In our daily meditations, we reflect on God's molding of Abraham's character to be a man of God. Abraham did not live long in the land of Canaan before he departed to lean on Egypt.
10Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you” (Genesis 12:10-13).
To the spiritual person, Egypt symbolizes reliance on the arm of flesh rather than on God. Egypt was not watered by springs, rain, or dew but through irrigation using a foot pump. The Nile served as the Egyptians' water source; however, getting the water to the fields required a person to pump it with their feet. God stated that the land of Israel (Canaan) was different from Egypt:
The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden (Deuteronomy 11:10; emphasis added).
The things of God don’t have to be pumped up by fleshly means. When discussing Abraham's faith, we must remember that God never instructed him to go down to Egypt. When faced with difficulties due to a lack of rain, Abram was just like us; we often resort to the arm of flesh rather than take the time to seek God for His guidance. We are frequently driven by fear—the "what if" syndrome; consider the fear the media generates in our day, if you doubt the human tendency to be influenced by fear. Israel has a history of turning to Egypt for help instead of seeking God:
2…who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge. 3But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame, Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace (Isaiah 30:2-3).
What fear rears its head before you today? Abram experienced a fear of death due to Sarai’s beauty. He noticed the looks the men gave Sarai when they thought Abram wasn’t watching. Perhaps he felt insecure in the new culture of Egypt. Insecurity prompts a man to trust in the ways of this world or fleshly resources instead of the provision of God.
Abram was Sarai's half-brother, so he made a deceptive deal with Sarai for her to call him her brother (Genesis 12:12-13). Since Sarai's father was no longer around, any suitors for Sarai's hand in marriage would have to negotiate with her brother, Abram. The universal custom of the day was for the brother to assume legal guardianship in arranging a wedding on Sarai's behalf, giving them time to slip away before Sarai would have to become anyone's wife. Those with faith in God can slip up occasionally, and the Bible never glosses over the sins of the flesh by the Lord's heroes. Abram should have relied on God's promises that he would become a great nation—without his wife, this could not have happened. The Word of God requires us to hold on to our faith in God and persevere through difficulties.
Perhaps Abram did not realize that Pharaoh would take her into his household. Now what, Abram? How will you get out of this mess? We don't read of any complaint from Abram about Sarai being taken into Pharaoh’s court, but God steps in and afflicts Pharaoh's household with severe diseases (Genesis 12:16-18). Somehow, the secret is out, and Abram is severely scolded and shamed for his faithless act. He must have felt embarrassed when the Pharaoh told him to leave Egypt.
This story reminds us that even when we fail to act in faith, God can set us back on track when we repent. There is never a dead end when we submit our lives to the Lord. If you have made mistakes and feel you have lost your way or taken a wrong turn, it is essential to know that God has not finished writing your story! The thing to do now is to submit your path to the Lord and ask Him to show you the next step on your journey. Are you ready to trust Him? Keith Thomas
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Taken from the complete study found in the series on Abraham. Go to All Studies, scroll down to The Faith of Abraham, and click on Study 1. Abraham: The Man of Faith