Faithful God, Faithless Abram
Genesis 12:10-13:4
Today we will take up again our verse-by-verse study of Genesis. We have begun to examine the life of the great patriarch of the faith, Abraham (or Abram as he was originally named). In our previous studies I pointed out that many have well said that Genesis 12:1-3, is the center point in the history of the biblical promises. Everything that leads up to Genesis 12:1-3, is in preparation for it. Everything that comes after in the Bible is in fulfillment of it. This is the beginning of God’s covenant with Abraham of which we will learn more details in the coming chapters.
The Lord God called Abram with a command saying, “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). Along with this command the Lord gave Abram certain promises: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you; And make your name great” (Gen. 12:2). These promises were outstanding blessings for Abram, but they were not to be kept for himself alone. These blessings also carried with them an obligation, “… And you shall be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). Abram is to be a conduit, not a cul-de-sac, of God’s blessing. The Lord called Abram for a purpose, saying to him “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). This is at the very heart of what God has planned for the world. The Lord promised to bless all the people of the earth through Abram.
Abram came from a pagan background, but by faith he obeyed the Lord’s call. In Genesis 12:4-9 we saw the obedience of faith in the life of Abram. By faith Abram heard God’s word; by faith he acted on God’s command; by faith he lived as a pilgrim in the land of promise; and by faith he worshiped the Lord God in the midst of a hostile pagan world.
We pick up Abram’s story in Genesis 12:10-13:4:
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But 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 you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, “She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
This text brings up some interesting questions. How can a 65-year-old woman be considered so beautiful? How can a righteous man like Abraham lower himself to deception in claiming that Sarah is his sister? Why does a similar wife-sister account occur three times in the book of Genesis? Why does Pharoah let Abram leave with all his possessions? And most importantly, what should we be learning from this passage?
So far in Genesis 12, the Lord has appeared to Abraham and promised him blessing, land, and offspring. But now two problems present themselves: (1) famine forces Abraham to move his family to Egypt and (2) Sarah’s beauty causes her to be abducted into Pharaoh’s harem. From a human perspective it appears that God’s promises are hanging by a thread.
But shining through the whole story is God’s faithfulness. Even though Abram’s faith faltered, God was faithful. A recurring theme begins here and runs throughout Genesis (and really the whole Bible), where God’s promise to Abram (Gen. 12:1-3) is threatened by circumstances or sin. But in every case, God providentially works through circumstances and even overrules man’s failure to bring about His sovereign purpose, to show us that God’s promises and purpose do not depend on fickle man, but on the faithful God (see John Sailhamer, Expositor’s Bible Commentary [Zondervan], 2:116, quoted by Steven Cole).
There are some obvious parallels between this incident in Abram’s life and the nation Israel to whom Moses was writing. Both Abram and the nation Israel went down to Egypt because of a famine in the land (Gen. 12:10; 47:13, 27). Abram feared that he would be killed and Sarai would be spared (Gen. 12:12); in Moses’ day, Pharaoh ordered the male babies killed and the females spared (Exo. 1:22). God sent plagues on Pharaoh to deliver both Abram and Israel (Gen. 12:17; Exod. 7:14-11:10). Abram received many possessions from the Egyptians (Gen. 12:16); Israel took spoil from the Egyptians during the Exodus (Exod. 12:35-36). God delivered both Abram and the nation Israel, and they journeyed north toward the Negev (Gen. 12:19, 13:1; Exod. 15, Num. 13:17, 22). (Alan Ross, The Bible Knowledge Commentary [Victor Books, 1985], 2:49.)
The experience of Abram and Sarai was typical. It established a pattern that would be repeated throughout the history of redemption. Therefore, the event had a prophetic quality about it. And the message for future generations was clear: the Lord God is able to keep His promises. He is able to preserve His people as they sojourn in foreign places. He is the sovereign king, not only over Abram and Israel, but over all the nations of the earth. Surely the Lord would be faithful to bring about the promises He made to Abram at the start.
In Genesis 12:10-16 we see the famine and Abram’s faltering faith; in Genesis 12:17-20 we see the Lord’s faithfulness in delivering Abram and Sarai; and, in Genesis 13:1-4, We see Abram’s return to the land of Canaan and to faith in the Lord’s purpose.
