Scripture: Genesis 12:10-16
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram
went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. As
he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a
beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is
his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister,
so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because
of you.”
When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw
that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her,
they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated
Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female
donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
Did God tell Abram to go to Egypt? Negative. Did
He tell Abram to lie about Sarai being his wife? Again, no. He did both out of
fear. And what was the result? Rather than trusting in God to provide for him
in Canaan, or trusting God to protect him in Egypt, he lied and sinned against
the Lord, his wife, and the innocent Egyptians. Who knows what Pharaoh would
have done if he hadn’t been told false information?
Sure, Abram received more cattle and slaves, but
he didn’t need more. He was already a wealthy man when he left Harran. And what
he gained wasn’t worth what he lost. He lost his integrity in the eyes of the
Egyptians and thus any chance of being a positive witness to the Lord, and he
could have lost his wife forever if God hadn’t intervened on his behalf.
What are you afraid of? What do you stand to lose
if you take matters into your own hands to change the situation? Instead of
taking the risk, pause and ask yourself, “Can God not solve this?”
The answer is that He can, and He will. All you
have to do is be brave and wait.
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