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Objective

In this lesson we’ll see that Abraham’s faith grew through the mistakes he made and the tests he endured, learning that God uses even our failures to strengthen our trust in Him.

Key Verse

Romans 4:3: For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Introduction

God has given you a calling and promises just as He gave to Abraham. But are you willing to wait like Abraham did? Are you willing to trust God even when His timing doesn’t match your expectations?

There are many qualities we can learn from Abraham’s character. For example, when conflict arose between his herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen over grazing land, Abraham didn’t fight for his rights or demand the best territory. Too many times God’s servants struggle with each other over territory, influence, and recognition.

Genesis 13:8-9: So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

Abraham understood something vital—that the land belonged to God alone. This is how we should view our lives and service as well. God is the one who builds His kingdom, not us.

1 Corinthians 3:6-7: I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

Philippians 1:17-18: The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

We’ve already seen that Abraham grew in faith as he waited on God’s timing. In this lesson we’ll discover that both Abraham and Sarah grew through the mistakes and tests in their lives. God’s grace is so amazing that even our failures can become stepping stones to stronger faith when we learn to trust Him completely.

• Abraham grew through his mistakes
• Abraham grew through tests
• Sarah grew through God’s grace and patience

Abraham Grew Through His Mistakes

It is never God’s plan for us to fail. He has given us everything we need to live victoriously in Christ. But God is faithful to use even our failures to help us grow in faith and dependence on Him. Abraham made two significant mistakes in his life, and both mistakes came from the same root problem—not trusting God completely.

➤ His Journey to Egypt

The first mistake happened when Abraham left Canaan and went down to Egypt. He abandoned the land of promise for what seemed like a practical solution to his problems. Instead of relying upon God’s provision, he was trusting in his own wisdom and planning.

Genesis 12:10: Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

Throughout Scripture, Egypt consistently represents a picture of the world’s system and bondage to sin. Israel was later delivered from the slavery of Egypt, and we should never leave the freedom we have in Christ to return to bondage. We should not live in bondage to sin, to fleshly desires, or to human traditions that contradict God’s truth.

Romans 6:6-7: For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Galatians 4:9: But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

Abraham went to Egypt because of a famine in the promised land. How easy it is for us to make excuses for ourselves when circumstances become difficult! We can justify our compromises by claiming they are necessary for survival or success. But Abraham should have remembered that the same God who called him to Canaan was able to provide for him there, even during a famine. (Notebook Moment: When have you been tempted to compromise your faith or leave God’s will because circumstances seemed difficult? What does Abraham’s mistake teach us about trusting God even in hard times?)

Philippians 4:19: And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

But notice God’s amazing grace in Abraham’s failure. God was merciful and delivered Abraham from the complications his compromise had created in Egypt. When Abraham returned to Canaan, he went immediately back to the place where he had first built an altar to worship God.

Genesis 13:3-4: From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.

This pattern gives us hope when we fail. Peter is another servant of God who grew through failure. He denied knowing Jesus during the most critical hours of Christ’s ministry, but he was restored to fellowship and became a bold leader in the early church.

John 21:15-17: When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love me.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

We grow in Christ when we experience God’s complete forgiveness. Like Peter and Abraham, we should turn from our failures and fully receive God’s grace rather than remaining trapped by guilt and regret.

Philippians 3:13-14: 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.

➤ His Relationship with Hagar

Abraham’s second major mistake came when he tried to help God fulfill His promise. After waiting many years for the promised son, Abraham listened to Sarah’s suggestion that he take her servant Hagar as a second wife to produce an heir through her.

Genesis 16:1-2: Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

Nothing good ever comes from trying to get ahead of God or help Him fulfill His promises through our own efforts. What happens when we do this?

First, we start listening to people instead of listening to God. Many times God does speak to us through other people, and we should be open to godly counsel. But we must also remember that our enemy can try to deceive us through well-meaning people who give us advice that contradicts God’s clear direction.

Genesis 16:2: So she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Sarah’s logic seemed reasonable from a human perspective, but it wasn’t God’s plan. We need spiritual discernment to distinguish between human wisdom and divine guidance.

Second, we look for temporary solutions instead of waiting for God’s permanent solution. Hagar did conceive and bear a son named Ishmael, but this wasn’t God’s solution to Abraham’s desire for an heir. It created more problems than it solved.

Genesis 16:4: He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

Third, our bad decisions always affect other people. Sarah became bitter and jealous. Abraham failed to lead his household with wisdom and love. Hagar became proud and disrespectful. Ishmael grew up in a household filled with tension and conflict.

Genesis 16:5-6: Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.” “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

Yet even in this failure, Abraham’s mistake became an opportunity for God to show mercy and grace to everyone involved—Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael. God heard Hagar’s cry in the wilderness and provided for her and her son.

