Burunche’s Blog

Genesis 22:1 – 18 “Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. “Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated.

On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told his servants. “The boy and I will go over there to worship, and then we will return to you.” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac. He himself carried the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together.

Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” “Here I am, my son,” he replied. “The fire and the wood are here,” said Isaac, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two walked on together.

When they arrived at the place God had designated, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, atop the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.  Just then, the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. And Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time, saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

This is a long passage but every part of it is necessary. God had promised Abraham to give him a son in Abraham’s old age and God had done so. Now God is testing Abraham to see if Abraham will give up his most precious possession – that same son. God orders Abraham to go to Mount Moriah and sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham doesn’t hesitate, even though he loves Isaac dearly. The next morning Abraham, Isaac, and two servants set out, traveling for three days. When they reach the place God has chosen, Isaac carries the wood while Abraham carries the fire (most likely in a clay pot) and the sacrificial knife. By now Abraham must be shaking and in tears as he ties up Isaac and places him on the altar. But just before Abraham proceeds to slaughter Isaac, God stops him and shows him a ram that he can slaughter instead. Abraham joyfully unties Isaac and sacrifices the ram that God has miraculously provided instead.

How does forgiveness enter into this story? 1. At no point does Abraham appear to have second thoughts or to argue with God; Abraham simply obeys. There is never any indication that Abraham becomes annoyed with God for putting him through all this agony. Abraham trusts God and obeys Him without any resentment.

2. Just as Abraham trusts God, so Isaac trusts Abraham and does not resent him for Abraham nearly killing him.

APPLICATION: Many times God may ask us to give Him our Isaac – our dearest possession, whatever that might be. Perhaps the thing most dear to us is our family, our spouse, our profession, our home, or some other worthy thing. Abraham had to obey blindly, trusting God. When Abraham and Isaac climbed Mount Moriah, Abraham fully expected to come down from that mountain alone, but he obeyed anyway. It was Abraham’s obedience and his refusal to resent God that opened the way for incredible blessings, blessings that are still in evidence today.

How would you react if God asked you to give up whatever is dearest to you? Would you obey, trusting that God knows better than you do, or would you withdraw, become offended and angry, and resent God? Has something of the sort already happened to you? Have you become so angry with God that you cannot even pray? Are you convinced that God really hates you? It’s time for you to forgive God.

PRAYER: Father God, help everyone who reads this to understand that you are good and loving and that if you ask us to give up our dearest possessions, we can still trust you. Help us not to resent you for the things and people we have lost – for lost employment, homes, friends, or relatives. Help us not to resent you but to forgive you and to trust that you still love us and are working for our good. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 21:9 – 20 “But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son, and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!” Now this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned. But I will also make a nation of the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”

Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept. Then God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he lies. Arise, lift up the boy and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy, and he grew up and settled in the wilderness and became a great archer.“

This time Ishmael is the one who has mouthed off. Quite possibly, Hagar was muttering things to herself, making fun of Sarah. “Huh! Who does she think she is? She acts as if nobody has ever had a baby before! And that Isaac is the homeliest infant I have ever seen! Stupid old woman!” Anyway, Ishmael makes fun of nonagenarian Sarah and her son – bad move! Abraham has treated Hagar and Ishmael well, but Sarah is the chief wife and has the final say, as head wives do around the world. Abraham loves Ishmael, but there’s nothing he can do. God advises Abraham to let Hagar and Ishmael go; however, the promises God made Abraham will still be working in Ishmael and Ishmael will also become a nation.

As the story goes on, Hagar and Ishmael wind up wandering around in the Wilderness of Beersheba. Even today, that area is extremely bleak. But God does a miracle and creates a well, perhaps a spring of water, to save Hagar and Ishmael. Ishmael does go on to found not one, but several nations.

Why did God help Hagar and Ishmael? Isaac was the son God had promised. By mocking Isaac and Sarah, Ishmael was actually mocking God. Interestingly enough, the name “Ishmael” means “God will hear.” Even though God heard Ishmael’s taunts, He also heard Hagar’s anguish and Ishmael’s cries when he was about to die of thirst and saved them.

