Down To Egypt

Song: O For A Faith That Will Not Shrink

Scripture: Genesis 46:1-3

It was at Beersheba that Abraham dug a well and made a covenant with Abimelech as witness that he had rights to the well and to the land. Isaac too had established a covenant at Beersheba with the Philistine king and dwelt there most of his days. The building and naming of wells by the patriarchs was not just an act of necessity, but an act of faith that God would someday give them this land.

Now the aged Israel came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to Jehovah. Years earlier he had fled Beersheba to Haran in the North. Now famine and news that Joseph lived carried him South to Egypt. In three generations, Abraham’s seed owned but a cave in Machpelah and a plot in Shechem. And now all of Israel was on its way to Egypt.

God’s promise to Israel here was not unlike the promise He made when Jacob fled to Haran. “I will go with you, and I will bring you back.” Israel’s fears were allayed. God had brought him back from Haran, He would bring him back from Egypt too. In moving to Egypt, Jacob not only got Joseph back. He got all his boys back. A family long divided, was at last united. And Judah, who had first sold his brother South, now pointed the way to Egypt at his father’s request.

So Israel left “without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance” (Heb. 11:13). They call that faith.

Jason Moore

A Picture of Providence

Song: Does Jesus Care?

Scripture: Genesis 45:1-28

The providence of God is one of the great Bible themes. God’s care for Jacob’s sons is a colorful and majestic portrayal of that theme. Listen, as Joseph explains it:

“God sent me before you to preserve life.” With one sentence Joseph sets all the suffering he had endured in the context of God’s purpose. He didn’t blame God. He praised God. He couldn’t always see God’s purpose. But now he saw. Providence is that way. You can’t see it up close. You have to stand back to see it. You wait for it. Someday you’ll see it. Wait and see.

“God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth.” Joseph saw that God’s purpose was bigger than himself. It included his brethren also. God had blessed him that he might bless his brothers. That’s providence. The selfish can’t see it. Their view isn’t broad enough. To see providence you must understand that more than you and your personal happiness matters.

“It was not you who sent me here, but God.” Joseph saw that God’s purpose was so big as to use the evil choices of his brothers. Their plans and jealousy had played right into God’s hands. That’s providence again. To really see it, you have to see past the injustices you suffer, to believe that God really works all things together for good.

That’s providence. It’s out of sight.

Jason Moore

What Next?

Song: Give Me The Bible

Scripture: Genesis 43:1-34

History is far more interesting than fiction. And biblical history is the most fascinating of all: the turns, the twists, the ironies, the paradoxes. Don’t you know that the brothers of Joseph discussed the details of their reunion with him many times.

Joseph had said he would keep Simeon to find out if the brothers were “honest men.” They had not been honest in their youth, but rambunctious, wild, untrustworthy. As the brothers left Egypt, Joseph must have wondered if they would really return.

Jacob himself had questions about his sons’ honesty after they returned with their money in the grain sacks and the extraordinary tale of Simeon’s captivity. His plan to soften Joseph with presents had worked with Esau. Would it work for his sons?

Judah’s lead as the saga unfolds is worthy of note. Judah had suggested the sale of Joseph. Yet, here it is Judah, the middle son, who takes the lead in volunteering to be surety for Benjamin’s safe return. Perhaps because Jacob knew that Judah had lost two of his own sons, he let the brothers go. The brothers anxiously confessed to Joseph’s steward that their money was returned to their sacks. It seems that the men had actually changed. But Joseph was not through testing them yet.

We all love a happy ending. It fuels our hope of the same. What hope ought to be inspired in us that one of the most tragic, twisted sagas of all the Bible has a happy ending. Stay tuned.

Jason Moore

Sunday Morning Starters

How the first Sunday started…

According to Babylonian legend:

The god Marduk slew the goddess Tiamat in a sort of family feud between the gods.

Marduk cut the corpse of Tiamat in half. From one half he made heaven; from the other half he made earth.

Then Marduk with the help of his father, Ea, made man from clay mingled with the blood of Kingu, the slain ally of Tiamat and leader of her forces.

The world, according to Babylonian mythology, began because of a war between the gods.

That was the first Big Bang Theory. Man really hasn’t changed, has he?

