Genesis 12 - Abram Journeys to Egypt

For this chapter I want to share this map illustration I found in https://www.bibleatchurch.com/biblehistory/genesis/origins-of-the-people-of-god-genesis-12-50/. Very helpful!

"Genesis 12—50 constitutes a saga—a long story following the lives of one family from the distant past over several generations. This saga begins with the journeys of Abram and Sarai, later called Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 12—25), continues with the intertwined stories of Isaac and Rebekah and their son Jacob with his wives Rachel and Leah (25—36), and ends with the adventures of Joseph (37—50), first in Canaan, then in Egypt.

*The end of chapter 11 tells of Abram’s father, Terah moving the family from Ur (in southern Mesopotamia) to Haran (in northern Mesopotamia). It is in Haran that God’s promise to Abraham will first be introduced."

"Under The Oak And Terebinth Trees" https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/holy-land-studies/two-biblical-trees/

Summary https://marksbiblejourney.blogspot.com/2019/10/genesis.html
"Abram follows the Lord's will.  He leaves Haran with his wife, Lot, and others to go to the land of Canaan.  He journeys by stages to the Negev.  The Lord instructs Abram that He will make him into a great nation and bless him.  Also, one day God will give the land of Canaan to Abram's offspring.  Abram builds altars along the way and worships God during the journey.

There is a famine in the land of Canaan, so Abram goes to Egypt to seek refuge.  Then, Pharaoh takes Sarai as his wife, and Abram is forced to say she is his sister.  Pharaoh treats Abram well because of her, but God strikes Pharaoh and his house with severe plagues.  Pharaoh finds out that Sarai is Abram's wife, so he sends Abram and Sarai out of Egypt blaming them for the plagues."

Reading from the Amplified Bible (AMP) version..

• "And I will make you a great nation,

And I will bless you [abundantly],
And make your name great (exalted, distinguished);
And you shall be a blessing [a source of great good to others];
And I will bless (do good for, benefit) those who bless you,
And I will curse [that is, subject to My wrath and judgment] the one who curses (despises, dishonors, has contempt for) you.
And in you all the families (nations) of the earth will be blessed.” v.2-3

• "So Abram departed [in faithful obedience] as the Lord had directed him; and Lot [his nephew] left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran." v.4

• "Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” So Abram built an altar there to [honor] the Lord who had appeared to him." v.7

•  "Now there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive and severe. 11 And when he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “Listen: I know that you are a beautiful woman; so when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me [to acquire you], but they will let you live. Please tell them that you are my sister so that things will go well for me for your sake, and my life will be spared because of you.” v. 10-13

My personal observations and reflections... 

• GOD SPOKE AGAIN. This time, He chose to speak to Abram, the son of Terah-- from the line of Shem, son of Noah. God's instructions were very clear, except for the exact "place" that He is going to show Abram. Where could it be? “Go away from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.." We can be familiar and comfortable already with what we already know, our "comfort zones". Here we are shown how Abraham trusted God in the "unknown", he has such a great faith in God! What matters is God's assurance of His blessings, goodness and faithfulness in our lives. No one knows the future, no one even knows what will happen tomorrow, only God. We sleep everyday, not knowing if we'll wake up in the morning. So I guess that's the best thing we can do in our life, obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

• GREAT NATION. How awesome it is to be blessed and promised by God with that.. With God there is nothing impossible! This would later happen in Abram's lineage, through Jacob's sons (12 tribes). There are a lot of of great things that could be said of Israel, but for me, the fact that from this nation, the promised Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will come, is the BEST!

• SALVATION. "And in you all the families (nations) of the earth will be blessed.” v.3 How? Indeed, all the families and nations of the earth will be blessed, because through Jesus Christ whom God sent for all, Jews or gentiles, EVERYONE will be offered the free gift of salvation (John 3:16). Jesus will later be revealed to have come from father Abraham's lineage.

• GOD'S DIRECTION. In Abram's obedience to leave his home country, comes a faith journey that will be constantly directed by God.. As if walking through the wilderness, Abram is directed by the God who sees everything (the beginning, the middle, the end, the big picture). We can't simply live without God's direction :( *For some reason, "repentance" comes to my mind, because it means to radically turn from one way of life to another, a complete change of direction (180° turn) toward God (away from a sinful life).

• ALTAR. Men of God did this to honor God; and call on the name of the Lord [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving]. I wonder how I can do that as well in my own life, or how it can be done in this modern time.. Or maybe it is not necessary anymore because the Lord Jesus already served as the "altar", the sacrifice through whom I am able to call on God. He already finished it, so all I have to do is pray in His name, and put all my faith and hope in Him as long as I live.

• FAMINE. The first big obstacle that Abram and his family have faced.. Out of fear or caution (maybe), Abram has instructed Sarai to lie, to pose as his sister (which is partly true as they are actually step-siblings) to be able to spare his life. How did Abram knew what could possibly happen? Maybe he had an idea how pagan countries like Egypt is like.. what would have happened if Abram told the truth? Maybe God will come to the rescue and make a way to preserve Abram's life. Nevertheless, we see in this particular event how "God will work all things together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). In the end, no amount of mistakes or weakness on Abram's part will alter or change God's plans.

*According to Bible's footnotes: "Sarai was Abraham’s half sister. They had the same father, but different mothers (Gen 20:12)." 

 
Read the Bible here:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+12&version=AMP