An Old Testament Devotion for the Anxious Covenant Child’s Heart
Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.
Are you ever so frustrated by your sin that you wonder if God can still love you? Do you ever feel like you just can’t fight your sin anymore?
I think most Christians feel this way sometimes. Sometimes it can feel as though we keep praying to God to help us fight our sin… but we feel like God doesn’t hear us. Because we keep on sinning.
Most of the Bible verses we talk about in this book happen when God is speaking to one of His children. But this verse tells us the story of when God spoke to King Abimelech, a powerful Pagan king of the country Gerar.
At the beginning of this story, Abraham and his wife Sarah were traveling, and they came to Gerar. Now, Sarah was very beautiful, and King Abimelech noticed.
In those days, kings often did whatever they wanted. They could have any man killed simply because they felt like it. They could take what they wanted and give what they wanted. And when Abraham and Sarah came into town, King Abimelech noticed Sarah’s beauty, and Abraham was scared. He was afraid King Abimelech would have him killed so he could take Sarah to be his own wife. For in that part of the world, the kings often had many, many wives.
Instead of trusting in God, however, and trying to protect his wife, Abraham took the coward’s way out. He told King Abimelech that Sarah was his sister, rather than his wife. And when Abimelech commanded that Sarah be brought to him, instead of protecting her as a husband should, Abraham gave her away.
I don’t know about you, but I would be pretty upset if I were Sarah.
God, however, knew everything that was happening, and He stepped in to save His daughter.
Knowing that King Abimelech planned to take Sarah as his new wife, God appeared to King Abimelech in a dream.
And it was King Abimelech’s turn to be afraid.
In this dream, God revealed to King Abimelech that Sarah was actually Abraham’s wife. And that King Abimelech had stolen her. King Abimelech, of course, was terrified. He pleaded with God. “I didn’t know! I haven’t even touched her!”
God replied, “Yes, I know. Because I knew the truth, and I didn’t allow you to touch her.”
God knew what was going on, and He stopped the king from making Sarah his wife. Even though King Abimelech didn’t know it, God was merciful enough to stop him from committing a great sin.
“So why doesn’t God stop us from sinning all the time?” you might ask. To be honest, I don’t know God’s secret thoughts. But I do know what He says in His Word. And in Philippians 2:12-13, He says,
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Before babies can learn to walk, they must first learn to crawl. And only then can they try to walk. But learning to walk isn’t easy. It involves a lot of falling, and often many bumps on the head. Babies must learn to balance their weight and move their legs and arms properly, and to develop those muscles, they usually have to fail again and again.
“Now, that’s mean,” we might say. “Why do parents allow babies to get so many bumps and bruises? Surely their mommies and daddies could hold them up so they don’t fall so many times!”
That’s true. The parents could do that. But then the baby wouldn’t really be walking. His legs wouldn’t grow strong, and he would never be able to play baseball or do gymnastics or play a game of tag with friends. He wouldn’t even be able to run away from danger.
Likewise, even though God has saved us, He sometimes lets us fall and fail again and again. Because He knows that we must learn how to obey Him. Just like a baby learning to walk, Christians must learn to love God through obedience.
But just as parents are there to watch the babies learn to walk, they are also watching to keep the baby from doing something truly dangerous. A little bump on the leg or arm won’t really hurt a baby, but running into traffic or touching an oven will. Likewise, God sometimes does stop us from sinning, just as He did for King Abimelech, without us ever knowing it. Paul promises in 1 Corinthians 10:13,
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
As Christians, we should desire to obey God. But we must also expect that such obedience is hard work for such sinners like us. Thankfully, we don’t have to obey God to earn or keep our salvation, but rather, we obey God because we love Him and are grateful for His first loving us.
We might sometimes feel alone as we go through this world, feeling very much like a little baby who falls and fails all the time. But God is our Heavenly Father, always with us, always smiling on us, always loving us. Even when we fail.
Which is all the more reason to love Him more.
So enter this night in peace, sweet one. For you are loved.
Discussion Questions
1. Did Abraham trust God when he told Sarah to lie to King Abimelech about being his wife?
2. How did God protect Sarah even when her husband did not?
3. Why does God sometimes allow us to sin and then disciplines us? How does He bring good out of those hard lessons?discipline us? How does He bring good out of those hard lessons?
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