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Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry |
G E N E S I S
CHAP. XII.
The pedigree and family of Abram we had an account of in the
foregoing chapter; here the Holy Ghost enters upon his story, and
henceforward Abram and his seed are almost the only subject of
the sacred history. In this chapter we have,
I. God’s call of
Abram to the land of Canaan,
II. Abram’s obedience
to this call,
III. His welcome to the land of Canaan,
IV. His journey to Egypt, with an account of what
happened to him there. Abram’s flight and fault,
Sarai’s danger and deliverance,
| The Call of Abram. | B. C. 1921. |
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1 Now the LORD had said unto
Abram, Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and
from thy father’s house, unto a land
that I will show thee:
2 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:
3 And I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth
thee: and in thee shall all families of
the earth be blessed.
We have here the call by which Abram was
removed out of the land of his nativity into
the land of promise, which was designed
both to try his faith and obedience and also
to separate him and set him apart for God,
and for special services and favours which
were further designed. The circumstances
of this call we may be somewhat helped to
the knowledge of from Stephen’s speech,
where we are told,
1. That the
God of glory appeared to him to give him
this call, appeared in such displays of his
glory as left Abram no room to doubt the
divine authority of this call. God spoke to
him afterwards in divers manners; but this
first time, when the correspondence was to
be settled, he appeared to him as the God of
glory, and spoke to him.
2. That this call
was given him in Mesopotamia, before he
dwelt in Charran; therefore we rightly read
it, The Lord had said unto Abram, namely,
in Ur of the Chaldees; and, in obedience to
this call, as Stephen further relates the story
(Acts vii. 4),
he came out of the land of the
Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran, or Haran,
about five years, and thence, when his father
was dead, by a fresh command, pursuant to
the former, God removed him into the land
of Canaan. Some think that Haran was in
Chaldea, and so was still a part of Abram’s
country, or that Abram, having staid there
five years, began to call it his country, and
to take root there, till God let him know this
was not the place he was intended for. Note,
If God loves us, and has mercy in store for
us, he will not suffer us to take up our rest
any where short of Canaan, but will graciously
repeat his calls, till the good work
begun be performed, and our souls repose in
God only. In the call itself we have a
precept and a promise.
I. A trying precept: Get thee out of thy
country,
v. 1.
Now,
1. By this precept he was tried whether
he loved his native soil and dearest friends,
and whether he could willingly leave all, to
go along with God. His country had become
idolatrous, his kindred and his father’s house
were a constant temptation to him, and he
could not continue with them without danger
of being infected by them; therefore
Get thee out, lk-lk—Vade tibi, Get thee gone,
with all speed, escape for thy life, look not behind
thee,
ch. xix. 17.
Note, Those that are in a
sinful state are concerned to make all possible
haste out of it. Get out for thyself (so some
read it), that is, for thy own good. Note,
Those who leave their sins, and turn to God,
will themselves be unspeakable gainers by the
change,
This command which
God gave to Abram is much the same with
the gospel call by which all the spiritual seed
of faithful Abram are brought into covenant
with God. For,
(1.) Natural affection must
give way to divine grace. Our country is
dear to us, our kindred dearer, and our
father’s house dearest of all; and yet they
must all be hated
(Luke xiv. 26),
that is, we
must love them less than Christ, hate them
in comparison with him, and, whenever any
of these come in competition with him, they
must be postponed, and the preference given
to the will and honour of the Lord Jesus.
(2.) Sin, and all the occasions of it, must be
forsaken, and particularly bad company; we
must abandon all the idols of iniquity which
have been set up in our hearts, and get out
of the way of temptation, plucking out even
a right eye that leads us to sin
(Matt. v. 29),
willingly parting with that which is dearest
to us, when we cannot keep it without hazard
of our integrity. Those that resolve to keep
the commandments of God must quit the
society of evil doers,
(3.) The world, and all our enjoyments
in it, must be looked upon with a holy indifference
and contempt; we must no longer
look upon it as our country, or home, but as
our inn, and must accordingly sit loose to it
and live above it, get out of it in affection.
2. By this precept he was tried whether
he could trust God further than he saw him;
for he must leave his own country, to go to a
land that God would show him. He does not
say, “It is a land that I will give thee,” but
merely, “a land that I will show thee.” Nor
does he tell him what land it was, nor what
kind of land; but he must follow God with
an implicit faith, and take God’s word for it,
in the general, though he had no particular
securities given him that he should be no
loser by leaving his country, to follow God.
