Lesson 12 - Political & Family Crises:
 The Consequences of Unbelief
 Read Genesis 20-21 - www.bible.com/bible/59/gen.20

*Have you ever gotten into trouble because you didn't trust God to take care of you? Did you take matters into your own hands and in the process cut some moral or ethical corners? What happened?

In the last lesson we saw Abraham at his best, living in faith in God and praying according to God’s will. In this lesson we see something we need to learn to recognize in our own lives – the attack of Satan when our faith begins to grow!

Abraham had surely watched the destruction of the cities from a safe lookout. Almost as surely, he had seen Lot and his family leave, and had probably sent someone to them with food and clothing and whatever else they needed just to survive in the caves for a few days.

Then Satan attacked. We would think that Abraham, after all he had seen God do, would have no doubts at all about God’s ability to protect him. How often do we expect this of ourselves when we have seen our faith grow in God – thinking we can now face anything with Him? But Satan knows us better than we know ourselves, he knows our weaknesses. Abraham’s weakness was his wife, Sarah. He loved her, he knew she was beautiful, he knew other men would desire her. He became afraid, so he told a lie to try to save his own life. He probably even defended what he said, for Sarah WAS his half-sister – they had the same father but different mothers.

God stepped in to protect Sarah, making the king return her to Abraham untouched so there could be no doubt at all about who would be the father of Isaac.


Then, in chapter 21 God fulfilled His promise to Abraham – at the age of 100, and Sarah at the age of 90, they had a son. Can you imagine the celebration in that camp the day Isaac was born? The Bible says Sarah was filled with laughter and joy.

But now again the problems arise that are consequences of Abraham and Sarah’s sin when they tried to make God’s promise come true their own way. Ishmael, the son of Abraham by the servant-woman, Hagar, is jealous of Isaac, and the first time Abraham makes a feast to celebrate Isaac’s life, Ishmael makes trouble for the young Isaac. Even though Abraham and Sarah send Hagar and Ishmael away, God does not forget them. He promises they too will live, and Ishmael will also have 12 sons and become a great nation.