The Calling of Abraham

After the Tower of Babel incident, we wade through another long lineage and are finally introduced to Abraham (or Abram).

The Lord called upon Abraham and said:

Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee:

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.

With the Lord’s blessing, Abraham settled in the land of Canaan where he “built an altar unto the Lord”.

Apparently something happened to between God and Abraham because not soon after there was a “grievous famine” in all the land and Abraham was forced to sojourn to Egypt for relief.

While approaching Egypt, Abraham turns to his wife and says:

Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:

Therefore it shall come to poss, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.

Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Apparently, Abraham knew beauty when he saw it, for when they entered Egypt, Sarai (Abraham’s wife) turned quite a few heads. Word even got around to Pharaoh and he took her into his house. (Read, she was taken into his harem). For payment, Pharaoh gave Abraham “sheep, and oxen, and asses and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses and camels”.

Wow, quite the bargain!

It was around this time that the Lord God saw all of this going on and got a little perturbed. He sent a “great plague” upon Pharaoh and his house.

Pharaoh, obviously a bit confused, calls Abraham and asks him a fairly logical question. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me she was your wife, you jackass.” (I’m paraphrasing). And yet, in spite of all his suffering, Pharaoh was actually quite forgiving. He sent Abraham away with his wife and all he owned.

I’m assuming Sarai forgave Abraham’s transgression, but then again, I haven’t read that far, yet. The whole affair certainly brings Abraham’s “manhood” into question. A man willing to sell his wife into sexual servitude for fear of his well-being is what I like to call a “moral coward”. I wonder if there are many who agree with me.

Abraham in Egypt according to The Brick Testament