An "Exodus" Before the Exodus?

Exploring the Abraham Narratives

What do a plethora of children, a foreign land, a booming reputation, and an abundance of blessings have in common? They are all promises God made to Abram in Genesis 12:1-7.

What does Abram do in response to these promises?

^{Genesis 12:8}...He built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.

Afterward, Abram and his family made their way toward the Negev—a dry region in the southern part of Canaan. Then, we read:

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 

It doesn’t seem like a bad idea, right? If a famine struck the place you were living, would you not seek to find food elsewhere, too? Abram seems to be making a solid decision until…

¹¹ As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

Bad move, Abram. Instead of trusting God to protect him and Sarai in Egypt, Abram acted like the snake—he planned to deceive. He proposed a scheme to deceive the Egyptians to save his life, even at Sarai’s expense.

¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. ¹⁵ And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

Here, we have a replay of the Garden scene:

• Abram fills the slot of the snake—he’s the deceiver.

• The Egyptians fill the slot of Eve—they see and take Sarai.

• Sarai fills the slot of the forbidden fruit.

Abram’s deception gains him much wealth from the Pharaoh, but isn’t that a little backward? How will God respond to the situation?

¹⁷ But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

God sees what Abram and the Egyptians have done to Sarai, and he “strikes” (Hebrew: naga) Pharaoh’s entire house with “plagues” (Hebrew: nega). Consequently, Pharaoh is pissed at Abram because of his deception regarding Sarai and tells him, “Now then, here is your wife, taker her and go!” The scene ends with Abram, Sarai, and all their new possessions and servants being escorted out of Egypt.

Here, we have a pre-Exodus event:

• Abram story: Abram goes down into Egypt during a famine in Canaan

• Exodus story: Abram’s descendants go down into Egypt during a famine in Canaan (Gen. 42-48)

• Abram story: To free Sarai, God strikes Pharaoh’s house with plagues

• Exodus story: To free Sarai’s descendants, God strikes Egypt with plagues (Exod. 7-12)

• Abram story: Pharaoh rushes Abram and Sarai out of Egypt with their new possessions

• Exodus story: Pharaoh and the Egyptians rush the Israelites out of Egypt with silver, gold, and clothing (Exod. 12:31-36)

But…what about the consequences of Abram’s actions? Why did Pharaoh’s house face plagues, but Abram seems to get away with his deception?

Well, as we continue to read on in the following stories, we will see that Abram’s faulty decisions will catch with him—he’s not getting away with anything. Join me as we continue forward!