《三》隐藏的软弱被暴露
在二十章八至十三节，我们看见亚伯拉罕隐藏的软弱被暴露出来。亚伯拉罕不是偶然说谎，他是从走神道路的头一天就计画好了。亚伯拉罕告诉亚比米勒：“当神叫我离开父家飘流在外的时候，我对她说，我们无论走到甚么地方，你可以对人说，他是我的哥哥；这就是你待我的恩典了。”（创二十13）。甚至在亚伯拉罕受了割礼以后，这隐藏的软弱仍留在他里面。
原则上，今天我们多半是一样的。一面我们在教会中跟随主，另一面我们有所保留。若是某件事情发生了，我们就有豫定的计画来应付。你要对主绝对么？若是要，可以问问主，你还有甚么隐藏的保留。你不错，我们在教会生活中是凭信而活。但我们的信心失败的时候怎么办？我们就用我们所保留的。也许不久以后，你的软弱就要暴露出来。这要证明尽管你宣称自己是绝对的，但你还不是百分之百的绝对。我信二十章这段记载的目的是要给我们看见，迟早我们的软弱要被暴露出来。圣经与属世的书不同，圣经是对寻求神的人真挚、诚实的记载。无论我们多寻求神，我们仍有保留。
《四》蒙神主宰的看顾所保守
在圣经里，在表号上，亚伯拉罕代表信心，撒拉代表恩典。换句话说，在神面前，男人总是代表信心，妻子总是代表神的恩典。亚伯拉罕是信心之父，他的一生是信心的一生。撒拉既是神恩典的表号，以撒从她而生，意思就是以撒从恩典而生。反之，以实玛利从夏甲而生，就是从律法而生，从辖制而生。在表号上，每当信心失败了，恩典就受到破坏。这意思是在我们这面的信心一旦失败，在主那面的恩典就受损。每次亚伯拉罕失败，撒拉就受损；撒拉受损，就是恩典受损。
不仅如此，恩典和见证也是并行的。甚么时候有恩典，甚么时候就有见证。当亚伯拉罕说谎的时候，他对恩典就没有享受。因此，他就失去他的见证。每当信心失败，恩典就受损，恩典的见证也就失去了。
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Hidden Weakness (3) – Gen. 20:3
III. The Exposure of the Hidden Weakness
In chapter 20:8-13 we see Abraham’s hidden weakness being exposed. Abraham did not lie accidentally; he had planned it from the first day he began to walk on God’s way. Abraham told Abimelech: “And it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, ‘This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother”.’” (Gen. 20:13). Even after Abraham was circumcised, this hidden weakness still remained within him.
In principle, most of us are the same today. On one hand, we follow the Lord in the church; on the other hand, we have reservations. If a certain thing happens, we have a predetermined plan to meet it. Are you absolute for the Lord? If so, you may ask the Lord what hidden reservations you still have. You are right that we live by faith in the church life. But what if our faith fails? We use what we have reserved. Perhaps before long, your weakness will be exposed. This proves that although you claim to be absolute, you are not yet one hundred percent absolute. I believe the purpose of the record in chapter 20 is to show us that sooner or later our weakness will be exposed. Unlike worldly books, the Bible is a true and honest record of those who seek God. No matter how much we seek God, we still have reservations.
IV. Preserved by God’s Sovereign Care
In the Bible, in typology, Abraham represents faith and Sarah represents grace. In other words, before God, the man always represents faith, and the wife always represents God’s grace. Abraham is the father of faith, and his life was a life of faith. Since Sarah is a figure of God’s grace, Isaac being born of her means that Isaac was born of grace. Conversely, Ishmael being born of Hagar means he was born of the law, born of bondage. In figure, whenever faith fails, grace is damaged. This means that once the faith on our side fails, the grace on the Lord’s side suffers loss. Every time Abraham failed, Sarah suffered; Sarah suffering means grace suffered.
Furthermore, grace and testimony go together. Whenever there is grace, there is the testimony. When Abraham lied, he had no enjoyment of grace. Therefore, he lost his testimony. Whenever faith fails, grace is damaged, and the testimony of grace is lost.