Jason Moore

Joseph And Jesus

Song: I Want To Be Like Jesus

Scripture: Genesis 41:1-57

The sovereignty of God is majestically seen in the book of Genesis. That God could take the free will choices of man and weave them into His own redemptive scheme is a marvel. What’s more astonishing is how He shaped the stream of time to be a shadow of the salvation He would accomplish in the fulness of time. He did it more than once. But the life of Joseph is one of the first examples:

Joseph, like Jesus of Nazareth, was despised, rejected of his own, sold for a few pieces of silver.

Joseph, like the Lamb of God, was a scapegoat for strangers, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife.

In prison, Joseph, like the suffering Messiah, was held captive for other men’s sins.

But captivity could hold neither man captive. Both were victorious over their bonds.

Like the crucified Christ, Joseph was given up for dead. And like the resurrected Lord, he was found to be alive.

Joseph, like the King of Kings, was exalted to the right hand of a throne.

Finally, like Calvary’s Redeemer, Joseph became the savior of those who had rejected him.

Joseph, perhaps the best that the patriarchal age produced, was still a sinner. He needed as much as his brothers, the redemptive work of the Savior he foreshadowed. And Oh, what a Savior!

Jason Moore

Judah, The Toad Turned Prince

Song: There Is A Habitation

Scripture: Genesis 38:1-30

Judah’s story is my favorite story. I can identify with the prodigal son of a house of prodigals. His story is the toad-turn-prince story of the Bible.

Judah sowed to the wind. It was he that contrived the sale of Joseph to the Ishmaelites. Afterward, he left his brothers to dwell in the far country. He made friends with one Canaanite, Hirah, and married another, Shua’s daughter. That Tamar knew Judah would sleep with her if she played the harlot fairly sizes up his character.

Judah reaped the whirlwind. He took his father’s son, and the Lord took two sons from him, along with his wife. He deceived Jacob, and was deceived by Tamar. He sold his brother as a slave, and his own reputation for a harlot’s wages. Imagine the gossip when neighbors saw Perez and Zerah, the twin sons of Judah and Tamar, at play!

The whirlwind turned Judah around. “She is more righteous than I,” Judah said when Tamar exposed his hypocrisy. His repentance didn’t stop here. When Judah pled to Joseph for Benjamin’s release, his change of heart became clear,“Let your servant remain a slave, and let the lad go free.” His willingness to suffer in his brother’s place won him Joseph’s pardon, and God’s election as father of the Messiah: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah.”

That’s why I said Judah is the toad-turn-prince story of the Bible. His failure, the Lord’s patience, and his reform means there’s hope for me.

Jason Moore

Edom, The Red

Song: The Kingdoms Of Earth Pass Away

Scripture: Genesis 36:1-43

The nickname “Edom” (sort of like our “Big Red”) fit Esau. He was hairy and red-headed, fiery and impulsive. Add to that, the trade of his birthright for the “red stuff” that Jacob stewed and his choice of the red sandstone cliffs East of the Jordan as his residence, and the name just fits.

Isaac’s prophecies of Gen. 27:39-40 fit him too.

“Away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling.” The Edomites dwelt in the highlands and the badlands, a rugged terrain that fit their rugged forefather, “a man of the field.”

“By your sword you shall live.” Esau already possessed a fighting force of 400 men when Jacob came to be reconciled to him. His descendants dispossessed the Horites of Mount Seir and early on established a dynasty of kings.

“You shall serve your brother, but when you become restless, you shall break his yoke.” The rivalry between Jacob and Esau, begun in the womb continued for generations. The prophet Obadiah upbraided Edom for the nation’s malice toward captive Israel. The hated Herods of the NT were of Edomite descent—so the rivalry continued. Interesting isn’t it, how what we start today, can have far reaching, and unforeseen results? In fact, it’s downright scary. What legacy will you leave for your sons? Think about it.

Jason Moore

Trail of Tears

Song: As The Deer

Scripture: Genesis 35:1-29

Jacob summed up his life to Pharaoh: “Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life.” The journey here described is proof of his statement.

Shechem had been a nightmare. A defiled daughter, murderous sons, and a ruined reputation were Jacob’s memories of that city.

Bethel witnessed the death of Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse. Oddly, Rebekah’s death is not recorded, nor how Deborah ended up with Jacob’s company. But the event added to his sorrows. They named Deborah’s burial plot, “Oak of Weeping.”

On the way to Ephrath, or Bethlehem, Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin. The least sister and the wife whom Jacob loved most died first.