This story brings out an important aspect of God’s forgiveness: God forgives us even when we have created problems for ourselves by the things we have said. One veteran missionary in India had a saying that bears repeating. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, one of the disciples, possibly Peter, took a sword and cut off an ear from one of the high priest’s servants, a man named Malchus. Poor Malchus! Peter had just made a bad situation worse by his impetuosity. But Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and healed that ear, reattaching it miraculously. Working in a large mission hospital with a number of health workers from different countries can lead to all kinds of misunderstandings. When this missionary doctor would realize that she had put her foot in her mouth and created problems, she would ask God to “do a Malchus’ ear on this situation,” in effect, praying that God would miraculously heal the bad situation she had just created by speaking foolishly. And God would heal that relationship.

What a great prayer! And how many times a day do most of us need God to step in and salvage situations after we have said the wrong thing! Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Christ Jesus came not just to free us from our sins but also to help us so that we can live holy and righteous lives. If we follow Jesus, we will sin because we are human and fallible. But we have a wonderful promise. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God is a forgiving God, even when we create problems for ourselves, IF we face our sins and confess them. Malchus got his ear reattached. Hagar and Ishmael found a spring of water that saved their lives. Whatever problems you have created by things that you have said, God can deliver you if you will turn to Him.

APPLICATION: Chopped off anybody’s ear recently? Offended someone by the way you have spoken? Tell God about it and ask Him to help heal those broken relationships.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us and for forgiving us. Help us to turn to you quickly and to seek your guidance so that we will speak wisely and kindly. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 21:1- 7 “Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.” She added, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

After all the half – truths, the manipulation, and the refusal to believe that God would really fulfill his promises – after all the times Abraham and Sarah have refused to believe – God has still come through! Sarah earns the record as the world’s oldest mother and delivers a healthy baby boy. Abraham and Sarah name the baby “Isaac” which means “he laughs.” Did God suggest the name? Who knows? God certainly has a sense of humor so it’s possible.

From a medical standpoint, Sarah’s pregnancy is truly miraculous. Sarah had probably stopped menstruating years ago. God had to rejuvenate Sarah’s ovaries, her uterus, and her vagina. The older a mother is, the more likely it is that the baby might have some genetic problems; yet, Baby Isaac was perfectly healthy. Presumably, Sarah was able to breast feed, yet another miracle. While there have been cases of elderly men fathering children, it’s also true that God would have to make sure Abraham’s sperm count was adequate and that Sarah and he were capable of having sex.

Why did God wait so long to give Abraham and Sarah their promised son? If Isaac had been born when both his parents were younger, they might not have valued him as much, nor would they have had as much respect for God. And God had additional purposes in mind.

God was establishing a people for Himself and He wanted to do it in such a fashion that there would be no doubts that He had his hand on Abraham and his family. From Abraham’s time onward, God did miracles for Abraham’s descendants and for the nation of Israel when it became established.

In Deuteronomy 4 God warns the Isaelites: “32Indeed, ask now from one end of the heavens to the other about the days that long preceded you, from the day that God created man on earth: Has anything as great as this ever happened or been reported? 33Has a people ever heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived? 34Or has any god tried to take as his own a nation out of another nation—by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors—as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, before your eyes?

35You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him. 36He let you hear His voice from heaven to discipline you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the fire. 37Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power, 38to drive out before you nations greater and mightier than you, and to bring you into their land and give it as your inheritance, as it is today.”

What has God ever done for you? “Nothing!” you say. Is this true? You have been given life and health, perhaps a home and a family and work to support these things. Did you deserve this? Do any of us deserve any of the blessings God gives us? This past year as COVID – 19 has ravaged the world, many of us have had to re – think the things we have taken for granted for years. Family gatherings, meeting friends at restaurants, attending sporting events of any kind, and even normal shopping – all have had to be drastically curtailed. Ask anyone recovering from COVID and they will tell you that simply to breathe without difficulty and fear is a blessing.

APPLICATION: Perhaps you are angry with God; you feel that things that you enjoyed have been taken away from you. But what do you have left? Perhaps it’s time to choose to forgive God and to appreciate those things that you do have. Gratefulness has been proven to bring health and healing.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your blessings and your mercy. Thank you that we are alive and can praise you. Help us to look around us and to realize that we are surrounded by people and things that are every bit as miraculous as was the birth of Isaac to two senior citizens. And help us to let go of our resentments when things don’t go just the way we want them to. Help us to trust as Abraham and Sarah did that you have a better plan. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 20:1 – 7 “Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar, Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”

Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent? Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.”

Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, be aware that you will surely die—you and all who belong to you.”

