These last few chapters read like a soap opera! Drama drama drama...Battle scenes, kidnapping, rescue missions, adultery, abuse, and unwed mothers. Most, if not all, of the drama in Chapters 15-16 stems from lack of faith in God's timing and trusting in His plan.
I hate waiting. It's frustrating, and when I have to wait too long I will, more often than not, take matters into my own hands. There's quite a few things...spiritually speaking...that I am waiting for. It's hard to maintain trust in God's plans, to remember that He who has started a good work in me will see it through to completion (Phil 1:6).
I am thankful that I don't have to wait for visions, or to sacrifice animals and wait for fire and smoke to prove to me that God is there. I am thankful that I have my Bible, and that God has given me eyes to see and ears to hear His Word, like what we are reading now...which shows me that God's plans always take into account my mistakes.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Sarai (His Princess)
Reading today was much different for me than most days. For once I didn't like, agree with, or understand the study notes for Chapter 12. The whole section about Abram in Egypt bothered me. That Abram would convince his wife (who technically was his half-sister), to tell the Pharaoh she was actually his sister and not his wife...so that they wouldn't kill Abram because of her beauty. I'm sure a lot of you have the Life Application study Bible, so I'm not going to copy over everything they have...but it's ALL about Abram's point of view and what his actions were, and what application we can take from his doubt in God's ability to provide. Nothing about Sarai...who just got traded to a bunch of men for a few farm animals.
Now, I understand, we're looking at a different time...a different society, where much of what happened would have been very common. So I decided to do some looking around online to find out more. I wanted to understand and know more. I came across a lot of information, different versions of this story and most of what I found still had a very Abram centered view.
But then I found it. Sarai, a name meaning "princess". Her husband might have handed her over to Pharaoh, however God had something else to say about this. "But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household, because of Abram's wife Sarai" (vs 17). The Lord showed how he valued Sarai - His Princess - and returned her to Abram. The promise that He made to Abram back in verses 2-3 is hers too! (Remember Ch. 2:24 "...and they will be one flesh".)
As this story unfolds, I know we will see that neither Sarai or Abram are perfect followers of God's plan for them. Who really is, though?
Now, I understand, we're looking at a different time...a different society, where much of what happened would have been very common. So I decided to do some looking around online to find out more. I wanted to understand and know more. I came across a lot of information, different versions of this story and most of what I found still had a very Abram centered view.
But then I found it. Sarai, a name meaning "princess". Her husband might have handed her over to Pharaoh, however God had something else to say about this. "But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household, because of Abram's wife Sarai" (vs 17). The Lord showed how he valued Sarai - His Princess - and returned her to Abram. The promise that He made to Abram back in verses 2-3 is hers too! (Remember Ch. 2:24 "...and they will be one flesh".)
As this story unfolds, I know we will see that neither Sarai or Abram are perfect followers of God's plan for them. Who really is, though?
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