Abram goes to Egypt

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you struggled to trust God’s plan for your life because of your own bad decisions? Maybe you struggled with wondering if you had messed things up so bad that God’s plan for your life was non-recoverable. Today I want to show you that God can be trusted even when we are not trustworthy.

Background:

Two weeks ago we looked at a series of promises God had made Abram. These promises seemed to big to be true. To impossible to ever come to fruition.

God had promised Abram that through his descendants the whole world would be blessed. Yet Abram’s wife was barren, unable to have children.

God Promised him a land, yet Abram was called to leave his land and inheritance behind.

God Promised him that His descendants would one day take over Canaan, yet God had him leave his clan, he was alone.

Then today we see another barrier. God had promised Abram a land, and a blessing and then their is a severe famine in the land of promise. The land that was promised to him became uninhabitable.

So then what good is the promise of God? Now I am not asking this question to receive the programmed religious church answer. But if you were in this situation that Abram find himself in, wouldn’t you be asking the same question.

Remember he is clan less, childless, He owns no land. He is a foreigner and sojourner and now this so-called land of promise is uninhabitable.

In this situation is this not a valid question?

Let’s look at today’s text together.

Genesis 12:10–13:1 CSB

There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a while because the famine in the land was severe. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live. Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.” When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s household. He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels. But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife, Sarai. So Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!” Then Pharaoh gave his men orders about him, and they sent him away with his wife and all he had. Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him.

The first thing we need to notice is that their is a famine in the land so Abram decides to go to Egypt.

Now, I have heard it said that when ever a person goes to Egypt that it was inherently a sinful decisions.

However, Their isn’t a stipulation in the promise of God to Abram that he wasn’t allowed to leave and still inherit the land. The text simply doesn’t make that assertion.

Not only that but his descendants would soon go to Egypt as a refuge with Joseph as part of God’s plan.

So it the text doesn’t give us any reason to suggest Abram was wrong in going to Egypt. It was just a practical decision. There was no food in the land and in Egypt there was food.

So lets see how this account unfolds:

Genesis 12:11–13 CSB

When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live. Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.”

Now when we read this in hindsight I think all of us agree that no good can come from this. First of all, I mean come on how many of our wives would really appreciate us lying about their identity. Men, I am just going to tell you that following Abram’s example in this area is probably not a good idea.

I want to share with you two things that I noticed about this event.

#1 When uncertainty and faithlessness collide schemes are born.

Faith is living without scheming.

Warren W. Wiersbe

How often does uncertainty lead us to scheming? Think about it when your in a difficult situation or you think you soon will be. How often do you sit around and dream up ways to get yourself out of trouble.

Then how many times did your schemes not work out quite the way you had hoped.

I think back to an early time in Hope and I’s marriage and we were short on cash. We happened to go to a store that was selling Sperry shoes on a ridiculous sale. In our area, there was this mom’s swap group that met in target parking lot to sell and trade goods.

I think the police were convinced it was an organized crime ring because they were often out there observing.

So since the sale was so good, we decided to use what little money we had to purchase a bunch of these shoes and the resell them for a profit through this mom’s swap.

Long story short, It was a ton of work and a couple of bucks every week wasn’t the boost in cash flow that we really needed.

Had we prayed about it. We probably would have never done it.

You see that is the difference between scheming and faith. Faith takes matters to God. Scheming takes matters into our own hands.

The next thing I want to point out to you is

#2 The reason for Abram’s lack of faith.

As we look at this event in the life of Abram, we ask how can Abram go from such a bold faith to forgetting the very thing God had promised him?

Think about it. God’s promise hinged on the fact the Abram would remain alive long enough to have a child. No Child yet, Abram cannot be killed. Right?

Let me ask you this question, how much experience did Abram have with God at this point in his life? Almost none.

I mean we have literally seven verses that characterize Abram’s entire experience with God. That’s it....

What good is the promise of God if you do not know the God of the promise? x2

Abram had zero experience with the power and faithfulness of God. Remember that he came out of a idolatrous household.

