seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 12:10 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. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
So Abram "the man of faith" wasn't trusting a faithful all the time. His human side didn't take long to show itself.
This came from the studylight.org site.
Abram was not wrong for being concerned about famine and feeding his family, but Abram was wrong in thinking God would not provide for his needs in the place where God called him to live. After all, God called Abram to Canaan, not to Egypt.
Abram, like most of us, found it easier to trust God in the far-off promises than in the right-now needs.
When we are tested in this way, we often believe our actions are all right because no harm can come. Though God blesssed and protected Abram even in Egypt, he came away with excess baggage and a rebuke from a pagan king. Harm came.
Abram persuades Sarai to lie on his behalf.
We are first struck at Abrams concern over his 60-year-old wife's attractiveness to the Egyptians. This shows Sarai was not only a woman of particular beauty, but also that not every culture worships youthful appearance the way modern culture does.
The long life span of Abram and Sarai also explains her beauty. Since Abram lived to be 175 and Sarai to be 127, this was only middle age for her, perhaps corresponding to what we think of as her thirties.
A Jewish legend says when Abram went into Egypt, he tried to hide Sarai in a casket. When Egyptian customs officials asked what he had in the casket, he said, barley. No, they said, it contains wheat. Very well, answered Abram. Ill pay the custom on wheat. Then the officers said it contained pepper. Abram said he would pay the custom charges on pepper. Then the officers said it contained gold. Abram said he would pay the custom charges on gold. Then the officers said it contained precious stones. Abram said he would pay the custom charges on precious stones. By this time, the officers insisted on opening the casket. When they did, all of Egypt shined with the beauty of Sarai. These same legends say that in comparison to Sarai, all other women looked like monkeys. She was even more beautiful than Eve.
Please say you are my sister: This was in fact a half-truth. Sarai was Abrams half sister (Genesis 20:12). Yet a half-truth is a whole lie. Abrams intent here was clearly to deceive, and he trusted in his deception to protect him instead of trusting in the Lord.
Abram, like most of us, found it easier to trust God in the far-off promises than in the right-now needs.
When we are tested in this way, we often believe our actions are all right because no harm can come. Though God blesssed and protected Abram even in Egypt, he came away with excess baggage and a rebuke from a pagan king. Harm came.
Abram persuades Sarai to lie on his behalf.
We are first struck at Abrams concern over his 60-year-old wife's attractiveness to the Egyptians. This shows Sarai was not only a woman of particular beauty, but also that not every culture worships youthful appearance the way modern culture does.
The long life span of Abram and Sarai also explains her beauty. Since Abram lived to be 175 and Sarai to be 127, this was only middle age for her, perhaps corresponding to what we think of as her thirties.
A Jewish legend says when Abram went into Egypt, he tried to hide Sarai in a casket. When Egyptian customs officials asked what he had in the casket, he said, barley. No, they said, it contains wheat. Very well, answered Abram. Ill pay the custom on wheat. Then the officers said it contained pepper. Abram said he would pay the custom charges on pepper. Then the officers said it contained gold. Abram said he would pay the custom charges on gold. Then the officers said it contained precious stones. Abram said he would pay the custom charges on precious stones. By this time, the officers insisted on opening the casket. When they did, all of Egypt shined with the beauty of Sarai. These same legends say that in comparison to Sarai, all other women looked like monkeys. She was even more beautiful than Eve.
Please say you are my sister: This was in fact a half-truth. Sarai was Abrams half sister (Genesis 20:12). Yet a half-truth is a whole lie. Abrams intent here was clearly to deceive, and he trusted in his deception to protect him instead of trusting in the Lord.
Here's what the easy English commentary offers.
Egypt is a country in northern Africa. The river Nile provides water to Egypt. Therefore, crops grow in Egypt even if there is no rain. So there was no famine (lack of food) in Egypt. There was a famine in Canaan because there had been no rain.
Abram went to Egypt, which was a foreign country. He did not know its customs. He was not confident that God would protect him and Sarai. He thought that someone might kill him in order to take Sarai as a wife. So he decided to say that Sarai was his sister. And, if anyone took Sarai as a wife, he would not kill Abram. And so perhaps Abram and Sarai would escape before the wedding. But the person who took Sarai was Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Sarai was in Pharaoh’s court, she could not escape.
When Abram called Sarai his sister, he did not tell the truth. But what he said was not completely wrong. Sarai was Abram’s half-sister. Sarai and Abram had the same father but they did not have the same mother. At that time, some people married their half-sisters. Later, the Bible said that a marriage with a half-sister is wrong. (See Deuteronomy 27:22.)
Abram went to Egypt, which was a foreign country. He did not know its customs. He was not confident that God would protect him and Sarai. He thought that someone might kill him in order to take Sarai as a wife. So he decided to say that Sarai was his sister. And, if anyone took Sarai as a wife, he would not kill Abram. And so perhaps Abram and Sarai would escape before the wedding. But the person who took Sarai was Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Sarai was in Pharaoh’s court, she could not escape.
When Abram called Sarai his sister, he did not tell the truth. But what he said was not completely wrong. Sarai was Abram’s half-sister. Sarai and Abram had the same father but they did not have the same mother. At that time, some people married their half-sisters. Later, the Bible said that a marriage with a half-sister is wrong. (See Deuteronomy 27:22.)
