God's dealings with his people

One of the striking characteristics of the way in which the Bible records God's dealings with His people is the way in which it portrays the characters involved. They are not made out to be superheroes. These are honest portraits which record their faults and failings, their dishonesty and deceit, their weakness and waywardness. 

Take for example Genesis chapter 16 and the way in which it portrays Abram and Sarai. The heir promised by God has not appeared. They are getting old. At Sarai's suggestion, they did what, at that time, was a perfectly acceptable thing: arranged for her maid, Hagar, to stand in and produce an heir for her. Although that's not something acceptable today, it was the custom at the time. So, we cannot criticise her for that. But it is what happens next that seems so unreasonable. Once Hagar has successfully delivered a son, Ishmael, instead of being grateful she behaves in a hostile and cruel way towards her maid. We can certainly criticise her for that. She was unreasonable, unfair, and unkind. 

But what about Abram? He does not come across well either. He obviously loved his new son, but he was weak. He should have defended and supported Hagar. After all, she had just produced the son he longed for. But he was passive and instead of standing up to his wife, he gave in to her urge to take out the humiliation she felt on the servant-girl. "Do with her as you please." Shame on you Abram.

So, neither Abram nor Sarai can be held up as role models for us today. So why is this recorded in God-breathed scripture? What can these stories say to us?

Perhaps the first thing is to note that God uses frail and sinful human beings in the outworking of his purposes. Abram and Sarai, later Abraham and Sarah, were a mixture of good and bad. Abraham is held up as a model of faith. He is indeed our spiritual father, and, in that respect, we follow and imitate him. We can also take encouragement that, we who have weaknesses and a tendency to make mistakes, are not disqualified from God's team either when we make mistakes. The important thing is to ask for and receive forgiveness, learn from our mistakes and then press-on.

Secondly, we need to read this chapter in the context of the whole of scripture. Theologians talk about a canonical reading of Scripture. The fact is that we have more resources available to us than they did. Now that Jesus has dealt with the power of sin and has poured out His Spirit, we have God's help inside us. We also have the written Word of God to feed and nourish us. Abraham did not have the Paul's letter to the Romans! So, we need to press on with confidence and expectation that, although we are made of flawed characters in the Bible, precisely the same stuff as them, we should and can do much better. In fact, it was the apostle Paul himself who wrote that such things were recorded as examples and warnings for our benefit (1 Corinthians 10:11).

Thirdly, this chapter can and should make us less judgemental and more compassionate about the failures of others. It is very easy to be critical. But a healthy appreciation of our own frailty, together with God's perspective on the matter, provides a powerful antidote. To be sure we should not be lax or tolerant of sin, but when there is sincere repentance, confession and (if appropriate) restitution, we should give people another chance (or indeed chances). Jesus did say something about seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22). And Jesus demonstrated this with Peter after his three denials. (John 21:16).

To mention Paul one final time:

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:13-14

Chris Moffett