Unbearable, Unreasonable, Impossible Faith s1e73 Gen14
Warren wiersby Your faith has not been tested until we have been asked to bear what seems to be Unbearable,
do what seems to be unreasonable
expect what seems to be impossible
Impossible, unreasonable, unbearable story of FAITH here.
Summarize story YEAR 2080BC incredible detail
Rebellion against far away, kingdoms
Let the rebellion stand, not sending tribute
Conspiracy and rebellion, plot, plan premeditated calculation
Bad guys in the promised land
Bad guys coming to punish the bad guys in the promised land
World power mad and coming in hot winning every
1 knuckleheaded “good guy”, that’s a stretch who has intimately associated himself with the bad guys from far away LOT.
As a reader: MUST NOT READ AHEAD
Avoid the temptation. Gotta put yourself in Abram’s position.
Massive, 100% successful army now 16 armies strong?
I cannot imagine a worse military situation—that is the point
On it’s way back to Past Babylon Iran with people, plunder—LOT
Lot bearing the consequence of his sin? His decisions? His compromising
INfORMED of Lots presence
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive,………….. Here
Here is the moment where it all hits the fan
CANNOT READ AHEAD
Daniel 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Like shadrack: God is ABLE, but if not…we are resolved to serve Him
Armies of 16 kings
Assyrian world power
he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
318 trained at what? Never a word spoken about warriers.
Divided inferior forces.
AND DEFEATED and pursued up into Syria
Brought back all the possessions 16 armies of power, weapons, women, provisions, flocks,
KINSMAN REDEEMER—one from among you comes to save you
Here a relative, Ruth Boaz—point towards Christ reddeming us though we are the knuckleheads
Unbearable, Unreasonable, Impossible Faith
Like shadrack: God is ABLE, but if not…we are resolved to serve Him
so Abram is faced with a unbearable decision, committment
impossible odds World power mad and coming in hot
Good reading: put yourself in his place. “Don’t read ahead” and say, POOF it all turns out just fine. Abram is statistically, logically, situationally going to be killed. 70 years old. God who he is on speaking terms with but not a whole lot of history. Lots of promises, not much results yet
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Does he continue in faith?—Yes. Story of faith with BOOTS on Swords drawn
Is the nation of the promise snuffed out because Lot’s stupid decision to go live in the city of Sodom?
Do family ties DOOM the family of God?
Something happens in 2080bc that calls out to you
Trust God. Go all in with Him. Faithful to the people around you. Specifically, faithful to the knucklehead people around you--LOT
I cannot imagine a worse military situation—that is the point
Like shadrack: God is ABLE, but if not…we are resolved to serve Him
The testing of your faith Unbearable, Unreasonable, Impossible