Note, Those that will deal with God must
deal upon trust; we must quit the things
that are seen for things that are not seen,
and submit to the sufferings of this present
time in hopes of a glory that is yet to be
revealed
for it doth not yet
appear what we shall be
any more
than it did to Abram, when God called him to
a land he would show him, so teaching him to
live in a continual dependence upon his
direction, and with his eye ever towards him.
II. Here is an encouraging promise, nay,
it is a complication of promises, many,
and exceedingly great and precious. Note, All
God’s precepts are attended with promises to
the obedient. When he makes himself
known also as a rewarder: if we obey the
command, God will not fail to perform the
promise. Here are six promises:–
1. I will make of thee a great nation. When
God took him from his own people, he promised
to make him the head of another; he
cut him off from being the branch of a wild
olive, to make him the root of a good olive.
This promise was,
(1.) A great relief to
Abram’s burden; for he had now no child.
Note, God knows how to suit his favours to
the wants and necessities of his children.
He that has a plaster for every sore will provide
one for that first which is most painful.
(2.) A great trial to Abram’s faith; for his
wife had been long barren, so that, if he
believe, it must be against hope, and his faith
must build purely upon that power which
can out of stones raise up children unto Abraham,
and make them a great nation. Note,
[1.] God makes nations: by him they are
born at once
(Isa. lxvi. 8),
and he speaks, to
build and plant them,
And,
[2.] If a nation be made great in wealth
and power, it is God that makes it great.
[3.] God can raise great nations out of dry
ground, and can make a little one to be a
thousand.
2. I will bless thee, either particularly with
the blessing of fruitfulness and increase, as
he had blessed Adam and Noah, or, in general,
“I will bless thee with all manner of
blessings, both of the upper and the nether
springs. Leave thy father’s house, and I
will give thee a father’s blessing, better than
that of they progenitors.” Note, Obedient
believers will be sure to inherit the blessing.
3. I will make thy name great. By deserting
his country, he lost his name there.
“Care not for that,” says God, “but trust
me, and I will make thee a greater name
than ever thou couldst have had there.”
Having no child, he feared he should have
no name; but God will make him a great
nation, and so make him a great name.
Note,
(1.) God is the fountain of honour,
and from him promotion comes,
(2.) The name of obedient believers shall
certainly be celebrated and made great. The
best report is that which the elders obtained
by faith,
4. Thou shalt be a blessing; that is, (1.)
“Thy happiness shall be a sample of happiness,
so that those who would bless their
friends shall only pray that God would make
them like Abram;” as
Note,
God’s dealings with obedient believers are
so kind and gracious that we need not desire
for ourselves or our friends to be any better
dealt with: to have God for our friend is
blessedness enough.
(2.) “Thy life shall be
a blessing to the places where thou shalt
sojourn.” Note, Good men are the blessings
of their country, and it is their unspeakable
honour and happiness to be made so.
5. I will bless those that bless thee and
curse him that curseth thee. This made it a
kind of a league, offensive and defensive,
between God and Abram. Abram heartily
espoused God’s cause, and here God promises
to interest himself in his.
(1.) He promises
to be a friend to his friends, to take kindnesses
shown to him as done to himself, and
to recompense them accordingly. God will
take care that none be losers, in the long
run, by any service done for his people; even
a cup of cold water shall be rewarded.
(2.) He promises to appear against his enemies.
There were those that hated and cursed even
Abram himself; but, while their causeless
curses could not hurt Abram, God’s righteous
curse would certainly overtake and ruin
them,
This is a good reason
why we should bless those that curse us,
because it is enough that God will curse
them,
Ps. xxxviii. 13-15.
6. In thee shall all the families of the earth be
blessed. This was the promise that crowned
all the rest; for it points at the Messiah, in
whom all the promises are yea and amen.
Note,
(1.) Jesus Christ is the great blessing
of the world, the greatest that ever the world
was blessed with. He is a family blessing,
by him salvation is brought to the house
(Luke xix. 9);
when we reckon up our family
blessings, let us put Christ in the
imprimis–the first place, as the blessing of
blessings. But how are all the families of
the earth blessed in Christ, when so many
are strangers to him? Answer,
[1.] All that
are blessed are blessed in him,
[2.] All that believe, of what family soever
they shall be, shall be blessed in him.
[3.] Some
of all the families of the earth are blessed in
him.
