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8/24 Reading Portions: 1 Samuel 16; Romans 14; Lamentations 1; Psalm 32
Genesis 12:14-20
When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
PHARAOH
Though Abram received flocks, cattle, donkeys, servants, and camels from Pharaoh as a bridle price for Abram’s half-sister/wife, this doesn’t justify the prophet’s lack of faith. Nevertheless, it does demonstrate that when souls are redeemed of God by grace through faith, the Lord God will preserve His plans and messianic promises through those whom He has called and ordained it so. The LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his household; and though it doesn’t tell us that YHVH God spoke to Pharaoh, somehow the king of Egypt understood that the great plagues came because of Sarai. Though we might falter in faith, the Lord Jesus will preserve His own. It is written,
And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
Although our precious Lord will protect us, preserve us, and pull us through our lapses of faith, it will come with a humiliating lesson. The ancient Pharaohs were known to have great power and wealth, and although Sarai was preserved, and though the gifts that Pharaoh had given were not rescinded, Abram was berated publicly by the ruler of Mitzariym (Egypt) and banished from this land that seemed unaffected by the current famine.
May you and I as Christian believers, heed the lesson of Abram’s humiliation so we may stay steadfast in faith, by God’s grace in Christ.
Yet let us consider this prophetic gospel picture, whereas Sarai is a type of Christ’s church and Abram being a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christ’s redeemed, we are Christ’s beloved bride (Eph 5:25-27, 32). Yet we are also His brothers and sisters (Rom 8:28-29). Though the Lord Jesus has saved us by His grace, He leaves us in this god-hating, Christ-rejecting world, just as Abram let Sarai be taken by Pharaoh. Her captivity was a picture of trusting God, and perhaps that witness of virtuous faith was what sparked that awareness for Pharaoh, of why he was being plagued. Our witness in the world brings great plagues upon those who live according to the flesh.