Abraham was at it again! He didn’t trust that God would protect him, so he lied about his relationship with Sarah. When does this story actually take place? If you go by the sequence of chapters, Sarah has got to be close to 90 by now. Perhaps this story actually took place earlier about the same time as the story about Sarah entering Pharaoh’s harem. Abraham refused to acknowledge Sarah as his wife, stating instead that she was his sister. Now evidently Abraham and Sarah were half – brother/half sister “same father/different mothers” as the Ghanaians would put it. Abraham had insisted that Sarah refer to him as her brother but not as her husband. Poor Sarah!

Fortunately, King Abimelech had not laid a hand on Sarah, and God told Abimelech in a dream that He had kept Abimelech from sinning. God had made all the women in Abimelech’s household sterile and threatened to kill Abrimelech and his household if Abimelech didn’t let Sarah go. Abimelech gave Abraham livestock, servants, and 1,000 pieces of gold and offered him the best land in his kingdom. Abraham prayed for Abimelech and God removed the curse of sterility from the women of Abimelech’s household.

Right about now you are probably thinking, “Huh! Great example! Why did God bother to help Abraham?” Good question. Why did this story make it into the Old Testament to be preserved for thousands of years? The point of the story is not how bad Abraham was, but how good and forgiving God was. God had made promises to Abraham and God was going to honor those promises. At the same time, God protected Sarah as well as protecting King Abimelech, who was evidently a good man.

APPLICATION: How many times have we told half – truths or presented situations to make ourselves appear as innocent as possible? How many times have we repeated our past mistakes? And how many times have we refused to acknowledge that we have habitually lied, both to ourselves and to others? Have we promised to attend a child’s school function, only to repeatedly fail to turn up because we were still at work? Has our family had to wait to leave on vacation for several hours as one family did because the doctor/father had failed to dictate all his charts until the last minute? Have we left a trail of broken dreams in our wake?

PRAYER: Father God, we confess that we are no better than Abraham! We have told half – truths and made promises that we have broken repeatedly. Lord, forgive us for lying. Help us to tell the truth and to fulfill the promises we have made. Thank you that you will forgive us just as you forgave Abraham all those years ago. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 19:1 – “Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed face down, and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.”

“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.” But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.”

At this point, Lot has lived in Sodom for many years and has become one of its leading citizens. As a city leader, Lot is sitting in the gateway when two strangers arrive at nightfall. Lot greets the travelers, offering them food, a chance to refresh themselves, and a night’s lodging – normal courtesy to strangers at that time. The travelers politely refuse, but Lot pushes the invitation strongly, and the travelers accompany him to his house. Lot receives his visitors appropriately; however, outside, trouble is brewing!

v. 4 – 8 “Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house. They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!” Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him. “Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing! Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do to them whatever you want. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.” While Lot has a proper appreciation for traditional courtesy, the citizens of Sodom do not! Lot even goes to the extent of offering his virgin daughters to be raped rather than have these strangers be assaulted, but the men of Sodom refuse. The angelic visitors drag Lot back inside, slam the door shut, and strike the men of Sodom with blindness so that they cannot find the door again.

What a horrible place! Why has Lot remained in Sodom? Perhaps things weren’t that bad when Lot first came there. Remember that Lot chose to live in Sodom because there was plenty of water and grazing for his flocks and herds and the land was very fertile. Perhaps things deteriorated gradually without Lot being aware of it. And as things went from bad to worse, perhaps Lot kept encouraging himself that “really, things aren’t THAT terrible” or that “surely, my neighbors are actually better than that!” And at a point, Lot may have felt that he was too old to move somewhere else and that he would just have to make the best of a bad situation. Lot may have actually worshiped God privately without saying much to his neighbors.

The Apostle Peter described Lot’s predicament this way: ”…Lot, a righteous man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)” 2 Peter 2:7- 8

Despite Abraham’s prayers, the men of Sodom are truly evil and Lot is the only righteous man in the place. The story is too long to be quoted here but you can read it in Genesis 19. The angels warn Lot, who tries to warn his daughters’ husbands – to – be, but the young men think he is joking and refuse. Finally, the angels have to grab the hands of Lot’s family members and lead them out of the city. Even then, Lot argues with the angels, begging to be allowed to flee to Zoar, a small neighboring town that would otherwise also be destroyed. God graciously allows Lot and his daughters to go to Zoar and then rains down brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, wiping them out utterly. (Many people think that the Dead Sea contains the original locations of Sodom and Gomorrah.) Despite the warnings from the angels not to look back, Lot’s wife does so, delaying her escape, and becomes a pillar of salt or ash. (This story is not far-fetched; there are bodies preserved by volcanic eruptions such as that from Mount Vesuvius that have a similar appearance.)