1. Famine and Fear (Gen. 12:10-16)
After being told of Abram’s faith and obedience in Genesis 12:4-9, in Genesis 12:10 we read, “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.” This declaration concerning a famine in the land is intended to suprise the reader. The Lord had just promised to bless Abram and to give him this land. And the reader probably assumed that God would always bless Abram — that life would be always easy for him — and that he would immediately fulfill his promises to him concerning the possession of the land. But the words, “now there was a famine in the land” make it clear that this is not so. Though Abram was ultimately blessed of God, that did not mean he would be spared from the trials and tribulations of this life. And although Abram’s descendants would ultimately inherit the land, that did not mean he would possess it immediately.
Again, the experience of Abram is typical for all of God’s people who live in this world. Those of us who belong to God through faith in Christ are truly blessed, but this does not mean that we will live without trouble. The scriptures speak plainly concerning the difficulties that those who are blessed in Christ Jesus will experience in this world. Jesus Himself spoke to His disciples saying, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
In Acts 14 after Paul and Barnabas had preached the gospel and made many disciples on their first missionary journey, they returned to the churches they had started, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22). Peter wrote: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12–13).
There is no question about whether we will face trouble and trials in this world. The question is, “How will you respond in your trial?” Abram’s response does not seem to be from faith, but from fear.
I’m not sure if we should criticize Abram for going down to Egypt. The word, “dwell” is the Hebrew verb gûr (גּוּר) meaning to “sojourn, be a stranger.” Perhaps he went down to Egypt trusting that the Lord world also provide an opportunity for him to return to the land that the Lord had promised to him. But on the other hand, it is a bit unsettling to learn that Abram was willing to so quickly leave the land promised to him and to sojourn in Egypt as a foreigner.
What I am sure of is that Abram acted out of fear by telling a half-truth concerning his relationship to Sarai, in order to deceive the Egyptians. Genesis 12:11-13:
11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
Abram was afraid that because his wife was very beautiful the Egyptians would kill him in order to take her as one of their wives. It is never good to live your life being driven by fear. We are to walk by faith, not by fear. But Abram was afraid, and his faith was weak. So, Abram concocted a plan to tell the Egyptians that Sarai was his sister. According to Genesis 20:12, this was a half truth, for Sarai was his half sister. But it was also a lie, for she was in fact his wife.
Now, there was probably a method to Abram’s madness. In that culture brothers had a lot power, especially if the parents were no longer around. They were the ones to give their sisters away in marriage. And perhaps Abram reasoned that if Sarai was to be noticed and pursued, he, as her brother, would be able to delay or even refuse to give her up, and in so doing both he and she would be protected from harm. He probably even reasoned to himself that in this way he would be helping the plan of God along. After all, what good would the promises of God be concerning a great nation being produced through him if he was dead!
What Abram probably didn’t expect is that Sarai would be noticed by Pharaoh himself. Abram’s scheme backfired when Pharaoh took an interest in Sarai. You don’t stall or bargain when Pharaoh wants your sister in his harem. The Pharaoh will get his way. And that is what happened. Sarai was noticed by Pharaoh, and she was taken into the his harem. Genesis 12:14-15:
14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.
There is no indication that Pharaoh violated Sarai. God protected her from adultery. But she was separated from Abram, living in Pharaoh’s harem, awaiting the wedding day. The scheme nearly cost Abram his wife, and with her, the promised blessing of God to make Abram’s descendants into a great nation.
Some of us might wonder how Sarai could have been so good looking, since she was about 65 years old here, and yet at 90 she was considered old (compare Gen. 17:17 with 12:4). Kidner sees the key to this quandary in the patriarchal life-span which is about double our own (Kidner, Genesis, p. 117). Abram lived to 175, Sarah to 127. Sarai here would be comparable to our thirties, and thus could still be considered beautiful by the Egyptians. By 90 she would be comparable to our late forties, thus past her childbearing years, although still attractive. In chapter 20, when Abimelech wants to marry Sarah, there is no mention of her beauty. He may have wanted her for the favorable alliance with the prosperous Abraham. Of course, this is speculation, and we don’t know for sure. But we do know that both Abraham and the Egyptians saw her as beautiful.
So Abram faced the trial of a famine that led him to act on his own, without seeking God. This got him into another situation where he stooped to deception to protect himself. That got him, and especially Sarai, into deeper trouble. Oh, part of the plan worked. In Genesis 12:16 we read of Phaorah that, “He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.” Abram got what he wanted, well, partially anyway. But it cost him dearly.