[4.] There are some blessings which
all the families of the earth are blessed with
in Christ; for the gospel salvation is a common
salvation,
Jude 3.
(2.) It is a great
honour to be related to Christ; this made
Abram’s name great, that the Messiah was
to descend from his loins, much more than
that he should be the father of many nations.
It was Abram’s honour to be his father by
nature; it will be ours to be his brethren by
grace,
| Arrival of Abram in Canaan. | B. C. 1920. |
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4 So Abram departed, as the LORD
had spoken unto him; and Lot went
with him: and Abram was seventy
and five years old when he departed
out of Haran.
5 And Abram took
Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s
son, and all their substance that they
had gathered, and the souls that they
had gotten in Haran; and they went
forth to go into the land of Canaan;
and into the land of Canaan they came.
Here is,
I. Abraham’s removal out of his
country, out of Ur first and afterwards out
of Haran, in compliance with the call of
God: So Abram departed; he was not disobedient
to the heavenly vision, but did as
he was bidden, not conferring with flesh and
blood,
His obedience was
speedy and without delay, submissive and
without dispute; for he went out, not knowing
whither he went
(Heb. xi. 8),
but knowing
whom he followed and under whose direction
he went. Thus God called him to his foot,
Isa. xli. 2.
II. His age when he removed: he was
seventy-five years old, an age when he should
rather have had rest and settlement; but, if
God will have him to begin the world again
now in his old age, he will submit. Here is
an instance of an old convert.
III. The company and cargo that he took
with him.
1. He took his wife, and his nephew Lot,
with him; not by force and against their
wills, but by persuasion. Sarai, his wife,
would be sure to go with him; God had
joined them together, and nothing should
put them asunder. If Abram leave all, to
follow God, Sarai will leave all, to follow
Abram, though neither of them knew whither.
And it was a mercy to Abram to have such
a companion in his travels, a help meet for
him. Note, It is very comfortable when
husband and wife agree to go together in
the way to heaven. Lot also, his kinsman, was
influenced by Abram’s good example, who
was perhaps his guardian after the death of
his father, and he was willing to go along
with him too. Note, Those that go to
Canaan need not go alone; for, though few
find the strait gate, blessed be God, some do;
and it is our wisdom to go with those with
whom God is
wherever they go.
2. They took all their effects with them–all
their substance and movable goods, that
they had gathered. For,
(1.) With themselves
they would give up their all, to be at God’s
disposal, would keep back no part of the
price, but venture all in one bottom, knowing
it was a good bottom.
(2.) They would
furnish themselves with that which was requisite,
both for the service of God and the
supply of their family, in the country whither
they were going. To have thrown away his
substance, because God had promised to
bless him, would have been to tempt God,
not to trust him.
(3.) They would not be
under any temptation to return; therefore
they leave not a hoof behind, lest that should
make them mindful of the country from
which they came out.
3. They took with them the souls that they
had gotten, that is,
(1.) The servants they had
bought, which were part of their substance,
but are called souls, to remind masters that
their poor servants have souls, precious
souls, which they ought to take care of and
provide food convenient for.
(2.) The proselytes
they had made, and persuaded to
attend the worship of the true God, and to
go with them to Canaan: the souls which
(as one of the rabbin expresses it) they had
gathered under the wings of the divine Majesty.
Note, Those who serve and follow God
themselves should do all they can to bring
others to serve and follow him too. These
souls they are said to have gained. We
must reckon ourselves true gainers if we can
but win souls to Christ.
IV. Here is their happy arrival at their
journey’s end: They went forth to go into the
land of Canaan; so they did before
(ch. xi. 31),
and then took up short, but now they
held on their way, and, by the good hand of
their God upon them, to the land of Canaan
they came, where by a fresh revelation they
were told that this was the land God promised
to show them. They were not discouraged
by the difficulties they met with in their
way, nor diverted by the delights they met
with, but pressed forward. Note,
1. Those
that set out for heaven must persevere to the
end, still reaching forth to those things that
are before.
2. That which we undertake in
obedience to God’s command, and a humble
attendance upon his providence, will certainly
succeed, and end with comfort at
last.
| Abram’s Devotion. | B. C. 1921. |
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6 And Abram passed through the
land unto the place of Sichem, unto
the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite
was then in the land.
7 And
the LORD appeared unto Abram, and
said, Unto thy seed will I give this
land: and there builded he an altar
unto the LORD, who appeared unto
him.
