Does the End Ever Justify the Means - Genesis 12:10-20

Copyright February 24, 2019 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

Over the years we have seen several ministries devastated by scandal. Popular leaders have had faults exposed and broadcast over the very airwaves that formerly helped created their fame. These exposures have been a black eye to the Christian community.

As disappointed and saddened as we might be at these revelations of wrong-doing, we have already learned in the book of Genesis (and will see many times again) that people fail. Even the best leaders can get caught up in foolish schemes and sinful behaviors. And Abraham the father of the faithful was not exempt.

This morning we look at a strange passage. You may be surprised and hopefully encouraged by some of what we learn here. Let' set the scene.

10At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. 11As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman. 12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ 13So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.”

I would like to stop here and do a little survey of just the men. Let's do this by a show of hands. "How many men think this was a really bad plan?" Let's continue with the story.

14And sure enough, when Abram arrived in Egypt, everyone noticed Sarai’s beauty. 15When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to Pharaoh, their king, and Sarai was taken into his palace. 16Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her—sheep, goats, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. (Genesis 12:10-16)

So, Abraham is getting richer, and Sarah is being treated like an object! Any time a person is treated like an object is sad day for humanity. This is true even if it is to sell a product or draw viewers to a TV show or movie.

The failure in this account began before Abraham ever arrived in Egypt. The New Living Translation of the Bible is the only modern version that says the famine "forced" Abraham to go to Egypt. The Hebrew text has no such word. We don't really know what happened. What we do notice is God told Abraham to go to Canaan and when the famine came there was no indication Abraham asked for direction at all. He left Canaan and went to where he believed there would be food. It was probably also where everyone else was going to find food.

The mistake is not in trying to find food for your family, the mistake was not consulting the Lord. Admittedly, Abraham was young in his faith. Believing in a personal God was new to him but this little decision may have been the start of a compromise that likely created some distance between Abraham and his wife, and quite possibly threatened the fulfillment of God's promise to make Abraham into a great nation.

You may find yourself wanting to defend Abraham. It is common to run after what seems right or best at the moment with little thought given to the long-term consequences. For example,

We declare our faith on Sunday and then deny it to keep from possibly being ridiculed at work, school, or even out with friends.

We talk about trusting God, yet we succumb to peer pressure and engage in the wrong behavior of the group so we will find acceptance.

We say we are a follower of Jesus but when it comes to a dating relationship, we follow the pattern of the world

We say we trust Him to provide for our need, but we scheme to get a big payoff from some risky venture

We fail to do something we said we would do, so we lie about it to save our skin.

This is what happened to Abraham. He chose to do what would save his skin instead of seeking God to know what was right to do. Instead of worship, deception takes center stage. He let his wife go home with Pharaoh without ever saying a word.

Can we stop here for a minute? Imagine what you see in the eyes of Sarah as she looks back at Abraham as she is led into the household of Pharaoh. I know times were different then, but I think you would still see sadness, disappointment, a sense of betrayal, and maybe even a little anger. Maybe it was none of those. This man she trusted to care for her, provide for her, and defend her had given her to Pharaoh without even a fight.

Men, I hope you never see that look in the eyes of your spouse. Let's be the men our wives long for us to be.

Loopholes

Abraham may not have been ready to defend his wife, but God was.

17But the Lord sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18So Pharaoh summoned Abram and accused him sharply. “What have you done to me?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ and allow me to take her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and get out of here!” 20Pharaoh ordered some of his men to escort them, and he sent Abram out of the country, along with his wife and all his possessions.

God sent plagues on Pharaoh and his household and they figured out it was because of Sarah (she wasn't renamed Sarah until she was going to be a mom to Isaac). These seemed to be more in tune with God than Abraham was. Pharaoh was impressed enough by God's power that he did not strike out at Abraham. He just deported him from Egypt.

What was Abraham thinking? In a future rerun of this event we discover that Abraham justified what he did because Sarah "actually was" his half-sister. He hid behind a loophole. He was not "really" lying. It was a lame attempt to side-step responsibility for wrong behavior. Again, before you condemn Abraham, understand that we try to excuse our sin with loopholes also.

It was just a "white lie." (does the color really matter?)

"But we love each other" (just like you "loved" the person you are cheating on?)

"It just happened" (of course it happened! Take responsibility.)

"I was going to pay it back" (before or after you took some more?)

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone"(but you did)

"I was just kidding around" (others didn't find it funny)

"It was on sale" or its corollary "I got a great deal" (you would have saved more money by not buying it!)

"It was the only time we could fit it on our schedule" (maybe you should have just skipped it entirely).

"We didn't want them to let their teammates down." (What is the message we are sending to the child? Serving God is fine when you don't have something better to do?)

Loopholes are simply ways we try to justify sin. It is an attempt to make disobedience something we "had" to do. It may make you feel better, but it doesn't do anything but hinder your relationship with God. HE'S NOT BUYING IT!

It is tempting to think Abraham "got away with it" because he came away with his wife and riches. That is the wrong conclusion to draw. If God had not intervened, Abraham might have died just as he feared. One commentator wrote:

The deliverance was made necessary because of Abram’s deception, a trait that would plague the family, as recorded throughout the entire book of Genesis. Abram, and his descendants after him, thought that deception was the easiest way out of a threatening situation, but all it did for Abram was to put him and Sarai in danger. Still, God was faithful to his word and did not let this foolishness of man throw the whole covenant into jeopardy.

