Genesis 12:10 - Meaning and Application

Here we see, first, a famine in the land of Canaan, and it was a severe one. That fruitful land was turned into a place of scarcity. This happened partly to punish the sin of the Canaanites living there, and partly to test Abram’s faith as he lived there as a stranger. It was a hard trial. It tested what he thought about God, who had brought him there, and whether he would complain, like Israel later did, that he had been brought out only to die of hunger (Exodus 16:3).

Only strong faith could keep him thinking rightly about God in such a providence. It also tested what he thought about the land of promise. Would he still see it as worth receiving, and as enough reason to leave his own country, when it now seemed to be a land that could not support its people? He had to trust that the God who brought him to Canaan would also sustain him there. He had to rejoice in God as his salvation, even when the fig tree did not bloom (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

This teaches us that strong faith is often tested by many hardships, so that it may prove worthy of praise, honor, and glory (1 Peter 1:6-7). God sometimes chooses to test new believers with great troubles. It is possible to be in the path of duty, and on the way to happiness, and still meet with deep disappointments.

Second, Abram moved into Egypt because of the famine. We can see God’s wisdom in arranging for plenty in one place when there was shortage in another. This keeps people from saying to one another, “I do not need you.” God’s providence provided food in Egypt, and Abram’s good sense made use of it. We would be testing God, not trusting him, if we refused to use the means he has kindly provided for our safety. We should not expect miracles where ordinary help is available.

What stands out in Abram’s conduct is that he did not think of going back to the country he had left, or even toward it. His homeland was north-east of Canaan, but when he had to leave Canaan for a time, he went to Egypt, which lay in the opposite direction, south-west. He did this so he would not even seem to be looking back (Hebrews 11:15-16). Also, when he went down to Egypt, he went only to stay there for a while, not to settle there.

This reminds us that, though God’s providence may sometimes place us in difficult situations, we should stay there only as long as necessary. We may sojourn where we are not meant to settle. A good person, while still on this side of heaven, is always only a traveler.

Third, Abram committed a serious fault when he denied that Sarai was his wife and said she was his sister. Scripture is fair when it tells the failures of even the greatest saints. These records are not given for us to copy, but for us to learn from, so that the one who thinks he stands should be careful not to fall.

His sin was that he hid his true relationship to Sarai and spoke in a way that was meant to deceive. What he said was true in one sense (Genesis 20:12), but he used that truth to hide the full truth. In effect, he denied his marriage and put both his wife and the Egyptians in danger of sin.

At the root of this was a fearful suspicion. He imagined that some Egyptians would be so taken with Sarai’s beauty, and Egypt likely had few women like her, that if they knew she was his wife they would kill him and marry her. He assumed they would rather commit murder than adultery, because marriage was then held in such high regard. From that he concluded, without good reason, “They will kill me.”

The fear of man brings a trap, and many people are pushed into sin because they are afraid of death (Luke 12:4-5). Abram was especially known for faith, yet here he fell through unbelief and distrust of God’s providence, even after God had appeared to him twice. If even the cedars can be shaken, what will happen to the weaker trees?