8 And he removed from thence
unto a mountain on the east of
Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having
Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the
east: and there he builded an altar unto
the LORD, and called upon the name of
the LORD.
9 And Abram journeyed,
going on still toward the south.
One would have expected that Abram
having had such an extraordinary call to
Canaan some great event should have followed upon
his arrival there, that he should
have been introduced with all possible
marks of honour and respect, and that the
kings of Canaan should immediately have
surrendered their crowns to him, and done
him homage. But no; he comes not with
observation, little notice is taken of him, for
still God will have him to live by faith, and
to look upon Canaan, even when he was in
it, as a land of promise; therefore observe
here,
I. How little comfort he had in the land
he came to; for,
1. He had it not to himself:
The Canaanite was then in the land.
He found the country peopled and possessed
by Canaanites, who were likely to be but
bad neighbours and worse landlords; and,
for aught that appears, he could not have
ground to pitch his tent on but by their
permission. Thus the accursed Canaanites
seemed to be in better circumstances than
blessed Abram. Note, The children of this
world have commonly more of it than
God’s children.
2. He had not a settlement
in it. He passed through the land,
v. 6.
He removed to a mountain,
v. 8.
He journeyed,
going on still,
v. 9.
Observe here,
(1.) Sometimes
it is the lot of good men to be unsettled,
and obliged often to remove their
habitation. Holy David had his wanderings,
his flittings,
(2.) Our removes
in this world are often into various conditions.
Abram sojourned, first in a plain
v. 6,
then in a mountain,
v. 8.
God has set the one
over-against the other.
(3.) All good people
must look upon themselves as strangers and
sojourners in this world, and by faith sit
loose to it as a strange country. So Abram
did,
(4.) While we are here
in this present state, we must be journeying,
and going on still from strength to strength,
as having not yet attained.
II. How much comfort he had in the God
he followed; when he could have little satisfaction
in converse with the Canaanites whom
he found there, he had abundance of pleasure
in communion with that God who brought
him thither, and did not leave him. Communion
with God is kept up by the word and
by prayer, and by these, according to the
methods of that dispensation, Abram’s communion
with God was kept up in the land
of his pilgrimage.
1. God appeared to Abram, probably in a
vision, and spoke to him good words and
comfortable words: Unto thy seed will I give
this land. Note,
(1.) No place nor condition
of life can shut us out from the comfort
of God’s gracious visits. Abram is a sojourner,
unsettled among Canaanites; and yet here
also he meets with him that lives and sees
him. Enemies may part us and our tents,
us and our altars, but not us and our God.
Nay,
(2.) With respect to those that faithfully
follow God in a way of duty, though
he lead them from their friends, he will himself
make up that loss by his gracious appearances
to them.
(3.) God’s promises are
sure and satisfying to all those who conscientiously
observe and obey his precepts;
and those who, in compliance with God’s
call, leave or lose any thing that is dear to
them, shall be sure of something else abundantly
better in lieu of it. Abram had left
the land of his nativity: “Well,” says God,
“I will give thee this land,”
(4.) God reveals himself and his favours to
his people by degrees; before he had promised
to show him this land, now to give it to him:
as grace is growing, so is comfort.
(5.) It
is comfortable to have land of God’s giving,
not by providence only, but by promise.
(6.) Mercies to the children are mercies to
the parents. “I will give it, not to thee,
but to thy seed;” it is a grant in reversion
to his seed, which yet, it should seem, Abram
understood also as a grant to himself of a
better land in reversion, of which this was a
type; for he looked for a heavenly country,
2. Abram attended on God in his instituted
ordinances. He built an altar unto the Lord
who appeared to him, and called on the name
of the Lord,
v. 7, 8.
Now consider this,
(1.) As done upon a special occasion. When
God appeared to him, then and there he
built an altar, with an eye to the God who
appeared to him. Thus he returned God’s
visit, and kept up his correspondence with
heaven, as one that resolved it should not
fail on his side; thus he acknowledged, with
thankfulness, God’s kindness to him in
making him that gracious visit and promise;
and thus he testified his confidence in and
dependence upon the word which God had
spoken. Note, An active believer can heartily
bless God for a promise the performance of
which he does not yet see, and build an altar
to the honour of God who appears to him,
though he does not yet appear for him.
