Genesis chapter 12. Genesis chapter 12. Last week we saw the call of Abram, where Abram was called out of the land of first Ur of the Chaldeans. He went to Haran with his father.
After the death of his father, Abram and his wife Sarai and Lot went to Canaan. And there God gives him instruction, and there God gives him promises. So we'll take up the latter half of the chapter tonight in verses 10 to 20 in Genesis 12, but I will begin reading in verse 1. Now, the Lord had said to Abram, get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's house to a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.
And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed." So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran. And they departed to go to the land of Canaan.
So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, to your descendants I will give this land.
And there he built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. So Abram journeyed going on still toward the south.
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. 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. 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. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." So it was when Abram came into Egypt that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.
The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys and camels.
But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 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. Now therefore, here is your wife. Take her and go your way. So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
Amen.
Introduction
Well, just by way of review, look at chapter 12, the very beginning. As I said, it's the call of Abram, and it's a very revealing thing. God Almighty is correcting or addressing the problem created at the end of chapter 11. What you have in chapter 11 is the Tower of Babel.
The Babel builders were trying to make a name for themselves. They were living autonomously. They were living apart from God. Now God makes or calls Abram and says that I will make your name great.
And not only is this call a demonstration of God's grace, in fact, 12.1 ought to be read that way. William Dumbrell said, in the call of Abram, we are dealing with the divine reply to the human disaster of Genesis 3 to 11. So this is amazing grace displayed in the life of Abram, and as well, there is this call to discipleship. Notice in verse 1, get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's house.
In other words, leave everything that was at one time near and dear to you and come to this particular land that I am giving you and I will give you this seed, I will make a blessing out of you, I will make you a blessing to the nations, and I will provide and afford protection to you. I will be your God and you will be my people." So it's a call that does have certain demands. This is a response to the grace of God. Abram's not saved because he obeys, but rather he obeys because he's saved.
But as we move into the latter half of the chapter, we will see that he doesn't always obey, perfectly, that the father of the faithful has his issues and he has his shortcomings as well. Additionally, I think that if we consider the Abraham narratives, we'll think of Genesis 22 as sort of the test of Abraham, and Genesis 22 is certainly a test for Abraham. You see it when he is called to take Isaac up to Mount Moriah and to offer him there in obedience to the Lord God Most High. But you see that test already or those tests already here in chapter 12 verses 10 to 20.
Abram is met with various challenges to his faith And I think this is an encouragement, or at least it ought to be instructive for the people of God. Just because God gives us promises doesn't mean we won't have trouble in this world. Just because God has promised heaven in our future, it does not mean there won't be thorns and thistles in the here and now. Just because we will ultimately reign with Jesus Christ does not mean we won't suffer the various trials and afflictions of the people of God on earth, and that is precisely what happens with reference to Abraham, not just here, but throughout those narratives concerning his life.
The Journey to Egypt
I want to look first at the journey to Egypt in verse 10, secondly the request for Sarai in verses 11 to 13, and then finally the interaction with Pharaoh in verses 14 to 20. Now notice the land promise of Genesis 12 verse 1. Get out of your country from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you." Now Abram moves to that land. That's the land of Canaan.
That's the promised land. This is a foundational programmatic passage for the rest of the Bible in terms of God's dealings with his people. It is realized ultimately in the conquest, with reference to Joshua and the Israelites as they go in to dispossess the land of Canaan, but as well, I said ultimately there, ultimately it's the world, as Paul tells us in Romans 4.13, it is the promise given to Christ, the seed of Abraham. But notice, he is given this promise concerning the land, he is then going, or he goes into the land, and then the first thing we read in verse 10, now there was a famine in the land.
Could you imagine if this were us? God gives us this land, and then there's this famine in the land. We'd say, well, what kind of land is this? What kind of piece of dirt did you give to us?
What kind of a sick or twisted joke is this? Immediately, Abram is struck with this particular problem. Now, there are several reasons in the Bible for famine. Locust plagues are certainly responsible, enemy sieges, drought.
We don't know the specifics here, but notice that this is in fact a challenge to his faith. God says, I'm giving you this land, and all of a sudden this land is no longer able to provide the food necessary for Abram and Sarai. Notice it's underscored there in verse 10. There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe, in the land.
Now, some question the wisdom of Abram in this instance. He goes down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. Should he have remained in Canaan, even though there were famine conditions? Should he have trusted God and his provision to provide or to give to him, even in the midst of the famine conditions there in Canaan?
