When we think about famine, we often think about lack of food, water, financial stress, poverty, sickness and even death. However, as we examine Scripture, we find when there is a famine in the land, it is a time for God’s people to be blessed.
Abraham: a famine in Canaan; he heads to Egypt
Abraham is called by God and told to go to the land of Canaan. Abraham arrives and journeys through the land. In Shechem, God gives him a blessing saying the land will be given to the descendants of Abraham. Abraham builds an altar. Abraham then continues farther south in the land. (Genesis 12:6-9) When he arrives at the southern region of Canaan, we are told there is a famine in the land. Abraham travels to Egypt.
10 Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.” 14 It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.
17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.” 20 Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him. (Genesis 12:10-20)
As we read the text, two things should stand out to us. First, Abraham and his wife agree to tell people Sarah is his sister. Second, Abraham left Egypt with a great abundance of wealth.
There has been a lot of debate over the centuries if Abraham’s actions were bad. It is common even today in the Middle East for a beautiful woman to be taken by the country’s leader. If she is married, the husband is killed. Abraham knew this. It was common policy in the ancient world. To preserve his life, the couple decides to lie/deceive the king of Egypt.
In verse 16, we are told Abraham is given many gifts for his wife. Abraham’s wealth greatly increased. On the surface this may seem like a blessing. But underneath, this wealth leads to a split in Abraham’s household.
I can only speculate with the text we have, but Abraham just displayed an incredible amount of faith. And now, faced with a challenge, his faith fails. Abraham just left his native land of Ur of the Chaldees and went to live in Haran. When his father died, Abraham then ventures all the way to Canaan. This is a time before automobiles and GPS. This is a time when travel is a long, arduous task and could be quite dangerous. Robbers and thieves could attack the caravan on the route or when the party stopped and made camp for the night. There were no hotels or motels. To make camp for the night took many hours. You had to create a fire, water the animals, make food for the night and for the next day, create sleeping chambers (either in the open or by pitching tents), etc. Once this was all completed, the next morning, everything had to be packed up, and you had to begin another day of travel.
I cannot imagine the faith and courage it must have taken Abraham to leave everything and follow God. Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran and traveled to Canaan. Very likely, Abraham would never see any of his family (save Lot) ever again.
Giving God a bad name
In verse 17 and 18, God strikes Pharaoh’s house with plagues, and Pharaoh recognizes the plagues are related to him taking Sarah as a wife. Pharaoh is mad at Abraham for lying to him. On the surface this seems to be a normal reaction to anyone who may have lied to us. We get mad and feel betrayed. But looking even farther, this whole situation gives God a bad name. Abraham was God’s servant. His deceptive actions degrade God’s character. Although nothing bad appears to Abraham except that he is escorted out of the land, in the end, going to Egypt is very costly.
In chapter 16, we are told Sarah has an Egyptian maid. Sarah is barren. She tells Abraham to take her maid and have children through her. The maid, Hagar, gets pregnant and has a son named Ishmael. Hagar and Ishmael are kicked out of Abraham’s household. Ishmael and Hagar travel to the east. Ishmael has 12 son. Many believe Ishmael is the father of the Arabs…a group of people who continue to be a thorn in Israel’s side to this day.
It is just speculation, but it seems the extravagant gifts Abraham received for lying to Pharaoh about Sarah being his sister in the end divided his household. Hagar and Ishmael were exiled. Ishmael became a wild man and seemed to be at odds with his relatives (Genesis 25:18).
Isaac and the famine in Israel
During Isaac’s lifetime, there is another famine in Canaan. However, a few things are different in Isaac’s story.
1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.”
6 So Isaac lived in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking, “the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is beautiful.” 8 It came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, certainly she is your wife! How then did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘I might die on account of her.’ ” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech charged all the people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”
12 Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.” 17 And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there. (Genesis 26:1-17)
Differences between Abraham and Isaac’s famine experience
First, he is told not to go to Egypt. So, he goes to Gerar, which is in Philistine territory. Second, although Isaac tells Rebekah to say she is his sister, Rebekah is not taken in by the king of the Philistines. Third, Isaac does not receive any gifts for his lying. Fourth, Isaac becomes wealthy because God blesses his produce. Fifth, Isaac is kicked out of the land because he is extremely successful with his crops.
One of the big differences between Abraham and Isaac is that Abraham received his wealth through deception (Pharaoh is the one who gave the abundance.). Isaac receives his wealth through planting, sowing and having successful breading of his animals (God is the one who gave the abundance.). Abraham’s wealth causes a division in his household. Isaac’s abundance only gives him wealth and prosperity (Nothing bad seems to be recorded with Isaac’s wealth.).
Pharaoh and his household experience plagues due to Abraham’s lie. The king of the Philistines do not experience any harm except the people become envious of Isaac’s prosperity. Pharaoh knew Abraham and his lie were causing all the harm to his household. The king of the Philistines has nothing to blame except Isaac was being abundantly blessed. God’s name is being glorified through Isaac’s successful crops and herds.
Lessons from Isaac and Abraham
The lessons we can learn from Abraham and Isaac’s stories is that although we may feel as though we are up against death (both Abraham and Isaac believed their wives were beautiful and would be taken into the king’s house), the outcome may or may not happen. Eventually our lie will be found out, and God’s character will be harmed. Both Abraham and Isaac knew to trust God and to leave the land when famine came; however, neither one had enough faith that God could protect them from the hand of the king.
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