APPLICATION: Sometimes we get into job situations or relationships, only to find that cheating and lying are the order of the day. Perhaps a family member develops major medical problems and we suddenly need a great deal of money. At that point, the temptation to embezzle may be incredibly strong. The longer we go on, refusing to acknowledge the mess into which we have fallen, the more difficult it will be for us to escape. In Lot’s situation, God had to intervene supernaturally. Everything that Lot had worked for – his herds, his possessions, his standing in the community – was wiped out in an instant. Had Abraham not prayed and had God not forgiven Lot for making a bad choice in the first place and then remaining in that situation, Lot also would have died. But God forgave Lot for his poor choices and God delivered Lot. God does not play favorites; if God forgave Lot and delivered him, God can do the same thing for you.

PRAYER: Father God, help! We are stuck in messes of our own creation and we have no way out! Lord, forgive us for not asking you for guidance before we got into these things. Deliver us from our poor choices. Guide us so that we will follow you and not our own ideas. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 18:16 – 26 ”When the men got up to leave they looked out over Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them off. And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.” Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous, I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out.”

And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous ones in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous ones who are there? Far be it from You to do such a thing! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

So the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I will spare the whole place.”

God is visiting Abraham and has already informed Abraham that Sarah is going to bear the son of the promise, although she is carrying her Social Security card. Two angels appearing as men have accompanied the Lord and now they are go on to visit Sodom and Gomorrah to verify the degree of their wickedness. God remains behind to inform Abraham about His intentions for Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot, Abraham’s nephew, is still living in Sodom, even though morally things are falling apart.

In an effort to save his nephew, Abraham begins to bargain with God. “Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous ones in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous ones who are there? Far be it from You to do such a thing! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

Abraham starts out asking God to save Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of 50 righteous people, but then he has second thoughts…and third thoughts….. By the end of the passage, Abraham has gotten God to agree to save Sodom and Gomorrah if He can find at least 10 righteous people there. Perhaps Abraham is mentally counting the number of people in Lot’s household and figuring that at least God will spare Lot and his family.

How is this passage an example of forgiveness?

1. Abraham has forgiven Lot. Remember Lot, the junior guy who grabbed the best land for himself? the guy who had to be rescued after being captured? the guy who, as far as we know, never even said “thank you” to Abraham? Abraham has obviously forgiven Lot for all those things because here he is pleading for God to save Lot and his household. (Perhaps at this point, Abraham is also crossing his fingers and hoping that Lot has not already gotten caught up in all the horrible practices of the inhabitants of Sodom!)

2. God has forgiven Abraham for deceiving Pharaoh about Sarah, failing to inform Sarah about God’s promise of a son, and also allowing himself to be enticed into taking Hagar as a second wife.

3. God has had to forgive Lot for ignoring Him. Presumably, Lot is righteous, or certainly more righteous than his neighbors in Sodom. But nowhere in any of the scriptures is it mentioned that Lot had any relationship with God or that Lot worshiped God.

“ Far be it from You to do such a thing! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” Amazing! Puny little human Abraham is reminding the Creator of the Universe that He is a just judge! This verse is one of the keys to the entire passage. At various times, Abraham was a liar, a deceiver, a wimp, and a manipulator. BUT Abraham knew who God was and honored God. And because of Abraham’s faith, God forgave him and answered his prayers.

APPLICATION: Think about the number of times you have done wrong things and have tried to excuse yourself. We are very willing to overlook our shortcomings but oh so ready to attack others for minor infractions. Ask God to help you confess your own sins and then to forgive anyone against whom you are holding a grudge.

PRAYER: Father God, open our eyes to see our own shortcomings and our own failures. Help us to see the times we have wronged others. Help us to make a clean breast of these things to you and to seek forgiveness from those whom we have wronged. And then help us to forgive anyone against whom we have a grudge. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 17:17 – 21 “Abraham fell face down. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”… But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”

Genesis 18:9 – 15 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked. “There, in the tent,” he replied. Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent. And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’ Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh.” For she was afraid. “No,” replied the LORD, “but you did laugh.”