Or was he wise to go into Egypt at this particular time? It is intriguing that God's not mentioned in this section. That's not always an indicator that God's not in this section. But as well, there's no reference to an altar, no reference to the worship of the living God.
It may be the author's way to suggest or say that it wasn't the wisest course to pursue that he would go into Egypt at this particular point. Though I will say or suggest later that this functions in a literary capacity to foreshadow the future. There's other instances where there's a famine in Israel, and so the Israelites go into Egypt. And there's those other instances where the people of Israel are in Egypt, and then they are afflicted by the Egyptians, and then God then pours out His plagues upon the Egyptians, which is sort of what's happening in this particular passage.
But
The Request Concerning Sarai
now notice secondly with reference to this request for serai in verses 11 to 13. One of the things that I was wrestling with today in terms of this section is that it's pretty brief and it's pretty simple. It's pretty straightforward. We'll try to draw out some practical lessons as we move through the passage and try to draw out some practical lessons at the very end.
But one practical application I at least made was that if these sorts of people today that are so easily offended by every type of speech that even seems to be untoward with reference to another people group ever get Christian commentaries and start going through them, they're going to call for book burning and book banning. because these old brothers didn't pull any punches when it came to saying certain things about the text of scripture. For instance, notice in verse 11, it says, 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. Now we need to remember that the age of Sarai here, Sarai, according to Genesis 17 is 10 years younger than Abram. According to verse 4 in Genesis chapter 12, Abram is 75, so Sarai is 65. 65 is an older woman.
I don't want to offend, and I don't want to, you know, make anybody upset or see Mrs. Mars jump across the table and sort of punch me, but she is an older woman, and it's a very intriguing thing. Indeed, I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance, and everything that Abram fears does come to pass. The Egyptians make this same observation.
The Egyptians see this for themselves. And intriguingly, John Calvin addresses the issue of her beautiful appearance at such an older age. He says, it is asked, whence had Sarai this beauty, seeing she was an old woman? Again, don't throw anything here.
This is Calvin. For though we grant that she previously had excelled in elegance of form, certainly years had detracted from her gracefulness. And we know now, or we know how, much the wrinkles of old age disfigure the best and most beautiful faces. Now, that's not just peculiar to women.
There's times I'm FaceTiming with a kid and I look at myself and I say, I don't remember those wrinkles and those sort of disfigurement. It's just part of age, right? But I found it intriguing that each of the older commentators asked the question or addressed the issue, how in the world could this 65-year-old woman be such a beautiful woman? So he says, and we know, not to say that no 65-year-old, but you get the gist.
He says, we know how much the wrinkles of old age disfigure the best and most beautiful faces. In the first place, I answer, there is no doubt that there was then greater vivacity in the human race than there is now. We also know that vigor sustains the personal appearance. Again, her sterility availed to preserve her body and to keep her whole habit of body entire.
For there is nothing which more debilitates females than frequent parturition, which is childbirth. Again, he's addressing the issue. And I think these are legitimate comments. But if these things were written today, you'd have a whole mass of people being so offended and so put off.
But the biblical text invites us to make such observations. Why is it that way? And why, as we move through the narrative, does Abram think his situation is better being her brother than being her husband? Because it even obtained amongst the pagans and the heathens the sacredness of marriage.
Even among these polygamists, they still frowned upon adultery. So why in the world would Abram think it would be a safer course to pursue to be her brother versus her husband? There's a lot of questions that the text suggests. Now notice, he makes this observation concerning her beautiful countenance, and then he highlights the potential problem with the Egyptians in verse 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. Matthew Poole says the Egyptians were a very lustful people, which made Abram more cautious. Again, I don't think Egyptians today, if they read that and they attended modern universities in North America, they would be in affront of that. Again, these men are commenting on the biblical text, and this is the issue that they are dealing with in this instance.
Now notice, he goes on to say, this is his wife, and they will kill me, but they will let you live. John Gill makes this observation. He says, so great a regard had they in those times, and even in heathen countries, to the laws of marriage, that they chose rather to be guilty of murder than of adultery. though a lustful people, and therefore would, as Abram feared, take away his life, that it might be free and lawful for them to marry Sarai." So Abram fears that they will kill him so that they are able then to have Sarai as their own, or as his own wife, Pharaoh's wife. And again, there are some who suppose that there were these laws wherein a husband could as well adopt his wife so that she would be his sister and thus be recognized in a higher social sense.
