Battle For The Truth (Part 52)

Genesis 12:10-20, “And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. (11) And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: (12) Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. (13) Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. (14) And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. (15) The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. (16) And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. (17) And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. (18) And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? (19) Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. (20) And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had."

Introduction

As we entered Genesis 12, we have witnessed the grace of God in action as He called Abram to leave his homeland, relatives, and whatever inheritance he may have had through his father Terah for a promise of another land, people, fame, and protection that God would give him. Abram displayed great faith in believing the promise and obeying God’s command. We celebrated the great faith that Abram displayed, and as he arrived in the Land of Canaan, God appeared to Abram and reinforced the promise. As a sign of worship and reverence, Abram built the first alter in the Land of Canaan dedicated to the only True and Living God. And as it relates to the faithfulness of Abram, we collectively cheered him on. No wonder he is listed among the great heroes of faith. Clearly, God was with Abram in his journey.

Nevertheless, life in a fallen world has its challenges and obstacles that test the most faithful of people. And as our text will reveal, Abram is no exception. Be that as it may, a consistent theme found throughout Scripture is that when God makes a promise, there is absolutely nothing and no one that can cause it to fail. And as our text today reveals, not even the person(s) to whom God made the promise(s) can cause them to fail. Amen somebody. As mentioned last week, it is extremely important that we not only understand Abraham’s role in the Covenant, but Sarah’s role as well. However, Sarah’s role will not become clear until God reveals it in Chapter 17. Nevertheless, today’s text reveals how God’s Promise is Preserved through His protection and providential care of Sarai. As I said before and it bears repeating, the promise God made through Abram is not only intricately bound with Sarai, but Sarai’s role sets the boundaries for the entire plan of salvation. For it is through womb of barren Sarai that the promised “Seed of the woman” will come.

The Apostle Paul brings this fact out in Romans 9:6-9,

“Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: (7) Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. (8) That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. (9) For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.” Amen somebody.

V.10-13 – “And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. (11) And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: (12)Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. (13) Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.”

Here we see that not long after entering the Land of Canaan, a severe famine came upon the land. A famine is usually caused by a drastic climate change caused by a drought of rain. No rain, no crops or grass for the animals to eat. If this condition lasts too long, certain death will ensue. And our text says the famine was grievous or severe in nature. Because of the annual overflowing of the Nile River, Egypt was known as a place where food was abundant. Thus, as a nomad, it was common to move your herds, flocks, camels, etc., to a well-watered location. However, there were always risks involved in such undertakings—especially in Abram’s time. Abram was well aware of the risks involved, but obviously felt that the risks outweighed his current circumstances. Again, Abram had a lot on his hands with family, servants, and animals—not to mention his nephew Lot’s family, animals, and servants. There were hundreds of mouths to feed. In fact, according to Genesis 14:14, Abram had 318 trained servants to provide security.

This trip down to Egypt was intended to be temporary until the conditions in Canaan changed. Although Abram had a large entourage, he knew his clan was no match for Pharaoh's Egyptian army. Furthermore, understanding the customs of monarchs in his time, Abram devised a plan. Sarai was a beautiful woman, and Abram knew that monarchs loved beautiful women even if they were married. They would deal with the marriage bond by killing the husband and keep his wife to become his wife and a member of his harem. Therefore, fearing for his life, Abram instructed Sarai to tell anyone who inquired about their relationship that she was his sister, so that things would go well for him on her behalf.

Side Note: One thing that stands out in our text is the apparent failure on Abram’s part to seek God’s guidance before he initiated his plan to go down to Egypt. His plan was to lie his way through his problem. Was his plan to lie approved by God? Is this one of those situations where telling a lie is acceptable? Was Abram displaying faith in God as he initiated his plan? The obvious answer to all these questions is a resounding, no! One thing this tells me is that threats to our persons or livelihood can cause a person of faith to veer-off the faith highway. When we take our eyes off the promise and instead start to trust in ourselves or our own abilities, we fail to walk by faith and honor God. Amen somebody. Saints, no matter what you may be going through, follow the exhortation of Proverbs 3:5,6 – “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” I hope this helps somebody.

V.14-20 – “And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. (15) The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. (16) And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. (17) And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. (18) And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? (19)Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. (20) And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.”

Well, it went exactly the way Abram expected. Sarai lied and said she was his sister, and it went well with Abram on her behalf. However, it seems as though Abram did not completely think things through. His plan seems rather selfish, for although things went well with him, things were not going so well for Sarai. What a plan. Abram was about to lose his wife anyway, because Pharoah took her to become one of his harem wives. Now, the text does not say it, but I suspect Abram had a rather sleepless night. While he was trying to figure it out, God had already worked it out! Makes me feel like shouting.

V.17 – “And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.” To preserve the promise, God intervened for Sarai and brought some plagues upon Pharaoh's house that somehow revealed the ruse invented by Abram. V.18,19 – “And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? (19)Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. Pharoah asks Abram three embarrassing questions: What have you done to me? Why did you not tell me she was your wife? Why did you say she is my sister? Abram had no recorded answer. But I am sure he had a really embarrassing look on his face.

V.20 – “And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.” You see, God knows exactly how to deal with your enemies to cause them to treat you well. Won’t He do it? Amen somebody. Pharoah then gave orders to all his men to let Abram and his people safely pass, keeping all that they had when they came into the land of Egypt. Look at God!

Conclusion

Saints, we have just witnessed God’s providential care in action. One of the things that really encourages me as I study the Scriptures is that they reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly about the characters portrays. For although Abraham is known as the father of the faithful, he did not always exercise his renowned faith. In the text before us, He displayed his human frailty by relying on his human instincts and worldly ideas. Nevertheless, despite Abram’s lie and lack of faith, God remained faithful to His promise. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, no matter what you may be going through, take it to the Lord in prayer. Resist taking matters into your own hands, trust in the Lord. “...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5). I heard somebody say, “He’s an on-time God. Yes, He is. He may not come when you want Him, but He’ll be there right on time. Because He’s an on-time God. Yes, He is.” I heard Job say in Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:” I heard another song writer say, “God Will Take Care of You.”

God Will Take Care of You:

1. Be not dismayed whate’er betide,

God will take care of you;

Beneath his wings of love abide,

God will take care of you.

Refrain:

God will take care of you,

Through ev'ry day,

O’er all the way;

He will take care of you,

God will take care of you.

2. Through days of toil when heart does fail,

God will take care of you;

When dangers fierce your path assail,

God will take care of you.

3. No matter what may be the test,

God will take care of you;

Lean, weary one, upon his breast,

God will take care of you.

So, until next time, mat the Lord richly bless you, my beloved. AMEN.