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. It fails and Abram and company 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 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. 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 been a benefit to both Sarai and her seeming brother, Abram. 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 to 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 by God's allowance. 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
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