I don't think the text necessitates that we understand it in that fashion. But what is the proposed solution that Abraham gives or Abram gives in verse 13? He says, please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake and that I may live because of you. Now, this proposal occurs three times in the book of Genesis.
It happens here with reference to Abram and Sarai and Pharaoh. It happens in Genesis 20 with Abram and Sarai and Abimelech. And then it happens in Genesis chapter 26 with Isaac, Rebekah, and Abimelech. So this happens three times.
Some have called this a type scene. It's a motif that occurs frequently in scripture, and it reminds us of previous occasions, and they build upon and ultimately lead us to other sorts of things. You see it with the woman at the well. You see that in the Old Testament.
You see it with Jesus and the Samaritan woman. You see the barren woman who's unable to give birth. That is a very frequent occurrence in the Old Testament, and then we see it in the New Testament with reference to John the Baptist. But here specifically, this proposal occurs three times in Genesis.
According to Genesis 20, the proposal had been agreed upon when they left Abram's father's house. So when they leave Abram's father's house, Abram's already able to see the future, at least to some degree, and say to Sarai, you're a very beautiful woman. When we go into these particular hostile regions, I would rather you say that you're my sister than my wife, because I don't want the people to kill me.
The Half-Truth and Its Moral Weight
The proposal was based on a half-truth. Later in Genesis chapter 20, we do learn that they both had the same father. They didn't have the same mother, but they did have the same father, so they were, in essence, half-brother, half-sister. But it was calculated to deceive, because she was, in fact, his wife.
And I think Matthew Poole nails it when he says, so this expression was true but ambiguous and intended to deceive the Egyptians and therefore unwarrantable. And here Abram, the father of the faithful, elsewhere celebrated for the strength of his faith, betrays his infirmity and distrust in God's providence and promise. And this fact was not without great danger both to himself and Sarah. Again, I think that as we move into this particular section, this is going to be at the end in terms of application, but God gives these amazing promises in Genesis 12, verses 2 and 3.
We get to Genesis 12, verses 10 to 20, and we see the patriarch fail. What's the take-home message? If the promises are to be fulfilled, it isn't ultimately dependent upon the feebleness of man. The promises will be fulfilled because of the faithfulness of God.
Now, that ought never to promote in the people of God this idea that we're going to go out and fail, we're going to go out and sin, we're going to go out and lie, we're going to go out and live like heathen, because after all, God is going to bring the promises to fruition. That's the devil's logic, and no believer genuinely entertains that. That's that Roman 6-1 sort of thing. Paul says, what shall we say?
Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound, may it never be? So we don't read this and say, well, it's okay to lie to heathens, it's okay to engage in all kinds of subterfuge, it's okay to do whatever it is we need to do in order to survive. That's not what the believer ought to take away from this. But the believer ought to appreciate that even in the feebleness and in the weakness of men, God Most High will prevail and He will bring to bear His promises for His glory and for the good of His people.
And notice as well, the proposal to Sarah was a request, not a command. It's a request, it's not a command. Abram doesn't tell her that she must do this. Waltke comments, this is better translated, please say, a request, not an order.
Sarah pragmatically consents. Okay, this is what this is all about. This is pragmatism. This is looking at a particular situation, not interpreting it in light of faith in the living God who's able to do amazing things in the most distressing circumstances, but rather this is pragmatism.
Let's meet this hostility with this particular lie or this half-truth. A half-truth, as A.W. Pink points out, is a whole lie. Let's meet this particular situation with this lie, and we'll do this in a pragmatic sense to get what it is that we want.
He goes on to make this observation. He says, their philosophy is better defiled than dead. Now brethren, that is a very powerful statement and one that I think we need to entertain. What is Abram doing here with reference to his beloved?
Abram is untethering his beloved from his care, protection, and watchfulness. In essence, Sarai is fair game as they go into Egypt. This is a terrible proposal. Some, most of the older commentators, say that nothing happened in terms of Pharaoh and in terms of Sarai.
Others, newer commentaries, Wenham, who's one of the best commentators on the book of Genesis as far as I can tell, argues that they indeed engaged in adultery. I don't know. I can't answer that particular question. I'll give you the two particular options when we get there.
But brethren, this is a serious and weighty matter.
