genesis 12 :: abram’s trip to egypt

sarai must have been quite the lady to cause abram to pull this stunt, not just once, but multiple times. but it also shows an explicit lack of trust that God would protect him and his family. now, not being thousands of years old, i cannot say with any certainty that there was or was not a trend back then to kill a man just to take his wife because she was beautiful. but it may have been something that kings/pharaohs/war chiefs did back then…sarai’s age here is also an interesting component. she wasn’t taken by pharaoh to be a wife for bearing children. she would have been a trophy wife. taken just  so he could strut her around to impress people.

whatever pharaoh’s intents were for sarai, and whatever the trend was in wife stealing at the time, abram still should have had more faith that God would do what he said he would do.

if God says, “i am going to give this land to you and your offspring.” then abram would need to trust that God wasn’t going to have his wife stolen away, and him killed over her. abram must have been dealing with some personal insecurities here, or was one of those guys who thought that he had a wife that was way out of his league. (all good husbands think this, right?)

but, as we know, abram is listed as a key member in the heroes hall of fame in hebrews. he trusted God to go to a place that he did not know, simply becasue of God’s word. and it was counted as righteousness for him. so today, we need to trust that God is going to take care of us when He has plans laid out for us.

whatever God asks us, or tells us, to do, He will provide the means for that goal to be accomplished. we needn’t worry about anything at that point. because YHWH the Provider, as abram will later name Him, will give us all we will ever need. abram’s request to sarai wasn’t laiden with trust for his Provider.

i can say confidently that i have trodden in those same worn-out steps myself lately. with trying to sell our house, and with other things in life, where my trust wanes from time to time. but i know that God will provide, and in His timing, which is perfect beyond my understanding.

so let’s give God all of our concerns whole-heartedly, murderous-wife-kidnapping to home sales and beyond in the much weightier matters of the soul.

on the mountain of the LORD it will be provided…