Abraham Grew Through Tests

Abraham’s faith was tested many times throughout his life, but his greatest test came when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise he had waited so long to receive.

Genesis 22:1-2: Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will show you.”

Notice how close Abraham’s relationship with God had become. When God called his name, Abraham heard Him clearly and answered immediately. This teaches us an important truth: tests often come to us when we are walking closest to God, not when we are distant from Him.

Genesis 22:1: Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

God often asks us to do things we don’t understand, things that seem to contradict His previous promises or our natural reasoning. How do we respond in such moments? Do we argue with God or demand explanations? Let’s see what Abraham did.

Genesis 22:3: Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.

Abraham obeyed immediately, without argument or delay. This reveals the depth of his trust in God’s character and goodness. (Notebook Moment: How do you typically respond when God asks you to do something that doesn’t make sense to you? What can you learn from Abraham’s example of immediate obedience?)

What is the purpose of trials and tests in our lives? Scripture teaches us that trials refine and purify our faith, burning away the things that hinder our trust in God.

1 Peter 1:6-7: In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Trials also teach us patience and endurance, developing spiritual maturity that cannot come any other way.

James 1:3-4: Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

This ultimate test strengthened Abraham’s faith as he witnessed God’s perfect timing and provision unfold before his eyes.

Genesis 22:11-14: But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Once again Abraham heard God call his name. Even in the middle of this intense trial, he remained close enough to God to hear His voice clearly. The place where Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac became a testimony to God’s faithful provision.

Sarah Grew Through God’s Grace

When we think about the heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11, we find Sarah listed alongside Abraham, even though she made significant mistakes during her lifetime. Her suggestion that Abraham take Hagar as a second wife created years of conflict and pain for everyone in their household. Yet God sees our faith despite our failures.

Hebrews 11:11: And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.

Sarah’s story reminds us that God isn’t looking for perfect people to accomplish His purposes—He is looking for faithful people. When Sarah finally received the promised son in her old age, her response revealed a heart that had learned to trust God’s power and timing.

Genesis 21:6-7: Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Like Abraham, Sarah discovered that God’s grace is greater than our mistakes. Her failures in faith became part of the story of how God builds faith through both our successes and our struggles. (Notebook Moment: How does Sarah’s inclusion among the heroes of faith encourage you about your own failures and struggles with trust? What does this teach us about God’s patience with our growth process?)

When the apostle Paul writes about Abraham in the New Testament, he focuses on something remarkable about this man who made significant mistakes and faced overwhelming tests.

Romans 4:19-21: Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Paul describes Abraham as someone who “did not waver through unbelief” and who “was strengthened in his faith.” This is God’s perspective on Abraham’s life—not a man who failed, but a man whose faith grew stronger through every test and trial.

This same perspective applies to Sarah and to all of us who choose to walk by faith. When we trust God even through our mistakes and difficulties, God sees us the same way He saw Abraham and Sarah. He doesn’t focus on our failures; He sees our faith. He doesn’t remember our stumbles; He celebrates our trust in His promises. Both Abraham and Sarah learned that God’s patience with our growth process is far greater than our impatience with ourselves.

Conclusion

The story of Abraham’s growth through mistakes and tests reveals the amazing grace of our God and the power of faith to overcome every obstacle. Abraham’s journey from a man who occasionally trusted in his own wisdom to a man who was “fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” shows us the path of spiritual maturity.

Abraham’s failures teach us that our mistakes often come from the same source—not trusting God completely. When he went to Egypt during the famine, he trusted his own planning instead of God’s provision. When he took Hagar as a second wife, he trusted human reasoning instead of God’s timing. But in each case, God used even these failures to deepen Abraham’s understanding of His faithfulness and grace.

Abraham’s tests teach us that God allows difficulties in our lives not to destroy our faith, but to refine and strengthen it. The same God who tested Abraham with the sacrifice of Isaac provided the ram in the thicket. The same God who allows us to face challenging circumstances will provide everything we need to walk faithfully through them.

Most importantly, Abraham’s story teaches us how God sees those who choose to live by faith. Despite his mistakes and struggles, when Paul describes Abraham under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he presents him as a man who didn’t grow faint at God’s promises but was strengthened in faith. This is God’s view of Abraham—and it’s God’s view of us as well when we choose to trust Him through every season of life.

When you face your own tests and trials, when you make mistakes and wonder if you’ve disappointed God, remember Abraham. Remember that the same God who was faithful to him will be faithful to you. He is the God who uses our failures to teach us about His grace and our trials to strengthen our faith. He is the God who sees not our weaknesses but our trust in His promises.

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