wife; she looked back and never saw another thing. He lost his wealth. He lost his walk with the Lord. He never built an altar; he never offered any sacrifice once, not once with all the herds he had. You cannot read in the scripture record that Lot sacrificed one lamb for the Lord. He lost his herds. Finally he had no herds to look after. 

So the time came when Lot did not have any herds. He lost his home. He ended up living in a cave. He may have accumulated so much wealth in Sodom that he was able to live in a mansion in the city - but he was reduced to living outdoors in a cave. He lost his influence. The bible says that the men of the city and his own children mocked him. He lost his testimony, for he fell into drunkenness and gross sin. He lost his fellowship with God. He lost his joy.

But we must hasten to insert the reminder that God mercifully delivered Lot from judgment. He was saved. Remember, God not only chastens, but he delivers. God was faithful to his own, even when that child threw away every advantage and blessing which God had given him, truth in the words of 2 Peter 2, the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations. Sadly the Old Testament never mentions Lot again. He just fades out of scriptural history without any good comment at all. Abraham's nephew - the backslider. The world will rob you of every blessing. The way of the world is a downward path. The Lord has saved you from the world. If you have fallen prey to its allure, if you have slumbered in its comforts, heed the merciful call of God. Get up now. Flee to the Saviour. This is the answer to a backslidden life.

Genesis 13 verse 14 to 15 verse 1

There is always an afterwards to every circumstance in life. There is an afterwards for the man who does wrong, as Lot did - and we saw the severity of chastisement which came after Lot's backsliding. There is also an afterwards for the man who pleases God, as Abraham did. In all the difficulties which afflicted Abraham after his return to Canaan, he sought to obey God and the Lord rewarded him greatly.

Note the words which appear here for the first time in the bible.

This section of scripture is distinguished by several occurrences of first mentions, that is, words or phrases which occur for the very first time in the bible.

(a) As you have read prophecies of men such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel, you must have come across phrases such as and there came the word of the Lord. We call this phrase a prophetic formula. Genesis 15 verse 1 is the first time this prophetic formula occurs: After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram. Remember Abraham had returned to the right place with God. When Abraham was restored to that rightful place of fellowship with God, the word of the Lord came to his soul with power and meaning. If you are in fellowship with the Lord, you too may expect to hear a word from God. before you commence your daily reading of the bible, start with prayer. When you read the scriptures with a prayerful heart from day to day, God will speak to your soul with power and meaning, just as he spoke to Abraham. Each time we open the scriptures, we should earnestly ask, "Lord speak to me; reveal Thyself to me today through the reading of Thy word." Let us never take the reading of the bible to be a chore, as if each day's study is just a duty to get through, speeding up the reading as we get nearer to the end, and thankfully closing the bible for another day! Don't let your bible reading be like that. Expect better things.

(b) In Genesis 15 verse 1, the word vision occurs for the first time: the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision. In Abraham's time there was no such thing as a printed copy of the scriptures. The book of Genesis was not available, nor Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, nor Samuel, Judges, Isaiah, nor the Psalms, never mind the New Testament. It was necessary for the Lord to speak and work in unusual ways with his saints. God was always faithful to speak to his people and to guide them through the words of prophecy and by the giving of visions. Today we have the book, which is complete, forever settled in heaven. It contains all that we need to know of God's mind and will for the believer. Today we expect God to speak by the scriptures and not by visions. It behoves us, therefore, to pay responsible attention to the words of holy scripture. The Christian must be guided in every part of life by the written Word of God. Do you want a vision of the precious Lord Jesus Christ? He is revealed, not by statues that cry, nor by healers and diviners; he is revealed by the Holy Spirit within the pages of Holy Writ. There are those who do not accept the completeness of the bible and who advise you to run helter-skelter after this one and that one who claim to have visions and who talk about words of knowledge, utterances in tongues, and so-called prophecies which are outside the ambit of scripture. All of this is of the flesh and is likely, very likely, to lead the child of God into shipwreck and disaster. Remember that the Holy Spirit himself works all the time within the periphery of scripture. That means you and I, as ordinary mortals, have to stick to the written word without any thought of departing from it. Never be tempted to add to, subtract from, or otherwise abandon the written word of God, no matter how wise or inspiring someone else's "prophecy" may sound. Abraham listened for God's word to him; you must do the same, if you would know blessing fellowship and guidance.

(c) For your encouragement, Genesis 15 verse 1 is also the location of the first fear not in scripture. Oh, how the believer needs to hear these words from the Lord in many instances of life. How comforting they are to his soul! God has told us that he has not given us the spirit of fear, but of a sound mind. Today there is much fear abroad - fear of nuclear disaster, fear of violence, fear of poverty, fear of plague and disease. But God says over and over in scripture, Fear not, for I am thy God. Many things could be said about the fear nots of the bible, but this is the first mention of them. It comes at a very important time for Abraham, as we shall consider later.

(d) This same verse is also the first time that the words shield and reward occur in the bible. We note that the Lord himself has become Abraham's shield, and Abraham's reward. How much Abraham needs to hear this welcome word, having passed through a serious time of testing. He has returned from Egypt, having battled the world. He has also battled the flesh, for in chapter 13 the battle breaks out between the herdsmen of Abraham and the herdsmen of Lot, resulting in a very serious division. Chapter 14 describes Abraham in warfare again - pitched in and around the area of Sodom - battling the devil. These are vital chapters in Abraham's life and how mercifully the Lord himself comes to Abraham after these things and declares himself to be all that Abraham needs. Have you come through difficult days? The Lord himself will meet every need. Look to him.

It is necessary for us to pay heed to the precise time when God spoke to Abraham.

Genesis 15 verse 1 clearly refers to a specific time - After these things. Abraham has passed through many periods of crisis. After the unhappy and disastrous journey into Egypt and the restoration of communion with God at the altar, after the strife with Lot which forced Abraham to admit that Lot was a thorn in his side instead of a source of encouragement and help, after the painful separation from Lot whom Abraham had considered as a son, after the dangerous rescue following the battle of the kings - After these things - the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. The Lord can give the believer encouragement, even after a time of personal grief. You will notice that Abraham found this word of encouragement coming to him from the Lord after he had fought the Lord's battles. Abraham, in chapter 14 had gone to rescue Lot, unworthy as his nephew was. Abraham put himself at risk, pursuing and overcoming the powerful foe, Chedorlaomer and his confederates. God was faithful and he gave Abraham the victory.

What it means to have the Lord as our shield

But victory has her own enemies. It might have been, after Abraham returned with the spoils of war, that the thought came to his mind, "Now there will be a reprisal, These mighty armies will come from the east in overwhelming numbers, looking for revenge. I am a wanted man. I will never be able to escape from them. I will certainly perish." This would most likely be Abraham's state of mind. yet, after the battle had ended, the Lord came to his follower with a word of comfort. "Fear not Abraham, I am thy shield. I am here, standing by you." What a word! That shield was Christ himself offering protection to Abraham for the rest of his days. Remember Abraham was in the enemy's territory. He could have perished at any time from the hand of the enemy. He was a man who needed protection, who needed a shield. He needed that shield to keep him alive.

We don't half realize the power of the devil, nor are we half aware of the danger which the Christian runs from day to day. I am convinced that not one Christian would be alive 5 minutes in the world were it not for the protection of the blood of Christ. I am thy shield. This title of the Lord reminds us of what we have been saved from. Though you may face dangers on the road, or dangers around the home, or dangers on the public scene, you may say with full assurance, "The Lord is my shield; the Lord will look after me everyday." The reason you remain alive in a world that is the devil's domain, where the strong man keeps his goods with power, is that the greater power of God has kept you. You are a witness to his salvation, and the Lord has kept this witness in a wicked world. The Lord has been our shield. He has kept us alive. By definition, a shield is something that is held between a soldier and the enemy, and that deflects blows from head or body. What a picture of Christ, our Mediator, the One Who stands between, who intervenes on our behalf. His blood available for us. It answers the wrath of God. It deflects the blows that we deserve. We plead that precious blood in every danger. It is reserved in heaven for us, the redeemed of the Lord. There is power in the blood of the Lamb!