At the Tower of the Flock, Reuben, Jacob’s eldest, slept with Bilhah, the handmaiden of his recently departed wife. Woe unto Israel.

Finally, at Hebron, Jacob came to his blind father Isaac, who’d been without sight for over 40 years, just in time to bury him.

Few and unpleasant indeed were Jacob’s years! But after the tragedy at Shechem Jacob made a choice that Joshua would also urge his generation to make at Shechem. He buried the gods of his fathers beyond the river, and committed he and his house to serving the Lord. Sorrow makes some men bitter. It made Jacob better.

Jason Moore

Shechem's Folly

Song: Let Me Live Close To Thee

Scripture: Genesis 34:1-31

When Jacob left Laban’s house, his eldest son, Reuben was about 13, and Joseph, his youngest, no more than 7. The ages of his other nine sons were between these two and Dinah was near Joseph in age. Rambunctious teens they turned out to be.

Be ye separate. When the patriarchs stayed in their tents, they did fine. It’s when they went to town that they got in trouble. Learn from Lot and Jacob both: watch where you pitch your tent.

Like father, like sons. The one sin common to the patriarchs was lying. Abraham lied. Isaac lied. Jacob lied. Now Jacob’s sons. But the lies grew in heinousness with each generation. Fathers, beware. Eating sour grapes may not set your sons’ teeth on edge. But your sons might make wine.

Vengeance belongs to the Lord. Simeon and Levi were reckless in their anger. They really didn’t think of their sister’s welfare. They killed to protect her and the family’s honor, but injured both in the end and used the Lord’s covenant of circumcision for their treachery. Be angry and sin not.

Whom the Father loves, He chastens. It becomes clear in this story why the Lord sent Joseph, then Israel, to Egypt. Freedom was not good for Israel. Canaan was already spoiling Jacob’s sons. What they needed was a whipping, and what Jacob didn’t give, the Lord would. Don’t despise the Lord’s discipline.

Jason Moore

Sunday Morning Starters

Song: The Light Of The World

Scripture: Genesis 1

How the first Sunday started…

“And God separated the light from the darkness.”

He still does.

Which one are you in?

Jason Moore

The Day We Worship

Song: Walking Alone At Eve

Scripture: Genesis 1

How the first Sunday started…

According to the Bible: Mind over Matter (God created)

According to the Science book: Matter into Mind (Man emerged)

See the difference?

Mind you, it matters.

Jason Moore

The First Day of the Week

Song: True Worship

Scripture: Genesis 1

How the first Sunday started…

According to the Bible: “In the beginning…”

According to mythology: “Once upon a time…”

According to science: “Billions and billions of years ago…”

Do you see the difference?

Do you live like there’s one?

Jason Moore

How The First Sunday Started

Song: There Is A God

Scripture: Genesis 1

“In the beginning God created.”

Not… “Suddenly, a star exploded.”

Not… “All at once, an amino acid became.”

Not… “Out of the blue, a simple cell evolved.”

Not… “All of a sudden, a chance mutation occurred.”

“In the beginning, God created.” That’s the start of something.

The others are just a start. Or are they?

Jason Moore

A Lesson In Seeking Forgiveness

Song: Nothing But The Blood

Scripture: Genesis 33:1-20

The reconciliation of Jacob and Esau is one of the touching reunions in the Bible. Jacob’s behavior here is a lesson for anyone seeking forgiveness.

Forgiveness should be sought face to face. That takes courage. It shows a willingness to suffer consequences. It also shows confidence in the justice and fairness of the one you’ve wronged.

Expect restitution, not release. Restitution is repayment, and repayment with interest. The flocks which Jacob sent as gifts to Esau were literally, a “blessing” (vs. 11). Jacob was restoring to Esau the blessing he had defrauded him. He did not expect “I’m sorry” to be enough.

Prove your penitence. Jacob did not expect or demand Esau’s forgiveness. Even after all of his gifts, he bowed seven times before his brother. He refused that Esau should deny his presents while at the same time refusing any aid from Esau. Jacob’s parting words to Esau are telling: “Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” He wanted to remove any reason for bitterness and any cause for suspicion.

Make right, then make way. Esau tried to persuade Jacob to travel with him to Seir. Jacob had had enough bad experiences with relations. He wanted to depart on good terms. Make friends with your enemies and go home. Don’t try to rebuild bridges in a day. Repent, and then give it a rest.

