THE KING’S BUSINESS
7S
Lesson VIII. February 23—Abraham and Lot. Gen. 13:1-18. I. Abram Goes Down to Egypt. 1. Faith tested. (1 ) “T h e re
2. Abram’s faithless fear. (1 ) A s th ey “ com e n e a r to e n te r E g y p t,” (v . 1 1 ), w h en faith goes ou t fear com es in. T h e re is m o re sense of security in th e V a lley of th e S h adow o f D e a th w ith th e G o o d S h ep h e rd (P s. 2 3 :4 ) th a n in th e g reen p a s tu re s of E g y p t w ith o u t H im . No m an e v e r escaped his fears b y q u it ting C an a an fo r Egypt. T h e re is no safe p la c e b u t G o d ’s place, a n d a sa in t's fears increase in ex a c t ratio to his d istance from C an a an a n d his n earness to E gypt. A b ram said, “ th ey w ill kill m e ” (v . 1 2 ), an d th e fam ine in C an a an could h a v e d o n e no m ore. Jo b , a b o u t th e sam e time, said, m o re nobly, “T ho u g h H e slay m e y e t w ill I tru st in H im ” (J o b 1 3 :1 5 ). ( 2 ) “ say . . . th o u a rt m y sister” (v . 1 3 ). “W h a t tim e I am a fra id ,” said th e Psalm ist, “ I will tru st in T h e e ” (P s. 5 6 :3 ) , b u t h e re A b ram seeks a “ refuge o f lies” (Isa. 2 8 :7 ) . T ru e Sarai w as his h a lf sister (G en . 1 1 :31 ), y e t this w as a w ho le lie, fo r w h a t A b ram m e an t th e E gyp tian s to u n d e rsta n d w as n o t “she is m y sister,” b u t “ she is n o t m y w ife.” A lie is n o t th e th ing said, b u t th e th o u g h t conveyed . T h e re a re h a lf truths, b u t no h a lf lies. ( 3 ) P h a ra o h “ e n tre a te d A b ram w ell fo r h e r sak e ” (v . 1 6 ). A m an like A b ram m u st h av e felt v e ry m e an to a c cep t P h a ra o h ’s b o u n ty as th e re w a rd o f a lie, an d a t th e expense of a wife. T ho se gifts be c am e a source of strife a n d tem p ta tio n (G en . 13:6, 7) from which A b ram e sc ap ed only because h e g o t b a c k to his p la c e ( 1 3 :3 - 4 ) . 3. Abram’s return and restora tion. (1 ) “T h e L o rd p lag u ed P h a ra o h ” (v . 1 7 ). H ow P h a ra o h d is co v e red th e cause o f his p lagues is n o t said. T ro u b le d o e s n o t “ sp ring ou t of th e g ro u n d ” (J o b 5 :6 ) a n d
w as a fam ine in th e la n d ” (v . 1 ). F a ith an d fam ine are con sisten t w ith G o d ’s prom ise. T h e flesh feed s on food , b u t faith o ften grow s b y fam ine. T h e L o rd is p le d g e d to feed th e b o d y , b u t first to feed th e soul. If th e F a th e r’s ch ild ren a re a llow ed to h ung e r it is no sign th a t H e h as fo r g o tte n them . If th e L o rd ’s se rv an ts g et in to stra it place, it is no sign th a t th ey a re n o t in th e righ t place. P au l an d Silas w ere on th e K ing’s business an d sung H is p raises in “stripes a n d im p risonm en t,” b u t th e ir b o n d s m e an t lib e rty to th e ir ja ilo r (A c ts 1 6 :2 5 -2 9 ). T h e w ay o f o b ed ien c e is n o t a b o u lev a rd , it is stra ig h t a n d narrow , a n d its finger p o sts a re crosses. ( 2 ) “A b ram w en t d ow n in to E g y p t.” T h e L o rd h ad said n o th ing to A b ram a b o u t going d ow n in to E g y p t; H e h a d called him to C an aan . G o d h a d n o t called him to “kill” him “w ith h ung e r” (E xod. 1 5 :3 ). H e cou ld h av e “given m an n a from h e av en ” in C an a a n as well as in th e w ilderness, a n d A b ram m igh t h av e e a ten “ an g e l’s fo o d ” (P s. 7 8 :2 5 ) , in ste ad of th e “ leeks a n d on ion s” o f E gy p t (Num . 1 1 :5 ). A fam ine in G o d ’s co un try is b e tte r th a n a fe a st in th e d ev il’s, a n d to sta rv e on J e h o v a h ’s d o o rste p th a n to b a n q u e t a t P h a ra o h ’s tab le. A b ram h a d th e sam e passions, b u t n o t th e sam e p re c ep ts as we, who, b esid e s his exam ple, h av e th a t of Israel in E g y p t (E x o d . 1: 1, 14 ), o f N aom i in M oab (R u th 1:1, 5, 2 0 ) , a n d D av id a t G a th (2 Sam . 2 1 :1 0 - 1 3 ) ; w ith th e b ra v e w o rd s o f H a b a k k u k ( 3 :1 7 - 1 9 ) , a n d th e assu rance a n d ex am p le o f Jesus (M a tt. 6 :2 5 -3 4 ; 4 :2 - 4 ) . F a ith th a t fails u n d e r te st has lo st its o p p o r tunity.
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