FBT Daily Devotional: Genesis 21

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Amen. We are going to be taking a look at Genesis chapter 21 this evening. And Genesis chapter 21 is about God keeping his promise. There is some necessary separation, and there is faithful provision that takes place. So I want to break it down into the verses, as you know, and just kind of give you a little bit of a title for each of the sections. And you all know the story. This is a very familiar story, but I would like to reiterate anyway. In verses 1 through 7, it's talking about God keeping his promise. So we know that after many years of waiting, Sarah finally gives birth to Isaac, just as God said she would. Now Abraham is pretty old, and so is Sarah, right? He's 100 years old. The child's name, of course, we know is Isaac, which means laughter, and God gives uh joy to Sarah after all the doubt, you know, that she had been entertaining. The idea here is that when God promises something, he fulfills it even if it takes longer than expected, which means that we have to keep walking by faith. In verses 8 through 13, there is conflict in the household. The Bible tells us that as Isaac grows, Ishmael, which we of course we all know is Abraham's older and other son through Hagar, begins to mock Isaac. And Sarah insists that Hagar and Ishmael leave so that Isaac's inheritance will not be threatened. Now, Abraham naturally is upset. This is his son, right? I'd be upset too. But God tells him to listen to Sarah because Isaac is the child through whom the covenant promise will continue. God also reassures Abraham that he will bless Ishmael and make him into a nation as well. Now, what can we take away from that? Sometimes difficult decisions are necessary to protect what God has promised, but God, being the good God that he is, still cares for everyone who is involved. In verses 14 to 21, God provides in the wilderness. And again, very familiar story. Hagar and Ishmael are sent away. Now their water runs out in the desert. Hagar fears that her son is gonna die. But God, being the good God that he is, hears Ishmael's cry, and he shows Hagar a well of water nearby. Right? He promises once again that Ishmael will become a great nation. So even in the hard or painful seasons, God still sees, God still hears, and God still provides. Okay, in the last couple of verses, 22 to 34, there's a local ruler named Abimelech, and he recognizes that God is clearly with Abraham. And so they settle this dispute over a well and they come to a peaceful agreement. Abraham plants a tree and he worships God as the everlasting God. So what's the idea here? When God's promise is established in our life, others can see that God is with us. Amen. So I wanted to go for some bigger themes taken out of the story. And so here they are. Amen. Not ours. Separation is sometimes necessary. And so not all relationships can travel into the next season. And I want to say that again. Not all relationships can travel into the next season, which tells us that we got to stay close to God. We got to be communing and conversing with God and then get his wisdom and discernment. God hears the cry of the marginalized. He heard Hagar and he heard Ishmael, and they matter to him because, again, he is a good God. There is covenant clarity. The line of promise there is intentional and it is protected. And finally, there's the reputation of presence. So when God is with us, even outsiders can discern it. Now I want to take those same themes and I want to take them through a series of motions. So movement or motion number one is fulfillment after delay. So we know that the chapter opens with joy. Isaac is born as the Lord had said. This is the moment for which Sarah and Abraham had waited decades for. But here's the key fulfillment was not the finish line, right? It's the beginning of responsibility. So the promise moves from prophecy to person, from hope to household reality. So when God fulfills the promise, he moves us from dreaming to stewarding, and stewardship reveals what still needs that alignment. In our second movement, there's separation that protects what was born. As soon as Isaac begins to grow, there is conflict that comes, that conflict emerges. No surprise there, right? Ishmael mocks Isaac. So notice the timing. The tension, I'm sorry. Yeah, the tension surfaces after fulfillment comes. Promise attracts resistance. And God confirms that Isaac is the covenant line. Separation then becomes necessary, not to punish Ishmael, because again, God is a good God, but to protect Isaac. So once God fulfills something in our lives, we have to take good care of it. We have to become good stewards over it and guard it, right? Some relationships, habits, patterns that were once tolerated in waiting seasons may not be able to remain in fulfillment seasons. And again, this is something that we have to speak to God about, staying close to him, getting his wisdom, getting discernment. So God will not only birth promise, but he will refine our environment to sustain it. Right? Separation is not about pride, it's about preservation. It's something to think about. All right, in our third movement, God's compassion is wider than his covenant line. So now the chapter shifts to Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness. And as I've already said, God is going to protect Isaac, right? But he also hears Ishmael because again, he's that good. He opens Hagar's eyes to a well that was already there. And so this kind of balances out the previous movement when I talked about separation protects what was born. Separation does not mean abandonment. Let me say that again. Separation does not mean abandonment. Different assignment does not mean different love because he loves all of us, right? But the assignments may be different. So God is precise in purpose, but he is expansive in his compassion. Hallelujah. And that prevents harsh or arrogant application. All right, in our last movement, we're talking about covenant clarity producing stability. So after separation and after wilderness, something changes in Abraham. There's this king by the name of Abimelech who approaches him and says, God is with you in all that you do. This is the fruit of alignment. Amen. Abimelech can see that God is with him. When promise is fulfilled, when interference is removed, when God's purposes are clarified, stability is able to come in. Stability follows. Abraham plants a tree and he worships the everlasting God. He's no longer wandering emotionally, he is settled spiritually. So when our life aligns with God's assignment, our footing then has the opportunity to become firm. Finally, hallelujah, movement number five, the reputation of presence. The chapter ends not with drama, but with witness. An outsider recognizes divine presence. So we go from fulfillment to separation to wilderness to alignment to witness. Genesis 21 shows us that the goal is not just to receive the promise. The goal is to become a person in whom God's presence is visible. Abimelech didn't see Isaac's birth, but he did see Isaac's life, right? That's maturity. So just to try to sum it up a little bit before I throw some questions out there for you, Genesis 21 shows us what happens when God's promise becomes reality. First, God fulfills what he said. Then he adjusts what surrounds it. He proves his compassion even in hard transitions, right? He clarifies the assignment, and eventually our lives become evidence that God is with us. I just want to throw some questions out there for you to think about, andor you can discuss them in the chat, and I'll say them slowly. Won't ask a whole lot, but just want to give you a little bit of think time. So let's think about this. Have you ever experienced a long wait for something you believe God promised? What did the waiting produce in you? And maybe you're waiting for something at the moment. So I'll ask it again. Have you ever experienced a long wait for something you believe God promised? What did the waiting produce in you? Next question. How can we remain faithful in seasons where promises feel distant? How can we remain faithful in seasons where promise feels distant? Anyone ever been there? I have. And I can hear Pastor Reggie say, oh, oh yeah, so uh you Christians don't walk by faith? Yes, we walk by faith, not by sight. What does stewardship look like once God answers a prayer? Ever think about that? What does stewardship look like once God answers a prayer? Amen. I'm just gonna ask one or two more. What makes necessary separation so emotionally difficult? God may ask us to step away from a situation, step away from a person, step away from a circumstance. And it may be very difficult. What makes necessary separation so emotionally difficult? Like, Lord, I don't want to do this. I know you're telling me to step away from this person, from this situation, from this job, from this event? What makes that so emotionally difficult? And I'll ask one more because I want to be on time. How can we discern the difference between reacting in hurt and responding in obedience? And I'll ask that again. How can we discern the difference between reacting in hurt and responding in obedience? And with that, that is my time. So I hope I've given you something to talk about, think about, reflect on in the chat rooms. Thank you.