The Absurdity of Faith

Throughout the big narrative of the Bible, there are mysteries and ambiguities.  We are confronted with both at the beginning of Genesis 18.  Abraham is camped out by the oaks of Mamre, resting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day, when he looks up and sees three men.  He rushes out to them, bows before them in reverent honor, and then invites them to stay for rest and refreshment.  We are told that YHWH appears to Abraham in the first verse of chapter 18, but how and when did Abraham realize that his guest(s) were none other than God himself?  Though not explicitly stated, he seems to intuit this almost immediately.  How?  Why?  The text is ambiguous and leaves us with a mystery.

Many Christian interpreters have seen the three men as representative of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  This simply cannot be.  It is anachronistic to read the later doctrine of the Trinity back into this part of the Hebrew scriptures.  The original author(s) would have had no understanding of this later Christian development, and so could clearly not have intended the three men to be a reference for the Trinity.  The most natural reading of the text, especially when combined with the latter part of chapter 18 is to see one of the men as God in human form, accompanied by two angels (or messengers).

In ancient history, as today, if the near east is known for anything, it is hospitality.  Abraham welcomes his guests by washing their feet, providing a cool place to lounge, and by offering fresh beef, bread, curds and milk.  Sarah, assisting by baking the bread, does not leave the tent while Abraham entertains the visitors.  

The Lord, asks Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?".  Abraham informs them that she is in the tent, while Sarah eavesdrops on the conversation.  The post menopausal woman then overhears a most shocking declaration: I will return to you before long and your wife Sarah will have a son.  Sarah responds as any of us might have - she laughs!  The Lord then responds with another question: "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?'"  God continues his interrogation.  "Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?  At the set time I will return to you...and Sarah shall have a son." Sarah goes from incredulity to fear and denies her laughter.  But God won't be fooled.  "Yes, you did laugh", he says.

The Absurdity of Faith 

It must be both frightening and hilarious for Sarah to receive this news.  The NRSV puts it this way, "...it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women."  But God doesn't operate after the manner of women or of men.  His ways are not our ways and he often calls his people into the craziest of scenarios.  Faith is sometimes scary, faith is sometimes incomprehensible, and faith is sometimes absolutely absurd.  But as God asks Abraham, "is anything too wonderful for the Lord?"  

Faith requires us to trust in God, sometimes despite the evidence surrounding us.  Every now and then we throw up a "Hail Mary", and when God answers in the affirmative, it might force us to our knees in a thanksgiving prayer.  Or we might be stunned into silence.  Or sometimes, we might, like Sarah, bust a gut with a belly laugh at the absurdity of it all!  It's a good reminder that God too has a sense of humor. - Shay 

Circumcision: A New Life, A New Name, and A New Identity

At the ripe old age of 99, YHWH again appears to Abram in Genesis 17.  As mentioned in previous blogs - I doubt Abram was actually 99 years of age at this point in his journey, just as I do not believe he actually lived to the age of 175.  But what is clear is that Abram is a very old man when he encounters the Lord.  God exhorts him to walk before him and to be blameless (whole, complete, mature, sound, healthy).  YHWH then reminds him that his family will be exceedingly large and that the other covenant promises will be fulfilled.  God then gives Abram a new name.  Abraham.  

A New Name - A New Identity

A friend of mine, originally from Iran, told me that when he was baptized into the Christian faith he took on a new name - Davood (or David).  In many cultures it is common to adopt a new name when one's outlook or situation in life is altered.  It's as if Abraham is becoming a new person, so it's fitting that he is given a new name and a new identity.  Later in the chapter, God gives Sarai a new name.  Sarah.  She too is given a new beginning - a new lease on life.  Together this old couple will be the father and mother of a large nation.

