IMITATE THEIR FAITH /SARAH - "DOWN TOWARD EGYPT"

 

After they crossed the Euphrates, likely on Nisan 14, 1943 B.C.E., they made their way south into the land Jehovah had promised them.  (Exodus 12:40, 41) Picture Sarah turning to look this way and that, taken by the beauty, the variety, and the pleasant climate of the land. Near the big trees of Moreh, near Shechem, Jehovah appeared to  Abraham again, this time saying:"To your offspring I am going to give you this land." Ah, this expression "offspring," would have rich meaning for Abraham! It surely made him think back to the garden of Eden, where Jehovah had foretold that an offspring would one day destroy Satan.  Jehovah had already told Abraham that the nation that came from him would open the way for blessings to people of all the earth. - GENESIS 3:15; 12;2,3, 6, 7.

Still, the family was not immune to the troubles of this world. A famine struck the land of Canaan, and Abraham decided to lead his family toward Egypt. However, he sensed a particular danger in that region. So he spoke to Sarah:  "Please listen!  I know what a beautiful woman you are. So when the Egyptians see you; they will surely say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but keep you alive.  Please say that you are my sister. so that it will go well with me because of you, and my life will be spared." (Genesis 12:10-13)  Why did Abraham make such an unusual request?

Abraham was neither a liar or a coward, as some critics have charged. Sarah was, in truth, his half sister. And Abraham's caution was well-founded. Abraham and Sarah knew that nothing was more important than God's purpose to produce a special offspring and nation through Abraham, so Abraham's  safety became of paramount importance. What is more, archaeological evidence has shown that it was not unheard of for men of power in Egypt  to abduct a man's wife and kill the husband. So Abraham acted wisely, and Sarah humbly cooperated with his decision. 

Before long, events proved that Abraham's fears were well-founded, some of Pharaoh's princes noticed Sarah's stunning beauty-a remarkable trait at her age.  They reported on her to Pharaoh, and he ordered that the woman be taken! It is hard  to imagine the anguish of Abraham or the fears that must have afflicted Sarah. However, it seems that she was treated not as a hostage, but as an honored guest. Perhaps Pharaoh planned to woo her and impress her with his wealth and then negotiate with her "brother" to obtain her as a wife. - GENESIS 12:14-16. 

Think of Sara, looking out over the Egyptian landscape from a palace window or balcony. How did she feel, living within walls again, with a roof over her head, with fine foods put before her? Was she tempted by a life of luxury-perhaps a life even more opulent than anything she had ever known back in Ur?  Imagine how pleased Satan would have been if she had sought to abandon Abraham and become the wife of Pharaoh!  But Sarah did nothing of the kind. She  was loyal to her husband, to her marriage, and to her God. If only every married person in today's world would show such loyalty!  Can you imitate Sarah's loyalty in your dealings with your own loved ones and friends?

Next time: IMITATE THEIR FAITH / SARAH - God Called Her "Princess"

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