4/3/22 - Abram’s Imperfection In God’s Hands - Genesis 12:4-20 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Abram sells out his wife…
 
Have you ever been confronted with a threat that causes you to go into preservation mode? Abram has entered Egypt but he has a unique challenge. He realizes that the beauty of his wife will appeal to the Egyptians and they will kill him to get her. He starts the conversation with his bride something like this…”You know Sarai, you are stunning. You are more beautiful than all these Egyptian women.” Good words so far. She is liking this. He continues, “You are the most beautiful woman in the entire country…and that’s gonna be a problem for me…so I have a plan that involves telling a half truth and you becoming Pharaoh's wife.” Things just got awkward between them.
 
So the plan is to tell Pharaoh that Sarai is his sister which is kind of true because in chapter 20 we learn they have the same father but not the same mother. So that’s strange but the DNA lines may have been more pure at this early date. Later God will give marriage restrictions but for now they hide the wife part and focus on the sister part. (Now I don’t know if ancient Egyptian men had a thing for older women because Sarai is 65 years old. It’s been said that Semitic women don’t fade early.)
 
Abram is trying to protect himself and in doing so he puts his wife in a very vulnerable situation. When we sin, we don’t sin alone. It always effects those around us. We saw this with Adam when the entire race was infected by his disobedience. Every account of sin in the Bible includes with it the damage done to others. As a result of this lie Abram becomes rich. Pharaoh gives him a large dowery and takes Sarai for himself. For awhile Abram must have thought, “My plan worked better than expected. I’m being blessed, look at all this stuff!” Material blessing does not mean you are in God’s will. Isn’t it easy to find reasons to do something wrong and afterward find justification in every direction?
 
Ideally Abram would have believed God’s promises and said, “God promised me children, Sarai is my wife and though she is barren God will somehow keep his promise and we will be kept safe.” Abram has forgotten God in all this. No communication with Him through prayer or worship. God understood the special place Abram and Sarai would have in his redemptive plan and no king or ruler was going to stop it. If Pharaoh keeps Sarai then how is she going to have a child with Abram? God intervenes to keep his word. God is capable of moving heaven and earth to fullfill his promises.
 
Failure is never fatal with God.
 
Abram will get back on track in the next chapter. I have failed God in my testimony but God keeps loving me. Sometimes it’s like three steps forward and two steps back. Over time, Abram will come to see the faithfulness of God in his life even as he doubts. Be encouraged and take the test and make it your test-imony of faith in God!