Circumcision - The Marks of the Covenant

In the slapstick comedy, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Mel Brooks plays a rabbi traveling around medieval England, selling ceremonial wine and offering circumcisions.  When asked by Robin Hood about the nature of circumcision, Rabbi Tuckman says, "It's the latest rage - the ladies love it!"  Robin Hood's merry men respond that they'll each have one.  One guy even requests two!  Then they ask how it works.  The rabbi responds, while pulling out a miniature guillotine,  "I take my little machine, I put your little thing in it (he demonstrates with a carrot) and I nip the tip.  Who's first?"  Robin Hood and his merry men immediately decline the invitation and Tuckman says, "I got a work on a younger crowd."

I can only imagine that the elderly Abraham, the adolescent Ishmael, and the rest of Abraham's men must have felt like Robin Hood and company when they learned that the sign of YHWH's covenant with them would be this very physical and delicate marker!  Talk about a sacrifice!  I don't even want to imagine the immediate pain and several days worth of discomfort.

The Significance of the Marker 

Circumcision was widely practiced in the ancient near east, so this request is not novel.  And certainly there are hygienic benefits to the practice.  But the real significance lies in what the symbol will represent to God's people.  In the future this rite will be completed on the eighth day of a boy's life.  Going back to the seven days of creation, circumcision on the eighth day must point to the hope of new creation and new beginnings.  And the act of removing the foreskin of the male sexual organ also reminds the people of YHWH that he alone is ultimately the guarantor of fertility and life.  Though Abraham had taken his and Sarah's lack of fertility into his own hands just a chapter before, the rite of circumcision will be an ever-present reminder in the future that the gift of life is only in God's hands.  Later a phrase will develop describing an act of God as being "a circumcision made without hands."

In fact, the apostle Paul, likened baptism to a circumcision made without hands, whereby instead of the flesh of the male's body being removed, it is the fleshly (sinful) nature of any believer, whether male or female that is eliminated.  "In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." Colossians 2:11-12.  Just as circumcision represents new life to the people of Abraham in the Hebrew scriptures, so baptism represents new life to the people of Christ today, whether Jew or Gentile. - Shay   

The Faith and Promise of Hagar - Genesis 16

 

At the beginning of Genesis 16, Sarai who is still barren, takes matters into her own hands and gives to Abram her Egyptian slave-girl, Hagar.  Abram dutifully obeys his wife and takes Hagar as a concubine, and before long, she becomes pregnant.  Though holding a much lower status than Sarai, Hagar is none too proud of the fact that she and not her mistress is fertile.  Sarai takes exception to Hagar's contempt and then blames Abram for the whole situation.  Abram takes a step back and reminds Sarai that Hagar is her slave and that she's free to do with her as she pleases.  Sarai takes her anger and frustration out on the Egyptian woman and not surprisingly, Hagar runs away from her mistress.  She would rather take her chances out in the wild, then continue to be abused by Sarai.

Out in the wilderness, the young woman stumbles across a spring where she encounters the angel of YHWH.  The angel asks her where's she's come from and where's she's going.  She explains the situation, and then the angel instructs her to return to Sarai.  As bad as things may be with her mistress, Hagar is far more likely to experience death and destruction alone in the desert, than she might with Abram and Sarai.  But before she returns to the first family of faith, she receives promises from YHWH.  She too will be the matriarch of many peoples and large nations.  The child in her womb is to be called Ishmael and this baby will grow up to be a "wild ass of a man" - actually a complement, not a derision.  Hagar does not know YHWH, but she calls him the "God who sees me, or the God whom she has seen."  She may not fully understand the identity of this God, but for the moment she places her trust in him, and obeying the angel, she returns to Sarai.  She eventually gives birth and Abram names his first son, Ishmael.

Culture and Customs 

Like any other historical document, we should seek to understand the Biblical narrative in its historical context.  Abram and Sarai lived in a world where slavery was commonplace.  Now, to be sure, the slavery that existed in the Near East 4,000 years ago is not exactly the same kind of slavery that existed in the American colonies and the United States from the 1600s until 1865.  However, let's be clear - slavery is never a good thing.  Slavery was so common in the Near East and the Mediterranean, that ancient readers of these texts would not have blinked an eye when slavery was mentioned.  Sometimes God's people enslaved others and sometimes they were enslaved by others.

