The Book of Genesis
Part 26
We have reached a sad chapter in the life of the Father of the Faithful. A lapse in faith is always sad, and yet it is a sin that so easily besets us. God has given us ample warning by recording such a failure in the life of this saintly man from the past.
David has been anointed as king of Israel by Samuel under such circumstances as to leave no doubt that he was God’s choice, and that eventually under God, he would reign (1 Sam. 16). Moreover, the Lord had preserved him from the hatred and hand of Saul, but one day through lack of confidence in the preservation and power of God, “David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines” (1 Sam. 27:1), and he sought shelter in the land of his former enemies over whom God had given him a great victory.
The Apostle Paul, the champion of Christian liberty, the one who was so directed of the Lord and who trusted in Him implicitly, is seen turning from the path of Christian liberty, from the path of confidence in God, and resorting to a human plan for bodily preservation (Acts 21). The plan that promised so much in the way of protection and profession resulted in an uproar of the people, maltreatment for Paul, and his final arrest. God intervened and saved His servant from disgrace and death, for in spite of our failure, He abideth faithful.
Even Joseph, possibly one of the most perfect characters in the Old Testament, seemed to lose sight of God and to turn his eyes in hope to a man (Gen. 40:14), but alas he too was disappointed.
As we look into this sad picture in Abraham’s life, we shall view it in three stages: Abraham in Canaan or the cause of his lack of confidence, Abraham in Egypt or the consequence of his lack of confidence, and, finally, Abraham’s return to Canaan or the cure of his lack of confidence.
The Cause (Gen. 12:10-13)
A consideration of the cause of this sad failure in the life of our Patriarch reveals the intricate working of sin, the certain progress of sin within us. Notice:
The famine: “And there was a famine in the land.” Surely this was a difficult circumstance, and yet such a difficulty could be expected. In Egypt artificial irrigation was extensively used, the water being supplied by the river Nile. In the Land of Promise there was no such natural provision. Palestine was dependent upon the annual rainfall and the dew. Canaan, therefore, had to rely more directly upon the Lord Who could send or withhold the rain. Consequently, such a difficulty as Abraham encountered was to be expected, for God always tests faith. The path of faith is not always a path of ease; moreover, faith is not only tested by difficulties, but it is developed by difficulties. (1 Pet. 1:7).
The failure: Abraham looked out upon the famine-stricken land rather than up to the faithfulness of God. Peter walked upon the water to go to Jesus, but when he turned his eyes from Christ to the waves he began to sink (Matt. 14:28-31). Thus it must always be. When our eyes are upon adversity and difficulty, when we become occupied by the circumstance rather than with God, failure results, and defeat enters upon the path that should be one of dependence and victory.
The flight: “Abraham went down into Egypt to sojourn there.” How readily we deceive ourselves! We think that we will indulge ourselves for just a little while. We have no intention of remaining in Egypt. No! We only will sojourn there! Such was the intention of Abraham, but he, by turning from the path of faith to Egyptian relief, set up an example before his descendants that they never forgot. Isaac apparently tried to follow him, but God stopped him (Gen. 26:1-2). Jacob turned his eyes in the same direction and God over-ruled for His own glory (Gen. 43:50). At even a later date, in the times of Hezekiah, God had to say, “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help … but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord” (Isa. 31:1).
The falsehood: “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” There lay hidden in Abraham’s heart something that seemed to becloud his vision from time to time. He eventually confessed that it had been his thought as far back as Haran: “And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is the kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother” (Gen. 20:13). Here, on the way to Egypt, this agreement is repeated. Later on, when he sojourned in Gerar, they again agreed to deceive (Gen. 20). In its final analysis, this was the working of fear rather than of faith. Abraham did not consider the danger to which he exposed Sarah. His thoughts were selfish when he instructed her to tell the half-truth which was worse than a lie. How heavy must have been his heart when she was taken from him into Pharaoh’s harem. The very gifts of Pharaoh must have been a great burden upon the weary conscience of Abraham.
May we learn from the experience of Abraham that once we leave the path of faith, fear may drive us farther away from the Lord until, like him, we are actually rebuked by the ungodly world (Gen. 12:18-20).
The Consequence (Gen. 12:14-20)
The effect of Abraham’s leaving the Land of Promise and the path of faith was serious in the extreme.
The peril: Poor Sarah, through Abraham’s selfishness and fear and lack of faith, found herself in an Egyptian harem. Poor Abraham! What must have been his thoughts as she was taken from him, his virtuous wife exposed to the lust of Egypt’s king. Trouble, danger, peril we must ever experience when we take ourselves out of the hands of God. Peter responded to the impulses of fear, and found himself in danger at the fire of the world; there he denied his Lord (Mark 14:66-72).
The prosperity: At least on the surface things looked prosperous. “Pharoah… entreated Abraham well for her sake: and he had sheep and oxen, and he asses, and men-servants and maidservants, and she asses and camels.” Pharoah may have done all this in perfect sincerity. If Sarah were Abraham’s sister and he intended making her his wife, it was only proper, according to ancient custom, that he give to her brother and protector dowry gifts. All may have looked well upon the exterior, but likely Abraham’s heart was heavy. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom as a judge (Gen. 19), but there he vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds (2 Pet. 2:7-8). Without doubt, Abraham vexed his soul by his unseemly behaviour at this time. Man looketh on the outward appearance where all seems right, but God looketh on the heart.
The preservation: The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation (2 Pet. 2:9). He preserved Sarah and Abraham in a most unusual manner. The plague upon Pharaoh and his house was a voice from God. How wonderful that God should speak to this poor heathen king when all this time He remained silent to His child Abraham. It was a message from God to Pharaoh that saved Abraham, and started him on the way to recovery. It was the look that melted Peter’s heart, and sight of the pierced hands that brought back Thomas from doubt to faith. Oh, that we might keep our ears open for His words, our faces uplifted for His look, our eyes fixed upon His pierced hands! Then, and only then, shall we be preserved from our fear and wanderings and kept close to Himself.
The protest: “And Pharaoh called Abraham and said, What is this thou hast done unto me?” What a rebuke from the world! How sad when the Christian’s standard of morals becomes lower than what the poor world expects. There is constant need of reminding our hearts that we have been redeemed from our futile manner of living received by observation and instruction from our forefathers.