Christian Stories - Biblical Stories
As Abram continues to head south we are now told of a famine that had hit the land of Canaan. Here we find that this once fruitful land had now been turned into a temporary barren wasteland. The Canaanites suffering behind this famine would be for two reasons? For one, Canaan had turned into an idolatrous nation. And the second reason is that God wanted to give Abram another faith test. "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord." (Isaiah 31: 1) Now although Israel had not yet been establish as a nation at that time, it had already been establish within Abram in which God had already declared him to be a blessed nation. But instead of him trusting in the Lord, we find that Abram would indeed go down to Egypt (this would be the first mention of Egypt within the Bible) when he was faced with a grievous famine within the land that God had already promised him and his seed. Upon arrival into the land of Egypt, Abram would find himself faced with a more serious situation than the famine that he had faced while he was in Canaan. "I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me and let you live." Abram would give this warning to his wife Sarai as they entered Egypt. Abram had the right to be worried for at this time the Egyptians had already established a reputation of stealing the beautiful woman of others and taking them for themselves. And if they were married, they would then kill their husbands. But Abram should have trusted in the Lord more, for he had enough faith to pack up and leave a life he was familiar with, to go seek a life that was unfamiliar to him. But he didn't have enough faith to stand in a place that was in the midst of a famine. But this is what God does, he puts us through tests that are designed to prepare and strengthen us for a higher calling and greater rewards. "Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you," Abram would further instruct his wife. What we would find is that Abram was right about the Egyptians, for when they had entered the land; the Egyptians did in fact find Sarai to be a very beautiful woman. So the Egyptian officials would go back and tell Pharaoh about Abram's wife Sarai. Soon after, Pharaoh would have Sarai taken against her will and placed into his palace. Now Abram's plan to stay alive seemed to be working, for Pharaoh did in fact treat him well because he thought that Sarai was his sister and not his wife. Pharaoh had given Abram sheep, livestock, donkeys, camels and servants for the right to marry Sarai. It would seem that Abram was going to allow this marriage and his current situation to continue on, for it seemed that staying alive was more important to him than his wife was. But this is not what God had promised and although Abram had veered off his divine path once again - God would continue to protect and provide for him. So the Lord inflicted serious plagues on Pharaoh and his household - so serious that Pharaoh would demand that Abram be brought before him. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I would take her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" Pharaoh would call out to Abram. Now we are not told how Pharaoh found out about Sarai. But what followed next is something that seems to go unnoticed with today's twenty first century teaching and preaching? Pharaoh commanded his men not to bring any harm to Abram and his wife as he sent them away with everything that they had accumulated while in Egypt. Remember all the gifts, donkeys, sheep, camels and livestock that Pharaoh had given Abram because of Sarai? Abram would be able to keep all these things that Pharaoh had given him, which would make him a very wealthy person. We are always told about how God inflicted Pharaoh and his kingdom with plagues and used Moses to deliver the Hebrews from out of Egypt. Not only was the Hebrews freed from Egypt at that time, but they left from out of that place with great wealth. But this would not be the first time that the Hebrew's were helped out of Egypt by the hand of God? We find that it first happen with Abram and his wife Sarai four hundred and thirty years earlier than the Exodus that we all have become so familiar with. 01) Introduction of Abraham - Before He was Called 02) The Divine Calling of Abraham 03) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 04) The Strife between Abram and Lot 06) Abram's Mission to Rescue Lot 10) Abraham the Father of a Multitude 11) Sarah the Mother of Nations 13) Abraham Bargains for Sodom 14) Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed 16) Abimelech Angry with Abraham 
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