Jason Moore

In-Laws and Outlaws

Song: Mended And Whole

Scripture: Genesis 31:1-55

Meet the prodigal family.

There was plenty of sin to go around. Laban had cheated Jacob. Laban’s sons were unjustly jealous of Jacob. But, Jacob’s flight did look suspicious. Rachel’s theft of the idols wasplainly wrong. Jacob’s oath to slay the thief and his rebuke of Laban’s charges were both rash and impudent.

There was plenty of blame to be shared. The Lord made the punishments fit the crimes. For Laban’s part, the Lord reversed his every scheme to cheat Jacob, and instead enriched Jacob. At the same time, Laban’s deceptions humbled Jacob and taught him mercy, patience, and faith. Laban’s gods had been ineffective in protecting Laban, and would soon prove a stumbling block to Rachel’s house. Perhaps even Jacob’s rash oath was executed in Rachel’s untimely death. She that used “the manner of women” to hide her crime died giving birth after “the manner of women.”

There was plenty of providence to be considered. It is a marvel how the Lord uses the selfish choices and sinful ambitions of men to teach them the lessons they require. Everyone on this occasion seemed to justify himself, to be convinced of the justice of his cause. Maybe in time they would see how the Lord had used them all for their own good. Lord, help us to see what they didn’t.

Jason Moore

Sunday Morning Starters

An angel descended.

Armed guards became as dead men.

The tomb was found empty.

Three women reported a vision of angels.

Two men raced through a garden.

Two pilgrims met a stranger.

One woman interrogated the gardener.

Ten disciples hid in fear.

One man stood in their midst.

You don't know what a day will bring.

Jason Moore

Haran: School of Hard Knocks

Song: Here We Are But Straying Pilgrims

Scripture: Genesis 29:1-35

Jacob, at age 77, came to his uncle Laban’s house in Haran to escape from Esau and to find a wife. Laban’s deception of Jacob is a compelling lesson on “be sure your sins will find you out.”

The deceiver was deceived. Jacob deceived his father and so inherited the same. His mother, Rebekah, encouraged him in the lie. The irony is that she sent him to Laban to save him from Esau. But she actually sent him to the lion’s den because her brother, Laban, was every bit as cunning as she.

The “blind” led the blind. Jacob used Isaac’s blindness to steal Esau’s blessing. Under the cloak of darkness Laban too gave Leah instead of Rachel to Jacob. One wonders if Leah even wore Rachel’s garb and kept quiet so as not to spoil the deception.

The supplanter was supplanted. Jacob, the younger, had stolen the blessing of Esau, the older. But with Leah, the older supplanted the younger. The privilege of the firstborn was denied Esau by deception, but the same right was assured Leah by a similar deception.

The unmerciful was shown no mercy. Jacob had taken advantage of Esau’s recklessness. He had no compassion for weakness. Laban likewise took advantage of Jacob’s love for Rachel.

God used Laban’s treachery to teach Jacob humility and to teach us not to despise the Lord’s chastening, nor to take it lightly. To Jacob’s credit he learned. Let us learn too.

Jason Moore

Filling Abraham's Shoes

Song: Just A Closer Walk With Thee

Scripture: Genesis 26:1-35

So many events in the life of Isaac were like those of his father Abraham. He too was a man of faith and an example to all sons of Abraham.

Isaac, like his father, was a stranger and a pilgrim. He dwelt in tents. Famine drove him from the land of promise to sojourn among the Philistines. Children of Abraham must not get too comfortable with their environs. This world is not our home. We’re just passing through.

Isaac, like his father, believed the promises. He never owned land in Canaan. Abimelech made his sojourn unpleasant. His wife too was barren for twenty years. But his willingness to stay in the land is a witness to his faith. Sons of Abraham stay the course though the way seems clouded.

Isaac, like Abraham, was a peacemaker. Though Abimelech’s servants defrauded Isaac’s herdsmen of the wells which they had dug, Isaac was not vindictive. He established a covenant with the king and sent him away in peace. “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Not only shall they be called sons of Abraham, but sons of God.

Isaac’s faith, like his father’s, had flaws. He too lied, introducing Rebekah as his sister. The Lord seems to have been harder on Isaac for this; he suffered much conflict from the natives. Perhaps more was expected of this second generation. How much more is expected of our generation which has seen the end of the promises in Jesus?