Following the victorious rescue operation, Abraham not only faced physical danger, but he faced a spiritual challenge which threatened to undo his resolve to leave all for Christ. Victory not only has her enemies, she herself may act the part of the enemy. Following a triumph, the believer is often besieged by great temptation. In Genesis 14, after the rescue of Lot the King of that wicked city of Sodom went out to meet Abraham. The bible tells us a marvelous fact: the Lord intervened with a special meeting with Abraham right at that time. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return ... And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be the most high God which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

The reward granted at the appearing of the king

I believe that when Abraham met the one called Melchizedek, he was looking into the eyes of his Saviour. Some good men would argue against that view. They say that Melchizedek was a type of Christ. There is room for both opinions. Certainly, whatever Melchizedek's identity, his appearance came at an important juncture in Abraham's experience. For our purposes here, however I wish to consider this personage a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ himself.

The passage tells us that Melchizedek was a king, a priest and a prophet who brought Abraham the message of blessing from God. Only Christ himself ever held all the offices of Prophet, Priest and King. Further, Hebrews 7 indicates that this King was without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God. The passage also teaches that this Melchizedek continually abides as a priest. The name Melchizedek means literally, King of Righteousness. This same chapter calls him the King of Peace. Only one is eternal, and like unto the Son of God, only One is the King of righteousness and the King of Peace, only One is a priest forever - the very Christ of God. Abraham met with One made like unto the Son of God - face to face!

The Melchizedek reminded Abraham, that his victory had been given him of God: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. The bible then says that Abraham gave tithes of all that he had to this King. Some people might remark, "What an astounding thing for Abraham to know about tithing! What a remarkable thing that Abraham should give him the tithe, and that it would be the tithes of all! He tithed everything." But Abraham had met with the Lord. He had been brought face to face with the reality that the victory and the blessing were the Lord's. Clearly Abraham's response was "God has given me the means to obtain what I have. I could never have had the least of all these possessions if it had not been for the abounding goodness of God. And he has given me an astonishing victory in which I have been able to recover my nephew and all he possesses. How can I do any less than return him the tenth, to acknowledge his magnificence, to return in a tangible way my thanksgiving to him? I will honour him with my tithe."

The message of the tithe

Sometimes a Christian will say, "Must I really give a tithe? Does the Lord expect me to give a tenth to him?" This has to be a question from one who has not yet realized that all that he is, all that he has, and all that he has been saved from and to, come solely from the hand of his God. God has loved us with an everlasting love, he has given us all things in Christ, he has given himself. How can a tithe be enough to honour him? What a great opportunity that God gives us to express our gratitude. 

Tithing is a biblical command which should be seen as a privilege and a wise ordinance given by God:

1. Tithing is proportionate. The tenth is the same to the man who is not so well off as to the man who is better off. It is the best way to give. Each one can, in a regular way, give to the work of the Lord.

2. Tithing is proper. It is a proper response by one who recognizes that God is the Giver of all. It gives the Christian a good opportunity to deal with the covetousness of his heart in a very practical way.

3. Tithing is prompt. 1 Corinthians 16 verse 2 Upon the first day of the week we are to set aside to God has prospered us those gifts that for his work. Why the first day of the week? Does not the Lord know our hearts? If we were to leave the tithe to the last day, it would become much more difficult to give the tithe. The longer you hold on to it, the harder it is to part with it. This scripture philosophy is right. It is just a simple way of saying, "Put the Lord Jesus first in your giving." When you think of your allocation of money and goods for the week, give the Lord his portion first. On the first day of the week, remember that scriptural admonition, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Certainly it makes good sense to say that if the Lord must be first in all things, then he must come first in our giving. 

Learn to prove the Lord in your giving. You will never out-give the Lord. As God has honoured you, so you can honour him. He does say, them that honour me I will honour. May the Lord give us grace to follow Abraham in the giving of tithes to our great King.

A refusal of the devil's rewards

How gracious the Lord was to intervene with such a special meeting, for Abraham immediately faced a temptation. Abraham had to say no. Genesis 14 verses 21 to 23 "And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich." The king of Sodom offered Abraham the spoils of battle, but he reocgnized some of those as belonging to the royal house of Sodom and to the markets of that city. Abraham certainly had a right to all the spoils of battle. He could have said to the king of Sodom, newly appointed as he was, "I went forward to the battle. You did not gather an army, and you did not go to the place of conflict. I went to the battle line, I risked my life, I fought with the enemy. The prize won in war is rightly mine." But Abraham did not even entertain such thoughts. He said no to all the spoils that were duly his.

Why did Abraham do such a thing? Because he did not want one thing that had the stamp of Sodom. We can watch him after the battle, as he carefully divides his possessions from those of the city of Sodom. He turns over a golden vase but on the base of it is stamped "Made in Sodom". He hastily pushes it away. The Lord does not want him to have one thing tainted with the hallmark of Sodom. He picks up a soldier's shoe, but recognizes the lace as one made in Sodom. He throws it back on the heap. He will not take even the smallest item, neither a shoelatchet nor a thread from Sodom's possessions. Abraham certainly lives the life of a separated man. He provides us the example of a man apart from all the rest, a man dedicated to the Lord, a man who doesn't want one thing in his possession that is the world's. The Christian has to learn to say no to some things. The Christian must beware lest he gather baggage in the world. Listen, if there is anything in your life that in some sense has the stamp of Sodom on it, you don't want that in your possession. Do not keep anything at all which is vexing to the Lord. If the Lord shows you that what you have is not right, for his sake, indeed for your own sake, get rid of it. Push it away. It has no place. Have you grasped after the world, its things, its activities? This is the way to begin drifting from the path of righteousness. Oh, do not keep in your possession the accursed thing. It will bring you down.

Abraham's example speaks even further. Not only does he not want in his possession what God has cursed, but he wants nothing that is not wholly the Lord's. Would it not be wonderful if in our own experience we could be so dedicated to the Lord that we could truly consider all we possess to be the Lord's. Perhaps you have obtained a beautiful new car, shining and in showroom condition. It would be worthwhile to say, "Lord use this car. Don't let it be solely my possession." The Lord will surprise you in how that car could be used for him. What about your home? The Lord can use that in a great way to be a blessing to others and to bring honour to him. Consider all God's blessings as his and let there not be one thing, down to the least, that you do not give to him. The Lord is no man's debtor. You cannot give to him and lose out.

The Lord himself is the best reward the believer can have

After Abraham met the King, after he paid the tithe, after he said no to the world - after these things - he was none the poorer, because the Lord declared, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. God's titles always speak to his children; they declare how faithful and loving God is to us. Just as the title shield speaks to us of what we have been saved from, so the title reward speaks to us of what we have been saved to. The Lord has not only saved me from death and destruction, but he has promised me great blessings. Can you begin to think what it means for the Christian to have such a reward as this? God is saying, "Abraham, no matter how much you seem to have lost, I am your reward. Remember the time of the quarrel with Lot, when you allowed Lot to choose for himself the richly endowed plains of Jordan? He had the choice of the best of the land. Well, Abraham, you did not lose a thing. Do you remember that time when the king of Sodom approached you to bargain for the spoils, and you allowed him to take them all just for the sake of your testimony? Well, Abraham, you did not lose a thing. I am thy exceeding great reward, for anything that you have lost I will restore.