But let’s not just talk about Abram’s fear and weak faith. What about you? Have you ever done something similar to what Abram did? Did you act from fear rather than from faith when tough times came? We all face things like famine when the journey gets tough and you can’t see the way out. Did you stoop to telling half-truths? Did you salve your conscience by saying something like, “I’m making more money than ever before. Isn’t that an indication of God’s blessing?” No—material blessings are not always an indicator of righteousness with God.
Instead, when we face trials we ought to ask ourselves, “Am I trusting God in this situation?” “In what ways am I being tempted to live to according to the world rather than in obedience to the commands of Christ?” “Am I responding from faith or from fear?”
2. God is Faithful (Gen. 12:17-20).
Despite Abram’s fear and faithlessness, God is faithful to keep His promises. Genesis 12:17 says, “But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” How many times do we read in the scriptures, “But the LORD” or “But God …” The Lord stepped in. God intervened by striking Pharaoh and his household with some sort of unspecified plagues.
Somehow the Egyptians figured out that things started going badly from the Pharoah took Sarai into his harem. And somehow Pharaoh found out that Sarai was Abram’s wife. Genesis 12:18-19, “And Pharaoh called Abram and said, ‘What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, “She is my sister”? I might have taken her as my wife.’” Pharaoh is angry. He blames Abraham for not telling him the essential truth—that Sarah is Abram’s wife—rather than just his sister. Because Pharaoh senses that he is being judged for taking Sarah, he doesn’t punish either Abraham or Sarah, but instead sends them out of Egypt to fend for themselves in what may be a still-famished land saying, “Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” Pharaoh’s command to Abram to take his wife and go (Gen. 12:19) echoes God’s call to Abram to go forth from his country (Gen. 12:1). God uses a pagan king’s rebuke to get Abram back to the promised land.
It’s always embarrassing for a believer to be rightly corrected by an unbeliever. It’s tough to bear witness in those situations! Remember Jonah, fleeing from the Lord on the ship headed for Tarshish? When the storm arose, they cast lots to figure out whose fault it was. The lot fell on Jonah. They ask him about himself and he has to tell them that he’s a Hebrew, who fears the Lord God who made the heaven and the sea and the dry land. And he tells them that he is fleeing from the presence of the Lord. Even though they’re pagans, they answer, “How could you do this?” (Jonah 1:8-10). They could see Jonah’s inconsistency. So here Pharaoh calls Abram to account and Abram doesn’t say a word in reply.
Genesis 12:20 concludes, “So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.” The incident shows God’s faithfulness in spite of Abram’s fear and faithlessness. God is sovereign and will keep His promises—in spite of us, if need be. The Lord has made a covenant with Abraham and will allow nothing to prevent its fulfillment. The Apostle Paul summed it up well in this saying, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).
Moses included this incident here to show Israel that just as God had delivered Abram from Egypt in spite of his weakness, so He had delivered Israel in spite of her weakness. It didn’t depend on their faith, but on God’s faithfulness.
God’s grace will preserve us in spite of our failures. But that should never be a reason for us to think, “I got off easy the last time, so I can do it again.” If we do that, we are courting God’s severe discipline (Gal. 6:7). In this case, God’s faithfulness and grace led Abram back.
3. Abram Returns (Gen. 13:1-4).
1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. (Gen. 13:1-4).
Abram headed back to Bethel, “to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, … to the place of the altar which he had made there at first.” Abram returns to where he started in the land with the Lord. Remember in our last lesson from Genesis 12:4-9 we learned that two things marked Abram’s life of obedient faith: the tent and the altar. The tent showed Abram to be a pilgrim, one just passing through on the way to another destination. The altar showed Abram to be a worshiper of the living God. So Abram returns to his life of faith, to Bethel (“the house of God”), “And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.”
Do you need to return to your first walk with God? Was there a time when you loved the Lord more than you do now? We show our love for the Lord by our obedience. Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21). The Lord Jesus says to the church at Ephesus because they had left their first love, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” (Rev. 2:5). Remember, repent, return. Go back to the beginning place with the Lord; go back to the cross. Bow there and remember the great price the Lord paid for your forgiveness. Call on His name. If you have strayed from the Lord, if you are living by fear rather than by faith, He invites you to come back to the cross and be restored to fellowship with Him.