(2.) As his constant practice, whithersoever he
removed. As soon as Abram had got to
Canaan, though he was but a stranger and
sojourner there, yet he set up, and kept up,
the worship of God in his family; and wherever
he had a tent God had an altar, and that
an altar sanctified by prayer. For he not
only minded the ceremonial part of religion,
the offering of sacrifice, but made conscience
of the natural duty of seeking to his God,
and calling on his name, that spiritual sacrifice
with which God is well pleased. He
preached concerning the name of the Lord,
that is, he instructed his family and neighbours
in the knowledge of the true God and
his holy religion. The souls he had gotten in
Haran, being discipled, must be further
taught. Note, Those that would approve
themselves the children of faithful Abram,
and would inherit the blessing of Abram,
must make conscience of keeping up the
solemn worship of God, particularly in their
families, according to the example of Abram.
The way of family worship is a good old
way, is no novel invention, but the ancient
usage of all the saints. Abram was very
rich and had a numerous family, was now
unsettled and in the midst of enemies, and
yet, wherever he pitched his tent, he built
an altar. Wherever we go, let us not fail to
take our religion along with us.
| Abram’s Removal into Egypt. | B. C. 1920. |
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10 And there was a famine in the
land: and Abram went down into
Egypt to sojourn there; for the
famine was grievous in the land.
11 And it came to pass, when he was
come near to enter into Egypt, that
he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold
now, I know that thou art a fair
woman to look upon:
12 Therefore
it shall come to pass, 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.
13 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.
Here is,
I. A famine in the land of Canaan,
a grievous famine. That fruitful land was
turned into barrenness, not only to punish
the iniquity of the Canaanites who dwelt
therein, but to exercise the faith of Abram
who sojourned therein; and a very sore trial
it was; it tried what he would think,
1. Of
God that brought him thither, whether he
would not be ready to say with his murmuring
seed that he was brought forth to be
killed with hunger,
Exod. xvi. 3.
Nothing
short of a strong faith could keep up good
thoughts of God under such a providence.
2. Of the land of promise, whether he would
think the grant of it worth the accepting,
and a valuable consideration for the relinquishing
of his own country, when, for aught
that now appeared, it was a land that ate up
the inhabitants. Now he was tried whether
he could preserve an unshaken confidence
that the God who brought him to Canaan
would maintain him there, and whether he
could rejoice in him as the God of his salvation
when the fig-tree did not blossom,
Note,
(1.) Strong faith is
commonly exercised with divers temptations,
that it may be found to praise, and
honour, and glory,
1 Pet. i. 6, 7.
(2.) It
pleases God sometimes to try those with
great afflictions who are but young beginners
in religion.
(3.) It is possible for a man
to be in the way of duty, and in the way to
happiness, and yet meet with great troubles
and disappointments.
II. Abram’s removal into Egypt, upon
occasion of this famine. See how wisely
God provides that there should be plenty in
one place when there was scarcity in another,
that, as members of the great body, we may
not say to one another, I have no need of
you. God’s providence took care there
should be a supply in Egypt, and Abram’s
prudence made use of the opportunity; for
we tempt God, and do not trust him, if, in
the time of distress, we use not the means
he has graciously provided for our
preservation: We must not expect needless miracles.
But that which is especially observable here,
to the praise of Abram, is that he did not
offer to return, upon this occasion, to the
country from which he came out, nor so much
as towards it. The land of his nativity lay
north-east from Canaan; and therefore, when
he must, for a time, quit Canaan, he chooses
to go to Egypt, which lay south-west, the
contrary way, that he might not so much as
seem to look back. See
Further observe, When he went down into
Egypt, it was to sojourn there, not to dwell
there. Note,
1. Though Providence, for a
time, may cast us into bad places, yet we
ought to tarry there no longer than needs
must; we may sojourn where we may not
settle.
2. A good man, while he is on this
side heaven, wherever he is, is but a sojourner.
III. A great fault which Abram was guilty
of, in denying his wife, and pretending that
she was his sister. The scripture is impartial
in relating the misdeeds of the most
celebrated saints, which are recorded, not for
our imitation, but for our admonition, that
he who thinks he stands may take heed lest he
fall.
1. His fault was dissembling his relation
to Sarai, equivocating concerning it,
and teaching his wife, and probably all his
attendants, to do so too. What he said was,
in a sense, true
(ch. xx. 12),
but with a purpose
to deceive; he so concealed a further
truth as in effect to deny it, and to expose
thereby both his wife and the Egyptians to
sin.
