Our Faith is Like Shifting Sand
People are complicated. Do you know anyone who always does what you expect? People are made in the image of God and so wonderfully creative and honorable. People are also fallen in sin and so woefully sinful and horrible.
Even those of us with faith in Jesus don’t always walk according to our faith in Jesus. Followers of Jesus can be faith-full and faith-less. We’re like the father of the boy with an unclean spirit who says to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mk. 9:24)
I resonate with this father. His life and mine are summarized nicely by Caedmon’s Call 1999 song “Shifting Sand.” It goes like this:
Sometimes I believe all the lies
So I can do the things I should despise
And everyday I am swayed
By whatever is on my mind
I hear it all depends on my faith
So I’m feeling precarious
The only problem I have
With these mysteries
Is they’re so mysterious
And like a consumer
I’ve been thinking
If I could just get a bit more
More than my fifteen minutes of faith
Then I’d be secure
I’ve begged You for some proof
For my Thomas eyes to see
A slithering staff, a leprous hand
And lions resting lazily
A glimpse of Your back-side glory
And this soaked alter going ablaze
But you know I’ve seen so much
And I explained it away
My faith is like shifting sand
Changed by every wave
My faith is like shifting sand
So I stand on grace
Does your faith ever feel like shifting sand, changed by every changing circumstance? Do you ever feel so close to God that you could just weep and sing for joy? And then so far from him that you wonder if he’s even real or how he could love you?
If our lives depended on our faith, we would be in trouble. Thankfully, there’s a foundation we can build our lives on that will hold our houses up. That foundation is God’s grace. “My faith is like shifting sand, so I stand on grace.” God’s grace doesn’t move or shift or slide out from under our feet. It’s not dependent or conditional. It’s free and forever belongs to those who belong to God.
God’s grace is what keeps us in the faith, it’s not our faith that keeps us in God’s grace. This is liberating news for the unrighteous and the self-righteous, for people like us with faith like shifting sand.
Abram is Faithless and Faithful
The back and forth-ness of faith is more normal you may realize. Who hasn’t struggled with unbelief and doubt?
One of the good gifts of God to us in the Bible is its realism. The Bible doesn’t glamorize its main characters. It tells us the truth about them.
Last week, in Genesis 12, we saw that Abraham, one of the most influential figures in world history, was so cowardly that he told his wife to lie and tell Pharaoh that she was his sister so that he wouldn’t get killed. Why? Because he struggled to believe the promises of God he’d just received in verses 1-3.
As Mason helpfully pointed out, it’s instructive for us that Moses introduces Abraham to the people of Israel with two stories after his call from God. The first story in 12:4-9 is about his faith and obedience. The second story in 12:10-20 is about his unbelief and cowardice.
This is good news! Even Abraham, the father of our faith, struggled to believe the promises of God, struggled to do what was right, had self-preserving tendencies, and failed to care well for vulnerable people. This should be super encouraging to us because we’re just like him. Like Abram, we bounce between faithfulness and faithlessness. “Our faith is like shifting sand.”
What Kind of Guy Would Abram Be?
If we didn’t know the end of the story, after reading what happened with Abram in Egypt we may wonder what kind of guy he would be. In Egypt he was a liar and a coward. But then we come to Genesis 13, and we learn that Abram, like every true follower of God, knows where to go after he’s blown it. He goes back to the God who saved him. When his faith faltered, he goes back to grace. And this chapter will show us that God’s grace did indeed have a changing effect on Abram.
Abram Goes to God
Verses 1-4 tell us where Abram went after leaving Egypt. This was a spiritual pilgrimage of sorts. It’s not a coincidence that he goes to a place where he’d previously worshipped God and did what he had done there, “calling on the name of the Lord” (v. 4, cf. 12:8).
After blowing it in Egypt, where does Abram go? He goes to God. He goes to a place of worship. He goes to “call upon the name of the Lord.”
Go to God, His Heart is For You
Where do you go when your faith falters? Where do you go when you’ve acted cowardly instead of courageously? Do you move away from God or towards God? Glutting ourselves on food or alcohol or video games or media or ministry or busyness usually indicates that we’re running from something and to something other than God.
What are you running from? What are you running to? Like Abram’s altar in Bethel, God hasn’t moved, so like a prodigal son, Abram runs home.
I love the way Dane Ortlund ends his book Gentle and Lowly. He says, “The Christian life boils down to two steps: 1. Go to Jesus. 2. See #1. Whatever is crumbling all around you in your life, wherever you feel stuck, this remains, un-deflectable: (Jesus’) heart for you, the real you, is gentle and lowly. So go to him. That place in your life where you feel most defeated, he is there; he lives there, right there, and his heart for you, not on the other side of it but in that darkness, is gentle and lowly. Your anguish is his home. Go to him.” And as Thomas Goodwin said in the 1600’s, “If you knew his heart, you would.”[1]
Friction in the Family
Abram returns to Bethel and calls upon the name of the Lord. And then verses 5-7 tell us that his wealth and his nephew Lot’s wealth starts causing some friction in the family.
