When Abraham goes to Egypt because of a famine in the land of Cannan and attempts to pass off Sarai his wife as being just his sister, the consequences for Pharoah are serious. God strikes Egypt with plagues. However, Abraham, himself appears to do well out of it.
First, we are told that
“when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.”[1]
Then when we turn over into chapter 13, the point seems to be re-emphasised
“So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.”[2]
Is it that in fact, Abraham had not sinned, that he wasn’t in fact lying and that maybe it was in fact okay for him to go down to Egypt? Well I’ve argued elsewhere that he was wrong in both regards. So, does this mean that in effect God rewarded sin? If so, what does that mean for us?
Well, first of all, we should be careful about over interpreting ethical instruction out of narrative. The writer of Genesis may tell us about some things without always intending to offer assessment. However, it does still seem that Abram is being blessed in line with Genesis 12:1-3. Furthermore, his enemies are being cursed. So, what are we to make of this.
It seems to me, that we are seeing God’s grace at work. God has made an unconditional promise to Abraham. He has promised to bless him, to give him a place in his presence, people after him and his provision and protection so that his friends will be blessed with him and his enemies cursed. God is not going to abandon his side of the commitment because responsibility for the covenant always rested on God. Furthermore, the promises to Abraham are all about deliving God’s big promise, the one in whom all nations will be blessed and God’s enemy defeated, Jesus. Nothing is going to get in the way of that plan.
So God blesses Abraham despite, not because of his behaviour. It is Abraham’s faith in the promise that is reckoned as righteousness. This means that Abraham continues to enjoy God’s presence and provision. It is worth considering though, the possibility that his behaviour wasn’t without consequences. The experience of Abraham and Sarah in Egypt was still challenging and maybe it was his behaviour there which showed that he needed to learn to persevere with patience and learn to trust God and find his hope in him. Abraham’s dalliance in Egypt, his botched plan for descendants with Hagar and his mithering over other possible heirs may well have delayed the coming of the promised Isaac. We cannot say for certain but it is true that Abraham did have to learn patience.
Meanwhile, it is important that we learn the right things here. Yes, we can take delight in God’s faithfulness and grace to us. We can rest not just in his promises but in the specific fulfilled promise. God’s love is unconditional and God’s purposes cannot be thwarted, not even by us. Nothing can separate us from his love. However, this does not give us permission to do what we please. We cannot assume that there won’t be consequences to our unbelief and sin.
[1] Genesis 12:15-16
[2] Genesis 13:1-2.
Faithroots 