This is a familiar passage to me. Abram leaves the land where he is at because there is a famine there and it is severe and so he goes to Egypt. Prior to entering Egypt and because he knows his wife is very beautiful, rather than entering Egypt with her as his wife and his fear that leaders will simply kill him to get to his wife, instead he tells Sarai that she should act as his sister. As they enter Egypt the people in Pharaohs court see that she is beautiful and bring her to Pharaoh and Abraham receives gifts – sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants, camels. But then Pharaoh‘s house receives a disease and Pharaoh learns that Sarai is Abram’s wife, summons Abram to ask why did he say this and then tells him to leave/go.
Failure is a part of life. It is not something we enjoy. We try to limit our mistakes. We like to always seem like we are better than this. There are certain people in life that we place on a pedestal and yet they are still human. They still make mistakes.
I’ve noticed that society places people on pedestals and then write stories about their mistakes. WE prefer to be the one seeing a person's mistakes than on the other end. There is an idea I think that God blesses only those who are obedient and therefore when the media sees a Christian failing, people are alarmed and yet I think feel good about finding the evil because there is the feeling the Christian sees themselves as better than others. But, they do the same thing with movie stars or others we view with high regard, as if we somehow expect them to be perfect.
A divine test
The first test Abram received was famine. In this passage we only see Abram acknowledge the famine and leave the land to go some place else. What we don’t know or see in the text is whether he prayed or consulted God. All we read is that He left.
Life is difficult. Being a Christian still means life is difficult. Challenges like a famine test us. Right now we are tested in this life with this famine. It seems alarming to me and I too seem to think I know better that the decision makers - that maybe they have another motive. Am I really willing to trust the process or be grumpy through it? I see good outcomes from it. Don’t fight it. Live with it and continue to encourage others through it.
Fear and sin
Abram experiences fear and his focus is on himself. Sarai has to start living in deceit as well. She had to pretend to be something she isn’t. But the scriptures focus is Abram trying to safe his life because he fears the truth.
Lying is not new to me unfortunately. I often in my life have lied and altered who I am ever so slightly because I don’t believe in my life as it is. Often I tried to make myself out to be better that I was. Sometimes I did things with little reason so I created a bigger reason. I often just didn't think my life as it was sounded good enough. I wanted it to look better. The problem is the lie has to be fed with more lies.
Abram is found out
Abram's sin is discovered. This is my greatest fear: discovery of sin. Sin is a caper and we fear it’s discovery. Pharaoh found out his sin and this was a good thing for Abram as he needed to embrace the truth. In some ways Abram was fortunate. Though it hurts - once the sin is out in the open we can be restored.
When the Godly Slump
- I remember one time in college and there is a Christian band that showed up on our campus and I was involved backstage with them and I was having a meal with some of the performers in the band and one of them was not present and was off to himself. I was bothered and I looked at his not being there is selfishness. Instead I should just accept him is different.
- God gave Jonah a task to do to preach because of the wickedness of the people. Instead Jonah ran away and by doing this others he was affected and others also experienced hardship. Once he listened to God things were not as bad as he thought.
- My father often tells me that the reason he left the church we were at in high school and he would never return to the Christian church was the lead pastor made a comment about a patient he was seeing that was inappropriate.
- Many pastors and leaders in the church have been exposed with having committed sexual sin outside their marriage.
Do the right thing. It sounds simple. But that's it. But also, admit your mistakes.
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