Genesis 12:10–20 (KJV 1900)
10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. 14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. 17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. (Genesis 12:10-20)
Abram knew! He knew that he was headed for trouble, and he hatched a plan that would keep him safe. His scheme was formed around the idea that the beauty of Sarai would protect him in the midst of the enemies of God. He knew what the world sought after! The carnal minded people judge the outward beauty of a person and his wife possessed the perfect ticket of negotiation. Sarai was beautiful! Make no mistake in your interpretation of this curious walk away from God. Abram was moving away from Him, and toward the world, and using his beautiful wife as a trinket to pave his safe journey to the world. She was an offering to the worldly, and he was willing to sacrifice her, to ensure his safety.
Sarai’s nature differed from her husband’s nature in one important way. Sarai was obedient to her husband, the master of their marriage. Abram knew she would be obedient, and he knew her beauty would overwhelm the enemy, and he knew that he would be safe when he played the “pretty” card to the world. While Abram was disobedient to the LORD God, and walked away from Him the first time things got tough, Sarai would honor her husband’s instructions, of that he was certain.
Genesis 12:11–13 (KJV 1900)
11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. (Genesis 12:11-13)
Abram was a little manipulative toward his wife to ensure she played her part perfectly. He not only instructed his wife to declare that she was his sister, but warned her that if she did not perform her part perfectly, he would be killed. This little disobedience against the Lord’s direction identified a pretty big flaw in old man Abram. Apparently, he liked to do things his way, and he thought he was wise enough to prepare a path that would work perfectly on his behalf. Many Christian readers like to create an interpretation of a noble Abram as one who offered his wife up, in order for the others to survive in such a terrible famine. Don’t be swayed by this “touchy, feel good” interpretation. Abram was being a cad, and his wife would obediently pay for his character flaw, by offering her body for pleasures to the enemy.
Abram knew his enemy well. One look at Sarai was all it took for the princes of Egypt to take note. They commanded her to come before the Pharaoh. Now, let’s apply some common sense to this. Imagine for a moment that you were entering into a big, big city to avoid the famine from taking your life and the lives of your family members. Would you go to the palace and announce to the Pharaoh that you have arrived in his kingdom, knowing full well that he was an enemy of God’s, and thus an enemy of yours. Most likely, common sense would dictate that Abram separate his large entourage into several groups, and enter the city without pomp and circumstance, and avoid attention altogether. There was food there for the common people also, so blending with the commoners would have satisfied his hunger, and saved his family from dying.
Yet, Abram did not enter Egypt quietly. The Egyptians, the princes and Pharaoh The Egyptians, the Princes and Pharaoh all noted Sarai’s beauty, which brought attention to Abram and his people. Maybe Sarai’s beauty was so exceedingly breathtaking, that it became the talk of the town that reached the ears of the Pharaoh. Or maybe, Abram entered Egypt with pomp and circumstance, assuming that since God had given him the land in the north, he also was able to declare the land in the south as his. Or maybe, Abram felt so much wiser than those who ruled Egypt, that he had a plan of trickery in mind to preserve his family during the famine. There is no way to know with any surety of what was in Abraham’s mind; however, it seems certain that we are not receiving the complete picture from this account in the Word of God.
We do know, however, that Abram was in a place that God had not directed him to go. As a result of his disobedience, Abram found himself in danger, and bargained with his beautiful wife to save him. It worked. Abram and the rest of the entourage were not taken or cast out of Egypt!
Genesis 12:12–15 (KJV 1900)
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. 14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. (Genesis 12:12-15)
Just like Abram had predicted, the Egyptians beheld the woman, the Princes of the Pharaoh also saw her, and took her to Pharaoh’s house. Sarai, the wife of Abram, was so obedient to her husband, that she did not deny the “sister” relationship that Abram claimed to the Pharaoh.
Genesis 12:16 (KJV 1900)
16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. (Genesis 12:16)
Did you catch that word entreated? The Hebrew word for “entreated” is “yatab;” it means to make well, successful and right. Not only did Abram give his wife to the Pharaoh to guarantee his safety, but he was well paid for it at the same time! The Pharaoh gave Abram sheep, oxen, asses, menservants, maidservants, asses, and camels. Maybe some women might question whether it was obedience to her husband, or maybe a little relief to be rid of a man whom would do that to a wife! Let us err on the side of obedience on behalf of the Chosen people of God; later on, that same characteristic of Sarai will pop up and confirm our analysis.
Here’s the deal breaker! No matter how much power is held, regardless of the position in life that God appoints a person, it can be snatched away, changed, or misdirected at the Will of God. Abram may have been certain that he had figured it all out, and how to prosper and live during a famine. But, he did not know the future. If he had known that Sarai would play one of the most important parts in the plans of God later on, he surely would not have sold her to the world! The LORD God visited his wrath upon the Pharaoh immediately!
Genesis 12:17 (KJV 1900)
17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. (Genesis 12:17)
Why the LORD God didn’t punish Abram is between Abram and Him. But we can be assured that Sarai remained honorable and no harm came to her through this incident. When God has plans for a person, they are never prevented because of the actions of another human or demon. Pharaoh was horrified that he had been tricked by Abram, and not told that Sarai was his wife! Pharaoh feared the LORD God, and knew the plagues were a direct result in his receiving Sarai, the wife of Abram, for purpose of marriage. And there was absolutely no doubt in his mind that he was being punished because of the manipulation and seeming lies of Abram almost led him to commit adultery with Sarai.
Genesis 12:18–20 (KJV 1900)
18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. (Genesis 12:18-20)
Realize the fine gray line that Abram straddled; Sarai was a sort of sister to him; after all, she was the daughter of his father from another woman, making her his half-sister. (Gen 20:12) So, Abram had not really lied; maybe that could be the case for the reason the LORD God punished Pharaoh and not Abram. Regardless, Pharaoh wisely released Sarai into Abrams possessive control once again, and sent them away with all of the treasures he had first paid Abram.
As a direct result of this little incident between Pharaoh, Abram and Sarai, riches changed hands, and Abram became very, very rich as did Lot, who traveled with him. Those riches actually separated Lot from Abram as disputes arose between the different camps; so, in the end, trouble came to Abram as a direct result of the riches he obtained from manipulative ways as he left the path of God.
Genesis 13:1–4 (KJV 1900)
And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. (Genesis 13:1-4)
He returned to the land God had given him and to the tent he had erected at the first altar of God. The family was together once again, safe and sound and presumably less hungry, as the riches obtained from the Pharaoh assured their survival. And we learned much more about Sarai, the faithful and obedient wife of Abram that was protected completely by a loving LORD God who had many plans for this woman in the future of His Kingdom.