Peter asked the Lord, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And the precious Lord Jesus, who would give up his glory, endure the hatred of those men he created, bear the sins of his own bow under the wrath of his Father, shed his blood, and given his life, did not utter a word of reproach. Instead, he gave a word for Peter and for us all, And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. Is there a child of God who would say, "I have lost this and I have lost that in life. Do you know how important that is to me?" Maybe you feel that things are not the same now as you come to the house of God. Fear not ...I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Dwell on this truth. You have the Lord; you have his very word. You have the Holy Spirit dwelling in your heart, your Guide and Comforter, who will never leave you nor forsake you. You have the riches of his grace, and a new life, free from the curse and power of sin. You have the opportunity of Christian fellowship, the sweetness of social interaction with God's people that will edify and enrich you, unlike the friends of the world. You have the house of prayer, where you may lift up your heart to the Lord with others of like precious faith. You have the Friend who sticks closer than a brother, who is touched with the feelings of your infirmities. You have your Creator, now your Redeemer,  who has restored Paradise and who is preparing a place for you to dwell with him for all eternity. Our knowledge should increase. Our fellowship with the Lord should become closer and more intimate in these days. We need to seek the Lord and ask that this promise will come home to us with great power as it did to Abraham.

How Abraham applied the word of God to his heart and turned it into a remarkable prayer

Fear not Abram; I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. We know that this wonderful promise gripped Abraham's very soul, for the patriarch immediately asked, Lord God what wilt thou give me? Is this not a word to our own souls? Abraham was always looking for new experiences and if the Lord gave him a promise, he was the first to say, "Lord will you make it good?" He was not content to have just the promise, he was looking for new experiences and if the Lord gave him a promise, he was the first to say, "Lord will you make it good?" He was not content to have just the promise, he was looking for the experience of it too. And what promises God gave! And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be ... In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. As we follow Abraham through his pilgrimage, we see that the Lord fulfilled all his word to this man who proved God in such a powerful way. Child of God, seek to follow in Abraham's footsteps. Claim the promises and prove God. Look for the experience of the promises. You will find that the Lord is faithful. He promises that if we ask, he will do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

Chapter 18 verses 1 to 8

A meeting between Abraham and some very special heavenly visitors. The first detail we notice is that the divine name is in capital letters And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre. This signifies that the incommunicable name of Jehovah is employed in that place. Jehovah appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre. That was a high day in the life of Abraham.

Every time a Jewish scribe put his pen to the page to transcribe the name Jehovah in the Scriptures, he went away and bathed himself from head to toe. Such was the reverence for the Divine name of Jehovah. Because the Jews, out of reverence, will not speak that name, they say the name Adonai every time they come to Jehovah in the text. The name Adonai means Lord and this word when it appears in the text as Lord is spelt with an initial capital and followed by some letters. 

The nature of Abraham's audience with the Lord

The name Jehovah refers to the one who is eternal and unchanging, the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the covenant-keeping God. Genesis 18 verse 1. The unchanging God, who was, who is and who is yet to come met with Abraham. The unchanging God, he who is the same yesterday, today and forever appeared unto him while he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.

This seems to be a sudden meeting. Often, when the Lord begins a work. He begins it suddenly. The word lo means behold. It is the same word in the original language, whether we translate it lo or whether we translate it behold. This word should not be slighted by the reader. It indicates that God himself calls you to give supreme attention to this portion. "Behold, look at this, pay attention to this."

Abraham has a sense of knowing that there is something important in the air. He recognizes in some way his Divine visitor. Pass not away, I pray thee. "Lord, don't allow me now to let you go." How vitally important it is to have a sense of the Lord's presence now but also go a step further with God. There is a sense in which the Lord always abides with the Christian but we are talking about spiritual responsibility, about seeking the presence and the blessing of the Lord. If the Lord does come near, we need to mightily lay hold on him and say, "Lord don't pass me by; don't leave me." If the Lord's presence is here, detain him; hold on to him. In God's name, don't let him go. Would it not be grievous if others around you received a blessing from God and you were left out?

What eager activity suddenly occupied this family. It seemed that Abraham could not do enough for his heavenly visitors. What an example he is to us of spiritual zeal and diligence. 

Perhaps we can see just how much Abraham exemplifies the Christian disciple and worker, the believer who is busy about the Lord's work and desirous of the Lord's pleasure, if we compare his happy activity with that of another. Genesis 19 verse 1.

The differences between the carnal and the spiritual man

The reason we can learn much from the life of Abraham is because he was not only a redeemed man, but he was a spiritual man. This is a scriptural distinction. Galatians 6 verse 1 makes this distinction: Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.

1 Corinthians 3 not only draws this distinction, but declares that if a believer is not spiritual, he is carnal. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. Clearly, the walk of a Christian in this life can be a spiritual walk or it can be a carnal walk.

Paul addresses his readers in 1 Corinthians 3 verse 1 as brethren. Now if carnal Christians are not saved, Paul has no business referring to them as brethren. But he can. He can refer to them as brethren because they belong to the Lord, even if their lives are not showing the fruits of grace. Genesis bears out the truth of this teaching as it describes the life of Lot. Lot was a carnal man, but he was saved. Scripture says he was. Another expression which we should notice in 1 Corinthians 3 verse 1 is in Christ. The entire phrase says, even as unto babes in Christ. These saints of God at Corinth, even if some of them were carnal, as the Holy Ghost declared them to be, were nevertheless in Christ. Lot was in Christ, he was a spiritual brother with Abraham, but he was a carnal man. Abraham was a spiritual man.

What then is a spiritual man? What is a carnal man? What can we learn from thinking along this line? The Holy Spirit speaks much of the walk of the Christian, and the Lord would have us to understand that there should be a difference, a clear example, a shining testimony in the life of a spiritual Christian. He declares in Ephesians 2 verse 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. The scripture says in Romans 6 verse 11 and 22 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. Clearly there is a walk, a quality of life in the spiritual Christian which walks through this world with the Spirit of Christ. He looks at the world through the mind of Christ. He lives before the world for the glory of Christ. Such a person will fail and fall. He will regret that he has not lived in the light of the gospel always. He has given way to his weaknesses too often - Abraham certainly failed the Lord - but he always returns to the place of fellowship with the One at the altar. He always longs to be on redemption ground, and his walk, therefore, reflects the grace of the Saviour. He is an example of the believer in word and deed.

What is a carnal Christian? He is described in 1 Corinthians 3 verse 2 I have fed you with milk and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? Now we all "walk as men" in the sense that we are human and live in this world. But Paul here is clearly saying that the carnal Christian walks in the world much like the people of the world walk. It is difficult to see a difference between the carnal Christian and the unsaved man. What an indictment! If our Saviour gave his life to free us from the curse and power of sin, if we have been saved unto good works, if we are to be to the praise of his glory, and yet are "walking as men" we have failed God's purpose for our lives. We have betrayed the Saviour's love. We are grieving the Holy Spirit who has regenerated and indwelt us. 3 distinctive features characterize the carnal believer.

1. The carnal man suffers from a lack of growth. Paul calls the carnal Christian a babe in Christ. This believer does not show any progress in the Christian life worth talking about. He may be called a babe in Christ because he has not grown in any perceivable way in the things of the Lord. practically from the time he was saved, he has made very little headway. Something is wrong, for the little babe is still on the milk. If you had a sirloin steak or even a fillet steak, you would not want to give it to that tiny baby; it could do nothing with it. How many Christians in these days - and there seem to be large numbers - cannot endure strong meat? They have never shown an interest in the deep things of the word. They live on the surface. Are you yet a babe in Christ? What is the answer to your lack of growth? The scripture says we are to grow in 2 ways; in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to know more about him, and we are to become more like him. Christ is always the answer to every need, the point of beginning and ending. Where do we find him? We find him in the scripture. We must search for him in the pages of scripture. As we look into his face, as we see him in all his beauty, as we read of his great love for us, we grow to become more like him, for his love constrains us. We also find him in a spirit filled church that preaches Christ. Churches that preach principles and plans miss the Person. Christ alone can change your life. Feed upon him. He is the Bread of Life. He will nourish your poor soul so that it flourishes.

