Abram’s journey to Egypt occurred during the early 2nd millennium B.C.E., a time when Egypt was a dominant power in the ancient Near East. Situated along the fertile banks of the Nile River, Egypt provided a stark contrast to the arid lands of Canaan. The Nile’s predictable annual flooding created a fertile valley that sustained agricultural prosperity, even during regional famines.
The movement of people between Canaan and Egypt during times of famine is well-attested in ancient records. The Bible later recounts similar migrations, such as Jacob and his family’s descent to Egypt during Joseph’s administration (Genesis 46:1-7). Abram’s choice to leave Canaan and go to Egypt demonstrates his practical approach to the challenges of life.
While Jehovah had promised Abram that He would bless him and make him a great nation (Genesis 12:2-3), the famine presented a test of faith. This decision does not necessarily indicate a lack of faith but reflects the human tendency to balance trust in divine promises with practical action. Egypt, with its advanced civilization and centralized governance, was a natural destination for those seeking refuge during famines. The title of Pharaoh, meaning “great house,” referred to the rulers of Egypt who wielded immense power and were often considered divine.
Consider the experience of Jacob and his 12 sons. Due to another famine in Canaan, the sons of Jacob went to Egypt for food-where they encountered their brother Joseph (Genesis 42:5-6).
As an economic migrant to Egypt, Abraham’s vulnerable position made him fearful. He feared that the Egyptians might murder him to obtain his beautiful wife, Sarah. To prevent this, Abraham told Sarah to claim that she was his sister rather than his wife.
Read also: Abraham and Egypt: A Biblical Perspective
When Abraham’s caravan approached Egypt, Abraham became concerned that his wife Sarai’s beauty would attract attention from the Egyptians and result in his being killed to get to her (verses 11-12). Instead of trusting God, Abraham asked Sarai to portray herself as his sister, not his wife. Though Sarai was his wife, she was also his half-sister-the daughter of Terah from another mother (Genesis 20:12). Abraham’s intention to deceive was a sin. The account clearly shows the negative consequences of that deception (Genesis 12:17-20).
Genesis 12:11-20 recounts a troubling episode during Abram’s sojourn in Egypt. Abram’s deception led to Sarai being taken into Pharaoh’s house, and Pharaoh treated Abram well on account of her, giving him livestock and servants. However, Jehovah intervened by inflicting plagues on Pharaoh’s household, prompting Pharaoh to confront Abram and return Sarai to him.
Human Fear, Divine Protection, and Cultural Context
Abram’s fear for his safety led him to compromise his integrity, yet Jehovah’s intervention preserved Sarai and upheld His promises to Abram. Abram’s concern about the Egyptians’ potential actions reflects the precarious position of sojourners in a foreign land.
Despite Abram’s missteps, Jehovah protected Sarai and ensured the fulfillment of His covenant promises. Pharaoh’s recognition of Jehovah’s power, even indirectly through the plagues, foreshadows future events in Egypt during the time of Moses.
Read also: Abraham's Egyptian Sojourn
Abraham and Sarah were fleeing starvation. It may be hard to imagine being so desperately poor or afraid that a family would subject its female members to sexual liaisons in order to survive economically, but even today millions face this choice. This incident dramatically indicates both the moral quandaries posed by great disparities in wealth and poverty and the dangers of losing faith in the face of such problems.
Pharaoh berates Abraham for taking this course of action, yet God's response to a later, similar incident (Gen. 20:7, 17) shows more of compassion than judgment. On the other hand, Abraham had received God’s direct promise, “I will make of you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). Did his faith in God to make good on his promises fail so quickly? Did survival really require him to lie and allow his wife to become a concubine, or would God have provided another way? Abraham’s fears seem to have made him forget his trust in God’s faithfulness. Similarly, people in difficult situations often convince themselves that they have no choice but to do something they regard as wrong.
The remainder of Genesis 12 tells of Abraham’s encounter with the Egyptian Pharaoh.
Abraham's Journey - Interesting Facts
The Significance of Abram's Departure
Abram’s sojourn in Egypt concluded with his departure, enriched by the wealth he had acquired during his stay: “And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had” (Genesis 12:20). Abram’s experience in Egypt marked a turning point in his journey of faith. The wealth he gained, including servants such as Hagar (Genesis 16:1), would have lasting implications for his household.
The famine tested Abram’s faith in Jehovah’s promises, illustrating the challenges of living as a sojourner in a foreign land. Jehovah’s intervention to protect Sarai underscores His commitment to His covenant promises. Divine Sovereignty Over Nations: Pharaoh’s recognition of Jehovah’s power, even indirectly through the plagues, foreshadows future events in Egypt during the time of Moses.
Read also: Egyptian Adventure
The events in Genesis 12:10-20 resonate with later biblical themes and narratives. Additionally, the account foreshadows the recurring theme of divine deliverance in the face of human vulnerability.
Abraham Returns to Canaan
Abraham returns to Canaan after embarrassing himself in Egypt by lying about his wife, Sarah. Now he returns to Bethel to worship God.
In the previous post in this series, entitled “Abraham in Egypt,” we learned of some poor decisions made by Abraham. Despite having shown great faith in leaving his homeland in Mesopotamia, in response to God’s call, Abraham traveled to Egypt during a famine, unable to believe that God could sustain him in Canaan. While in Egypt, Abraham deceived the Pharaoh into believing that Sarah, his wife, was in fact his sister. Pharaoh, believing Sarah to be single, invited her into his palace. This put Sarah in a compromising position. God inflicted a plague on Pharaoh’s household and Sarah was released back to her husband.
