Daily Devotion, June 1, 2020

Devotion: Read Genesis 12:10-20.

In the opening nine verses of Chapter 12, Abram responded in faith to God’s call, packed his family and possessions, and headed out for a land God would show him. New Testament writers and modern day preachers cite Abram’s obedience to God as the ultimate act of faith. But just when we might start to think of Abram as an example of perfect humanity, we have this jolting passage that shows our hero behaving in a shameful manner. Entering Egypt, Abram worried that an Egyptian would want his beautiful wife Sarai for himself and kill Abram in order to have her. So, to save himself, Abram decided to pass Sarai off as his sister. Doing this ensured Abram that he would be treated well, but it made Sarai even more vulnerable to be taken as some Egyptian’s wife, as she was!

Bible scholars have struggled to defend Abram here. When Abram uses the same ploy in another situation in Chapter 20, we learn that Sarai indeed was his half sister. OK, so Abram didn’t totally fabricate the sister story, but his actions were deceitful and completely selfish. God did not take away Abram’s blessing; in fact, Abram would leave Egypt with beautiful Sarai and new wealth. Abram’s journey of faith had some detours, as do ours, but God is full of grace! Personal Worship Option: When we read this story of Abram’s self-centered actions, we are nudged to think of times when we have acted selfishly or even deceitfully. Reflect on such times. Lift those to God and ask for forgiveness. Accept God’s forgiveness, knowing God loves us even when we take detours and wrong turns on our faith journeys.