2. The carnal man exhibits divisiveness. For whereas there is among you envying, and strife and division, are ye not carnal? The apostle presses the argument home he says that if there is a readiness to engage in strife, if there is a readiness to indulge in envying and if there is a spirit of divisiveness in your heart against other Christians, or family members, or those with whom you associate, then there is something very wrong. You are showing evidence of carnality. How can you walk in Abraham's example? You must ask for the Holy spirit to fill you soul with his power. You must repent of this sin and plead the precious blood of Christ shed for you to cover your soul and protect it from a critical, irritable spirit. The answer to a divisive attitude is to remember how Christ has treated you with love and patience, how he saved you when you were yet in your sin, to remember his mercy when you deserved none. This is the way to treat others. 

3. The carnal man concentrates on worldly things. The fact that the carnal Christian has not grown shows us that he does not spend time with the Saviour, or spend time in fellowship with God's people. He fills his time with worldly pursuits. He may not pursue activities that are wrong in themselves or downright sinful. No, he just spends so much time with them that there is not time for spiritual pursuits. Perhaps these activities seem so right, so harmless - hobbies, political pursuits, personal indulgences - that he does not recognize the fact that they have taken his first love. That he is quick to quarrel demonstrates that the things of the world are more important to him than walking in peace and godliness before men. His priorities are earthly, not spiritual. We saw Abraham leave country and home for Christ's sake. He staked his very life on God's promises to him. He concentrated on what God told him and lived accordingly. Lot on the other hand, valued comfort and prosperity. His priorities were centered in what he could gain if he moved closer to Sodom. Scripture admonishes us in Colossians 3 verses 1 and 2 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection upon things above, and not on things on the earth. Matthew 6 verses 19 and 20 says, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." If you know your interests reside in things which are not really helpful spiritually (even if they are legitimate things), if you are spending so much time with them that you must truthfully say that you have no time to pray and read your bible, then you are not going on with God. We must put you in this sad category of the believer who has missed his way.

The presence of these 3 characteristics in the life of a Christian - spiritual immaturity, a critical, divisive spirit and worldly priorities - means that this believer will look like the world, talk like the world and act like the world. The carnal believer does not show much of a difference from the unbeliever to the outside observer. He might even be going to the same places that the ungodly frequent. Sadly, he may actually fall into the lifestyle of the ungodly. His speech may give no hint that he belongs to the Saviour. This man is playing with fire. Have you fallen into such a condition? Flee the things of the world! Their damage can be horribly scarring and devastating. Stay away from that fire as far as you can. Otherwise, you will be the loser at the end of the day. Remember Lot. Remember Lot's wife. Follow in the footsteps of Abraham. That is the way of peace and joy.

9 ways by which these differences are carefully highlighted in the scripture record

Genesis 18 and 19 - details that help us to follow Abraham's example and eschew Lot's foolishness. We will see, in the very smallest particulars of this account, how the spiritual man's walk shouts a godly testimony to the world around him.

1. The place he occupies as he meets with a heavenly visitor - the plains of Mamre. Abraham is found in the plains of Mamre, which is a place outside the camp. Abraham has moved as far away as he can get from Sodom. He is in the place where the Lord meets with him and blesses him. He is in a peaceful place. Lot, however, is discovered sitting in the gate of Sodom when he receives his heavenly visitors. He is in among the ungodly. No wonder Lot is unhappy; he is vexing his soul from day to day as he endures the wicked atmosphere of the city. He is still in the wrong place, out of the will of God, involved in other interests. Beware of being in the wrong place. Wherever that place is you need to get away. 

2. The line of distinction he draws - the way of the Lord. Abraham's life demonstrates a very different pattern from the heathen around him. He draws away from the world. He builds an altar to the Lord, and the scripture says he commands his household in the way of the Lord. God himself testifies of this spiritual man in Genesis 18 verse 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice ad judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. The men of the world can see a difference in Abraham, and they know he is not a part of their ways. Lot, on the other hand, calls the wicked in Sodom brethren. He is not prepared to draw the line of distinction. Genesis 19 verse 7 finds Lot remonstrating with the wicked men of the city. I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. How incredible that in the midst of a horribly evil situation, Lot thinks to call these perverted people brethren. It is strange how the Christian can start watering down the truth. Once his heart is not right, once he wanders away from the will of God, once he starts settling in among the ungodly, it is amazing how the child of God can care less and less about the truth and can even call the wicked of Sodom - those already on the precipice of disaster, near the edge of hell, ready for the flames of damnation - brethren!

3. The one he looks to for approval - the Lord. The scripture tells us in Genesis 18 that when Abraham's heavenly visitors appear, Abraham runs to meet them, bows down and says, My God, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass now away, I pray thee, from thy servant. Abraham desires the Lord's blessing, his smile. He takes care to obey him, to jump to serve him. Indeed the Lord is pleased with Abraham, for he says in verse 18, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. We know, from the chapters preceding, that Abraham has disowned everything belonging to Sodom. He does not want even a thread or a shoelatchet.  We can see that he cares nothing for the devil's honours. The king of Sodom wanted to persuade him, "Ah, give me the souls and you take the goods for yourself. You can have the bangles and the bracelets and all the valuables, the spoils which testify to your victory." But Abraham has made it clear: "You will not honour me. I don't need the honours of Sodom. If I am going to seek any honour, I want the honour that comes from on high." Poor Lot. It seems that he doesn't know any better than to look for praise in the gate of Sodom. He must ingratiate himself with the wicked, calling them brethren, in the hope that some honour may come his way. Oh, Lot this is wood, hay and stubble. This is honour that will burn in smoke and ashes soon. Have you weighed your own life in this matter, my friend? Where are you looking for approval? Are you looking for the praise of men rather than the praise of God?

4. The dwelling he chooses - the tent. Throughout Genesis 18, the Holy Spirit informs us that Abraham is still living in a tent: verse 1, and he sat in the tent door; verse 2, he ran to meet them from the tent door; verse 6, And Abraham hastened into the tent; verse 9, Behold, in the tent,; verse 10, And Sarah heard it in the tent door. The patriarch is living in a tent, this great man, the father of them that believe! The tent is the badge of the pilgrim. Abraham has determined that all the while he is here, he will stand before God as one on a journey, never, never as one who belongs to this world. He understands that he must hold lightly to the things of time. He is ready to pull up the stakes, to cut the cords, when God says to move on. He is ready to follow the Lord anywhere he leads. He does not put down roots. Chapter 19 tells us that the man Lot, on the other hand, is dwelling in a house. 4 times in that chapter we are reminded of where he is living. Lot, who has had great opportunity to learn from his godly uncle, has chosen to live in a permanent dwelling in Sodom. He is totally involved in that city; he is taken up with that place. He wants to belong. He has forgotten the tent. He has forgotten the Lord. Are you hanging on for dear life to everything you seem to have in this world? Are you determined to keep hold of the things of time and sense? Is your view of the heavenly city so dim, that all you can see is the house on some patch of ground that you must have? There is nothing wrong with the things, the homes the Lord gives us while we occupy in this life, but have these things taken first place in our hearts? Are you ready to move at a moment's notice, to go where the Lord says to go?