Isaac and Sarah had given up! After years of waiting for God to fulfill His promises, they had decided that God must have been kidding or else that Abraham couldn’t have heard God correctly. And then God showed up and everything changed.

Many times, we have our ideas about how situations are supposed to unfold. We have a time table all laid out, and when God fails to meet our expectations, we become discouraged. Even when God came to Abraham personally and told him that Sarah was going to get pregnant and bear a son, all Abraham could do was to laugh. And Sarah had a similar reaction when the Lord visited Abraham.

In some cultures, laughter is not merely a sign of humor or of derision, but also a sign of embarrassment. And perhaps Sarah was a bit embarrassed. Several years earlier she had made the mistake of giving her maid Hagar to Abraham as a second wife, and that had not gone well. Perhaps Sarah was thinking about being heavily pregnant and trying to get up in the morning with creaking knees – who knows! But Sarah and Abraham both laughed.

What was God’s response to this laughter? Many of us would have become indignant had we been God. “Don’t these humans know who I am or what I can do? What kind of attitude is this?” But God was not offended; in fact, He might have been chuckling right along with Abraham and Sarah. You see, God is all – knowing and He knew the joy that Baby Isaac would give Abraham and Sarah. God knew all the wonderful things that would happen because of this miraculous birth. And so, God forgave Abraham and Sarah and blessed them with the son He had promised.

APPLICATION:

How do you respond when your best efforts have been scorned? Obviously, none of us is God and none of us is all – knowing. But we can still follow God’s example. Abraham and Sarah laughed because they didn’t have all the facts and they found God’s promises incredible. But after that baby was born, they were laughing with joy.

When others laugh at you or criticize you, forgive them. They may not have all the facts that you have. And given them time, just as God gave Abraham and Sarah time. If you have acted appropriately, future events will justify your deeds. And even if your critics refuse to change their minds, forgive them anyway! Why carry a burden of resentment that only hurts you?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us so much that You forgive us for our unbelief. Thank You that You are the God of heaven and earth and that nothing is too difficult for You. Help us to love you and trust you and to forgive those who criticize or scorn us. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 16:1 – 6 “Now Abram’s wife Sarai had not borne a child to him, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.”

Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife. And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

“Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.”

The curse of being a barren woman! Few things are more difficult for wives than to be unable to bear children! In many parts of the world, a childless wife has no status or very low status. It is not unusual for husbands to divorce a barren wife and marry someone who can give them offspring. For whatever reason, Sarai, Abraham’s wife had never been pregnant. After that amazing covenant ceremony with God, did Abraham share any details with Sarai? After all, God had promised to make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens.

At any rate, Sarai decided to take matters into her own hands. If she could not become pregnant, she would use her Egyptian maid as a stand – in. But Sarai’s scheme backfired, as schemes frequently do. When Hagar became pregnant, she despised Sarai and made no effort to hide her disdain. Sarai goes back to Abraham and blames him! (One might ask why Abraham didn’t go to God to ask if Sarai was the one to bear the promised heir; evidently, he failed to do so.) And Abraham wimps out on the whole thing, throwing the matter back to Sarai. Sarai promptly drives Hagar out of the camp.

The story continues with God preserving Hagar’s life and with Hagar bearing Ishmael to Abraham. But our focus here is on Sarai.

1. Sarai didn’t really trust God and had lost all hope. She was old and she had been married to Abraham for a long time; surely by now, she would already have gotten pregnant. Many times, we have such a small view of God that we only think of Him in human terms.

2. There is nothing to suggest that Sarai herself had any kind of a relationship with God. Sarai never prayed and asked God for guidance. God doesn’t play favorites; if Sarai had asked God for information or for confirmation, God would have told her.

3. Sarai failed to think the situation through before suggesting Abraham have sex with Hagar. We can make the same mistake – forcing a situation before we have thought it through.

4. Once the predictable happened, Sarai became offended and drove Hagar away; meanwhile, Sarai was the one who had created the problem in the first place. Sarai refused to acknowledge her mistake and refused to forgive either herself or Hagar.

