Tammy On Tuesday ~ Dangerous Decisions

PINIMAGERecently I was reading through the story of the lives of Abram and Sarai. As you may know, Abram was counted righteous because “he believed God”.

In Genesis chapter 15, we see that God makes a covenant with Abram. It’s a wonderful passage full of promise even in the midst of seeming impossibility. Sarai had been unable to have children and yet God promised Abram a blood-heir. Even more, He told Abram that his offspring would be too numerous to count.

Imagine the joy this produced in Abram and in Sarai.

Genesis 15:1-6

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” ² But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue^[a] childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” ⁴ And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” ⁵ And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ⁶ And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

 In Genesis 17 God changes his name to Abraham as a testament to His promise to him. Abraham means the father of many nations.

4“Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.5No longer shall your name be called Abram,^b but your name shall be Abraham,^c for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.7And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:4-8

So this is great, right? In Bible times, a man’s heritage or legacy was extremely important. Your name was carried on through the your heir. God promised Abram He would abundantly bless him and his future generations. They would be His people. He would be their God.

All that was left was for God to give the child.

And so they waited.

Have you felt God’s hand of direction or promise in your life?

Are you in a period of waiting?

Are you wondering when God is going to come through on His promise?

Have you felt as though God has forgotten you?

Maybe you are getting antsy. Maybe you are beginning to wonder if there’s more for you to do to spur things along. Perhaps you’ve devised a plan of your own to see this vision come to completion.

Let’s look at what Sarai did in the waiting in chapter 16. (Remember, the promise had already been given to Abram in chapter 15.)

Genesis 16:1-3

16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. ² And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.³ So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. 

 So here we see Sarai “helping things along”.

Maybe she was thinking something like this…

Look, I know God has spoken to me regarding this particular thing (a calling, a step of obedience, a promise) and I’ve been waiting for a while but He hasn’t moved on my behalf. Perhaps He wants me to do something on my end. I haven’t felt prompted but I have a great idea!…

This is in essence what Sarai is doing. I mean, what could go wrong? Right? Let’s look at the following verses.

Genesis 16:4-5

⁴ And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. ⁵ And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” ⁶ But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

Wow! That turned ugly quick!  Regret, blame, contempt, anger. Sarai has made a mess of things.

Let’s look at the timeline of this encounter.

Sarai –

• Becomes impatient
• Devises a plan
• Regrets her decision
• Places Blame
• Invokes destruction
• Impacts the world

Devastation of a poor decision is rarely isolated to the one who makes it.

Sometimes, the destruction is carried on for many generations.

You may be saying, “But, Tammy, it was one foolish decision! Who doesn’t make bad decisions here and there? What kind of lasting trouble could this cause?

Well, let’s look at how Sarai’s decision still impacts the world.

Sarai did go on to have a blood-heir named Isaac. Both Isaac and Ishmael were the beginning of vast nations. Isaac was God’s promised son. Ishmael was the son born according to Sarai’s plan. To this day, the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael are at enmity with each other.  There is much that could be said here regarding the great conflict between them.  From Isaac’s offspring came the promised One, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Through Ishmael’s offspring we see the birth of Islam.  I have soberly reflected over the past few days on Sarai’s seemingly impulsive decision outside the plan of God that has shaken the whole world.

Let this solemn story be a reminder that even our daily decisions are important and have a lasting impact.

Are you waiting on God in a particular thing? Be patient. Consider what you will do in the waiting.

How can we avoid making dangerous decisions of the flesh:

• Be in prayer – 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7

• Be in the Word –

I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.

I do not turn aside from your rules,
for you have taught me.

How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:102-105

• Be in the Spirit –

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

And for those who are grieving a poor decision, for those who have crumbled in your resolve to wait on God and took things into your own hands, know that there is hope and restoration for you.

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. Psalm 86:5

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Acts 3:19

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30

 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,^[a]for those who are called according to his purpose. Romasn 8:28

What decision do you face today? Are you growing weary in the waiting my friend? Recommit your heart to the Lord in faith and be steadfast in the truth. God is faithful and His Word proves true. What He has promised, He will do.