Life is Messy

In this week’s lesson, Lech Lecha – לֶךְ־לְךָ (Go Forth) based on Genesis 12:1–17:27, we learn just how messy life can get—and how God’s faithfulness is unmoved by the chaos we create. I like to remind my readers that I write these blogs for my own sake first. These are lessons Adonai is teaching me, and I simply share them with others who are walking through similar things. Today's lesson hit me like a thunderclap. It shook me to my core. I could tell this message was strategically placed by the Spirit to push me forward. I know I’m not alone in feeling discouraged by life’s curveballs. Some hardships aren’t our fault—but some are, and those are the hardest to swallow. So before I lose you, let’s get into the heart of the lesson.

Sometimes the mess is so overwhelming that we don't know where to start.

Most believers look to Abraham as the prime model of faith—“the father of faith,” a man to emulate. Scripture presents him as a righteous example, yet the very same Scripture also reveals every one of his flaws. Adonai doesn’t sanitize His heroes. That honesty is what gives the Holy Scriptures their remarkable credibility. In this Torah portion, we see how deeply flawed Abraham was—and how messy life became around him. We also see a pattern many of us know far too well: when life gets messy, we often make it worse. Yet through it all, we find something astonishing—God’s unwavering faithfulness. Not despite Abraham’s failures, but right through the middle of them. Abraham leaves his father’s house at 75 (Genesis 12:4), and by age 99 (Genesis 17:24), he receives the renewed confirmation of God’s covenant. What happened between those years reads like a soap opera:

Circumstance	Verse(s)	Abraham's Actions & Consequences	Verse(s)
Famine in the land	12:10	Abram moved to Egypt with his family	12:10
Fear for his life because of Sarai's beauty	12:11	Abram lied to Pharaoh	12:11-13
Pharaoh took Sarai for his wife	12:14-15	Pharaoh made Abram rich	12:16
God afflicted Pharaoh	12:17	Pharaoh gave Sarai back, and Abram got more riches	12:18-20
Family disputes with Lot	13:1-7	Lot and Abram went their separate ways (Lot chose based on appearance)	13:8-18
War caused Lot to be captured	14:1-12	Abram rescued Lot	14:13-16
Abram met Melchizedek	14:17-18	Abram gave a tithe to Melchizedek	14:19-24
God renewed the covenant with Abram	15:1-16	Abram was reassured by Adonai	15:17
Sarai lost faith in God's promise	16:1-2	Abram slept with Hagar and conceived Ishmael	16:3-7
Hagar lamented over her treatment by Sarai	16:8-10	God told Hagar to return and submit to Sarai	16:11-16
God changed Abram's name and renewed the covenant with the sign of circumcision	17:1-14	Abraham obeys	17:1-14
God changed Sarai's name to Sarah and renewed the covenant with the prophecy of Isaac's birth	17:15-21	Abraham circumcises Ishmael and all men in his household	17:22-27

In case it wasn't obvious from my chronology above, during these 24 years, our beloved father Abraham lied due to fear, which caused his wife to be defiled by Pharaoh (some people try to make this event less dramatic by saying Pharaoh never slept with Sarai, but the way it is worded in Hebrew, it is pretty clear that Pharaoh slept with her). He participated in family conflicts that caused family division, and eventually caused Lot to be captured in war. He likely killed many men to liberate his nephew Lot after he was taken captive. Then he allowed his wife to falter in her faith and slept with Sarai's servant, Hagar, and bore a son who was not part of the promised covenant. An act that has consequences to this day, with all the Middle Eastern conflicts and claims as to who are the true chosen people to inherit the land (wars amongst families that have been raging for over 3 thousand years). Yet, through it all, God made him prosper and become very wealthy, and not only did He not punish him, but renewed His covenant with him three times and was faithful to have it come to pass with the birth of Isaac.

These sins were not small missteps. They were serious, weighty failures: lying, adultery—twice (first by allowing Pharaoh to take his wife, and later by sleeping with Sarai’s servant)—bloodshed in war, and a profound lack of faith that led him to “help” God by conceiving a child with Hagar. These were not harmless incidents. And the consequences are still felt today. The conflict between the descendants of Ishmael, Abram’s firstborn, and the descendants of Isaac, the child of promise born through God’s miracle, has fueled hatred, family division, and war for thousands of years. Scripture points clearly to Isaac as the covenant son, but for those whose entire identity hangs on this question, the answer is not so easy to accept. And all of it could have been avoided had Abram and Sarai waited with patience and trusted Adonai.

That, however, is also the beauty of these chapters. They renew my hope and teach me patience, reminding me that our God is faithful to His promises. His faithfulness doesn’t depend on my perfection. What He has spoken will come to pass—even when life gets messy, even when the mess comes from my own flawed decisions. This is not a license to sin, but just like our father Abraham, when our weaknesses rise and we stumble, we can count on God to set things right. When we make mistakes and fail miserably, He remains patient, guiding us back and often turning even the negative consequences into blessings. I am grateful that Scripture does not hide the failures of the patriarchs. It reminds us that God is generous, benevolent, and forgiving. Even our mistakes—and the brokenness of this fallen world—can be transformed for our good when we love Him and walk in His favor.:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" Romans 8:28-34

Things may not look good for you right now. You may be walking through a difficult season—some of it perhaps caused by your own hands. Yet remember this: God is still in control. If you remain in His purpose, you will overcome this and anything else the world can throw at you.

Lech Lecha — Go forth.

Go on in the strength you have.

Keep moving forward.

Keep doing what is right, even if your steps feel small.

Just as He was faithful to Abram, Jesus will be faithful to you. His promises are as good as fulfilled. Praise Yeshua! May you find the same joy, hope, and confidence in this message that I have found, as we step into another week under the care of our Father and His glorious plans. Shalom u’Shavua Tov!