“And he (Pharaoh) entreated Abram well for her (Sarai’s) sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.” verse 16.
If Abram was exercised by the circumstances in which he had placed Sarai and himself, Pharaoh had treated him well. Sad indeed is the case of a Christian who is comfortable in the world because it is treating him well, but who has lost his identity with the One who has the only true claim on him. “Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19,2019What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19‑20).
Pharaoh’s showing favor to Abram has had its counterpart in the history of the church. In the year 325 A.D., with the decree of Constantine, the Roman Emperor, persecution of the Christians ceased. Then the world, which prior to that time had displayed its relentless hatred of Christ and His followers, began to treat them well. The sad result was that the church was soon mingling with the world and the world with the church, so that there was no longer any real definition between the two. This mixture brought on “the dark ages” with only here and there a ray of Christian testimony showing forth.
How wily is the enemy of our souls! If he cannot cause the Christian to give up his loyalty to Christ under persecution, he will then see to it that the world invites him into its circles and makes him comfortable there. Abram accumulated wealth and many possessions in Egypt, but he and his wife were much happier without all these gifts from Pharaoh, when in their own land, with only a tent and the altar, going on in dependence on God and in communion with Him.
What then is the safeguard of the believer who would avoid the snares of the world and be faithful to his Lord? It is recommended that the reader turn to Ephesians 6 and read for himself verse 10 to 18: “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God,...” etc. Constant faithfulness and dependence on God each day is essential, as well as prayer in communion with the loving Father; feeding on Christ, “the bread from heaven,” the Word of God being both one’s guide and encouragement; avoiding alliances with the world; not coveting riches, being content with God’s provisions along the way; then there should be faithful assembling together with those who call on the Lord out of a true heart and in conformity with His Word. These and many other similar admonitions from the precious Book of Life will help every child of God who desires to be a faithful witness.
Still God had not forgotten Abraham and was making all things work together for his good. If Egypt had betrayed him, it had at least taught him a lesson. He had yielded through weakness and want of faith in trial; but his heart was right, and after the trouble his fault had occasioned, and his restoration, the very effect of this humbling experience was to give him a sense of superiority to all worldly influence which saved him from the fatal mistake of Lot later on.
ML 03/14/1965