Read Genesis 12:10-20

There was a famine in the land so Abram moved to Egypt. Apparently the Egyptians were not affected by the famine. The Bible does not clarify this so we can only assume. We do know that Abram moved his family and the whole clan to Egypt due to the famine.

While they were in Egypt Abram asked Sarai to tell everyone that she was his sister. His reasoning was that if she was known to be his wife some rich and powerful Egyptian may kill him so he could take Sarai to himself as a wife because she was very beautiful. Isn’t it odd that a man who trusted God enough to leave his family, his home, and his country on the promise of God, could not trust God enough to keep him safe in Egypt. Don’t we all do that though. We trust God explicitly in one situation and in another we feel we have to depend on our own devices?

Sarai did as Abram instructed her to do and as he had predicted the Egyptians were taken by her beauty. Word soon got back to Pharaoh about how beautiful she was. Pharaoh sent for her and took her to himself. God was not pleased with this. We read in Genesis 12:17-18 "And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?"

Pharaoh ordered that Abram be escorted out of the country due to his trickery and wickedness. There is a lesson in this account for us. We can depend on the protection of God in all things. We do not have to rely on our own inadequate methods because God will provide us with solutions that do not depend on lies and wickedness. No matter how dangerous the situation or how desperate we can depend on God to get us through it. When we take our eyes off God and look upon our own means all we can do is fail and create turmoil.

EXAM QUESTIONS

1. _______________ moved to ______________ due to a

________________.

2. Abram ask ______________ to ____________ to be his

__________________ due to fear that somebody would

get _________________ and __________ him so they

could take ________________ as their own ___________.

3. When they got to __________, ________ caught the eye

of _________________ who took her to his home as his

_____________.

4. _____________ was not ______________ with

___________________ having _____________ wife so

he brought _______________ upon ________________.