Chapter 2: 1
Abraham and the Fears of Life

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8)

By faith Abraham departed from Ur of the Chaldeans trusting God's calling and depending on his Lord.  He was certain that his departure from his country to the land of Canaan was according to God’s will for his life, since the Lord called him to immigrate in a vivid way when He appeared to him in his country.

“The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.” (Acts 7:2-3)

By faith Abraham walked in his journey and came first to Shechem where he built an altar to the Lord to offer thanksgiving, praise, and also to declare his belief in the Lord. Then, he moved to Bethel where he pitched his tent and also built an altar to the Lord his God.

But after Bethel he started going on still toward the South. We fail to find justification for this traveling. It seems that this decision was according to Abraham's preference and not harmonious with God's will. During this gradual descending toward the South, a severe famine struck the land, and therefore Abraham decided to go down to Egypt to dwell there.

On his way down to Egypt, for the first time in the course of his faith journey, he felt scared. He tried to get rid of his fears in a human way. So instead of praying and asking the Lord for guidance, help, and deliverance from this frightening situation, he made Sarah say that she was his sister so the Egyptians would not kill him and let her live.

As a result of this fear, Abraham the man of God suffered from a harsh and bitter trial that cost him a lot throughout his voyage. Unfortunately, this was not the only time that the man of God Abraham failed that test, for he repeated the same mistake when he came to the land Gerar and again he said that Sarah was his sister.  “And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” (Genesis 20:1-2)

The Fears of Life
First: Personal Fears
Some of the fears leaked into Abraham’s heart when he was on the camel’s hump on his way to Egypt.  Maybe he was haunted with thoughts and questions such as: How will I live? What kind of work will I have?  Where will I live? Will there be hunger in Egypt or it is going to be better? How will I be able to deal with the Egyptians since I don’t know their language and their customs? How can I guarantee the future when I am approaching eighty year old? And will I find a place for agriculture and to herd the sheep?

Second: Family Fears
Maybe some questions wandered into Abraham’s mind, such as:  Will I be able to protect my wife and myself there? I am weak and a stranger. Will they kill me and take Sarah from me? If the Lord gives me offspring as He promised, will I be able to raise them in the fear of the Lord and protect them from all sins in Egypt.

Third: Spiritual Fears
Maybe some of these fears leaked into Abraham’s heart while he was on his way to Egypt:  Will I be able to keep my spiritual principles, and the friendship I have with my God? Will I be able to build an altar for Him in the mist of the sin of Egypt and the Egyptians?

When the fears managed to get a hold of Abraham, he started to weaken spiritually and behave according to the flesh. He started to think in a human way to get rid of his fears; he decided to have Sarah say that she is his sister to protect himself.

The thing that makes our hearts rejoice and overflow with thanksgiving and praise to the Lord worshiping Him, is that from this family that lived about four thousand years ago, (Abraham migrated the year of 2091 BC approximately), we can learn practical and beneficial lessons for us today. This is the righteous Word of God, helpful to every human being everywhere and anytime. We also contemplate the Lord’s cure for all these fears and how to overcome it all.

Magdy Samuel