After a person has run ahead of God, and made a mess, they can become either very bitter or very ready to listen. 13 years have passed since Genesis 16:18. Abram is now 99 years old, Ishmael is 13 years old, Sarai is 89, and God chooses to reaffirm his promises. Notice that the promises of God all depend heavily on God’s faithfulness, not on Abram’s performance.
Abram was a man of faith, but he also struggled with fear from time to time. He had just finished a war with 4 powerful eastern kings. Will those kings come after him for revenge? Has he just made some very powerful enemies? Did he just do a foolish thing in refusing more wealth? Look here at God's solution to Abram's struggles with fear.
Abram faced something even greater. He didn't have a blueprint, a map, or a timetable. All he had was the word of God! What an amazing picture of Abram’s faith in God! Abram obeyed God with a huge step of faith and trusting the promises of God. Can you see how this is an incredibly powerful and encouraging section of scripture? Stop for a moment and rehearse these 6 comforting promises.
The plans of man are no match for the will of God. God will not be mocked, and He cannot be out maneuvered. God disrupts their plans of recognition and significance with confusing their language. Did you see what the outcome of this Divine act was? The people scattered (11:8-9). The people finally did what God commanded them to do in Genesis 9:1.
Your worth is not measured by what you do (like raising children, homeschooling, a high paying job, or skilled hobbies). Your worth is measured by who you are in Jesus…your relationship with the Creator, Sustainer, and Savior of the world! “What you do” comes from “who you are” in Jesus! Enoch’s shining testimony was all about God and not about himself.
When we reject God’s way, reject God’s rebuke, and reject God’s hope, we will be shocked to discover how far down our rejection of God will take us! Pride, jealousy, and rebellion are powerful sinful choices that bring more misery and destruction in our lives than we would have ever thought possible!
