Genesis 12:14 – And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.

Genesis 12:15 – The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.

Hello readers, when you want Sarah… but there’s a guy called Abram. We are in Genesis 12 today, Genesis 12 is a key chapter in the Bible, it’s where we get to know a man called Abram, who was later called Abraham. God had told him to get out of his country and from his kindred to go into a land that he would show him. There’s a land in our lives that God wants us to go as well! But that involves faith, obedience and separation. Well, in Genesis 12, Abram came into the land that God called him to go to. Pretty neat huh. So often we get saved, it all seems pretty easy right. We find some plain sailing and calm waters and life’s just a breeze. Maybe you’re in easy mode at the moment. But there’s a lot of Abram’s life to go, there’s a lot of life for you to go as well.

No sooner had Abram come into the land, then there was a famine in the land. When you get saved, next there’ll be a famine. A famine that will starve you out. Maybe a famine of your former friends no longer accepting you, a famine of not enjoying all that worldly life you had before, it’s pleasures and sin. Anyway, you get tested. And when you get tried, it’s when you find out what your faith is really worth. You’ll know more about your faith, and more importantly the faith of Christ… in the downs. You may be riding high in life at the moment, but if you are saved, there’s going to be opposition and problems and hurdles, and next minute you’ll be leaving that good land God took you to… because you’ve started walking not by faith… but by sight. We have blogged before from this part of the Bible where we discussed how Abram went from faith to faithless… how easily we can lose trust in God and his word when circumstances of life come up and we start making our own (poor) decisions.

But today we will be talking about when Abram went to Egypt to escape the famine in the land, and in Egypt his beautiful wife was noticed. He thought they’d kill him for her so he said tell them you’re my sister! It wasn’t really a lie, but it wasn’t the full story either. It wasn’t the full revelation of who he was and who he was to her. Well they come into Egypt and she gets noticed. And because he’s her brother, Pharaoh treated him well because he wanted her, and he took her… but God plagued him big time, and he figured out she was Abram’s wife! So he got rid of them. Fair enough right?

But there is a picture in this story. We all want Sarah right, we want beautiful things, we all want good things, there’s many things that look good to us that we want in our lives and even our walk with God… but most of us don’t want them through faith in Jesus Christ and his word. She belonged to someone else. And those things you want, they belong to someone else. Jesus Christ. Sarah was married to Abram, and those things that we want are married to Christ. That is, they are his, they belong to him and are found in him. Grace, love, hope, faith, blessing, heaven… everything is wrapped up in the person of Christ. We can want everything God gives, just without the God who gives it. Pretty sad huh. We don’t mind God, and Pharaoh didn’t mind Abram so long as he was her brother… but husband? Get outta here. This world is quick to say get outta here to the gospel, to the true Lord Jesus Christ when he is revealed to them by the preaching of the Holy Spirit to their hearts.

People don’t mind Sarah… but they’re less keen on having Abram around, particularly as she’s his. What is wanting Sarah but not Abram? Many people don’t mind the “Sarah” part, they don’t mind picking and choosing what part of the Bible they like. They don’t mind grace, love, peace… but are less keen on rebuke of sin, repentance, judgement. Pharaoh wanted Sarah for his lust’s sake, people want to satisfy themselves, it’s about them and their pleasure, they’re not interested in living a life of putting God and his word first.

Wanting Sarah but not Abram… it’s wanting to go to heaven, but not being willing to repent of your sin and believe on Jesus Christ. It’s wanting good outcomes for your life, but not through obedience to God’s word. It’s wanting blessing, but not through faith. It’s doing religion, but not walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. The fact is, there are many “good” things that people of this world and Christians want… things like peace, unity, to get along, to do good (mostly) and so on. But they don’t want it through Jesus Christ. They don’t want to do things God’s way, they want to do things their own way.

We can want God’s blessing and favor upon our life… all that looks pretty good right… but it doesn’t look so good when we learn that comes through a life of repentance and faith. It doesn’t look so good when it’s not on our terms, but on his terms. We want God on our terms. Give God, and get out of my life otherwise sir. People aren’t opposed to “God”… they’re opposed to the Lord God of the Bible. THAT God… who is The God. Pharaoh didn’t mind Abram the brother, but he wasn’t so keen on Abram the husband! Maybe when you find out who Jesus Christ truly is, you won’t want any part of him either.

