Chapter 6-Faith Stumbling (Genesis 16)

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah

--Psalm 62:5-8

In this week's text, we see that Abram did not wait on God, but rather tried to move the promise of God toward fulfillment by his own means. And as is regularly the case, the outcome is less than desirable.

The temptation to lean (and act) upon our own understanding instead of trusting the Lord may sometimes come from those closest to us. In a strikingly similar picture of the temptation in the Garden of Eden, Sarai tells Abram to take Hagar as his wife, in order that Sarai might obtain children by her servant. Abram obeys, Hagar conceives, and strife follows.

However, it was God alone who had signified that He would fulfill the promises to Abram, and that He would bear the curse should the covenant be transgressed. His word alone is upright, and He alone is always faithful. While there were consequences for Abram and Sarai's disobedience, God would--in a very real and final manner, through Jesus Christ--be cursed on our behalf and fulfill His promises to Abram.

As stated on page 72 of our book, all of our sin, failure, and faithlessness has been poured out upon and punished in Christ our Redeemer. And his perfect righteousness and faithfulness has been credited to us. God has worked in and through the sin and failures of his people throughout history, culminating in His reconciling us to Himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Here is love, despite our stumbling faith: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.