MY SOUL SHALL LIVE – Genesis 12:13
Genesis 12:13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
Abraham had been commanded by God to sojourn in the land of Canaan. A great famine arose in the land and the next thing we know, Abraham has fled to Egypt. Because Abraham is in Egypt, he realizes that he might be killed by an Egyptian who wants to marry his wife. Abraham is at least 75 years old which means Sarah is at least 65 years old. Despite Sarah’s old age, Abraham knows that he might be killed because of her beauty.
God had instructed Abraham to sojourn in Canaan. Abraham would not have had to encourage Sarah to lie on his behalf if he had simply remained in Canaan. Abraham found himself in a compromised position because he chose to do that which was right in his own eyes and because he chose to go somewhere that God had not instructed him to go.
Abraham had many good arguments why he should go to Egypt. Abraham had many mouths which he was responsible to feed. Abraham was a practical man and by going to Egypt, he would ensure that he was doing his duty to provide for those who were under his care. However, those who he desired to care for were the ones who ended up being punished the most as a result of his disobedience by leaving the land of Canaan.
God had clearly instructed Abraham to sojourn in the land of Canaan and God knew that there would be a famine. God was fully able to provide for Abraham during this time of need. However, by running down to Egypt at the first sign of trouble, Abraham created for himself a situation where he was no longer looking to God for his direction, provision, and protection and thus Abraham concluded he had to lie in order to stay alive.
How often do we put ourselves in a similar position to Abraham? As soon as we have a financial difficultly, we charge our bills on a charge card rather than turn to God to see what kind of provision HE was prepared to provide. We say that we trust God, but when push comes to shove, we offer a quick prayer and then go do what we want so as to ensure that we are properly taken care of. Then when everything goes wrong, we blame God for not taking care of us as HE promises.
The problem with Abraham and so many of us is our lack of patience. We may know the direction that God has called us but as soon as things get rough, rather than fight through the storm and see how God provides, protects, and directs, we abandon ship. When the storms arise in our lives as we are pursuing the perfect will of God, this is the time that we need to firmly grasp the promises of God and not let go. Do not be quick to abandon the promises of God heard on the mountain top when you are in the valley of the shadow of death.
When everything about you tells you it is time to run and do it your own way, this is the time when you need to stand strong and not abandon the vision of God. By adding temperance to your life, you can save yourself a lot of unnecessary heartache.
Abraham felt that he had to protect himself and as such, he lied in order to stay alive. What lies have you told in order to keep in the good graces of those around you? If you find yourself having to tell lies in order to be accepted, maybe it is time to see if you have made some wrong decisions to put yourself in a position where you no longer feel that God is able to protect you.