Pharaoh quite liked Sarah until he realized she was attached to Abram. He only treated Abram well for one reason, because of her. As soon as she was off the table, he couldn’t get rid of Abram fast enough. He went from treating Abram well to couldn’t get rid of him quick enough. Get out of here Abram. Abram was a real snag. If only we didn’t have to repent and believe. That’s a snag to your life right. I wouldn’t mind God if not for this repentance and faith stuff. This obedience to God’s word stuff.

People want good outcomes, good results in their life… without God. They don’t want to get what God has for us through faith. It started out well for Pharaoh, but really went sideways didn’t it. Many people start off the Christian life, but pretty soon they are offended and they get done with God and the Bible. They wanted good, but it wasn’t all that good. It’s not going to be good if you’re not truly saved. Many followed Christ at the start, and by the end, there was noone left, all forsook him and fled.

Pharaoh had no claim to Sarah, and this world has no claim to Sarah, it has no claim to what belongs to Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Sarah was married to Abram, off limits to Pharaoh. You’ll find out at the end of a Christ rejecting life that heaven is off limits to you. God’s blessing is off limits to you.

Just as Sarah was married to Abram… true happiness is married to Christ. True peace is married to Christ. True love is married to Christ. True life is married to Christ. True forgiveness is married to Christ. True hope is married to Christ. You see, all those things are found in Christ. You can’t get them without him. You can’t get them any other way.

And you think you’ve figured it out and you’ve brought Sarah into your house. Pharaoh did just that. But instead of blessing and goodness… a plague. Your life is plagued. Your life doesn’t have happiness, joy, peace, love, wisdom, light, truth… anything. Instead your life is plagued by sin, the judgement, condemnation and wrath of God abides on your life. Because you’re in violation of God’s word, your life is outside of faith in God’s word. God’s not going to bless you in your unsaved and disobedient and faithless state.

As much as the world wants to get the good and beautiful things… it is an impossible task, because they don’t know Christ, they reject him and hate him. And their way is rejected by God. God plagued Pharaoh for taking Abram’s wife. Oh how this world is plagued by it’s own ways and means, it’s own beliefs, it’s own philosophies. People want good outcomes in their life, just they want to do it their own way. But nuh uh… it won’t work without Christ. It won’t work without faith in God’s word.

People don’t mind looking on the fair things of Christianity. The fair things of religion. But they don’t want Jesus Christ through whom it all flows. There are many things about Christianity that people like, but they don’t want them through repentance, they don’t want them through obedience, they don’t want them through faith.

Oh, people say they love Jesus, Pharaoh treated Abram well for Sarah’s sake while he didn’t know she was his wife. People don’t mind a Jesus that doesn’t inconvenience them. They don’t mind a Jesus that is love, love, love. They’re not so keen on the Jesus of the Bible. People don’t mind acknowledging God. People don’t mind playing religion. But they’re pretty ready to release some things when they realize what they cost.

Pharaoh didn’t want anything to do with Abram. He only ever treated him well because he thought he could jag Sarah out of him. Maybe you think you jag the good things of God without ever repenting of your sin and rebellion. You’re like Pharaoh, you don’t mind the idea of heaven, the idea of blessing and things like joy, love, peace, unity and all that… but you thoroughly reject the Lord Jesus Christ. Sarah was married to Abram. All these things you want in life, you’re not going to get them outside of Christ. Hey, you don’t mind God while he’s going along with all your rubbish, but you truly reject Jesus Christ when you get to know him as he really is.

There is no forgiveness, no life, no eternal life, no heaven, no future, no purpose, no fulfillment, no joy, no happiness, no wisdom, no knowledge, no understanding, no blessing of God …nothing… without Jesus Christ. If you want grace, grace is received by faith, not by works, there’s nothing we can do to merit, earn or deserve God’s love and mercy toward us. Salvation is of the Lord, he gives it. Pharaoh just wanted the good part for his lust’s sake. People don’t mind the good parts, they wish they could take them with no Abram to worry about.

It’s a pity Pharaoh was so quick to send Abram away. Hey yeah she’s your wife, but tell me about that God you serve, I want in on his promises. He wanted the Sarah part for himself, he wasn’t so interested in the father of faith, he wasn’t interested in a life of faith and obedience to God’s word. People don’t want a bar of the gospel, of faith, of anything of God when it all truly comes to light… when it came to light, Pharaoh sent Abram packing… it’s like the unsaved and the backsliding Christian today, they drop the gospel and God’s word given to them like a hot potato. Don’t distance yourself from Christ, don’t send him packing. He is salvation, he is hope, he is truth, he is life. Believe on Jesus Christ and he will save you today.

Blog Bible Christ Christian Faith God Gospel Grace Holy Spirit Jesus KJV Lord Salvation Saved Truth