We always have to keep in mind that something being told in the Bible is not the same as God telling us it’s okay. Abram crafting this lie that led to his wife being taken into Pharaoh’s house IS a true even(hence it being in the book), but clearly against God’s wishes and design for marriage. The affliction of Pharaoh and subsequent rebuke (by Pharaoh, not even a man of God. You have to do something pretty bad to get rebuked by someone outside of the faith) and sending away of Abram punished him. We aren’t given details about Sarai’s feelings on the matter. That doesn’t mean God didn’t/ doesn’t care about these types of things, but she wasn’t the focal point of the story. God protects Sarai in Genesis 20, which Abram should have learned and done (but like all of us, has the sickness of sin and still hadn’t turned away(repented) of his fear of death), and gives protection to Hagar and her son later on after she is used to give the two a child, which was Sarai’s idea.
We see very clearly also in verse 12 that his heart’s motivation was not to exploit her for financial gain, it was to escape death by Pharaoh killing him to take her for his own wife (not me saying that’s a justified reason, but it’s important to understand). Pharaoh giving him many things was just a byproduct of pharaoh thinking it was his sister and wanting to be in a good graces.
It is absolutely wrong that Abram would ever let his wife be given to another man without protecting her, even if the face of death. God’s perfect will would have been Abram being honest and being protected by His favor. But, like many other hard to swallow historical accounts in the Bible, it highlights God’s mercy even to the worst of sinners as he still made a way for Abram and Sarai and even later blessed her barren womb with a child after she painfully longed for one for so long and went to very wrong lengths herself in telling Abram to sleep with Hagar (a place that we also aren’t told her side).
When I read this account, I see God’s graciousness to Abram and Sarai, even when they both repeatedly sin and mistrust him after this. Abram being called a man of great faith doesn’t mean all of his actions are good and approved. It means he is a sinner that trusts in God and is justified by his faith.
When you or I read that this great sinner was the father of many nations, and in the lineage of Jesus, it should teach us about the character and faithfulness of God, and show us that no one, not us or another whose actions we deem irredeemable, is too far gone to repent and come to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We always have to keep in mind that something being told in the Bible is not the same as God telling us it’s okay. Abram crafting this lie that led to his wife being taken into Pharaoh’s house IS a true even(hence it being in the book), but clearly against God’s wishes and design for marriage. The affliction of Pharaoh and subsequent rebuke (by Pharaoh, not even a man of God. You have to do something pretty bad to get rebuked by someone outside of the faith) and sending away of Abram punished him. We aren’t given details about Sarai’s feelings on the matter. That doesn’t mean God didn’t/ doesn’t care about these types of things, but she wasn’t the focal point of the story. God protects Sarai in Genesis 20, which Abram should have learned and done (but like all of us, has the sickness of sin and still hadn’t turned away(repented) of his fear of death), and gives protection to Hagar and her son later on after she is used to give the two a child, which was Sarai’s idea.
We see very clearly also in verse 12 that his heart’s motivation was not to exploit her for financial gain, it was to escape death by Pharaoh killing him to take her for his own wife (not me saying that’s a justified reason, but it’s important to understand). Pharaoh giving him many things was just a byproduct of pharaoh thinking it was his sister and wanting to be in a good graces.
It is absolutely wrong that Abram would ever let his wife be given to another man without protecting her, even if the face of death. God’s perfect will would have been Abram being honest and being protected by His favor. But, like many other hard to swallow historical accounts in the Bible, it highlights God’s mercy even to the worst of sinners as he still made a way for Abram and Sarai and even later blessed her barren womb with a child after she painfully longed for one for so long and went to very wrong lengths herself in telling Abram to sleep with Hagar (a place that we also aren’t told her side).
When I read this account, I see God’s graciousness to Abram and Sarai, even when they both repeatedly sin and mistrust him after this. Abram being called a man of great faith doesn’t mean all of his actions are good and approved. It means he is a sinner that trusts in God and is justified by his faith.
When you or I read that this great sinner was the father of many nations, and in the lineage of Jesus, it should teach us about the character and faithfulness of God, and show us that no one, not us or another whose actions we deem irredeemable, is too far gone to repent and come to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.