Walk In Newness of Life Pt. 11 Abraham Strayed from the Path of Faith

Changing circumstances resulted in self trust.

Genesis 12:10  And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 

We can be thankful that God tells us the truth about the men, women and children described in the Bible. He does not cover up their sins or failures and this was so in Abraham's life as well.

Why does it matter to us? Because the saints that we study were not perfect people. They were men of like passions that we have and though they often walked close with God, there were times when they stumbled and failed God.

Moses failed to obey God and struck the rock twice to bring water to the people, and his disobedience is why he could not enter the promised land (Numbers 20:11). 

King David was called a man after God's own heart, yet he committed adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11).

King Solomon was granted great wisdom from God and yet he went astray toward the end of his life  (1 Kings 11).

The external circumstances changed in a way that impacted Abraham. There was a famine in the land. In fact, the text calls this a grievous famine, meaning that it was one of the worst famines on record. 

We live in a land with abundant resources. Most of us have a full refrigerator and perhaps a full freezer, so if some natural catastrophe occurred, we would have enough food and water to survive. 

Abraham did not have refrigeration and a famine would immediately impact his herds of animals, which was the chief source of his wealth. He had to find food for them as well as for his family. 

Egypt generally enjoyed excellent agricultural productivity because of the annual floods from the Nile river. Therefore, it was common during a famine for people to travel to Egypt to seek food on a temporary basis. 

The key word in this text is the word "down" because that implies something negative is going to happen. Abraham went "down" into Egypt. The idea of going down into Egypt is that Abraham followed his own will rather than relying upon Jehovah to meet his immediate needs. He took things into his own hands rather pragmatically, instead of calling upon the name of the lord for help, as he had previously done. This is the idea of backsliding away from God. 

This is the very first time that we read about Egypt in God's Word and this is significant. The "Law of First Mention" states that the very first time that you read of something or someone in scripture will define how we should view the person, or place of object in other places. 

Egypt is called the house of bondage in many texts because it was the place where Abraham's offspring were forced to be slaves for more than 400 years. Egypt is also called an "iron furnace" meaning that being a slave in that place took a monumental physical and emotional toll upon the workers and their families. The name "Egypt" means double straits. The word "straits" refers to a situation of unusual trouble and great difficulty or being in a state of extreme distress.

Thus, it is not a shock to see that the Holy Spirit moved Moses to use the words "And Abram went down unto Egypt." This alerts us to the fact that something negative is going to happen in Abraham's walk with the Lord.  

Abraham Fabricated a Lie about Sarah.

Genesis 12:11-13  And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12)  Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13) Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. 

We see very quickly when the text tells us Abraham went down into Egypt that the next action he took was to fabricate a lie about his relationship with Sarah. Abraham worried that the Egyptians would kill him in order to take Sarah his wife, because she was very beautiful. Therefore, Abraham decided to tell Sarah to lie to the Egyptians by saying that she was his sister, instead of telling the truth by saying that she was his wife. 

The Egyptians believed the lie and took Sarah. 

Genesis 12:14-17  And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15)  The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16) And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. 17) And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. 

The Egyptians believed Abraham's lie and Sarah was eventually taken into the house of Pharaoh. The ruler gave Abram many sheep, oxen and asses along with servants. But God was very displeased. He plagued Pharaoh's house with great plagues because Sarah's marital vows to Abraham might be compromised. Thus, Abraham's scheme could have caused the Egyptians to sin.

Genesis 12:18-20  And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19) Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20) And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. 

Pharaoh finally understood what was happening to his people and he called Abraham and reproved him for lying about Sarah. Then, he told Abraham that he must leave Egypt. Abraham left Egypt with Sarah and all that he had in terms of livestock. God kept Pharaoh from committing adultery with Sarah and it is certain that Abraham was humbled when Pharaoh rebuked him for his lie. 

Repentant Faith got Abraham back on track.

Genesis 13:1-4  And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2) And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3) And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; 4) Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. 

This episode from the life of Abraham does have a good ending and it teaches us what we must do when we fail God. Abraham "went up" out of Egypt. He recognized that what he did in trying to deal with the famine by himself, was wrong. The text tells us that he had become very wealthy in livestock as well as gold and silver in abundance. 

What did Abraham do next? In an act of repentance, he returned to the mountain between Bethel and Hai. He "went on" to the altar that he constructed before and called upon the name of the LORD. There can be no doubt that he repented to Jehovah of his lie and his role in almost enticing the Egyptians to sin. He also repented of taking matters into his own hands instead of relying on the God who promised to bless and sustain him.

Thoughts to Ponder...

God has told us what to do when we fall short or fall into sin. We are to confess and forsake our sins (Proverbs 28:13). When we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness through the blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7-9).

We must be alert for anything that may cause us to go "down" and wander away from God. We do not want to backslide away from the God of glory who sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ, in order to save us. 

Egypt represents the world of sin that constantly seeks to lure us into sinning against God. Egypt represents the bondage of being a slave to sin and being mired in the consequences of our sins. 

Abraham's lapse in faith also reminds us that when we sin, our action may cause someone else to fall into sin. Therefore, we must be careful, prayerful and dependently anchored to God's Word because only His strength can help us. 

Last, we must resist our tendency to take things into our own hands to try fixing a situation that arises. We are made to rely upon God, and our own efforts and strength are insufficient to change our circumstances. It may be that God does not want us to "fix" things because He has a lesson of obedience and faith to teach us. 

May we continue to learn much about faith and practice from Abraham's life. May our Lord keep molding and shaping us into usable instruments to do his kingdom work.

Bob