This is a clear example that money does not solve all your problems. Abram and Lot’s affluence is creating strife among their employees. Their huge flocks put pressure on the shepherds to find water and pastures for the herds. The text also notes that the “Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land” (v. 7), so Abram and Lot weren’t the only ones needing water and pasture.
But interestingly, the text says that the “strife” was between Lot and Abram’s herdsmen, not between them and the other people in the land. Sadly the people of God often have a harder time living with one another than with the people of the world.
Magnanimous Leadership
Immediately after Abram renewed his faith in God, a test came that struck close to home. Throughout Genesis we’ll see the people of God face tests and trials that are close to home.
But verses 8-9 show us that Abram handled this test with incredible wisdom and grace. God’s grace made Abram an open-handed man. As the leader of the clan, he had every right to take whatever land he wanted and tell Lot to go somewhere else. But in humility, he counted Lot as more significant than himself. He didn’t look only to his own interests, but to the interests of Lot. He was magnanimous and unselfish. He didn’t take what he could’ve taken. Like all great leaders, Abram was willing to sacrifice for the good of others.
Last week I read a biography of George Washington. It was fascinating to learn about the actions that Washington took that served the public’s interest more than his own. For example, he took a slower and less aggressive approach against the British army in the Revolutionary War, despite his more aggressive instincts. After winning the war, he laid down his sword at Annapolis and refused to be king of the new nation. Later he refused to serve a third term as president. Washington is revered in our nation’s history because he didn’t take what he could’ve taken. Like Abram, he chose a more noble approach.
Abraham the Peacemaker
When strife broke out amongst the herdsmen, Abram takes the approach of peacemaker. He seeks to defuse the situation and settle it peacefully. In Egypt, he did what was easy and expedient in order to avoid conflict. Here he does what’s hard but right. It seems that his meeting with God has changed his disposition.
Peacemaking always involves an eagerness for peace. Abram says, “Let there be no strife” (v. 8). Is this your attitude in whatever conflict you’re having right now at work, home, or church? This isn’t the attitude of the world. Our culture thrives on rage and anger and conflict and division. This is what sells so people learn to do it really well. The world wants to stir things up. It doesn’t want peace.
But this is not the way of Christ or his followers. Paul says to the Corinthians, who’re really upset with him, “My heart is wide open (to you),” then “Make room in your hearts for us” (2 Cor. 6:11, 7:2). Is this your posture in conflict? Is it more like the Grinch who says, “Nothing you say or do can ever make me trust you and you will pay for what you’ve done.” Or is it more like Paul’s who says, “I want this to work out, my heart is open to you.” This attitude moves toward a person with an open heart as opposed to standing with folded arms, waiting for them to move toward you. When people really want to work through conflict, they usually do. But people with closed hearts and no desire for peace will remain in strife.
This attitude of peace and generosity comes to characterize Abraham. Next week we’ll see that he refuses to take spoils from war that don’t belong to him (14:22-24). Parents, kids will forget most of what you say. But they’ll remember what kind of person you are, and who we are in conflict is one of the clearest pictures of who we are. Abram’s attitude rubbed off on his son Isaac. Later in Genesis, Isaac responds in a similar way when his servants dig wells only to have them claimed by the servants of Abimelech. Strife broke out, but rather than press his rights, Isaac moved to another place to dig his wells (26:21-22).
Faith that Leads to Sacrifice
When Abram refuses to take whatever land he wants, he’s showing us that he’s prepared to release part of the promised land to Lot. He’s prepared to sacrifice because of his faith. The common-sense thing to do would be for him to take the fertile land. But doing what makes sense isn’t always the same as walking in faith. Abram’s faith wavered in Egypt, and it’ll waver again. But here he’s willing to give up some of the promised land because he believes that God is true to his word. He’s prepared to sacrifice what’s been promised to him, just as he does with his son Isaac on the altar in chapter 22.
Israelites hearing this from Moses for the first time would’ve been absolutely shocked because Lot is the father of their enemies the Moabites and Ammonites (19:36-38). They’re listening, thinking, “Don’t do it Abram! Don’t hand over our land to the people who’re trying to kill us!”
But as we’re about to see, Lot decides to go east and Abram “settled in the land of Canaan” (vv. 11-12). God’s promise is secure. Nothing will stand in the way of God’s promise to Abraham.
Looks Can Be Deceiving
Verses 10-13 tell us why Lot chose to go east. Lot doesn’t defer to Abram. He chooses the Jordan Valley, a well-irrigated and lush land. He chose the best for himself. It’s so fertile that Moses compares it to the Garden of Eden and the land of Egypt.
This is another instance in Genesis of someone seeing something they like and taking it for themselves. We saw that with Eve in 3:6, and with the sons of God in 6:2. All these instances teach us that just because something looks good to your eyes doesn’t mean that it’ll be good for your soul.
The mention of “Zoar” in verse 10 tells us that Moses wants us to connect this to what will happen with Lot later. This is where Lot flees to when God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah (19:22). It also tells us that there’s a great contrast between what Lot sees initially and what happens eventually. First impressions aren’t always reliable.
