Joel M Bradshaw

One of the reasons the Bible is so relevant is that even many of the featured characters are presented warts and all. Such is the case with Abram in Genesis 12.

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (Genesis 12:1-4)

Abram clearly trusted God here. So many people have established lives that wouldn’t make any room for the things of God. Abram was seventy-five and about as well-established as you could get! And yet one encounter with God changed everything.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8)

And yet in the same chapter we see an Abram who made a choice communicating something different. Was it not trusting? Was it simply selfish? I’ll let you decide.

Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” (Genesis 12:10-13)

This Abram clearly was afraid for his life. And he made Sarai be deceptive in order to save his own life. Here he was not a good or godly husband. Paul would later command husbands to love and lead sacrificially, giving themselves up for their wives (Ephesians 5:25). This wasn’t Sarai coming up with the plan to save her husband, but Abram throwing her under the bus. I don’t read him trusting God in this Egyptian section. I read selfishness.

In these responses, we have two Abrams of sorts. Rather than just run to discredit Abram’s faith or call him a hypocrite, we need to understand that he is very relatable to each of us. We all have moments of memorable great faith and others of regrettable hypocrisy. If you’re like me, my hypocrisy was a season of my life!

The first Abram was called to leave security and face vulnerability. And he did so with faith and trust. The second Abram was in vulnerability and chose selfishness in pursuit of security. He didn’t communicate faith or trust. In both his good and bad choices, he remains an example for us. What does your life and choices communicate to God and about God?–JMB