Jason Moore

Righteous Lot

Song: There Is A Fountain

Scripture: Genesis 19:1-38

The well watered valley of the Jordan, cost Lot more than he bargained for. Living close to the world always does.

It cost him his home. While his uncle Abram dwelt in tents, Lot became a city dweller. But his retirement was spent in a cave with his daughters.

It cost him his wife. Living in Sodom may have vexed Lot’s righteous soul, but the city won the affections of his wife, whose punishment is a warning to all those who look back.

It cost him his good sense. Lot’s offer of his virgin daughters to the men of Sodom is atrocious. But men who compromise their morality by living on the edge will commit unimaginable atrocities.

It cost him his credibility. Lot’s warnings to his future sons-in-law were passed off as jesting. He waited too long to be a godly influence in their lives.

It cost him his daughters’ virtue. If Lot thought little of his daughters’ virginity, it’s not surprising that the daughters thought little of it themselves. So they slept with their father who had taught them that the end justifies the means.

2 Peter 2:7 says that Lot was a righteous man. I suppose he was—barely. But at what expense? God deliver me from such righteousness as may save my soul but cost me all else that is precious.

Jason Moore

The All-Seeing Eye

Song: Walk Beside Me

Scripture: Genesis 21:1-34

The Lord took note of Sarah. In her old age she conceived and bore a son to Abraham. The child is a testimony to God’s power to raise life from the dead—in this case the deadness of Sarah’s womb. And Isaac is proof that God keeps His promise no matter how incredulous it seems.

The Lord looked out for Hagar. Sarah spied Hagar’s son, Ishmael “making faces” on the day that Isaac was weaned. Sent out from Abraham’s house, Hagar despaired for her life and for that of her son, now at least 17 years old. God’s care for her is proof of His compassion for those who suffer unjustly. And it’s proof of His patience with people, like Sarah (and us), whose imperfect faith created predicaments like the exile of Hagar and Ishmael.

The Lord watched over Abraham. God had promised to “make your name great,” to “bless those who bless you,” and “curse those who curse you.” Abimelech’s visit shows that God’s promise was already seeing fulfillment. “God is with you in all that you do,” he said. The king’s servants had unjustly seized one of Abraham’s wells. Abraham prospered in spite of the injustice and now the king sought an alliance. Two principles are taught “Do not return evil for evil” and “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God’s All-Seeing Eye will see to it.

Jason Moore

The Woman At The Well

Song: Hand In Hand With Jesus

Scripture: Genesis 24:1-67

Three of the patriarchs found their wives at a well: Isaac, Jacob and Moses. Jesus interviewed the Samaritan woman at a well that Jacob had dug. All four accounts are thrilling to read. The story of Rebekah, the first woman at the well, is an account full of romance and touching detail and providence.

The virginity of Rebekah is a fact to be admired. She was beautiful, and her purity added to her beauty. The ancients understood that a fresh spring was a thing to be protected. Rebekah knew the sense of “drink waters from your own cistern.”

Like the worthy woman Rebekah “worked with her hands in delight” (Prov. 31:13). In coming to the well she showed herself responsible and diligent. Her haste in running to the well to draw for the camels and then running to report the servant’s presence to her family shows that she took pleasure in serving.

Her hospitality to strangers distinguished her above all others. Hospitality distinguished Abraham so that he even entertained angels unaware. This quality was admired by Abraham’s servant. He prayed that the Lord would send his way such a likeminded helpmeet for Isaac.

Perhaps we could provide a starting place for better marriages by digging community wells. Or perhaps we could just draw—excuse the pun—from here and elsewhere the lessons for a good beginning.

Jason Moore

Sunday Morning Starters

How the first Sunday started…

Not with a bang.

Not with a spark.

Not with a flash.

But…

With a God.

With His Word.

With His Plan.

Now that’s a start.

Jason Moore

The Gospel in Genesis

Song: Beneath The Cross Of Jesus

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-24

The story of Abraham’s offering of Isaac is a picture of faith, and a story with a familiar ring.

God commanded Abraham to offer his son—“your only son, whom you love.” Your only son. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The land of Moriah was the site selected for the sacrifice. Why there? Why not Beersheba? A Mount Moriah was the site of Solomon’s temple. A sacrifice on a hill in the vicinity of Jerusalem...I’ve heard that somewhere before.

Arriving at Moriah, Abraham laid the wood of the burnt offering upon his son. A son, an only son, bearing a tree upon his back and up a mountain… sounds so much like another story I know.

