Genesis 12:10-20

Abraham was in self-preservation mode, and like many of us men, he knew that his wife was beautiful and that he might be killed so that she could be taken by another man. Abram offended Pharaoh by intentionally putting him in a position to where sin could happen. Pharaoh says—this is almost like an argument that you would have with another person. He is arguing with him here. He says, "What is this that you've done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say she is my sister? I might have taken her as my wife." Pharaoh knew what that would have meant. So Pharaoh was saying that you have almost caused me to stumble, to falter, to sin. In a way, Pharaoh was the one offended, and Abraham was the one who caused the offense.

This particular event is basically what I would call cause-and-effect. Abraham wanted to save his life by telling everyone that Sarah was his sister. However, that would mean that any man who would have taken her as his wife would have immediately sinned. Now God stepped in and persecuted Pharaoh, but ultimately saved him because Pharaoh did not get to the married part.

Genesis 12:10-20

Now I'm going to throw one in here. This was the second time that it happened! Look back at Genesis 12:10-20 and the same thing happened between Abraham and Pharaoh fifteen or twenty years before. How long was God's forbearance now? Fifteen or twenty years.

But He had given Abraham time to repent of this sin, but he never did it. Eventually I'm sure that he did, but here we have a fifteen or twenty-year period of time where God tested him on the same problem in order to help him grow in character. I thought that was kind of interesting.