Pragmatism Versus Faith
Pragmatism is when we step out from faith in God to our own particular inclinations to try to get what it is that we want. And Abram Not a bad thing, and Calvin argues he saw his place as absolutely intrinsic and necessary for the kingdom of God. And that's certainly the case, but the text doesn't suggest that. The text rather says he wants to save his bacon.
And the way that he's going to save his bacon is by telling his beloved wife, no, tell him that you're my sister. He is untethering her from his care and from his protection. not holy, but at least to some degree. Now notice the reason. Why would he do this?
Why would she or why would he be more protected in terms of his life if he did this? Again, I'm going to rely on Wenham here. And he is quoting a rabbi, a Jewish commentator named Casuto. Casuto lived in the 50s, in the 1950s.
He says, Casuto follows those medieval commentators who suggested that Abram hoped that by claiming to be Sarai's brother, he could fend off suitors by promises of marriage without actually giving her away. I think there's some merit to that. Maybe he thought the posture position would have been better for him to protect her as a brother versus a husband. He goes on to say, this suggestion is confirmed by other stories in Genesis where brothers try to delay their sister's marriages.
In chapter 24, Laban and Rebekah. In chapter 34, Dinah and her brothers. So at least in his mind, being the brother, perhaps put him in a position where he could protect her on the one hand and as well protect himself from being killed by Pharaoh and his armies. Now notice, or his people,
The Interaction with Pharaoh
now notice the last section, the interaction with Pharaoh in verses 14 to 20.
Sarai Taken to Pharaoh's House
No, the recognition of her beauty. Everybody recognized this. It wasn't, you know, sometimes a husband may say to his wife, you're the most beautiful thing in the world, or the wife says that to the husband, and they have that connection, they have that intimacy, and they have that love, and it's true, and they mean it. This was objective.
There were other people out there. And they saw it, and that's what happens here according to verse 14. So it was when Abram came into Egypt that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. So it wasn't just the Egyptians, but then this particular subset of Egyptians, the princes, the higher-ups, the men of renown.
Verse 15, the princes of Pharaoh also saw her. Now notice what they do. They commend her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. Now she's taken to Pharaoh's house and again some of the older commentators suggest that based on a comparison with Esther, this indicates that they didn't have relations.
Remember there was this period of time with Esther where there were preparations, there were perfumes, there was a cleaning, there was purification, there was her getting ready to ultimately meet the king. Well, that may have obtained with reference to Sarai. She didn't immediately go right into Pharaoh's bed, but rather there was this period, there was this time. But nevertheless, she is taken to Pharaoh's house.
So this is a very serious situation and something that Abram feared comes to pass. Calvin said, although Abram had sinned by fearing too much and too soon, yet the event teaches that he had not feared without cause, for his wife was taken from him and brought to the king. And the fact that all of these riches are mentioned, notice in verse 16, he treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
He's giving them this dowry. He's giving them this payment. He's conferring gifts upon him with the idea that I'm going to take your sister, add her to my harem, and she's going to be one of my wives. This is what's happening in this particular instance.
Now, notice the intervention of God, the judgment of God. And again, this underscores for us Not that we should go out and do stupid things, but brethren, there are times when we do stupid things and God the Lord and His mercy saves us. God the Lord and His mercy stops us. God the Lord and His mercy vindicates us.
We saw it on Sunday night in our studies in 1 Kings chapter 22. Jehoshaphat was a godly man who lacked good sense. Jehoshaphat was righteous. He put the perverted persons out of the land.
He took down the high places. He followed in the footsteps of his father Esau. It was recorded of Jehoshaphat that he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, and yet he enters into an alliance with Ahab? Come on, Jehoshaphat, what are you thinking?
And yet, God spared him. Remember that arrangement? Ahab knows what's happening in terms of the battle. He knows that the Syrian armies are gunning only for him.
So he convinces Jehoshaphat to wear the royal robes while Ahab dons a disguise. I mean, everything is calculated for Jehoshaphat to die in battle. And yet God vindicates or saves or intervenes and stops the Syrians from killing Jehoshaphat. Now again, my encouragement on Sunday night is going to sound the same as now.
Don't willingly enter into foolish situations. Don't willingly compromise and join in an alliance with Ahab. Don't get yourself into a position like Abram faces here in Egypt, but trust in the power of God that when we do foolish things, He is there most of the times to stop us and to vindicate His own holy name in our lives. It's a blessing and a beautiful thing that we read in verse 17.
But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. Isn't that a beautiful thing? But the Lord plagued. Sort of like verse one, now the Lord had said.
