10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So 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,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
13 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.
Section Overview
Genesis 12 began with great promises of blessing and a response of simple obedience. Yet the rest of the chapter shows how complicated the blessed life can be in a cursed world. Before Abram can even begin to establish himself in this “land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8), a famine in the land sends him fleeing down to the more bountiful resources of Egypt in order to survive (Gen. 12:10). In the process, fear drives Abram to deception, pretending that Sarai is his sister and not his wife, a strategy that results in a kind of antifulfillment of the promise of Genesis 12:1–3: Abram is out of the land, his wife is taken into Pharaoh’s harem, threatening the prospect of offspring, and his presence brings curse on Pharaoh instead of the blessing he is supposed to represent to the nations.
God will not let his plans be thwarted, however. He intervenes not only to rescue Abram from his own folly and sin but also to deliver him from Egypt and bring him back to the Promised Land with even greater possessions than before (vv. 17–20). In the process this episode foreshadows Israel’s later journey down to Egypt, sojourning there and returning, once again laden with Egyptian plunder.218 Just as God takes care of Abram, protecting him from external dangers and his own sinful compromises, bringing him back to the Land of Promise, so also the Lord will later provide for Israel as well.
Section Outline
VII. The Family History of Terah (11:27–25:11) . . .
D. Abram in Egypt (12:10–13:4)
Response
If in the opening part of chapter 12 Abram is a model of faith to be emulated, in the latter part of the chapter he is a reminder of how quickly the strongest faith can falter in the face of life’s difficulties. It is clear that God’s wonderful plan for the life of his people often includes trials and difficulties, not merely blessing and prosperity—otherwise how would we ever grow in our faith? It is also clear that even the “heroes” of the biblical text regularly fail and fall short of God’s perfect standard. Before we judge Abram too harshly, we should consider how quickly our own faith crumbles in the face of sickness, adversity, and loss, which tempt us to turn away from trusting God and instead to seek to rely on seemingly more solid earthly refuges, such as Egypt represented to OT Israel.
Yet the narrative does not end with Abram’s being cast off for his lack of faith. Instead, God orchestrates events in such a way as to bring him back to the path of obedience he left behind him. There is a doorway of repentance and renewal open to Abram, as he turns his face back toward God and returns to the altar at Bethel, where he previously called on the name of the Lord. The same door is always open to us when we sin and wander astray. God is the good Father, who stands with arms open wide to welcome home the prodigal son (cf. Luke 15:20), even though our rebellion is equally without cause and without excuse.
This pathway of repentance is open to us because of what the altar at Bethel signifies, which is the sacrifice offered to atone for our many sins. The death and resurrection of Christ atone for our failure and faithlessness, and we are now clothed in his constant faithfulness, which enables us to stand before the Father as his beloved children. Because of the grace of this Father, we should run along the pathway of repentance that leads us to the cross whenever we find ourselves to have sinned again, knowing that he will receive us and restore us to his favor and blessing.Genesis 12:10–13:4