APPLICATION: Have you ever forced a situation and then blamed others when it turned into a disaster? When that happened, did you refuse to acknowledge your role in the situation? If you cannot admit your fault, you will be unable to forgive anyone else. And you will also be unable to forgive yourself for creating the problem in the first place.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help us to look to you and to trust you for guidance and for hope. Help us to realize that when we force and manipulate, things never end well. And help us to confess our sins of manipulation to you, to others, and to ourselves. Help us to forgive those whom we have entrapped in our schemes and to forgive ourselves for creating the problem to begin with. Thank you for loving us so much that you forgive us completely. Amen.

Genesis 15 “After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?”

And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.”

So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut. And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him.

Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own; they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates— the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.

Many of us may have heard of the term “cutting covenant” without having any idea of its significance. In Abraham’s time, when covenants were being made, men would split an animal. Each man would then walk between the split carcass as a sign that if he broke that covenant, the same thing should be done to him as had been done to that animal! When God made this covenant with Abraham, God has Abraham slaughter one of every animal and bird traditionally used in sacrifices. Once Abraham has split the carcasses, God comes. But rather than having Abraham walk through the carcasses, God Himself passes between the split halves, indicating that God is responsible for keeping the covenant.

What does this graphic scene of covenant – cutting have to do with forgiveness? When God cut covenant with Abraham, he was also establishing that same covenant with Abraham’s descendants. Was God fully aware that those descendants would rebel and fall away from Him? Yes. That’s why God didn’t ask Abraham to pass between the carcasses as well. God knew that even Abraham would fail, that no human on earth would ever be faithful enough to earn his or her way into heaven.

Even as God was cutting covenant with Abraham, God was already providing ways in which men could return to him. Look at the right hand side of the illustration; there is Jesus on the cross. Abraham didn’t know anything about Jesus, but Jesus knew about Abraham. God was already preparing to forgive the sins of those who would truly repent.

APPLICATION: Make up your mind that you are going to forgive those around you who offend you, even before anything happens. Remember that God in His mercy has already forgiven you; therefore, you can forgive others.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your boundless love and forgiveness. Lord, help us to truly turn from our sins, to confess them to you, and to trust that you don’t keep records once we have done so. Help us not to keep records of the offenses we forgive in others. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 14:8 “Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and arrayed for battle in the Valley of Siddim 9against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. …11The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food, and they went on their way. 12They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. 13Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the oaksd of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram.”

Well, Lot’s decision to move into Sodom has already proved to be a poor one! Lot has barely gotten settled in Sodom when he becomes a victim in a local conflict and he and all of his household are carried off as prisoners and slaves. Someone escapes and brings word to Abraham. Abraham could have responded with disdain, “Humph! Serves that young man right for having been so greedy and so quick to align himself with those godless Sodomites!” But that’s not the way Abraham reacts.

v. 14” And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night, Abram divided his forces and routed Chedorlaomer’s army, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He retrieved all the goods, as well as his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the rest of the people.” Abraham mobilizes and captures the entire army, retrieving all the goods and the people.

 v. 11The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not accept even a thread, or a strap of a sandal, or anything that belongs to you, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share for the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. They may take their portion.” This is quite interesting. Abraham had no problems receiving things from Pharaoh in Egypt, but he wants nothing to do with the king of Sodom. Evidently, Abraham already had heard something unsavory about the behavior of those from Sodom; he had no desire to become obligated to them in any fashion.

Notice something: throughout this entire story, there is no evidence that Lot ever thanked Abraham for saving him and his family. Lot is a very passive participant in all of this. And yet, Abraham has carried out God’s will as we will see in Genesis 15.

What does this passage teach us about forgiveness?

1. Forgiveness is a choice that we make, not a response to someone else’s actions. Lot rushed in to claim the choicest grazing land without investigating the character of the people with whom he would be forced to dwell. Abraham CHOSE to save Lot; he did not wait for Lot to make any apology or any appeal.

2. Forgiveness does not depend on an appropriate response from the person whom we are forgiving. Abraham did not say, “Well, I will save Lot, but Lot had better be properly grateful!” Abraham acted swiftly and decisively without any consideration for the way Lot might respond.

3. Forgiveness does not keep records. Abraham didn’t threaten that this was the last time that he would rescue Lot.

APPLICATION: When someone has made a stupid mistake, do you help them get out of their problems, or do you allow them to struggle while you gloat? Think of how many times God has been patient with each one of us and how many times we have had to beg God for assistance; yet, God never turns us away.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us and forgiving us. Help us to learn to love and forgive as you do. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.