5. The way he sees the Lord - in the light. It would be easy to miss this detail in the beginning narration of chapter 18. And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. The time that Abraham meets the Lord is at high noon. What is the heat of the day? That is the time when the sun has risen to its zenith in the sky. It is the time when the light is brightest, when there is not a shadow above, anywhere in the sky. Out of that bright blue sky, the sun is shining in all its fullness. If ever there was a time to meet the Lord and look into his eyes, you would want it to be when you could see his wonderful face. There wouldn't be a better time than high noon. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. We know that Abraham has fellowship with the Lord. He meets with him in the light. What a blessed time for the patriarch. Notice the detail in Genesis 19 verse 1, And there came 2 angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. The sun is going down in Sodom. The shadows are lengthening. Darkness is coming on when Lot receives his heavenly visitors and they are gone before the light of day. Abraham sees the Lord; Lot sees the angels. To Abraham there is not a cloud between him and the Saviour, but Lot is sitting in the shadows in the gate of Sodom. If he tries to look into the face of his heavenly visitor, it will be with difficulty. He cannot discern the features of the visitor who has come from on high. We say to Lot's everlasting discredit, the shadow he is standing in is the shadow of Sodom. What a shameful regrettable place to be. The shows remind us of wrongdoing, compromise, carnality, an evil departure from God. It reminds us also, that the day of grace is quickly drawing to a close. Isaiah 25 verse 7 will help you to see how God views Lot. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. This prophecy speaks of the time when the Lord returns and ransoms the redeemed of Israel. The elect remnant in the tribes of Israel will look unto him and find him as their Saviour and Redeemer. The word, mountain, refers to Israel, the land of hills and valleys. This verse tells us that the joyful day will come when God's ancient people will be brought out of their blindness and will be blessed of God. The covering over their eyes will be removed and they will see their King in his glory. The Hebrew word for covering is the same word as Lot. His name in Hebrews means covering. When you think of Lot, think of the man who is standing in the shadows. His eyes cannot see clearly spiritual things. He has a covering across his face, a kind of veil that makes the things of the Lord dark. There is the celestial visitor, true enough, but he cannot see him clearly, and he cannot perceive the sense of his message. Are we not preaching oftentimes to some of God's people who cannot see the issue? They go back into the world week after week into the same old ways. They just cannot see clearly. God will have to lift the veil and take it away from their eyes. That is mainly what revival is about - God anointing the eyes of his people and showing them the difference between the things of this world, and the things of eternity, impressing them with the reality of things to come. That is revival: that is God working. Are God's people blinded with the veil, blighted with the character of Sodom and Egypt? Let us pray for revival, that we may walk in the light and have fellowship with our Saviour as did Abraham.

6. The quality of his fellowship with the Lord - perfect accord. Genesis 18 tells us that when the Lord comes to Abraham, the man of God says, "Now let me prepare something to refresh you, body and soul. Let me bring a vessel of water and I will wash your feet. Let me prepare some food for you before you must pass on." The response of the heavenly visitors to Abraham's offer is, So do as thou hast said. The bible tells us that Abraham prepares bountifully for his guests. This great man, eminent as he is, kneels down to wash the feet of these visitors. He thinks nothing of humbling himself in the dust. Abraham wishes to share his hospitality and his table with the Lord and the Lord encourages Abraham, "Go ahead and do that. I would be glad to sit at your table." That is beautiful! What a special time they must have under the tree as the Lord receives Abraham's hospitality and fellowship. What pleasant conversation they must share during the noonday meal.

But let us look at the scene in Genesis 19. Lot is receiving his visitors with typical eastern hospitality. He says, "Come into the house, stay the night, wash your feet." Notice how Lot, really a nobody in the town of Sodom, says, "Wash your own feet." And what do the guests say? Genesis 19 verse 2, Nay; but we will abide in the street all the night. What is this? The heavenly visitors have come especially on Lot's account. They have no other business there than to tell Lot to get out. They have come to see this man, yet they are loath to cross his threshold. Wicked as Sodom is, these celestial guests prefer to sit on Lot's doorstep and spend the night in the street rather than enter into his dwelling. Lot is a saved man. This is a Christian home, believe it or not, in Sodom; yet the angel of God would not want to be in it, preferring to remain in the streets of that wicked city. Lot's home must not be a happy place if the Lord is absent. Abraham lives in a tent but the Lord comes and has sweet fellowship.

7. The nature of his giving - generous. Have you ever noticed the modesty of those who serve the Lord sacrificially? Often those who do the most to further his kingdom, do it with quietness and self-deprecation, as if it were very little to offer him. They do tremendous things and will not let it be noticed. Their attitude is, "I am at best an unprofitable servant." Indeed, the more we realize what the Lord has done for us, the more we see that the little we do for him is small indeed. Abraham reflects this attitude by the manner in which he receives his heavenly guests. In Genesis 18 verses 4 and 5, he seems to offer just a small bit of hospitality: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched. And I will fetch a morsel of bread. We read in genesis 18 verses 6 to 8 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready to quickly 3 measures of fine meal, knead it and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed and set it before them. That is quite a morsel! There is tender beef, freshly dressed and roasted, milk and cakes made from newly ground meal, just hot from the oven and slathered with butter. It is a sumptuous feast, fit for a king, and Abraham makes nothing of it. He calls it just a morsel. Abraham gives the best that he has to the Lord. He sees it as the least that he can do. Does this not speak to us concerning our work for the Saviour? Does not the spiritual man have such a sense of the Lord's goodness to him that he finds joy in doing all he can do for the One who has given his life for his salvation. Chapter 19 verse 3 and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread and they did eat. The feast that Lot provides consists of unleavened bread. He has the audacity to speak about making a feast and offers a few cream crackers. He makes a great deal of it even though it is nothing.

8. The spirit of his response - zealous. Abraham is sitting in the door of his tent in the heat of the day. Now the midday sun in the Middle East can be paralyzing because of its intensity. Abraham is resting in the middle of the day, perhaps because of the heat, or perhaps because he has been working hard and has sat down to rest or reflect. Perhaps he is in prayer. He looks up to see 3 men standing before him. You would think that in such heat, he would take a bit of time to get up. He might even remain in the shade of the tend door and let the visitors come to him. This would be a reasonable response, especially since Abraham is an old man now. Verse 11 says, Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age. But this spiritual man senses the Lord's presence. He walks in fellowship with the Lord and he knows this is a special moment. He does not want the Lord to pass him by. He won't miss this momentuous meeting. Genesis 18 verse 2, 6 and: And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door ... And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly 3 measures of fine meal ... And Abraham ran unto the herd and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. This description does not fit the picture of an old man who is paralyzed by the midday heat. We see how Abraham responds to his celestial visitors - by putting his heart and soul into it. We see no response in Lot. Genesis 19 verse 16 says And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand. Verse 15 tells us that the angels hastened Lot. they actually find it necessary to take him by the hand and lead him out! The scripture record here forever impresses upon our minds the response of the carnal man to the urging of God upon his heart: he lingers. He must be pushed, hurried. These heavenly visitors are rushing. They feel the urgency of God's judgment. This city is sliding down over the edge into hell. They have cried out their warning, and Lot is lingering. He is hanging back, unwilling to obey and maybe even resentful. Abraham runs; Lot lingers. Abraham hastens; the angels hasten Lot. Abraham is not in danger like Lot, but yet he runs. On the other hand, Lot is in unspeakable and imminent danger this night, but he lingers. What is wrong with you? All the while God is working. All the while God is speaking instead of running with joy and running with eagerness to do what the Lord asks, you are hanging back and lingering. Are you slow to do the right thing? When the Spirit of God urges you about some matter in your own soul, you find you are not as diligent. Abraham ran. No wonder God blessed him.

9. The reward for his obedience - the Lord himself. Back in Genesis 15 verse 1 we saw the words After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. Then the Lord speaks to him again in chapter 17 verse 1, when Abraham is 99 years of age. Even though this man would be on the borders of making the century, the Lord has not forgotten about him. The Lord is still speaking to him. He still has his senses. He can still figure out the things of God. The old mind seems to be as clear as a bell. You can ask the Lord to give you a keen mind in old age, but if you are not using your mind to glorify him, if you are not thinking upon his person and his gospel, you have hardly the right to ask the Lord for a clear mind. If you have no thoughts for him, no wonder the mind might go. God says to this patriarch of 99 years, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect. These are God's words to your own soul just as sure as ever anything has ever come to that soul of yours. I am the Almighty God. He is still the same God today. Abraham's God still lives today. I am the Almighty God; walk before me. Listen, God is speaking to you. He is speaking to you so clearly I may as well call your name, It could not be plainer. Abraham, the spiritual believer, has wanted nothing out of Sodom. He wants a heavenly reward. He knows the difference. He looks for a city whose builder and maker is God. he longs to hear the "well done" of the Saviour. He expects the fulfilment of the covenant promises. He knows that he has obtained an inheritance in Christ Jesus for he has seen his day and is glad. Abraham has turned his back on the paltry trinkets and the influence of Sodom for he is a spiritual man, a man who walks in the Spirit of Christ. Lot, on the other hand has been dim of vision. He has had eyes only for this world. He has invested all of 20 years labour and effort in Sodom, only to see it all go up in smoke 1 Corinthians 3 verse 13 tells us that the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. So it will. when the fire comes down on Sodom, all of Lot's work will go up in smoke and ashes. There will be nothing left for it is just stubble. 1 John 2 verse 28 instructs us, And now, little children, abide in him, that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. There are some of us who have walked a carnal pathway. We have not grown nor spent our years seeking after the things of God. We have sown bitterness and discontent everywhere we have gone. Some of us are going to be ashamed at the Lord's coming. "How are you going to meet the Lord in that great day?" Perhaps you have recognized yourself as a carnal Christian. God can restore the years the locusts have eaten. Just as we have been redeemed through the Lord Jesus, so we can be cleansed from our carnal ways through his blood. The invitation in Revelation 3 verse 20 is still open: Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me.

