Abraham’s Witness to a Vile Nation
The plagues that came upon Canaan because of their vile pagan worship practices which included:
- Examining the entrails of birds and animals for omens
- Consulting the dead: mediums and spiritist, which were angels that fell with Lucifer now called demons
- Sacrificing their children, by making the walk through the fire
- Uses of divination: witchcraft, soothsayer, interpreter of omens
- Imploring magical tactics to affect the course of events and/or gain information
- Fertility was of major importance in worship of their gods and there were both male and female temple prostitutes on their hilltop shrines in order to encourage an abundant harvest, they also practiced bestiality
- God warned his people against these abominable practices, a few references: Leviticus 18:21, Leviticus 18:24-30, Numbers 23:23, Deut. 18:10, 12:29-31, Deut. 18:11, Deut. 18:15, cf. 13:1-3
Reference used: D.A. Carson et al., eds, New Bible Commentary
God showed mercy towards these vile people. He sent Abraham to enter the land, build altars to the true Living God, and demonstrated a holy and acceptable way to worship. They recognized the power of the patriarch’s God, but they did not forsake their own imitations. There were many opportunities and signs of the truth, but the Canaanites ignored them as well. As with all things, their probation closed and God’s mercy turned to judgment. Execution of the sentence was meted out to the Canaanites for their sins and to prevent them from leading Israel astray. The destruction of the Canaanites is not an attach on an innocent people – it is God’s judgment against abominable sin (cf. Genesis 15:15-16, Deut. 7:2-5).
Going Down to Egypt
Abraham, Sarah, Lot, and household went to down Egypt which was hundreds of miles away from the land of God’s promise. Now, Egypt did not depend upon the rain for its produce. It got its water from the flooding of the Nile (from the range in the distant mountains, later discovered as Lake Victoria). Every year the Nile flooded the delta. Egypt was not affected by the famine occurring in Canaan. The Egyptians would haul water in buckets to water the land.
Egypt means ‘two lands’, for it is divided into an upper and lower region. There would be Pharoah’s in the upper, Pharoah’s in the lower, and sometimes a Pharoah over all of Egypt. It was a kingdom divided. Think of this Analogy: The bread that came into Canaan was from the grace from up above (God provided), in the land of Egypt their bread was from below (hauled in from the delta, works). Abraham goes from grace to works. Going to Egypt is not the only time this happens.
Due to the famine, Abraham and household went down to Egypt (v. 10). Remember when the children of Israel got hungry…where did they want to go? Egypt. God supplies them with daily bread called manna. When they got tired of God’s bread they wanted to go back to Egypt because they craved the ‘fleshpots of Egypt’. When God’s people go to Egypt they get into trouble, it is somehow mingled with a bad experience. For example, did Joseph have a good experience in Egypt? Yes, but only after a bad one (sold by his brother to slave traders, sexually harassed by his boss’ wife, thrown in jail, etc.). Same with Jacob, it started out as good but ended in slavery.
There is no record of God instructing Abraham to go to Egypt. As he travels toward Egypt, Abraham started to get nervous. Abraham has a lot of resources and he is a wealthy man. God greatly blessed Abraham not only by sustaining him but also increased his goods and resources. The only area that did not increase was his offspring…no children. Back then, if you died and had no children then the spouse would inherit the assets. Just like today’s laws which are based on these ancient laws. Now, if you get the surviving spouse then you get the kingdom. So, Abraham is realizing this scenario: I am wealthy, have no heir, and a wife who is incredibly beautiful. We don’t know exactly what Sarah looked like, but we can conclude that she was exceptionally attractive. The mere fact that Abraham was afraid that the Pharaoh would kill him in order to have her when she was 60ish and at another time when she was even older (Genesis 20), is indicative of how beautiful she must have been.
All the daughters of Terah were beautiful. The bible tells us Sarah (who married Abraham), Rebekah (who married Isaac), and Rachel (who married Jacob) was beautiful and all were related to Terah. The bible never says that her beauty faded. We want to submit to you that real beauty is internal and not external, and that is the substance which really matters and is what God looks at (Proverbs 31:30). In fact, it is this inward beauty is important to God (1 Peter 3:1-6). When you have peace in your heart, you know you are on your way to heaven, and you love God and your fellow man; your attractive value is raised. We are not saying that outward appearance is unimportant for they are, people need to take care of themselves as far as possible. Back to Sarah, it is very likely that she had both inward and outward beauty. When these two come together, inward and outward, she was attractive as a woman could be.
Abraham talks to Sarah, his wife. He tells how because of her beauty the Egyptians will kill him in order to have her (vs. 11-13). Abraham asks Sarah to tell the Egyptian that she is his sister, that this would be for her sake and that he might live. Sarah goes along with the story.
When Abraham arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians noticed Sarah’s beauty as well as the princes. The princes told Pharaoh about Sarah and she was taken into Pharaoh’s house (v. 14-15). Just like Ester was taken into King Ahasuerus (aka: Xerxes I), which prepared her for the king. This was a time when the woman was prepared in the harem of virgins. This was a time she would get to know her future husband. Sarah was being treated like a virgin in waiting. The Pharaoh paid a handsome dowry to Abraham (v. 16).
The Lord plagued the house of Pharaoh because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife (v. 17). We do not know what the plagues were that we sent upon Pharaoh’s house, but whatever it was it prevented Pharaoh from taking Sarah as his wife. The Pharaoh confronted Abraham asked him why he did this thing, not telling him Sarah was his wife (vs. 17-18)? It appears that Pharaoh had more integrity than Abraham, and could have killed him on the spot for what he had done. The question becomes, ‘did Abraham lie’? Is a half-truth a lie? Was the intent to deceive? Yes, yes, and yes. See: John 8:44; Proverbs 6:16-19; Revelation 21:8, 27; and Revelation 22:15 – to make it crystal clear we have instruction not to lie in the ten commandments. Abraham also placed Sarah at risk of being sexually violated.
Although Abraham is a great patriarch and father of the faithful, his failures are recorded. There are two areas where Abraham failed, one was the dishonesty about his wife and the other was taking an extra surrogate wife (Hagar). How might this have made Sarah feel to think that she would have to become one of Pharoah’s wives? What would Abraham’s household think about his dishonesty? What do you think happen to Egypt’s respect for the religion of Abraham because of this compromise? Could the history of the world have turned out different if Abraham would have told the entire truth? The good news is God is faithful and trustworthy; and God kept his word and protected and blessed Abraham. God blesses people in spite of our failures.
Pharaoh told Abraham to take his ‘wife’ (a little rebuke) and leave (v. 19-20). Abraham and household were escorted out of the Egypt. Abraham is sent out with this great wealth. What happened to Abraham in Egypt is a microcosm of what happens to his posterity. Notice: Abraham goes to Egypt because of a famine. The children of Israel went to Egypt because of a famine. Pharaoh took Sarah into his house to be his property or wife, just as the children of Israel became Pharaoh’s property or slaves. Plagues fall of Pharaoh’s house because of Sarah, and plagues fell upon Egypt because Pharaoh would not let God’s people go. This serves as an example of how compromise can so easily creep into our life. Both Abraham and the children of Israel leave Egypt with great wealth. These are stories of salvation, for we are saved from slavery (bondage of sin) in Egypt (fallen world) by the intervention of God.