Later, the same commentator wrote

Moreover, two subsequent crises were about to develop because of these new possessions. In chapter 13, Abram and Lot have so many things that their men almost come to blows; they must separate. And in chapter 16, an Egyptian maid named Hagar causes strife between Abraham and Sarai. In giving away his wife, Sarai, Abram likely acquired the slave Hagar as a gift from the Egyptians, and she would become the mother of the Ishmaelites, the perennial enemies of the Israelites. So, the deception of Abram in Egypt immediately brought him additional possessions, but the abundance of his possessions would occasion new troubles in his future.[1]

There is no way for us to know what kind of negative impact this event had on Abraham and his family. It is important to remember as we read the book of Genesis: the Bible accurately records what happened. The fact that it DESCRIBES something does not mean it is PRESCRIBING that behavior for us. In other words, don't feel you are free to engage in sinful behavior because some people in the Bible did so. Let's try to learn something from these choices of Abrahams.

Lessons

To Walk in God's Will You Need to Seek His Will in All You Do. I wonder if Abraham looked at the situation in Canaan and thought, "Wow, there is a famine here. I hear there is food in Egypt. It only makes sense to go there." We understand that line of reasoning. However, it is always better to check with the Lord. When we act impulsively we will often miss the amazing things God could do.

I try not to watch infomercials on television or online (sometimes they show up on your Facebook feed). I also don't talk to salesmen on the phone. Why? Because I am a softie when it comes to a good spiel. I have given money to people I KNEW WERE LYING TO ME because I was moved by their story even though I knew it was PURE FICTION!

What makes sense in our heart, what sounds reasonable in our head, what "feels right," may be very wrong. Our thinking and feeling have been corrupted by the Fall. Here is an important thing to keep in mind: What we think makes sense may simply be an effective sales pitch of the Devil, the greatest scammer of them all.

We must learn to stop and check God's Word and seek His wisdom in prayer before making ANY big decision. How do you do that? There are three things you can do:

Begin to regularly read God's Word and meditate, ponder, or think about it. Do this every day. You will be amazed at how many times God's Word will speak to something that is going on in your life that very day! Over the course of time you will begin to remember God's Word and begin to discern His heart. If you are really wise, you will begin a systematic Bible memorization program.

Ask God for wisdom.

Talk to other believers who you KNOW have a good grasp on the Bible. Until you are familiar enough with Scripture to know where to turn in your Bible, ask someone else what they believe the Bible says about their particular issue. Do not be afraid to. say, "Will you please show me where it says that in the Bible?" Sadly, there are people who want you to think they know the Bible who really don't.

God's Plan Does Not Require Our Input. When I write a book, I ask people to read the book, make comments, and also pick up typos and bad grammar or confusing speech. This is because everyone makes mistakes. We miss things we should have seen.

God is not like that. He doesn't need anyone to tweak or correct his plan. He does not ask us to make His directions more palatable for people. He does not need our help. No improvement is necessary. His wisdom is perfect. His plan is flawless. Ecclesiastes 3 says,

whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. (Ecclesiastes 3:14)

Our job is to listen carefully to what He says, and then do it. The wise person trusts God's plan because it is God's plan.

Material Benefit is not the same thing as God's blessing. Abraham could have concluded: since he received lots of livestock and stuff, God must have agreed with this was a brilliant plan. He would be wrong! There is a theological movement that appeals to people on the basis of prosperity. In other words, if you have enough faith you will receive wealth, health, and influence in the world. It is a false gospel being exported all around the world. It is appealing to our desires rather than to God's Word. It is the opposite of what Jesus said,

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? (Matthew 16:24-26)

The greatest blessing is to walk in fellowship with the Lord.

It is the only thing that lasts

It is the only thing that satisfies Everything else is a cheap substitute.

It is not contingent on circumstances.

When we stand before the Lord on the final day, the Lord is not going to ask to see our bank account or our trophies. He won't care what kind of car we drive, how big of a house we own, or what we weigh. He will not ask where we have been or what titles we have been given. He won't be concerned with the size of our muscles or how well we can see or hear. The Lord will only be concerned about one thing: did we embrace Jesus as our Savior and follow Him as our Lord. The Lord, in other words, will only care about the bent of our heart.

Jesus tells us to "store up for ourselves treasure in Heaven where moth and rust do not destroy." The "treasures of this world are the trinkets of Heaven.

So, the question is: What are you spending your life working to gain? How much energy are you devoting to things that will not matter in the end? Compare that with the amount of time and energy you are giving to pursing a deeper relationship with the Lord. Do you need to make some changes? Have you embraced Christ as your Savior? Are you willing to follow Him as your Lord, wherever He leads you?

I've got one more concluding observation,

We have no way to know how many times God has protected us from Ourselves. Did Abraham ever realize what a foolish man he had been? Did he realize how close he came to not only losing his wife, but also his life? We'll never know. What we do know is God has rescued us many times when he could have simply let us live with the consequences of our choices.

It is hard to be too hard on Abraham. How many times has God protected us from ourselves?

How many accidents has He helped us avoid?

How many hurt feelings has He soothed?

How many times has he helped us regroup after a terrible investment?

How many times has He put grace in the hearts of others so they did not treat us as we deserve?

How many times did we do something foolish but not get busted?

Most of all, how much wrath from God have we deserved for our callous disregard of Him and for each other? He spared us that wrath by dying in our place on the cross. We receive unknown mercies consistently EVERY DAY. We are numb to our lack of obedience, reverence, and respect for God. God sees it all and yet shows us mercy and grace. it is truly amazing.

One of the indicators that a person truly is a child of God is their awareness of God's incredible mercy. Once you understand the stain of your own sin and recognize what you actually deserve, you should be willing to give your life to serving the One who saved you from yourself.

Abraham was not a perfect guy. He made huge mistakes. God's didn't turn away from Abraham and He won't turn away from you. The one thing I admire about Abraham is this: He continued to make progress in holiness throughout his life. He kept growing. May the same be said of us.

[1] Allen Ross and John N. Oswalt, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, vol. 1 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008), 101.