Oh that everyone of us might be able to say, "Lord Thou hast spoken. I have heard thy voice and it has been a word in season. Thou hast suffered and died on the tree and finished that grand work of redemption for me. Help me along the road to glory. Allow me to be a witness for thee. Allow me to have the heavenly vision as Abraham did." Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. What a reward! What a Saviour!

Genesis 22 verses 1 to 19

Years have passed. Abraham has experienced terrible disappointment, and indescribable joy. He has prevailed in intercessory prayer, demonstrated loyalty and courage in battle, and walked with God. He has learned that the covenant promises will not be realized in Ishmael, the child of the flesh and the son of the bondwoman. He has lived to see the birth of Isaac, the child of the covenant, the son of his old age and the offspring of Sarah who was past the age to bear children.

We have seen everything in a consecrated life that we could ever hope to observe. But no. We follow him now to the high point of his walk with God, the pinnacle of his faith, the climax of long years spent following and honouring the Lord. Here in Genesis 22, is so profound an example of his love, his obedience and his devotion to God, that we are privileged to see the crowning act of discipleship in the life of this venerable patriarch. And in viewing the scene in this chapter, we come to the incredible conclusion that Abraham has never really found out what it means to leave all for his Saviour, to put God first, until he climbs that rugged hill of Moriah.

Genesis 22 verse 1 describes the strangest of all experiences to Abraham: And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham. In this place, the word tempt means to test. Now God is testing Abraham, testing his discipleship. To put it simply, Abraham cannot reach the pinnacle of faith without God's proving him. He cannot be considered the resolute disciple of the Lord without his reaching a point of crisis at the altar. Genesis 22 makes it clear that before this man, this highly honoured servant of God reaches the end of his days, he will not only test God, but the Lord will test him. Abraham is surely one of the Lord's most beloved servants and now he must submit to testing. We are not left to imagine that Abraham is some sort of "fair weather" follower of the Lord, but in this instance, as no other man, Abraham's faith is tested, his love is tested, his will to obey God is put to the test. And we may follow in his steps - though we're not fit to lace his shoes - I say, we may follow in his steps because every child of God must come to the point of testing.

So then, Genesis 22 teaches us that the Lord must test every one of his servants. Nobody will be an exception. The Lord will test even the best of his people. The child of God must never imagine that he can set out to prove God, without the Lord's proving him! Nobody can get by then without a time of testing and I must say to you that you should expect a time of testing in your Christian walk.

God does test every one of his people. Victory is not won without a battle. 

Many a child of God has backslidden. And when you probe into the matter, you find that he had a time of testing, and it has left him without an answer. The Lord must test your profession; he must test your stand. He must prove your love for him, love for his book, love for his people and love for his day. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy (2 Peter 4 verses 12 and 13).

Not only will God prove every one of his servants, but when the Lord begins to test you, He always puts your name on the message as he speaks. There it is in verse 1: And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham and said unto him, Abraham. Maybe the Lord has been speaking to you.

When there is a time of testing, it just seems that the Lord separates you from the rest of his people. And for a fact, the Lord puts your name on the message. The test is yours, but you are not alone. The Lord may bring you apart for a time, but nothing can separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. You are his child. Listen for your name, for his voice.

Every one should observe the prompt and ready response of Abraham, when he entered into severest trial

Listen to how Abraham responds to God's voice. What remarkable words these are! Behold, here I am. And his response does not change over time. There is no indication in the chapter after this initial response, that Abraham ever hesitates, or that he ever questions the Lord. I don't see one thing in the verses that follow, as God reveals the requirements of this test, to suggest that Abraham thinks he has spoken too soon or too hurriedly. No, I can see that readiness, that wholehearted and immediate submission to the will of God in everything that follows in the chapter. To be a disciple of Christ, you must leave all for him. To be a disciple of Christ, you must put the Lord first. To be a disciple of Christ, you must make a wholehearted and immediate submission of your will to God.

Abraham has declared himself ready to hear God's command - Behold, here I am - and what an instruction he receives! The next verse reads, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Would the heart of this great man have stopped for an instant at such a poignant announcement? The scripture does not record Abraham's emotion, but it does not give us some insight when we look carefully at its spare wording. Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest. If you look at Genesis 22 verse 2, you will notice that the second time the word son appears here, it is in italics. The original actually reads, Take now thy son, thine only Isaac. Certainly, God shows here that he knows how much Abraham loves his son. He is acknowledging that indeed, Isaac is the promised heir, the son of his old age, the child of the covenant, the channel of the blessing God has promised to Abraham. He is greatly beloved for he is his only son. The sense of this passage would read "Take now thy son, the darling of thy bosom, thine only Isaac, the son thou dost love so much." And we could also say that the wording is such that God is instructing his servant, "Take now thy son, the darling of thy bosom, thine only Isaac, and nobody else but Isaac."

And what would God have Abraham do with his beloved son? Get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Look closely at this heart-piercing directive. The first order, Get thee into the land of Moriah, would mean, "Go alone to that hill, the hill of Moriah. Go to that place of sacrifice." The words seem to suggest that Abraham must do this on his own. There is no record of Abraham's discussing the issue with Sarah. I don't know what would have ensued if he had said, "I am taking Isaac today and using this knife on him. I am going to slay him." I do not know whether his dear wife would have got in his way. But Abraham understands these words to be for him. He is keeping his own counsel.

God's dealings with Abraham uniformly conform to the pattern set in chapter 12

The language of this simple command in the original is very like the language we saw in Genesis 12 verse 1: Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house. Remember, that the sense of his passage was, "Go for your own sake, out of this country, forsaking your friends." It was part one of God's commandments and now, this order in Genesis 22 is part two and the final part, and the greatest part of God's command unto him. Get thee into the land of Moriah. We see also that the blessing pronounced upon Abraham later in chapter 22 is very similar to the blessing he was promised in chapter 12. Genesis 12 declares, And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing, And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. The circle is complete; when we arrive at this testing time in Abraham's pilgrimage, we indeed come to the pinnacle of the man's faith. This moment is the climax of long pressing on with God.

You remember that when God first called Abraham to leave his own country, he did not reveal to him his destination but declared only, Get thee out of thy country ... unto a land that I will shew thee. Hebrews 11 explains, and he went out, not knowing whither he went. We observe here in Genesis 22 that God's guidance in Abraham's pilgrimage continues to be gradual and progressive. He requires that Abraham proceed a step at a time. Once again the language in Genesis 22 resembles that of Genesis 12: Get thee into the land of Moriah ... upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. It seems that this lesson is one of the most difficult that we have to learn. The Christian, in a time of testing, with a heart of unbelief, wants to see the whole story all at once. If God is leading him down some difficult path, he wants to see the end from the beginning. It's at that time you must trust. That is the time when you must take the Lord just at his word, day by day, one day at a time. don't be seeking to trust God for tomorrow or next week or next year, asking him to reveal all that is ahead, or to supply a need far in advance. Just trust him today. Trust the Lord to get you through this day only. Child of God in dire straits, unable to cope with your situation - can you trust God today? Don't worry about tomorrow. Just trust him for what you see today, and for what you need today. The Lord says to Abraham, "Go to the land of Moriah and I'll show you exactly where you must go and what you need to know when you get there." Abraham knows only that it is the land of Moriah to which he goes.