What do we make of this?  First, we acknowledge that it is human sin and brokenness that leads to things like slavery.  But secondly, we must also acknowledge that slavery in some form has been ubiquitous throughout almost all of human history and in almost every location.  God does not swoop down and miraculously end every human institution that transgresses his will.  He has given humanity freedom - both freedom for good and freedom for evil.  And so, if God is going to work through humanity - which is his chosen instrument - then he must work through human frailty and sin.  He finds and works in and through us as we are, not as he would have us to be.  And if we look at our own lives, we realize that God's work, though noticeable, takes an awful long time to mature.  There are no quick fixes.  And yet, God continues to work through us.

So, back to the story of Hagar, Sarai, and Abram.  Due to human sin and brokenness, there is a power dynamic at work and it is clear who has the power and who does not.  Sarai, as Hagar's mistress is in a position of power.  Hagar is powerless to resist Abram.  She has no choice in this matter. Though, not necessarily commonplace, it was not unheard of for an infertile woman to offer her husband a "surrogate" option in the ancient Near East.  The text does not tell us Hagar's feelings once she has become Abram's concubine.  It would be pure speculation to guess.  But, it isn't unreasonable to think that she may not be 100% thrilled.  Either way, she does become pregnant and one cannot fault her for rubbing Sarai's nose in this.  She may not have much power, but she has something that at this point Sarai is unable to attain.  And though she is not favored by her mistress, she is still favored by God.

God's Concern for the Outsider 

The reader of the Bible will discover over and over again that God has a real concern for the outsider.  There are groups who emphasize God's election of his people at the expense of everyone else.  But a close reading of the narrative does not allow for this.  In God's Kingdom, there are no outsiders except for those who choose to remain outside.

Notice in this story how God not only provides life giving water for Hagar, but also directs this young, vulnerable woman to return to Abram and Sarai.  This undoubtedly saves her life and her pregnancy.  It also provides a solid platform for her son to be raised in a better environment than he might otherwise have been exposed to if Hagar had somehow survived the desert conditions, avoided wild animals, and outwitted any potential bandits along the way.  YHWH promises to bless Ishmael and to establish many nations from his descendants, so God does not save Hagar, simply to save her, rather he saves her so that both she and her son might be a blessing to others in the future.

Seeking to Orchestrate Promise Fulfillment and Blessing

It may seem that I am being overly harsh with Abram and especially Sarai at this point.  Let me be clear - I do not think that either of these figures does anything that might be drastically different than most any other human beings would have done in their circumstances.  But, that's why a life of radical faith can be so difficult.  Had they chosen the less common, though much bolder choice of waiting on God and choosing to honor those with less power than themselves, the outcome would have undoubtedly been better.  Since God is the God who even raises the dead, the birth of Ismael could have come about in some other way.  

Even after the impregnation of Hagar, both Sarai and Abram could and should have treated her and her unborn son with more dignity, care, and respect.  The whole situation results from Sarai and Abram seeking to engineer God's blessings on their own terms.  Because God is seemingly slow in keeping his promise, they take matters into their own hands.  

As I point the finger at these faithful, and yet at sometimes faithless individuals, I recognize that there are three fingers pointed directly back at me.  How often have I failed to wait on the Lord?  How often have I trusted my own ingenuity over God's faithfulness?  How often have I simply been unfaithful, despite God's promise keeping?  How about you? - Shay    

A Covenant of Trust - Genesis 15

The gospel of Mark claims that the enemy of faith is fear, not doubt.  So it is interesting that when YHWH speaks to Abram in a vision at the beginning of Genesis 15, his first words to this patriarch are not, "do not doubt", but rather, "do not fear."  He goes onto promise Abram his protection and that his reward shall be very great.

But we can't fault Abram for a level of fear, or doubt in response.  How will the promises of God come true to this old man, when he and his post-menopausal wife are still childless?  Abram doubles down by reminding God that at this point in his story, Abram will be leaving his wealth to a slave in his household, rather than a son.  