What are we supposed to glean from this? Again, going forward, the promises of God are not dependent upon feeble man. The promises of God are yea and amen in our Lord Jesus Christ. If anything will ever be realized, if anything will ever be actuated for good, it comes as a result of a sovereign God.
Now notice, with reference to the statement in verse 17, does he plague Pharaoh after he engages in wickedness, or does he plague Pharaoh prior to his engagement in wickedness? As I said, the older commentators do not think that Sarai's honor was violated. In other words, God imposed the plagues on Pharaoh before he committed adultery with her. Wenham argues that plagues were sent, that plagues were sent seems to indicate that Pharaoh did actually commit adultery.
Now, one of the excellent observation, Robert Alter is a Jewish commentator, he's alive today, and he quotes from or he alludes to a Jewish commentator named Rashi. Now, you might ask why depend on Jewish commentators? It's not depending on Jewish commentators, but remember that the Old Testament has been around a long time. And it's not just Christians who interpret, it's also the Jews.
And sometimes the Jews got it right in some things. So someone who neglects sort of the Jewish commentary trajectory does so at their peril. It's good to compare. It's good to get the understanding from a broad perspective.
If any of us like John Gill, which I hope all of us do, I mean, Gill quotes Jewish rabbis ad nauseam. I don't know that Gil ever slept, because he was either reading the Bible or he was reading Jewish commentaries. Or he was reading the Bible, Jewish commentaries, and every other Christian commentary. I really don't know when the man slept.
He wrote commentary on every verse of the Bible. I think he's one of the only men that ever did such a thing. And then when he finishes his commentary on the Bible, he writes a systematic theology. Again, there were giants in the land in those days, but back to altar.
He's referring to a Jewish commentator named Rashi. Rashi lived between 1040 AD and 1105. He says, the nature of the afflictions is not spelled out. Rashi's inference of a genital disorder preventing intercourse is not unreasonable.
In that case, one might imagine a tense exchange between Pharaoh and Sarai, ending in a confession by Sarai of her status as Abram's wife. I think that has some legitimacy, because ultimately we know that Sarai does confess. because Pharaoh knows. And he goes to Abram, and he says, why didn't you tell me she was your wife? So Sarai talked at some point.
And I think what Rashi says here is that there was this tense exchange between Pharaoh and Sarai, ending in a confession by Sarai of her status as Abram's wife. Now back to the text.
Pharaoh's Rebuke and Abram's Silence
Notice the questions in verses 18 and 19. The fact that Abram doesn't answer indicates his culpability. Abram can't say, well, you know, no, no, no, no. He doesn't answer because Abram was wrong.
Everybody, to a man, even those who try to vindicate and defend Abram as much as they possibly can, all admit that what Abram does here is wrong. He's not walking by faith. The father of the faithful, at this particular point, is not living as the faithful. I don't say this to pick on Abram.
I don't say this to one-up Abram. I don't say this to say, man, Abram, you terrible specimen of a human being. I simply point this out to underscore the veracity, or rather the sovereignty, and the goodness of God in terms of His promise keeping. Notice, he asks the question in verse 18, and he's angry.
Verse 18, Pharaoh called Abram and said, what is this you have done to me? Now, remember, he's received some sort of plague, some sort of plagues. And if it had, you know, reference to, you know, genital problems or whatever, that would very much irritate, no pun intended, really irritate or frustrate this particular man. So he's upset and he says to him, 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. Again, that seems to tip in in the way that he didn't actually engage in adultery.
Now again, I don't know that Pagans were under that rule or under that conviction that they needed to marry before they copulated, but the language suggests that perhaps they did not. The intriguing thing about these sister-wife situations here, chapter 20 and chapter 26, is that the pagan actually comes off more moral than the patriarch. It's an unfortunate reality. The pagan, in each of these instances, comes off as more moral than the patriarch.
We're celebrating the heroic patriarchs as they move through the ancient Near Eastern world. And it's actually the pagans that demonstrate, at times, more morality than do Abraham and Isaac after him. But back to the text. So he asks him these questions.
And as I said, the fact that Abraham doesn't answer highlights his culpability. What's he going to say? What does he possibly have to wear? Of course you did.
This was cooked up. This was concocted. You told your wife to tell everybody that she was your sister. Now notice in verse 20.