The day dawns. We observe this man's disciplined, submissive, trusting response to the dreaded assignment: And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. There is no tardiness with Abraham. There is no struggle in his heart as to whether he will carry out the command, as no doubt, there would be with us. We would look for another way. We would pray again and seek from God some other message. But Abraham questions nothing! He rises early to start with God, he saddles his beast of burden, he takes 2 of his young servants and Isaac his son, he prepares the wood for the burnt offering and heads out for the place.

4 references to that sacred place God had in his heart from the beginning of time - indeed from all eternity

And what is the place? 4 times in this chapter the Holy Spirit uses these 2 words to refers to the location of the greatest test, and the greatest revelation, that Abraham will ever have.

1. Verse 3 tells us that it is the place of which God had told him. It is the place described by God. it is the place that Abraham has heard of, by faith, from God. It is the place that has been spoken of by God. It is the place selected by God.

2. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off (Genesis 22 verse 4). This is Abraham's first sight of the place of which God has told him. He must feel such heaviness in his breast that he cannot breathe. How can we understand this moment for Abraham? He has set out for the distant land of Moriah. He has ascended from the south, and now this old man stands on the brow of a hill with his beloved son beside him He looks up further northwards, and sees the hill of the skull. The book tells us that he sees the place afar off. He knows it is the place. How does he know? He has never been here before, but he knows the place. He is told by God. The voice says, "This is it. You've come now."

Abraham has come to this place to lay his son on the altar. We are beginning to understand the significance of Genesis chapter 22. This chapter is all about a father who is required to give up his only son. It is about a loving father who must sacrifice his dearly beloved son, even in one sense, his only begotten son. We see John chapter 3, verse 16 in the background of this story: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. When this test is over for Abraham, he will understand that Moriah is the picture of that greater sacrifice. He will behold Calvary, long years ahead of time. He will see, with faith's eye, the giving of God's only begotten Son. And he will have a small realization of the great love of God, who chose to sacrifice his Son for the sins of his people.

3. Abraham has seen the place afar off. Later in verse 9 we are told, they came to the place. Can we see the same experience in every disciple of the Lord? Cannot every child of God testify as to his experience in getting to the Cross? First of all you heard of the place, the place called Calvary, Golgotha, the hill of the skull. And how did you hear of it? Why, you were told it by God. You learned of it from the word of God or from godly parents, or a concerned Christian friend or from caring Sabbath School teachers. In those early days you saw the place afar off. Then in the course of time, God revealed the wonderful truth of the Cross to your soul. He spoke to you one day and like Abraham, you rose up and led by God's word to your own soul, you sought the place of the skull until you come to that hill.

Abraham and Isaac, and the young men who have come with them, are standing a distance from that place, Abraham turns to his servants and says, "You stay here." He and Isaac will go on the last leg of the journey by themselves. And the men fade out of the picture. Isn't it true that those who walked with Jesus for all those years of discipleship, just faded away in the darkness of the night, as he came to the place of the Cross? They forsook him and fled. They could not ascend that hill with him. The Saviour went on alone with his Father. The work of the Cross was God's work alone. And although Isaac never was forsaken by Abraham, we know that at that supreme sacrifice, Jesus had to cry, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

It is at this moment that we come to the words of Abraham which comprise an amazing statement of faith. Genesis 22 verse 4: And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. Abraham is saying, "The boy and I will worship up there on that hill, and then we will return." What a declaration of utter trust and confidence? But wait. Doesn't Abraham know why he has come to Moriah? Doesn't he understand the command that God has explicitly given to him? He's to sacrifice Isaac. Isaac must be put to the sword. Remember, Abraham has waited for the birth of Isaac for many years. He prayed long before Isaac was ever born, and he knew that Isaac would bear the promised line to the Redeemer. This means that now, if he takes the knife and uses its blade on Isaac, the direct line to the Mediator will be severed! If there is no Isaac, there will be no Saviour! No Messiah! No Redeemer! Abraham knows the covenant promise. He understands all of this. We hear Abraham say to the young men, "We'll be back in a short time." I and the lad will go ... and worship and come again to you. The statement is clear. What does it mean? 

Casual, unbelieving, unsympathetic readers would probably say, "Abraham was fantasizing here." I can say with a certainty that he is not. All of this is explained in the New Testament in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11 verses 17 to 19: By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead. If we follow the statement here, the New Testament is confirming the fact that Abraham has received great promises of blessing. He has been promised a son through whom the single line to the Redeemer is to come, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. He knows that to take the knife and use it on Isaac will be to cut off the line to the Redeemer. Clearly, Abraham has the thing settled in his mind. He recognizes that he must go through with God's command. And he will use the knife. He will offer him up, as God is requiring of him. But since God has promised that Isaac will continue the line to the Redeemer, it is necessary for Isaac to live. Isaac is yet called a lad. He has not married. There are no descendants from him. Therefore, Isaac cannot be cut off. Abraham has already worked this out. The scripture says that he has taken into account that God is able to raise Isaac up. In his mind, he's thinking, "So that's it. God intends to raise him from the dead!"  I admire Abraham, with his unstaggering, implicit faith in the actual Word, the literal Word of God. He believes every word that God has spoken. He believes that God is able to raise up his son.

It is now time for Abraham and his son to turn their steps towards the hill of the skull. Verse 6 describes the scene. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac, his son, and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. Abraham has laid the burden of the sacrifice on his son, and Abraham bears the fire and the knife. Can we see that greater sacrifice? Did not God the Father lay upon his Son the burden of our redemption? Did not our Lord Jesus bear the weight of our sin? Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried out sorrows. And did not the sharp blade of God's righteous anger flash against the Lord Jesus? Was not the fiery wrath of a holy God against the sin of his people poured out upon our Saviour? But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities .. it pleased the Lord to bruise him.

Father and son are walking together up the hill. Isaac does not yet know what God has asked of Abraham. The scripture records their conversation in the last few moments before they reach the top of the summit. Genesis 22 verses 7 and 8 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father and said, My father and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering; so they went both of them together. How Abraham' heart must burn! His son trusts him. God tests him. And he utters a second, profound statement of supreme faith. My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. We do not overstate this moment if we say that Abraham knows that a sacrificial lamb will be provided and that it will be provided by God. And the Holy Spirit records for us, in a foreshadowing of Calvary, God will provide himself a lamb.

The story comes to its climax. Genesis 22 verse 9, And they came to the place where God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order. The moment has come. Abraham cannot delay. He turns to his son, and as he has done so often before, he takes him in his arms. But this time, he embraces him with anguished soul. Scripture does not record for us the words exchanged between father and son. We know only that Isaac submits to this strange treatment, for the account reads that Abraham bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. What a test this is! The great man has comes through many lessons in discipleship. Abraham has said goodbye to his father, who is a picture of the flesh that holds him back. He has parted from Lot the backslider and the hindrance. He has even said goodbye to Ishmael, the son of his own efforts and a type of the sinner and the world, which do the devil's work. Abraham, in one situation after another has said goodbye to these and put God first every time. But these trials are nothing as compared to the one that occurs here, because Isaac is a gift from God. Isaac is his dear son. Isaac is the son of the promise and the child of many prayers. It is the most difficult thing in the world for him to surrender to God the object of this love. He must not only give up the Lots and the Ishmaels, but he must give up Isaac, to put the Saviour first. 

Events move quickly now. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. Abraham raises the knife over the body of Isaac. He must obey. He prepares to plunge the knife into the breast of his dear son - and God intervenes. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. Abraham has passed the test. His discipleship, his love for God, his obedience have been weighed, and they have not been found wanting. God is faithful, who will suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape.

