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. 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."
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she 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, menservants and maidservants, and camels.
OBSERVATION
Abram had great faith in leaving everything behind in order to follow God, but had fears about what others can do to him. In one hand he has great courage to blaze new trails, but on the other he worries too much. His anxiousness causes him to manipulate the truth while in Egypt. So he conveniently hides his marriage with Sarai but reveals that she was his half sister. He saves himself from scrutiny, but places his wife in danger. At first, everything seems fine. Abram gets a lot of stuff, what many would consider a "blessing." But behind Abram spin came along a curse that was affecting Pharaoh's household.
APPLICATION
Manipulating the truth is a dangerous yet very common practice in our 21st Century filled with immediate information and multiple media outlets. Data is exchanged so fast that the truth gets buried, sometimes intentionally, and often times unintentionally. At the same time, people grow suspicious and skeptical because they do not trust the sources of information. We don't know anymore what's the truth, what's spin, what's manipulation, and what is intentional misinformation.
In my personal life I can see myself struggling the same way Abram did: having faith for great things, but anxious and fearful about other things. Honesty is compromised very often not out of malice, but out of fear. And if I'm not careful, I will manipulate the truth just as Abram did. I could think that I'm safe, while the reality is that others will be vulnerable and in great danger. I could get immediate rewards, but at the end I may experience terrible consequences. For that reason, I must always have a strong commitment with honesty. Sometimes living in the truth is more painful that living in a spin of the truth. But at the end, the truth always prevails and rewards those who hold her dear.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the lack of honesty that sometimes comes in my life out of fear. Please set me free from anything that makes me anxious and causes me to compromise the truth. Let me discern between the truth and manipulated truth. Satan loves to twist the truth and I don't want to be like Him. He is the father of lies and I don't want to be related to him. I want to be your child and live in the light, embracing the truth, as painful as it is at times. Amen!
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