Abraham, Part 3 - To Egypt and Back

Genesis 12v10 - 13v4

25^th September 2010

When Abraham still lived in Ur, God spoke to him, saying:

Genesis 12:1-3
The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

And, as we saw last week, Abraham obeyed in part. He did leave Ur but he didn't leave his father's household. Instead, he let his father lead him and the whole family out. And they didn't go to Canaan, where God wanted him. Instead they stopped at Haran, half way to Canaan, and they stayed there until Abraham's father died. Then Abraham set off and finally reached Canaan.

When Abraham arrived in Canaan, he built altars to worship the Lord. He must have expected that now he was fully obeying what God had said, his life would be peaceful and prosperous. However, we read instead that:

Genesis 12:10
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.

Some commentators believe that Abraham was right to go to Egypt, and others don't. I believe that he was quite wrong. The revealed will of God for Abraham was to live in Canaan, and God would have provided for Abraham, enabling him to survive the famine. But Abraham did not find it in his heart to trust God.

In the same way, many Christians who know what life God has called them to, bale out when the going gets difficult. They say to themselves, "If God wanted me to do this job, or join this church, or marry this person, on serve in this ministry, then my life would not be this hard" and they walk away from the life that God knows will be best for them in the long run (we should remember though that Jesus said in Matthew 10v23, "When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another).

Abraham went down to Egypt "to live there". He'd rather be an alien in a foreign land than endure suffering for God. And some Christians leave God's service because compromising with the world of godlessness seems more comfortable.

We shouldn't judge such people too harshly. Famine can be severe. Abraham's famine was a lack of food, but we can also endure (or run from) famines of love, or security, or success, or money. And if Abraham, the Man of Faith could fail the test of suffering, so can we.

Abraham understood that walking away from his inheritance in God was fraught with danger. And he was willing to sacrifice his wife to save his own skin:

Genesis 12:11-13
As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."

Sin will lead to more sin. As we walk out of God's revealed will, we start to betray those around us. This is inevitable because we've taken the decision to put ourselves first and not to trust God. Sure enough, Sarah was taken into the palace:

Genesis 12:14-16
When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

Although Abraham's courage and his integrity had failed, God had not failed. God resolved to fix the situation that Abraham's selfishness and faithlessness had caused:

Genesis 12:17-13:1
But 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?" he said. "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? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him.

How great is God's mercy! And how firm are His purposes! God's will shall be done. He is greater than our failings. He is Lord even over our sin.

Abraham might even have convinced himself that he'd been right to go to Egypt, and to betray his wife, and to deceive his hosts, because:

Genesis 13:2
Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

But, as we will see next time, this wealth was not good for Abraham. Money is often a curse, not a blessing. But let's finish this week by considering God's great mercy.

Genesis 13:3-4
From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.

Abraham was restored to Canaan. This was not his doing. He'd only returned because Pharaoh had expelled him from Egypt. But when he returned to the land, to the life God had told him to live, Abraham also returned to the worship of the Most High God. And God received his worship.

And the promises of God did come true; God did not allow Abraham's sin to undo God's purposes.

Have you stepped out of God's purposes for you? Or are you tempted to do so?

Stepping out of God's purposes always leads to sin and sorrow.

Coming back to God in repentance and worship always leads to restoration.

God is merciful.