As one commentator says, Lot “chooses an area that is materially prosperous, yet morally degraded.”[2] Lot chose where to live based on what his eyes could see. He saw a land of great material wealth. But he either didn’t see, didn’t care to see, or didn’t look long enough to see that the land was in a severe famine spiritually. This land would soon be consumed by fire.
Remember Lot
Anglican pastor J. C. Ryle preached a sermon on Lot in the 1800’s. He says that this wrong choice early in Lot’s life was the cause of so much of his ruin. He applies this story to several areas of life that are still very relevant today.
Ryle says that we should remember Lot’s choice when we’re considering where we’ll live. Will we worry more about price and location than we do about whether “the gospel is preached within an easy distance?” He asks, “Is Christ crucified within the reach of your door? Is there a real man of God near, who will watch over your soul?”[3]
Ryle says that we should remember Lot when we’re choosing a job. Will we worry more about the salary or our soul and our Sundays? “Will you have your Sunday’s free,” he asks, “and be able to have one day in the week free for your spiritual business?”
Proverbs tells us not to make decisions based primarily on money: “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven” (23:4-5). And Jesus said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mk. 8:36)
Ryle says we should remember Lot when we choose a husband or wife. He says, “Think of your soul, your immortal soul. Will it be helped upwards or dragged downwards by the union you are planning? Will it be made more heavenly, or more earthly – drawn nearer to Christ, or to the world?” Will you care more about their looks than their soul?
Ryle says that Lot “chose by sight, and not by faith. He asked no counsel of God, to preserve him from mistakes. He looked to the things of time, and not of eternity. He thought of his worldly profit, and not of his soul. He considered only what would help him in this life. He forgot the solemn business of the life to come. This was a bad beginning.”
If you’re young and just getting your start in the world, remember Lot’s choice. Things aren’t always as they appear. As the old song says, “Everything that glitters is not gold.” One of the smartest things you can do is surround yourself with older, wiser, godly counselors. And our church is full of them. Seek them out as you approach big decisions. Older members, actively seek out younger brothers and sisters to help them avoid the mistakes you’ve made. The church is a family with age-diversity for a reason. We need each other’s counsel and encouragement.
Promises Renewed
In verses 14-18, the Lord speaks to Abram after he and Lot separate. Here God is reiterating the promises he made to Abram in 12:1-3. The focus of the promise is twofold: Abram will have many descendants and he’ll inherit the land of Canaan.
From where Abram stood, literally, the promise of the land seemed unlikely. He was near Bethel, the site of a major crossroads of north-south and east-west roads through the hill-country of Canaan. Bethel is on a prominent height so Abram could see vast stretches of land. But he could also see the flourishing and heavily fortified Canaanite city of Bethel. All outward appearances make it clear that the Canaanites owned and ruled this land.
But God says, “The land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever” (v. 15). Can you imagine hearing this as you stand in someone else’s yard? What is God saying to Abram? He’s saying, “I’m going to do things that you can’t see right now. I can do things that you think are impossible.”
God Can Do Impossible Things
Do you believe that God can do things that seem impossible in your life? It’s been said that prosperity people believe God for things that he hasn’t promised, and that reformed people struggle to believe God for things he has. Do you believe that God will provide everything you need, help you forgive your enemies, reconcile relationships in your family, give you words to say when you’re sharing the gospel, bind up your wounds and heal your broken heart?
The father of the boy with an unclean spirit said to Jesus, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus responds, “If you can! All things are possible for one who believes” (Mk. 9:22-23). Jesus can do the impossible. But sometimes we don’t actually believe that. How can we know if this is us? Our prayer life dries up, our Bibles stay closed, our worship is cold, and nobody knows what’s really going on in our lives. All these things are signs of a faith that’s shriveling up and maybe on the verge of giving up. But a faith that’s growing is seen in a desperation for God, his word, his presence, and the help of his people.
Grace for those Struggling with Faith
The good news is that God’s grace isn’t nullified by our shifting sand faith. God’s grace is what keeps us in the faith, it’s not our faith that keeps us in God’s grace.
Lot chose what he could see, Abram what he could not. As a result, Lot found himself in danger and isolation, whereas Abram found himself in the middle of God’s glorious future for him, even though he couldn’t see it. Unlike in Egypt, he chose to believe God and do what was right and God rewarded him. You never risk forfeiting the blessing of God by doing the right thing.
Abram struggled to believe the promises of God, but he did believe them. This is why he “settles” in the land of Canaan and worships (v. 18). Like us, he was faithless at times. But when he was, he moved toward God and God graciously held onto him and renewed his promises to him.
Abram’s faith was like shifting sand, changed by every wave. His faith was like shifting sand, so he stood on grace.
May we also go to Jesus and keep going to Jesus, believing that he’ll meet us in our anguish and do things that appear impossible. May God’s grace grab our hearts so that we become open-handed peacemakers, like Abram, and like the greater Abram, Jesus Christ.
[1]Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 216.
[2]John D. Currid, A Study Commentary on Genesis, Volume 1: Genesis 1:1-25:18 (Leyland, England: EP Books, 2015), 272).
[3]This and the following quotes come from J. C. Ryle, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots (Moscow, ID: Charles Nolan Publishers, 2001), 184-7.