As far as Abraham was concerned, Isaac was dead for three days. The decision to offer him was made, not at Moriah, but at Beersheba. Three days his son was in the grave. The third day he received him back from death. I’ve heard that before.

The whole story sounds suspiciously like another story I know. Not just a story, a history, just as real as this one. “God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham said to Isaac and unwittingly preached the gospel to his boy. God provided the lamb indeed, in the person of His only son, Jesus Christ. And the Lord Himself in the story of Isaac’s offering preached the gospel in shadow. Only God could write such a book!

Jason Moore

Faith And The Unseen

Song: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee

Scripture: Genesis 17:1-27

Twenty-four years Abram had sojourned in Canaan before God appeared to him and ordained the covenant of circumcision. Thirteen years had passed since God last spake to the patriarch. In that span, Abram had begotten a son by Hagar. Over thirteen years earlier, God had said that one from Abram’s own body would be his heir. Abram had set his heart on Ishmael. God had already promised that Abram would father a great nation. Now He promised that Abram would father “a multitude of nations,”and so renamed him Abraham, “father of a multitude.” He also added that kings would come from Abraham.

Then God made the covenant of circumcision. The Hebrew idiom for making a covenant is to “cut a covenant.” This covenant was cut, not in stone, but in the flesh of Abraham’s seed, and in that part of the flesh witnessing the fulfillment of God’s oath. But the most startling news, was the promise that God’s covenant would be satisfied, not through Ishmael, but in a son born to Sarah! Abraham laughed, but then went to his house and that same day circumcised himself, Ishmael, his 318 fighting men, and every servant born or bought in his house.

Men cut covenants with men, but God cut a covenant with sinners. And the sinner Abraham was justified by his obedience to a covenant that testified to his faith in a promise which, after twenty-five years, must have seemed an impossibility.

Jason Moore

How Faith Behaves In Success

Song: This World Is Not My Home

Scripture: Genesis 14:1-24

We often think of Abram as a nomad and a shepherd, but Abram was also a warrior, with 318 trained soldiers in his household and such strength that his neighbors sought alliance with him. His victory over the forces of Chedorlaomer which had already laid waste to the combined forces of five kings might have given him the leverage to inherit the land of Canaan by sheer force. The faith of Abraham in his success is a lesson for us.

Success did not make him selfish. Lot got himself in a pickle, but Abram left his own comfort and came to the rescue. He risked losses himself to save the undeserving. He understood that God is merciful to those who show mercy.

Victory did not make him greedy. His first act upon returning from battle was to give a tenth of all the plunder to the Lord. Did Abram not have a right to the spoils when he had run the risk and won the victory? Abram’s choice makes it clear that he was not looking for an earthly city, but a heavenly one.

Power did not make him pompous. The king of Sodom offered him the goods taken in battle. The king’s offer is an indication that Abram could set the terms for peace. Could Abram not have asked for a throne in Canaan had he wished? Faithful Abraham would wait for the Lord to give him Canaan in His own time and in His own way.

Feast is likely a greater test of faith than famine. A nation of plenty needs to learn from the faith of Abraham in victory.

Jason Moore

What A Lie Will Get You

Song: More Holiness Give Me

Scripture: Genesis 12:10-20

God’s command for Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice was not His first test of Abraham’s faith. When Abraham entered Canaan, not only did he find a land already occupied, but famine drove him to Egypt, a hostile territory. The fact that Pharaoh took Sarai is an indication that Abram’s fears may have been justified, though his lie was not. If God saved Abram and Sarai when they lied, He could have saved them had they told the truth. But it’s not as if God just overlooked the lie of Abram.

Abram earned the reputation of a coward. What would any society think of a man who jeopardized his wife’s virtue to save his own neck?

Abram was rebuked by an unbeliever. The Lord used Pharaoh to preach to Abram a sermon on honesty. It’s hard to know whether Pharaoh’s sermonizing was an artificial zeal brought by God’s discipline or if Abram had just misjudged his host.

Abram gained wealth without pleasure. He received riches for Sarai, adding to his deception the appearance—and surely the guilty feeling—of having prostituted his wife. God, in His greatness, used the crime of Abram to teach Pharaoh about abusing power, to shame Abram himself for his imperfect faith, and to teach Abram and us about the Lord’s patience and about His faithfulness to His promises.

Jason Moore