This week, we are looking at a story that is recorded in
the very first letter of the Bible, called the book of Genesis that makes us
want to cringe. Yesterday, we saw Abram, out of fear for his life, come up with
a deceptive plan that called for he and Sarai to claim that Sarai was his
sister. Abram believed that he had a plan to ensure his survival that was fool
proof and would cover all the bases. A plan that would result in Abram being
treated well by the Egyptians who he believed would attempt to win Abram over
so he would to agree to let them marry his “sister”. A plan that would ensure
the survival of Abram and Sarai from a famine and the advances of any man who
would be interested in marrying his beautiful wife.
Today, however, like so many plans, there was a major
problem with Abram’s plan. A problem that is exposed in Genesis 12:14:
It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the
Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. Pharaoh's officials saw her
and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and
donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.
Moses tells us that when Abram and Sarai settled into
Egypt as an outsider in the midst of their culture, Sarai became the talk of
the town. You see, not only did Abram think that Sarai was easy on the eyes;
the Egyptians also saw Sarai as being very easy on the eyes. And very quickly
word spread all over Egypt about Abram and his beautiful sister who had moved
into town. Sarai was so beautiful that when the officials of Pharaoh saw her,
they responded to her beauty by praising her beauty to Pharaoh himself. And as
soon as Pharaoh heard his officials sing the praises about the beauty of Sarai,
Pharaoh decided that it was time to add another wife to his collection. And
Pharaoh would not take no for an answer.
You see, this was not some man that Abram could simply
buy time with when it came to his interest in Sarai. This was not some man whom
Abram could just make the price and the conditions of marriage too steep, and
he would back off. This is Pharaoh; this is a person who is one of the most
powerful people on the planet at this time in history. This is a man who has
almost unlimited resources. This is a man who does not take no for an answer.
This man will do what it takes and pay what it takes to get what he wants.
And what he wants is Sarai. And because he wanted Sarai,
he treated Abram well for her sake. Pharaoh gave Abram an amazingly large dowry
for the right to have Sarai as wife. Pharaoh gave Abram a large amount of
livestock and slaves. In addition Pharaoh upped the ante by giving Abram female
donkeys and camels, which were considered expensive, luxury items in that
day. This dowry would have made Abram a
wealthy man.
Now, place yourself in Abram’s
shoes. What would you be thinking? How would you respond? What excuse or reason
could Abram possibly use as to why he would not give his “sister” Sarai to
Pharaoh? You see, there was no legitimate answer that would not result in Abram
being exposed as a deceiver. And as a result, Moses tells us that Sarai was
taken into Pharaoh’s house.
In other words, Sarai was given
in marriage by her husband Abram to Pharaoh and became a part of Pharaoh’s
harem. Abram’s foolproof plan had fallen apart. Abram’s foolproof plan
backfires as he loses his wife. Abram’s foolproof plan results in Sarai
sleeping with and having an affair with Pharaoh.
Instead of trusting and obeying
God for his survival, Abram decided that he was going to help God out by coming
up with a plan to ensure his survival and the fulfillment of God’s promises.
But now, far too late in the game, his plan has now backfired and has
threatened the fulfillment of God’s promise.
Tomorrow, we will see God enter
into this story in a powerful way and reveal for us a timeless truth regarding
God’s promises…
No comments:
Post a Comment