Abraham must have felt embarrassed and guilty over his faithless and deceitful actions which damaged any opportunity he might have had to testify about the Creator God, Yahweh.
The Way Back
Nevertheless, when we have wandered from God, there is a way back. Our God is a loving and forgiving God. He is also fully committed to keeping His promises to His children - despite their failings.
We can imagine Abraham shamefacedly beating a retreat from Egypt, but in doing so, he retraces his steps.
Perhaps if we stray from God we can be at a loss as to how to get back. Abraham sets us a fine example. He retraced his footsteps until once again, he found himself at the House of God.
So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.
When he retraces his steps, he returns to he place from which he had left, Bethel, The House of God. There he begins to “call on the name of the Lord. Abraham has come full circle and his fellowship with God is restored.
Abraham Calls on the Name of the Lord
The phrase “calls on the name of the Lord” is an interesting one. It implies that Abraham wishes to connect with God. He wishes to have a relationship with Him.
We live in an unbelieving world. However, when we call on God we too are recognizing like Abraham and Seth before Him that there is a Supreme Being with whom we have a need to interact. In fact, our very salvation depends on this interaction of faith.
Calling on God should be a desire of every believer’s heart. In the same way that I choose to converse with my wife and my family because I love them, I should wish to talk to God. Obviously, when we don’t talk to our partners and families, our relationships with them become weaker. It is the same with our relationship with God. Abraham called on God because He wished to enjoy a relationship with Him. We should follow his example, even after failing Him, just as Abraham did.
God Keeps His Promises
Although Abraham’s actions in Egypt might surprise us, God knows what Abraham is like. God knows what we are like. He sees clearly into our hearts, yet chooses us for His purposes.
He is God, and He will not deny what He has said He is going to do. In Abraham’s case, God had a purpose for him; and even though Abraham was unfaithful at this point, God remained faithful and brought Abraham back to Himself.
I am amazed that God continues to use us despite our weaknesses and our failures. If you have fallen, let God pick you up and get back on track. He has plans for you.
This is His grace and mercy. God does not cast Abraham aside, nor does He cast us aside.
Back in Canaan
Abraham is back where he should be - Bethel, the House of God. In fact he probably should never have left.
But with the return to Canaan, the first few verses of Psalm 23 come to mind:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
Despite his failures in Egypt, the Lord was about to restore Abraham’s soul.
Abraham and Lot’s Separation
Shortly after Abraham has he returned to Canaan he faces another dilemma, this time involving his nephew, Lot.
Abraham has been blessed by God despite his failure in Egypt. He has become very wealthy with livestock, silver and gold during his time in Egypt. This brings rise to a problem as his nephew, Lot, also has large herds.
In fact, they now have so many livestock that the land simply will not sustain them. The herdsmen begin to have disagreements. To complicate matters, the Perizzites and Canaanites are also making use of this region.
Abraham and Lot decide to part ways. Abraham, perhaps having learned a lesson from his recent troubles in Egypt, decides to let Lot choose the best land, the well watered plains of the valley of Jordan, that bumps against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Abraham graciously accepts the less productive land in Canaan but there is an important point to be noted about Lot’s decision.
Lot may have chosen the better land, but he has also decided to place himself next door to two of the most wicked cities in ancient history. He remembers how good things were in the cities of Egypt and and chooses the plains near the city of Sodom. But in choosing to live here, he is placing himself in a position of possible danger and temptation - an unwise thing to do.
Downward Steps in Canaan
Later, in chapter 14 verse 12, we find that Lot has chosen to walk in step with, stand in the way with, and sit in the company of wicked sinners and mockers. We find that he is no longer tending flocks in the well watered valley. He is living in, and participating in the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Much sorrow will later come from this decision.
In contrast, Abraham appears to have learned the lessons of his Egyptian escapade. He is delighting in calling on the name of the Lord at Bethel, and he is rewarded for this decision by the Lord.
The Lord’s Promise Reiterated and Enlarged
Once again the Lord speaks to Abraham, and His words are recorded for us in Genesis 13.
Perhaps Abraham was wondering whether God’s former promise to make him a great nation still held. After all, he had demonstrated a lack of faith and wandered away from the land that God had promised him.
But, as we have learned, God is faithful to those who follow Him, even when they stumble.
He not only repeats His promise, but He also expands on it.
As we saw earlier, the first promise was made when Abraham separated from his country, his people, and his father’s household.
The second promise follows hard on the heels of Abraham’s separation from Lot and the lures of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot may think he has chosen wisely, but Abraham is the one who has made the better choice. The Lord defines the boundaries of the land that is to belong to Abraham’s descendants forever!
God was rewarding Abraham for his faithfulness with a profound statement of His intention to bless, not only Abraham, but His descendants for generations to come!
Abraham’s journey to Egypt, recorded in Genesis 12:10-20, provides a rich narrative that reveals the historical, cultural, and theological dimensions of his life and times. His experience underscores the challenges of living as a sojourner, the interplay between human responsibility and divine providence, and the enduring faithfulness of Jehovah to His covenant promises.
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