But God's not done yet - in Abram's story, nor in this visionary exchange.  God takes Abram outside and asks the elderly gentleman to take a look at the night sky.  In our modern world filled with light pollution, we can't imagine what that sight must have been.  God dares Abram to count the stars and if he is able to do so, then his future descendants might also be numbered.  Essentially, YHWH reminds Abram that he is in fact the creator of the night sky - the moon, the stars - and if he is the God behind the creation of the universe, then is it too much to ask him to provide a son to this geriatric couple?  Abram believes the Lord after this second affirmation and the Lord considers Abram's trust to be righteousness.  But what is righteousness exactly?  The best definition I've ever heard is that it is being in a right relationship with God and a right relationship with others.  So, by trusting YHWH, Abram is on a path to a deep and satisfying relationship with the creator of the cosmos and with those whom this God might place in his path.  

Covenant 

Though Abram believes and trusts God, he still needs a little bit more in the area of assurance.  So God has him cut several animals in half, and after sunset, Abram falls into a deep sleep where he receives further promises for the future.  He will indeed have many offspring, but those descendants will become slaves and will suffer oppression for four centuries in a foreign land, before coming back to Canaan and receiving their inheritance.  After these words of prophesy, Abram witnesses a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the animals.  This seems to be an ancient covenant rite (see Jeremiah 34:18-19).  God has bound himself to Abram and Sarai and to the promises made to this patriarchal couple.  

So What?!!!

From the very beginning of the Biblical narrative, the biggest enemy of faith has been fear.  In fact, in the earlier stories about Abram, it was his fear that often led to his faithlessness.  How will Abram's natural fear be overcome?  By gradually learning to trust God more.  And the more that Abram discovers that God is fact trustworthy, the more trust Abram will place in this God and the less he will be overcome by his fears.

And one of the ways that YHWH builds that trust with Abram is through daring Abram to believe.  The God who can do even more than we can ask or imagine challenges Abram to ask for more than he can grasp and to imagine the impossible.  As we will discover in Abram's and Sarai's stories, God will not fall short in his ability to deliver.

But, this does not mean that Abram will receive his reward immediately.  He and Sarai will be forced to wait and wait and wait.  Not only will Abram and Sarai have to wait for the birth of their own son, even their descendants will have to wait and wait and wait to receive their inheritance - they will have to wait for over 400 years.  The ancients could measure things in centuries, while we have a hard time measuring things in minutes.  We live in a world of instant gratification and we have probably all grown increasingly impatient.  But the story of this faithful, though imperfect family reminds us that the best things come to those who are willing to wait.  

Where are you at in Abram's and Sarai's story?  In other words, where do you identify with these founders of our faith?  Where might their story challenge you to place more faith in our God?  What fears might a deeper trust in YHWH alleviate for you?  There is more of their story to come and there's more in yours and my story to be developed too. - Shay  

Blessed to be a Blessing - Genesis 14

Genesis 14:1-16 tells the tale of Abram intervening in a war between various kings in the Jordan Valley area.  Most kings at this point in history were rulers of small city states.  They weren't as powerful as the European kings of the Middle Ages, and they were nothing in comparison to the emperors who controlled vast regions across the ancient near east and the Mediterranean in the later Biblical narratives.  Historically, we know nothing of the specific kings mentioned in Genesis 14.  They probably existed, but were of so little significance, they're not even a footnote in history.

What's important as it relates to the Abram story is that his nephew Lot is taken captive, and so, like the good uncle that he is, Abram rallies three hundred plus men in his household to go and rescue Lot and his family.  Abram successfully routs his enemies and brings back Lot, several other captive men, women, and children, as well many valuable goods.  Verses 1-16 of this text are interesting, but  verses 17-24 hold even more intrigue.  

The Mysterious Melchizedek 

Though we have further information about Melchizedek in the Biblical corpus (Psalm 110 & Hebrews 5), there isn't much further details to be found about this mysterious character outside of the Bible.  And for the sake of understanding Genesis 14 in its original context, we must camp out here first, before allowing Psalm 110 or Hebrews 5 to influence what Genesis has to say about this shadowy figure.  

