Genesis 12:10-20; Genesis 13:1-13; Genesis 20:1-18 The First Episode-Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20; Genesis 13:1-13; Genesis 20:1-18) In a sense, Abraham backslides; he deviates from the chosen path. We must expect to find temptations, although we are in the path of God’ s choosing. Even Jesus Christ was not free from temptation. But temptation is not sin, nor need it become so. This is the first mention of Egypt in the Bible. Egypt means “ to bind,” “ to straighten,” “ to trouble.” Egypt is always a type of the world. “ Going down to Egypt” was not altogether like going back to Ur of the Chaldees. It was a kind of midway experience between the old life and the new. Egypt was not altogether irreligious, but it was not spiritual. The influence of this sidestepping is seen in Abraham’ s having to resort to lying, expediency, and compromise while in Egypt. The friend of God has become the servant in the palace of Pharaoh. How are the mighty fallen! Abraham’ s statement regarding his wife being his sister was a half-truth, for she was his half-sister (Genesis 20:12). A half-truth, however, is a lie when it is uttered with intent to deceive, as was clearly the case with Abraham. It is interesting to note in this connection that even as far back as Abraham’ s time, the marriage vow was held so sacred among the Egyptians that in order to possess another man’ s wife, the husband must first be killed. According to twentieth century moral standards, a man’ s wife may be taken from him while the husband still lives, and yet we talk about evolution and the progress in the civilization of the race. Abraham’ s selfishness is shown by the fact that he was willing to sacrifice his wife’ s honor to save his own life. Just why God allowed Abraham to go down into Egypt, we do not know. He lets us follow our own way sometimes, that we may learn a needed lesson. The cause of the descent into Egypt was outwardly the famine, but, inwardly and really, it was a lack of faith in God. Abraham prospered when in Egypt, but he was not happy, and the possessions he gained while there caused him great trouble in the future. He learned that it was better to be in Canaan with famine than in Egypt with prosperity; that it was better to “ be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” He lost his fellowship with God, and his influence with his family. He was reproached by the heathen for his inconsistency of conduct. His extreme selfishness was shown in being willing to sacrifice the honor of his wife to save his own life. He must ever afterwards have seen that look of reproach in the face of Sarah, as she recalled this incident. Abraham had no vision, no altar, no worship while he was in Egypt. It was a sore mistake he made, and he suffered keenly for it. There are instructive lessons in this episode in the path of Abraham for us. No child of God is free from temptation, yet no one needs to yield to temptation. Not temptation, but yielding to it, is sin. There is great danger to the child of God in stepping back halfway, not necessarily altogether, into the old life, but a step down from the point already reached in spiritual experience. The results are compromise in living, silenced testimony, lack of influence for God, no communion or fellowship with Him, the reproach and shame of the world, and the loss of joy and peace in one’ s own soul. We, with Abraham, must learn the lesson that God is well able, without our diplomacy, to carry out His own plans. Abraham finally returned to Bethel. Note the expression, “ went down” to Egypt, but “ went up” to Bethel. He went back to the starting point. That was a brave thing to do in the face of his family, servants, and household. And that is the thing for the Christian to do-to go back to the point he left, unto the place of the altar, and do the first works over again-“ back to Bethel.” The sad thing about this episode is that the time spent by Abraham in Egypt was lost time and could never be regained. The time spent by the children of Israel in Egypt is reckoned as lost time. The day of their deliverance was to be the beginning of years to them (Exodus 12:2). We do not really begin to live until we are made partakers of the life of God (John 3:3; John 3:5; John 17:3; 1 Timothy 5:6).