Genesis 12

Throughout the Bible, the biblical writers repeatedly refer to the promises God made to the founders of the Hebrew nation—the patriarchs. And the first of these promises were the ones made to Abram here at the beginning of Genesis Chapter 12.

4–9 In obedience to God’s renewed call, Abram, Sarai and Lot left Haran and journeyed to Canaan. The people they had acquired (verse 5) were servants employed by them to take care of their flocks and herds.

The site of the great tree of Moreh (verse 6) was a pagan worship site used by the Canaanites, the descendants of Canaan, the one who had been cursed by his grandfather Noah (Genesis 9:25). God appeared to Abram, probably in the form of an angel, and promised to give the land of Canaan, not to Abram himself, but to his offspring (verse 7). Six centuries would pass before this promise would be fulfilled through the leadership of Joshua; God’s promises never fail, but their fulfillment is often delayed because of man’s disobedience.

Just as Noah had done when he left the ark (Genesis 8:20), Abram built an altar at the place where God had appeared to him. This was the first of several altars Abram would build in order to show his thankfulness to God and to acknowledge that the land ultimately belonged to Him.

Abram in Egypt (12:10–20)

10–13 A famine in Canaan forced Abram and Sarai to go down to Egypt, which was ruled by Pharaoh.⁵⁵ In ancient times a ruler could take any beautiful woman into his harem; but if she was married, he would first kill her husband. Though Sarai was at least sixty-five years old,⁵⁶ she was still very beautiful; so Abram was afraid that Pharaoh would seek to kill him in order to obtain Sarai. Therefore, walking in fear instead of faith, Abram told Sarai to tell people she was his sister;⁵⁷ in that way, Abram’s life would be spared.

14–20 Sure enough, Pharaoh desired Sarai and took her as one of his wives; at the same time he rewarded Abram for making his “sister” available (verse 16). But God had promised to make Abram into a great nation (verse 2), and He had planned to do it by enabling Sarai to have a son. So God saved Sarai from Pharaoh; He did this by inflicting serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household (verse 17). When Pharaoh discovered that Sarai was the reason for the diseases, he gave her back to Abram (verses 18–19).

By his sin in giving Sarai to Pharaoh, Abram had jeopardized the fulfillment of God’s promise. But God overcame the effect of Abram’s sin, and Abram and Sarai left Egypt richer than when they came.⁵⁸ Indeed, all through Genesis and beyond, we are going to see God overcome the effects of the sins of His chosen leaders. In the end, God’s promises will not fail.