After rescuing Lot, Abram heads back to his residence in the southern part of the promised land, and along the way, he's met by the king of Sodom in a valley near what later became Jerusalem.  At this time it is known as Salem.  Abram and the king of Sodom are joined by the king of Salem, who is none other than Melchizedek.  He is not only a king, but also a priest of God Most High.  Here we need to pause for a moment.  Historically speaking, Melchizedek is a Canaanite and he would have worshiped a host of deities, just like the rest of the Canaanites living in the land.  God Most High (El El-Yon in Hebrew) is simply the chief god amongst many gods within the Canaanite pantheon.  Melchizedek is no monotheist, and he neither knows, nor worships YHWH, the God of the Israelites, and later the Jews.  However, much like Paul's attempt to point the Athenians to the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through the statue to an "unknown god" (Acts 17), so in the Genesis narrative, Melchizedek's limited understanding of God Most High, points to a hidden reality that neither he, nor even Abram fully understand at this point in time, namely that YHWH is the true maker of heaven and earth.  In other words, though Melchizedek doesn't know it, who he worships as God Most High, the highest of many deities in his mind, is in fact, YHWH, the one and only God and the creator of all that is.  

Melchizedek blesses Abram in the name of God Most High and gives this God the credit for delivering Abram from his enemies.  The king of Salem, the king of Sodom, and Abram share bread and wine together, and Abram then gives one tenth of the spoils of battle to Melchizedek as a thanksgiving offering.  

Okay, so now back to Psalm 110 and Hebrews 5.  In Psalm 110, in what became a "Messianic Psalm" for the people of Israel, the figure of Melchizedek is used as an example of a king who is also a priest (someone who performs a mediatory role between the people and God).  Essentially, according to the Psalmist, the Davidic king will not only rule his people and win battles on their behalf, but like Melchizedek, will also act as a go-between for God's people and YHWH himself.  The writer of Hebrews later uses Psalm 110 to demonstrate how Jesus is the ultimate High Priest, as well as King, even though he was not descended from Aaron and was not a part of the priestly caste.  

A Few Takeaways 

1. It is easy for us to forget that our understanding of God 2,000 years on the other side of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is very different than anyone who lived 4,000 years ago.  We forget that Abram and Sarai were not monotheists as we understand monotheism today.  See Joshua 24:2.  Did they come to discover that God Most High (YWHW) was in fact the only true God?  Or did they know him as their own personal God, but not necessarily the only god?  Did they simply see him as the highest and most powerful of all other gods?  The text is unclear, but it is safe to say that based on the rest of the Old Testament, God's people continued to struggle with undivided devotion to him.  Sarai and Abram were not different.  Of course, we sometimes struggle with idolatry as well.  Our false gods just go by different names.    

2.  In Genesis 14, Abram is blessed by Melchizedek.  God's promise of blessing to Abram continues to come to fruition in a variety of circumstances and through a plethora of different people.  And Abram is also becoming a blessing to others in return.  He blesses Lot and others by rescuing them.  

3. Both of these takeaways apply to us too. God works in our lives and blesses us despite our limited understanding of him and our ignorance of his providential ways.  But God doesn't bless us just for ourselves.  He blesses us in order that we too would be a blessing for others as well.  As it was for Melchizedek and Abram, so may it be for us! - Shay 

Abram's Faith Begins to Grow (at least a little) - Genesis Thirteen

 

The last we saw of Abram, he had narrowly escaped Egypt with his own life and his own wife intact.  Now, in chapter 13 of Genesis, he journeys back to the spot between Bethel and Ai, where he had previously made a sacrifice to God and called on his name.  Though his time in Egypt was tenuous, Abram has come out of the ordeal better off than when he entered it.  Pharaoh (with YHWH's nudging) has made Abram a very wealthy man indeed.  