There is more to come. God is not finished. Genesis 22 verse 13 reads, And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. Relieved, Abraham turns around where an incredible sight meets his eyes. A ram is tangled in a bush nearby, so that he cannot escape! Indeed, God has provided a lamb. Abraham quickly releases Isaac and together they disentangle the ram, bind him and place him on the altar. There on the top of the hill, that offering is made in Isaac's place. It dies on the altar in the stead of his son. Abraham and Isaac are rejoicing!

The hill of Moriah reminds us of the hill of Calvary. The Lord Jesus took my place. He died in my guilty room and state. I need to contemplate this. I need to climb the hill of the Cross and learn that my dear Saviour took my place.

4. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh; as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen (Genesis 22 verse 14). With ecstatic heart and with praise for his God, Abraham calls the place Jehovah-jireh, meaning the Lord will see, or the Lord will provide. And from that day onwards, although Abraham has always loved his son - he is his only and dearly loved son - yet from now on, since Isaac has been given back to him, as one raised from the dead, there's a new value, a new estimate set upon Isaac.

Hebrews 11 verse 17 to 19 enlightens us even further as to Abraham's understanding of the Moriah experience. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac ... Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure, it teaches us that Abraham here understands the purpose of God in sending him to Moriah is not purely hardship it is not purely testing in anguish of soul and a crisis of faith. Oh it is that, but God has had a greater purpose in sending him to Moriah! Far more than a difficult test, Moriah is joy - glorious, unbounded joy - for the Lord is giving him a glimpse of Jesus on that hillside. The Lord is showing him Calvary. He has received Isaac in a figure. This means he sees that Isaac is a type of Christ! He prefigures the One who will come in our place. He understands that everything in this incredible journey has had a wonderful purpose. He could not see it before, but now the veil has been lifted and he sees clearly. He understands the sacrifice of Christ, the message of the Cross. He sees it so much so, that the New Testament declares in John 8 verse 56, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad. Abraham sees Christ's day there at the northernmost summit of Moriah, the place that later will be called Calvary. There, centuries ahead of time, where a father takes his only beloved son and offers him up, God is depicting forever the great act of redemption to come, many, many years in the future.

The blessed work of the Lord Jesus upon the cross is both to be seen by the eye of faith and proclaimed in song and word by every child of God.

What is the result of that amazing scene enacted on the top of Mount Moriah? One small phrase in Genesis 22, verse 14 tells us: And Abraham called the name of the at place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. The meaning of Mount Moriah, the meaning of Jehovah-jireh refers to what the Lord has provided. "It shall be seen how the Lord made the provision of the lamb, And it is talked about to his day!" it is said to this day. If that means anything it means that the circumstances recorded here in Genesis 22 become the focus of discussion among God's people. In the centuries to follow, God's people are still talking about the Mount Moriah scene. It is the theme of their conversation, the focus of their interest. Not just casually, not just once in a while, but as it is said to this day, they're still talking about it! And what is the theme of the bible? What is the theme of the son of Heaven? "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." The theme of heaven is the great act of redemption, the work performed by Jesus Christ, God's dear Son, on Calvary's hill. As it is said to this day, we still talk about the Cross. We can't get away from the gospel. The theme for the Christian is not first of all good works, or the need of the world. These are all good themes, but we must speak of the Cross. We must also sing of him. The message of the bible is Jesus Christ and him crucified, as it is said to this day.

Moriah - let us gaze at this scene. Let us not turn away to descend the hill too soon. The Lord has much to teach us here. Two great themes have occupied our thoughts: the Lamb of God sacrifices for his people, and God's testing in the life of every child of his. Perhaps the Lord is testing you. Are you prepared to give up your Isaac to put the Lord Jesus in first place? What are you going to do in the time of trial? The record is here for you to learn about the Christian in trial.

The Christian in trial - to what should he cling? To what do we find Abraham clinging? Does not Abraham constantly remember the covenant? He remembers the Word of God to him. He rests on the promise. Let us also take to ourselves the special promises and comforts that God has given to us in his word. 

Why the Lord in his unfailing love and faithfulness to his saints allows the times of chastening to come

First, we see that Abraham's test has a definite, eternal purpose. It is not a miserable experience in a meaningless vacuum. We can say with certainty that God has a definite purpose for every trial that comes into the life of the Christian. No matter how many afflictions the Christian is led to pass through, he should fix his mind on this, that God will cause all these things to work out for his advantage. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8 verse 28). Perhaps your trial is that particularly bitter one in which you have been asked to endure the deliberate ill will of someone's hostility. It is is difficult trial in which somebody means to do you harm. Joseph, you remember, experienced such a test; but he testifies to us in Genesis 50 verse 20 that even then, God had a purpose: But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Here I learn that, in spite of the intentions of men, God will cause the trials that come our way - even those things that others intend for evil - to work out for good. God is always on the throne and he always remembers his own. So then, the Lord's purpose prevails. People may intend wickedness and hurt, but Joseph says the Lord overrules it all and works it out for good.

Further, we see that Abraham's test is tempered and in line with his maturity and understanding. He is not given a trial beyond the grace that God has wrought in him. There is a remarkable verse in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. This tells us that the Lord will temper all our adversities. He will see to it that no trial will ever come the way of his child, but that which is within his capabilities. These trials are common to man. You may say, "I don't know anybody else afflicted as I am. I don't know anybody else who has had the trials and the disappointments, who has shed the tears that I have had to shed." Child of God, contemplate Moriah. Consider Calvary. Know that God is a faithful God, a loving God, whose love led the Saviour to Golgotha's hill. These trials are common to man. The Lord knows your frame. He knows what you can bear. He is taking care of you. And he will have his hand also on the knob that controls the heat of the furnace. He will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.

Finally, we see that Abraham's test requires that he give over to the Lord everything in regard to that trial. Abraham does not have to manage every detail. He knows God will see to it that the covenant is taken care of, that the line to the blessing will not be destroyed. He understands that God is able to do all things well. His part is to trust and obey. 1 Peter 4 verse 19 says it this way: Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. God asks only one thing of us in every trial - simple trust and obedience. Don't be letting affliction lead you to do wrong. Don't be letting hurt that you have suffered engender spite. That's going down the wrong track. Just hand the whole matter over to the Lord. 

The Lord is your faithful Creator. He brought you into this world, and he did it to make you a child of his love! He did not create you to make you miserable. He brought you into this world to show forth the grace and the goodness of the Lord in your life! And the Lord is well able to look after you. He has looked after you all these years. God tells us unequivocally in Hebrews 12 that if chastening come to the Christian, it is for his profit. We're told that although for the present it may bring tears and grief, afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. 

Abraham turns away from Moriah's altar and prepares to descend the hill with Isaac. But the Holy Spirit records one more detail in this account. Genesis 22 verses 15 to 18: And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. Certainly, this final blessing reminds us that the Lord has been with Abraham every step of this test. He has seen all. He has directed everything. And look at the blessing that has come to Abraham. He has come out of the test far better than he went into it. The testing hasn't worked against him; it has been for his profit. Only the Lord can do that! Does Abraham regret going to Moriah? Does he wish that he had not obeyed God? Never! The last verse of this story reads simply, So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba. Ah, but what is he doing as he returns from Moriah? The scripture doesn't need to spell it out. Abraham is rejoicing! He comes down that hillside glad that he has obeyed the Lord, thankful that he has followed the Lord. He has proved the Lord to be faithful. He has received a blessing that will go on and on and on. He has seen Calvary. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad. You will never have any regrets in following the Lord. And when you put your life in his hands, you can say, All things work together for good.

The scripture asks the question, Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?  You must gaze on the sacrifice as Abraham looked. And how he must have looked, for he saw the offering God had provided in the place of his son. His son would live because of the sacrifice made in his stead. Calvary meant something to Abraham. It would ever mean pardon and life and indescribable love. Calvary should mean something to you.