So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. Now I would suggest that this underscores again the goodness and the kindness of God. I mean, what stopped Pharaoh from killing Abram? What stopped Pharaoh, this pagan, this king of Egypt, this monarch of this nation, from saying, Abram, you've caused me a great deal of problems.
I've met your Lord, and he has plagued me. And this has severely vexed me, so I'm going to dispatch with you and Sarai, your wife. But he doesn't do that. He not only lets him go, he tells his men to make sure that he goes unmolested and all that he had.
Now if we read the text appropriately and accordingly, he gained more riches while he was there. It doesn't say he gave back whatever it was that Pharaoh gave him in terms of this arrangement with reference to Sarai. So wherever Pharaoh goes, it's as if God's opening heaven and dropping gold nuggets out upon him. Wherever Abraham goes, he's collecting more and amassing more.
Again, the take-home message isn't, go out and live like a wretch, because you'll be able to plunder the pagans. No, the take-home message is that God's grace truly is amazing. Because in spite of the fact that Abram lies, in spite of the fact that Abram jeopardizes not only his own life, but Sarai, his beloved bride's, not only In spite of all those things, God nevertheless blesses him and gives him his freedom such that he's able to leave Egypt and return to the land of promise and weighed down even with more gold, with more stuff, with more riches. So that's kind of the gist of the text.
Application
Just a couple of thoughts in terms of application.
Literary Foreshadowing of the Exodus
I mentioned some literary foreshadowing. This is not the only time, excuse me, that famine in the land will result in Israel venturing to the land of Egypt. When we read such things, you know, there's a famine in the land. You see, that's how Ruth starts off too.
Whenever you see that, you have to think judgment, right? Locusts, enemy sieges, drought, all of those ultimately are attributed to a sovereign God. Locusts don't just send themselves, and enemy sieges don't just happen, and droughts don't just occur. We know with a proper theocentric reading of the Old Testament, that whenever there's a famine, that typically means judgment.
So when you read Ruth 1 and there's a famine in the land, you got to think that there's problems in Israel at that particular time. And the same sort of thing is true here. But as we look at this, we see this foreshadowing. God sends a famine.
The Egyptians afflict them. God plagues the Egyptians. The Egyptians send them off with great wealth. They return to the land by stages through the wilderness, which is going to happen in chapter 13 as he returns to the promised land. and return to the land where they worship the Lord." First thing that Abram does when he returns to Canaan, he worships the Lord.
"...to the place of the altar which he had made there at the first," verse 4, "...and there Abram called on the name of the Lord." So you see this foreshadowing, and I think what it ought to tell us is that, read your Bible. One, because it's the Word of God. Two, because it's a masterpiece. The way that it's crafted and the way that it's put together by the direction of the Holy Spirit.
I mean, it's genius. The things that are referenced here are going to be developed later. There's these type scenes, as I've mentioned, that that are used and repeated throughout the narrative of redemptive history. It makes for compelling reading.
It makes for satisfactory reading. It makes for exciting reading. And persons ought to read it as not only the Word of God, as the Word of God, but as something that is very exciting and intriguing. Again, Casuto makes this observation.
Scripture wished to foreshadow in the tales of the patriarchs the history of their descendants. In the account of how Abram went down to Egypt, what befell him there and how he went forth from there, the Torah presages, as it were, the migration of the Israelites to Egypt after they had settled in the land of Canaan, their servitude and their liberation. You get it all right here, and it's going to be developed later in more detail.
Challenges to Every Covenant Promise
Now, in terms of the challenges to Abram's faith, I already mentioned the land. God gives him the land, according to 12.2, and then in 10, we see there's famine in the land. Challenge to the faith, isn't it? I'm going to give you this beautiful land.
It's the land of promise. It's going to flow with milk and honey. It's going to be wonderful. You're going to fill it with seed, and you're all going to live happily ever after.
In the next verse, there's no food, so he has to go to Egypt. There's a challenge not only in terms of land promise, but remember there's that seed promise in Genesis chapter 12. Genesis 12, two, I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless him who blesses you, and I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Again, this is gonna develop through the chapters following. There's this seed promise. Well, each of these three scenes, with reference to the wife-sister, is a threat to the seed, isn't it? It's a threat to the seed when Abram's wife may be violated by a foreign monarch.
It's a threat to the seed when Abram's wife, in Genesis 20, may be violated by a foreign monarch. It's a threat to the seed when Isaac's wife may be violated by a foreign monarch. So you see, these challenges to Abram's faith, they don't wait to Mount Moriah in Genesis chapter 22. As soon as the promise comes, there are these challenges to his faith.