His nephew, Lot, has also accumulated a great deal a wealth and is still hanging out with his uncle.  But there's a problem.  The land of Canaan might have been known as a land flowing with milk and honey to later generations, but there is only so much grazable land and water, and eventually things come to a head between the herders of Abram's livestock and the herders of Lot's animals.  Not to mention, you still have the native inhabitants occupying the territory.  There's only so much the land can produce.  What should be done.

The logical thing would be for Abram to give Lot his marching orders.  It might go something like this: "Okay little nephew - I've babysat you long enough.  Don't you think its time for you to strike out on your own and provide for yourself in this world?  God has promised me this land, so you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!"  

But that's not what Abram does.  Instead of dictating to Lot what he must do, Abram instead offers Lot a choice.  He honors Lot by offering him the opportunity to choose where he would like to live.  Being the older member of the family, he could have easily sent Lot on his way, and Lot would have probably accepted this decision without objection.  But in this moment, Abram is not only magnanimous in his treatment of his nephew, he takes a step back and trusts YHWH to eventually fulfill his earlier promises.  Abram's in control, but he's not a control freak.  In this moment, he is ever-so-gradually letting go of the reigns and allowing God to take control.

And that is essentially what faith is all about.  It is trust.  Faith is, to harness a cliche, the ability to let go and to let God!  In the previous blog post we discovered that though Abram had a strong initial faith to answer God's call, his faith was immature and naive.  When confronted with a couple of tests, he not only failed, he failed miserably.  In Genesis 13, Abram's faith has grown, at least a little.  He is willing to trust in YHWH's promises, even if at first glance it might seem that he is in danger of being usurped by his younger upstart nephew.  

Lot chooses to take his flocks to the east, down into the Jordan River Valley amongst the depraved cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  We will discover what a poor choice this is later in the narrative, but for now the reader is left with a sigh of relief as Abram settles in the land of Canaan, instead of near the cities of the plain.  

And as we have seen in Abram's and Sarai's stories, and as we will continue to see throughout the entire narrative of scripture, it is God's faithfulness that stands out.  YHWH invites Abram to dream about the future.  He tells him to lift up his eyes and look north, south, east, and west.  He dares him to imagine that one day, all the land that he can see will be his and will be the possession of his offspring.  At this point, Abram doesn't own even a clod of dirt in this promised land and he doesn't have a single child, much less numerous descendants.  But God challenges Abram to walk the length and breadth of the land, trusting that it will one day be his.  God outrageously claims that if anyone can count the dust of the earth - so numerous will Abram's progeny be.  These are bold promises and it takes a bold man like Abram to believe them.  Abram responds to God's invitation and begins to put down slightly more permanent roots in the land.  And he again builds an altar to the Lord.

But, tempting as it may be to assume Abram and Sarai have arrived, in many ways their story with God is just beginning.  There are still further tests to come and quite a few more roadblocks and failures along the way.  Much like our lives, Abram's journey isn't linear.  It's full of stops and starts, ups and downs, victories, and failures.  Though he will continue to grow in his faith, he will also stumble and fall along the way.  Sound familiar? - Shay  

Gen 12:10-20 - Abram Fails the Test Twice

When we first meet Abram in Genesis 12:1-9, we are painted a picture of a man who is either full of blind faith or is simply naive.  When an unknown God calls, he goes. But after finding himself in the promised land, he discovers the land he's been guaranteed is a famine land.  Now Abram's blind faith receives its first test.  Will he remain in the land, or will he bail?  He bails and he and his entourage make the several hundred miles journey south into Egypt, where Abram faces another test and then fails miserably again.

Self-Service 

I mentioned in the previous blog that the ages of Abram and Sarai seem to be exaggerated in the Biblical text.  Sarai seems to be a gorgeous gal - a real looker.  She's so beautiful that Abram is concerned that the Egyptians might kill him to get to Sarai.  This dilemma probably would not be faced by most couples subscribed to the AARP.  Do what you will with this, but I believe that Mr. and Mrs. Abe are probably more middle-aged, than old-aged at this point.

