At this point, we come to the time that Abram journeyed to Egypt. Most, if not all, scholars seem to believe that Abram erred, when he went to Egypt, some claiming his faith was being tested, and he failed. Whether such things are so or not, the text isn’t clear. Rather, all such interpretations of the text are conjecture. As for me, I think Abram’s experience was, as the experiences of Adam in the Garden of Eden. The Lord told Adam, he could partake of all the trees of the garden except one, vis-à-vis the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which, for Abram was to return to Ur. Doing so would have been rejection of the call and rebellion. The trees in the Garden of Eden weren’t fruit trees, as popularly assumed. Rather, they represent decisions to approach matters this way or that, and everything was allowed but rebellion, vis-à-vis to partake of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
In the context of Abram and the famine in the land, Abram chose to go to Egypt, where he knew there would be food for himself, his family, his servants and his animals. Nothing was forbidden, except to return to Ur (cp. Genesis 24:4-8). That, and only that, would have represented rejection of the call of God and rebellion. No matter what Abram chose, and no matter what we might choose for ourselves after the Lord calls us, the chosen thing brings its own troubles and trials. Nevertheless, Egypt was not forbidden!
So, Abram journeyed to Egypt, to dwell there, because there was famine in the land that God promised to give Abram’s descendants (Genesis 12:10). As they traveled toward Egypt, Abram spoke with his wife, Sarai, saying:
“Behold now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look upon. And it will be when the Egyptians see you, they shall say, ‘This is his wife,’ and they will kill me, but they will save you alive. I pray you, say that you are my sister, so that it may be well with me for your sake, and my soul shall live because of you” (Genesis 12:11-13).
As I mentioned above, each decision we make brings with it its own problems and trials that we must face. It was no different for Abram. Although he left the famine behind, he had to face different problems by going to Egypt. He was willing to trade one for the other. Nevertheless, as is often done, even by us, the full consequences of such decisions cannot be understood from the beginning, only that the consequences would be different from those we wish to avoid. Abram didn’t understand that the Lord had to protect him and his, if the Lord intended to bless him, as he promised to do. Abram’s decision to go to Egypt was a step taken to come to the realization that God promises also imply his protection.
Sure enough, when they arrived in Egypt, the people and the sons of Pharaoh admired Sarai’s beauty, and the princes told Pharoah about Abram’s wife. Therefore, Pharaoh took her into his harem (Genesis 12:14-15). Moreover, just as Abram predicted, he was treated well for Sarai’s sake, and the text implies that he was given animals and servants, because Pharaoh treasured Abram’s sister/wife (Genesis 12:16).
One might conclude that Abram was a coward, offering his wife up to become a part of Pharaoh’s harem. Nevertheless, one needs to read between the lines here to understand the context. The future of Egypt depended upon the wisdom and power of its king (Pharaoh), and every king who took women to be a part of his haram wanted to be assured that any son born of her would be his own and not another man’s. This is why eunuchs were placed in authority over the kings’ harems, to protect his concubines from being violated. Therefore, Pharaoh wouldn’t have gone in unto Sarai for months, perhaps a year or more! This was done so he could be assured that any child born to her was his own. So, by saying Sarai was his sister, Abram obtained a grace period of safety, before his marriage with Sarai would have been violated. Hiding one’s head in the sand doesn’t change the effects of a decision one regrets, but it does buy some time and perhaps offers hope for unexpected aid.
Therefore, the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his entire household with great plagues, which ultimately indicated that Sarai was Abram’s wife (Genesis 12:17; cp. Genesis 20:1-8). Immediately after he realized Sarai was Abram’s wife, which may have taken months or even a year later, Pharoah returned Sarai to Abram and rebuked him, saying he was about to take Sarai for his wife. Therefore, Pharaoh commanded his men to beware of harming Abram, and he also commanded Abram and his company to take what was theirs and leave Egypt (Genesis 12:18-20).
Considering the fact that Pharaoh was hardly a moral person, in that he took whatever he wished, the fact that he allowed Abram to leave Egypt, instead of slaying him and confiscating his wealth and taking Sarai for his wife, seems to indicate the Lord spoke to him in a dream, just as the Lord would do to Abimelech, later (Genesis 20:1-8). Thus, Abram was assured of the promises that the Lord made to him: he would bless them who blessed him, and he would curse them who cursed Abram etc. Far from condemning or rebuking Abram for going down to Egypt in the time of his trouble, the Lord blessed him!
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