Land, seed. What about blessing? God tells Abram in verse 2, I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. Except to Pharaoh?
I mean, this isn't happening, is it? Pharaoh wouldn't interpret Abram as a blessing. I don't think Pharaoh would have said, boy, it was great having that guy in our realm for that period of time. No, he caused me a plague.
He caused me issues. He caused me problems. He caused me a great deal of challenge. And then in terms of protection, remember 12.3, this promise of protection given by God.
Again, it's taken out of context today and employed with reference to the modern state of Israel. This does not apply to the modern state of Israel. It applies to the Israel of God. to the church of Jesus Christ, those who are united by faith to the Son of God. That's who is protected vis-a-vis Genesis 12.3.
But that is the promise. I will bless you, or I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Abram, after hearing this, makes his traversal from the north to the south of Canaan, the famine hits, he goes into the land, and what's the first thing he fears? They'll kill me.
They're going to kill me. You see, all of the promises of God that are real and will be fulfilled do not necessarily mean a pain-free life for God's Abrams. In other words, there are challenges, there are trials, there are issues. It is simply wrong to read the Abram narratives and just see this father of faith just wandering through life singing zippity-doo-dah.
He was a man perplexed and a man plagued and a man tried and afflicted, and we see all of the particulars with reference to the promise made to Abram in jeopardy as soon as Abram's left on his own. Not on his own completely, but in terms of making his decisions and making his way in the world.
Fearing Man Rather Than God
I would suggest, thirdly, the fundamental problem with Abram in Genesis chapter 3 is that the patriarch feared man rather than God. See, that's the problem when we fear man. When we fear man, we're not fearing God. That's why the Bible tells us to fear God.
Because when we fear God, we're not fearing man. Now, fear a man who's got a gun pointed to your head. I don't think there's anything intrinsically evil about that. Fear the bear that's running and about to fall on you and destroy you.
But the fear of man in this regard, We don't fear man in terms of having to adjust our lives to pragmatics in order to pacify man. We walk by faith in the Son of God who loved us and who gave Himself for us, and we need to keep that in mind. Pool again. I quoted this earlier, and it makes sense here.
He says, and here Abram, the father of the faithful, elsewhere celebrated for the strength of his faith, betrays his infirmity and distrust in God's providence and promise, and in this fact was not without great danger, both to himself and Sarai. So again, I don't think the genuine believer reads this and says, wow, I can go out and sin, I can go out and lie, I can go out and plunder pagans, and God's just going to make everything okay. But I hope the genuine saint says, boy, even in the shortcomings, even in the feebleness, even in the weakness, and even in the challenges, God the Lord is faithful. God the Lord sustains.
God the Lord is an ark for his Noahs. God the Lord is the bulwark and the foundation for his Abrams, and God will bring his promises to pass. That's how we ought to appreciate this. The promises are given, the patriarch fails, but the Lord Most High fulfills his promise.
That's the take-home message. Don't go out and sin and say, Butler said it's okay because Abraham did, and God just blessed him even more. No, no, no, no. That's not what Butler said.
Butler says, in spite of us, God is faithful. In spite of us, God is merciful. In spite of us, God brings good out of horrible situations. Again, please do not think that's a formula because there are times when we do foolish things and we may end up dead.
There are times when we do foolish things and we may end up in prison. There are times when we do foolish things and God may not necessarily vindicate us. There's not always a promise. In terms of the eternal spiritual realm, if we're genuinely united to Christ, we will go to heaven.
But there may be some misery on this earth because of our own folly and because of our own waywardness. So don't take Abram or these other patriarchs and their frailty and say, well, they messed up and God blessed them, therefore I'm going to go mess up. so God will bless me." That's not the way to read the narrative. Well, let's close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for Your faithfulness here in Genesis chapter 12. Even to Abram, even in his lack of faith, even in his lies, even in his subterfuge, even in his compromising his wife's integrity, and even protection and safety. God, we thank you that you are faithful. We thank you that the promises you make are promises you fulfill.
And we thank you, God, that in this new covenant setting, the Lord Christ is our champion, the Lord Christ is our victor, the Lord Christ is the reason by which we will ultimately enter into heaven. And we thank you for that. We thank you for that gospel and we pray that we would just rejoice in it and we would express gratitude and love and affection and adoration unto you. And we pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.