Regardless, Abram feels threatened.  So, what's his solution?  Sacrifice.  Not a sacrifice to YHWH.  No, our not-so-honest Abe is willing to sacrifice his own wife to save his own skin.  And it works - at least until it doesn't.  Sarai pretends to be Abe's sister (the later Genesis account hints that Sarai is a half-sibling of Abram, but clearly Abram has forced his wife to be dishonest regarding her relationship with him).

Pharaoh gets wind of this newly arrived hottie and decides to add her to his harem.  Abram loses his wife, but he gains livestock and servants.  Sarai loses her freedom and possibly her future, but her husband saves himself.  There's a lot of discussion about "patriarchy" in our modern world, but the ancient world really was patriarchal.

Abram is the villain in this story.  Sarai is the victim and Pharaoh is an innocent bystander who comes out smelling of roses.  

The Hero of the Story 

The hero of the story, is surprisingly, Pharaoh.  It was common in the ancient world for people like Pharaoh to amass a large harem of wives, just as they amassed a large retinue of many things.  This was certainly not an ideal way to organize families and relationships, but it was culturally normative for this period in human history.  Assuming that Sarai was simply the unmarried sister of a resident sojourner, Pharaoh brings Sarai into his household as one of his many wives and this would have usually been a benefit to both Sarai and her seeming brother, Abram.  Though of course, this does not fully take into account the feelings of Sarai.  And it must be said, that on the whole, the world is probably a better place when powerful men don't accumulate wives like trading cards.  However, much like arranged marriages in many modern cultures, it was simply the way things were done at that time, and so we shouldn't judge Pharaoh too harshly.  From his perspective, he has acted in good faith.  

But Abram clearly has not acted in good faith.  Who could have imagined that a man would so easily pawn off his own wife?  Pharaoh has no idea that this is what Abram has done.  He only realizes the situation when YHWH afflicts his household with immense plagues.  Again, let's stress - Pharaoh has done nothing wrong.  But, he perceives that the plagues afflicting his household are the work of God.  In this instance, he has a greater spiritual awareness than Abram.  

Once aware of this mistake, he immediately rectifies the situation. Though in a position of power and with the ability to kill Abram and continue on as nothing has occurred, Pharaoh instead restores Sarai to Abram and not-so-subtly invites Abram to depart Egypt.  But, rather than asking for restitution or demanding the return of his previous gifts from Abram, Pharaoh simply lets Abram and Sarai leave.  Pharaoh and his family have suffered for Abram's sin, and yet the self-serving Abram is allowed to simply move on as if nothing untoward has occurred.  And in fact, Abram leaves Egypt wealthier than when he arrived.  If there is a hero in this story, it is undoubtedly Pharaoh!

God's Faithfulness

Actually, the hero of this narrative and the hero of the entire big narrative of the Bible is God!  Despite Abram's failure to trust God, God remains faithful to the promises made to Abram.  He gets Pharaoh's attention through the plagues, ensuring that Sarai is returned and protected within the household of the cowardly Abram.  Though Abram does not deserve it, he is blessed in his Egyptian sojourn, returning to the land of Canaan wealthier than when he left.  

But let's not forget that Pharaoh too has been blessed by God.  He may not call on YHWH as his one and only sovereign, but if we believe that YHWH is the only God of creation, then it is by YHWH's grace that Pharaoh has amassed the wealth and the authority he commands.  Pharaoh is in a God-given position to bless Abram, not the other way around.

A Few Takeaways 

God is faithful.  Period.  Full-stop.  God is faithful.  God is faithful, even when Abram is not.  God is faithful even when we are unfaithful.  

And just as God calls a less than stellar Abram, so he calls us as we are, not as he would have us to be.  That doesn't mean that God desires to leave us in whatever state he finds us - quite the contrary.  God certainly desires us to become all that we can become through his power and grace.  But God is not daunted by our failures or our character flaws.  He can and does amazing things through our broken dispositions, choices, and situations.

A final thought worth reflecting on.  Are we able to accept that we are often the villains, not the heroes in our stories?  Abram is certainly at the center of this Biblical narrative, but he is the villain, not the hero.  We so often are as well.  Do we recognize this?  Something to ponder. - Shay