Covenant and Conflict – Genesis 12:10-20

Among the first chapters of covenant history, there is documentation of conflict between the legacies of Shem and Ham. Early accounts of the progress of God's people include frequent clashes between significant sons, or those who find their hope in the Messianic line, and the city builders (those who invest their faith in the machinations of humanism). Think of Moses vs. Pharaoh, Joshua vs. Jericho, Jonah vs. Nineveh, Daniel vs. Babylon...., or in our text today: Abraham vs. Egypt. These are trying moments which serve to illustrate the sovereignty of God, and at times, the weakness of His chosen people. Where will we seek refuge when our world is shaking? Will the foundation stones of God's promises withstand the storms of trial? Abraham finds himself in such a moment in Genesis 12. He must face the prospect of endurance and faith through hostile territory and this will not be the only time he will face adversity of this sort. A nearly identical scenario will reoccur in Genesis 20. This time, Abimelech, king of Gerar, sought to take Sarah as his wife mislead by Abraham passing her off as his sister once again. The context of this event is even more detailed and illustrates again the faithfulness of God in spite of the failure of His servants proving that He, through Jesus Christ, is truly the one and only founder and perfecter of our faith. (Heb 12:2) In addition, this event in Genesis 12, introduces a number of symbolic categories or concepts which foreshadow future events in the history of the lineage of Abraham...