So if you meet a stranger on the street that tells you something crazy like. Hey trade me your cow and ill give you some magic beans. Chances are your going to struggle to trust this guy.

In this way, Abram had already exercised more faith than many people ever will with almost no knowledge of who God is other than the vision that he had, it’s amazing.

So then why Did Abram fail?....because he was human. Because humans only trust what we experience. What good is the promise of God if you have not experienced God? Don’t you see....all the other heroes of the faith that come after Abram at least had heard stories about God’s provision.

I think many times when we fail to have faith it is because we have yet to experience God in that way.

Many of us worry about when and how we are going to die. But because I have come close to death a few times and God said , no. Now, I do not worry about dying. Is it because I am a man of super faith, no. It’s because God has rescued me and my family from death.

I have experienced God in that way.

But many people live in such a way where risk is seen as evil and so anything that is risky is to be avoided. In other words, they have never had to exercise real faith.

In living this way, they miss out on experiencing God.

This type of life leads to always feeling distant from God. This type of life will lead you to always be suspicious of God’s plans because you have not experienced his character.

You may know about it but you have not experienced it.

Do you see church family when God allows bad to happen and yet you make it out on the other side, You now have experienced God and experiencing God will always take you further than cognitive knowledge alone.

Take a few risk on God....you will see him in a way that will radically change your ideas of who He is.

Romans 1:17 CSB

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Lets look together at

The Results of Abram’s Scheme.

Genesis 12:14–16 CSB

When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s household. He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.

So when Abram came up with this scheme no doubt he was thinking if they know I’m her husband they will just kill me and take her.

However, if I am her brother they will instead want to gain my approval to marry her. I will just say, “no”.

However, the one thing that Abram probably hadn’t counted on was the fact that He couldn’t say no to Pharaoh.

Now had we been watching this live on TV when Pharaohs men came to take his wife we would all be thinking all right Abram the gig is up. Time to confess. But that doesn’t happen.

You wonder what was going through Abrams mind.

Maybe it was the line from Jimmy Soul’s song,

If you want to be happy for the rest of your life never make a pretty woman your wife. From my personal point of view get an ugly girl to marry you.

I mean now he was in real trouble. I can only imagine the look Sarai must have been giving him....Like c’mon Abe its time to say something. I’m about to be part of a hairum!!!!! It’s time to say something. But neither of them do.

Not only That Pharaoh begins to give Abram all sorts of wealth for Sarai. You cannot refuse the gift of a king without insulting him.

I mean this is a big predicament. Abram loses his wife to a man that could take his and her life.

But God… intervenes.

Genesis 12:17–13:1 CSB

But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife, Sarai. So Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!” Then Pharaoh gave his men orders about him, and they sent him away with his wife and all he had. Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him.

Now we see an interesting motif in this passage. We see Abram oppressed by his own making in Egypt. We see Plagues harassing the Pharoah and his household. So much so that he send Abram out of Egypt with great wealth.

Are you seeing any similarities between this and the exodus story?

Dr. James Allman, DTS -

“What God does in the past is always a model for what he will do in the future. Except that God is too creative to do the same thing in the same way, a second time.”

God may never provide for you the same way twice but he will provide for those who are following him.

So then is Abram rewarded for his scheme? I mean he gets even richer from it?

No,

God is proving that even in Abrams faithlessness, He is faithful. You see God had promised Abram. It was an unconditional promise.

In the same way, Even when we mess things up, God in his grace will often step in and strengthen us through the consequences. God will often redeem our foolishness and strengthen our faith in Him in the process foe those who are genuinely wanting to please Him.

Even when you have the best intentions your going to make the wrong decision out of fear and uncertainty. Abraham’s lie/scheme was made to keep himself alive and his wife with him. But it was the wrong decision. It lead him to almost losing both his life and his wife.

He is not praised for it nor is he rewarded for it. Yet

Hebrews 4:15–16 CSB

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

God has not forgotten your faith. It doesn't mean that their will not be consequences, but rather God will not leave you and he can sympathize with you.

Deuteronomy 31:8 CSB

The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

This means that we can follow God with certainty even when we mess up God will not abandon you.