Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Hunger is a powerful motivating force, isn’t it? We’ve all seen gut wrenching pictures of people facing starvation and the desperate things they’ll do to find food for themselves or especially their children. As parents and grandparents, we take seriously making sure our families have enough food, don’t we?
There are several times in the Bible when people faced famine and usually significant things happened in those dreadful times. Do you remember some of those stories? A famine in Bethlehem forced Naomi and her family to move east looking for food and you’ll recall that is when Ruth came into their family! (Ruth 1) Another famine forced Jacob and his family to move south to Egypt to find food, and Joseph his son welcomed them, remember? (Genesis 46)
But today, we’re continuing our journey with Abram and Sarai so let’s join them as they search for food during a famine not long after they had arrived in Canaan.
Genesis 12:10 invites us into their hunger with these words: “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.” Now let’s not rush past this my friends, because there’s an important life lesson here. Do you see it?
Many people assume that if they live God honoring lives, doing the best they can to follow God’s commands and guidance, then of course, God will protect them, bless them and life will be easy and wonderful. But I see throughout history that God often allows very painful, complex situations into the lives of people He loves and who are trying their best to follow God! WHY? Because some of life’s most important, powerful lessons are learned in the deeply painful times of life. Did you get that?
Let’s look closely for that’s what’s happening here. Remember, God had invited Abram to lead his family away from their homeland, and Abram had courageously done so taking a great step of faith. But now, shortly after they arrived in the land God told them was His destination for them, a severe famine broke out. So severe Abram cannot find food for his family! Now that just doesn’t seem right or fair, does it? As a man taking seriously his responsibility to lead his family well Abram took action and moved his family several hundred miles south to Egypt!
Oh, this wasn’t a weekend excursion, this was a big, big deal! Remember Genesis 12:4,5 told us Abram had a fairly large group of people depending on him, so this move was no small endeavor, and it appears Abram planned to stay in Egypt as long as food was available there! And because Abram was a rancher, we must assume this move included bringing his flocks & herds with them!
Through this whole process I’m sure Abram was wrestling with what he was learning about God. Abram was fairly new in this ‘trusting God journey’. But now, with his household and animals facing starvation, trusting God was very difficult, frustrating. Abram had no one to talk with about this, because no one alive knew God any better than he did!
It causes us to ask…where do you and I turn when we can’t figure out what God is doing in our lives, or when we have deep questions about God? And are there people in our lives who turn to us when THEY have deep questions or concerns about God? Where are we finding answers for our life challenges and answers for our children or ‘grands’ who look to us for guidance?
Genesis 12:11-13 tells me Abram was not only concerned about surviving a famine, he was actually concerned that his beautiful wife might put his life in danger!? Why? Because evidently Abram assumed the people in Egypt were pagan despots and might kill him to have his wife Sarai for themselves!!
Sadly, Abram made a serious moral mistake which put his wife Sarai at great risk as he urged her to claim she was his sister, not his wife, if she was asked! Pause… have you ever done that? Have you ever stretched the truth or even denied the truth and in so doing put yourself or those you love in great danger or facing disaster? What lessons have you learned through those difficult times?
Well sure enough, Abram was right. Even though Sarai was 65 years old, she must have been amazingly beautiful for her age because Egyptians did notice, and someone told the Pharaoh about her and soon Sarai was brought into the Pharaoh’s harem! Oh it doesn’t appear she was forcibly taken as in ‘sex trafficking’, oh no, Sarai was treated very well and Abram was financially blessed by the Pharaoh with a big dowry, because she was presumed to be Abram’s sister! (Gen.12:14-16)
But God was watching, and this was a serious moral problem. Why? Abram, Sarai, and the Pharaoh all needed to learn some important lessons about the one, true, living, Holy God, and His desire for people to live honorable lives especially in their sexuality which God designed to be holy and mutually respectful!
So, the Genesis record says: “The LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. So, Pharaoh summoned Abram. ‘What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘she is my sister’ so that I took her to be my wife?” (Genesis 12:17-19)
Oh my, can you put yourself in that Egyptian throne room and imagine the tension as Abram is facing the most powerful man in that part of the world at that time and Abram is found to be a liar?! His lying has caused great pain to the Pharaoh and his household! What would you have done or said in that moment?
Abram, of course, had nothing to say, there were no excuses which made any sense. I suspect he hung his head in shame, fearful he may end up in a dungeon or worse, with his head severed from his body!? Remember Abram was an exile, a refugee, he had no rights in Egypt! But instead, the Pharaoh said: “Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!’ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.” (Gen. 12:19,20)
I see only one logical explanation here: God Himself reached down to Egypt, into Pharaoh’s heart and gave Pharaoh unreasonable mercy sending Abram away without any punishment, only the shame of how he had failed his wife and nephew Lot! Abram wasn’t yet seeing himself or his world though God’s much larger perspective.
Abram had no idea God was trying to use this famine as an opportunity for Egypt to learn about the Almighty, one, true, living God! Can you imagine how Abram felt as he gathered up his family and all their flocks and herds and headed out of Egypt?
How have you felt when you’ve been given mercy by someone or by God, when you know you deserved punishment for the wrong you had done?
Genesis 13:1-4 tells us Abram had become wealthy during their brief stay in Egypt primarily because of Pharaoh’s dowry paid for Sarai. From Egypt, Abram led his traveling caravan north, first into the Negev which is the extreme southern part of Israel. “From the Negev Abram went from place to place until he came to Bethel, the place where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.” (Gen. 13:3,4) I really like that! In his shame and failure Abram turned back to God and specifically to the last place where he and his family had encountered God in a significant worship experience!! (Gen.12:8)
We need to pause and ponder this and look closely at ourselves to see if this is or should be our pattern of dealing with our failures, our shame and guilt. I notice Abram did not BLAME anyone else for his mess, nor did he make excuses to the Pharaoh or his family. Abram faced the truth… his lying had put his family in great danger! Only God could help him rebuild their trust in him. Abram was learning how to repent and seek God’s forgiveness and restoration.
Have you and I learned these important lessons in life my friends? Is God giving us opportunities right now to demonstrate to ourselves, our families and others, what important lessons God has taught us about integrity and living above reproach, and repentance and restoration?
Let’s take some time to talk with God about this right now as we worship with this song thanking God for His MERCY… and I’ll meet you right back here again tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: Genesis 12:10-13:4.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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