2. That which was at the bottom of it
was a jealous timorous fancy he had that
some of the Egyptians would be so charmed
with the beauty of Sarai (Egypt producing
few such beauties) that, if they should know
he was her husband, they would find some
way or other to take him off, that they might
marry her. He presumes they would rather
be guilty of murder than adultery, such
a heinous crime was it then accounted and
such a sacred regard was paid to the marriage
bond; hence he infers, without any good
reason, They will kill me. Note, The fear of
man brings a snare, and many are driven to
sin by the dread of death,
The grace Abram was most eminent for was
faith; and yet he thus fell through unbelief
and distrust of the divine Providence, even
after God had appeared to him twice. Alas!
what will become of the willows, when the
cedars are thus shaken?
| Abram’s Denial of His Wife. | B. C. 1920. |
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14 And it came to pass, that, when
Abram was come into Egypt, the
Egyptians beheld the woman that she
was very fair.
15 The princes also
of Pharaoh saw her, and commended
her before Pharaoh: and the woman
was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
16 And he entreated Abram well for
her sake: and he had sheep, and
oxen, and he asses, and menservants,
and maidservants, and she asses, and
camels.
17 And the LORD plagued
Pharaoh and his house with great
plagues because of Sarai Abram’s
wife.
18 And Pharaoh called Abram,
and said, What is this that thou hast
done unto me? why didst thou not
tell me that she was thy wife?
19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister?
so I might have taken her to me to
wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take
her, and go thy way.
20 And
Pharaoh commanded his men concerning
him: and they sent him away,
and his wife, and all that he had.
Here is,
I. The danger Sarai was in of
having her chastity violated by the king of
Egypt: and without doubt the peril of sin is
the greatest peril we can be in. Pharaoh’s
princes (his pimps rather) saw her, and, observing
what a comely woman she was, they
commended her before Pharaoh, not for that
which was really her praise–her virtue and
modesty, her faith and piety (these were no
excellencies in their eyes), but for her beauty,
which they thought too good for the embraces
of a subject. They recommended her to the
king, and she was presently taken into Pharaoh’s
house, as Esther into the seraglio of
Ahasuerus
(Esth. ii. 8),
in order to her being
taken into his bed. Now we must not look upon
Sarai as standing fair for preferment, but as
entering into temptation; and the occasions
of it were her own beauty (which is a snare
to many) and Abram’s equivocation, which
is a sin that commonly is an inlet to much
sin. While Sarai was in this danger, Abram
fared the better for her sake. Pharaoh gave
him sheep, oxen, &c.
(v. 16),
to gain his consent,
that he might the more readily prevail
with her whom he supposed to be his sister.
We cannot think that Abram expected this
when he came down into Egypt, much less
that he had an eye to it when he denied his
wife; but God brought good out of evil.
And thus the wealth of the sinner proves, in
some way or other, to be laid up for the just.
II. The deliverance of Sarai from this
danger. For if God did not deliver us, many
a time, by prerogative, out of those straits
and distresses which we bring ourselves into
by our own sin and folly, and which therefore
we could not expect any deliverance
from by promise, we should soon be ruined,
nay, we should have been ruined long before
this. He deals not with us according to our
deserts.
1. God chastised Pharaoh, and so prevented
the progress of his sin. Note, Those are
happy chastisements that hinder us in a sinful
way, and effectually bring us to our duty,
and particularly to the duty of restoring that
which we have wrongfully taken and detained.
Observe, Not Pharaoh only, but his
house, was plagued, probably those princes
especially that had commended Sarai to Pharaoh.
Note, Partners in sin are justly made
partners in the punishment. Those that
serve others’ lusts must expect to share
in their plagues. We are not told particularly
what these plagues were; but doubtless there
was something in the plagues themselves,
or some explication added to them, sufficient
to convince them that it was for Sarai’s sake
that they were thus plagued.
2. Pharaoh reproved Abram, and then dismissed
him with respect.
(1.) The reproof was calm, but very just:
What is this that thou hast done? What an
improper thing! How unbecoming a wise
and good man! Note, If those that profess
religion do that which is unfair and disingenuous,
especially if they say that which borders
upon a lie, they must expect to hear of
it, and have reason to thank those that will
tell them of it. We find a prophet of the
Lord justly reproved and upbraided by a
heathen ship-master,
Pharaoh
reasons with him: Why didst thou not tell
me that she was thy wife? intimating that,
if he had known this, he would not have
taken her into his house. Note, It is a fault
too common among good people to entertain
suspicions of others beyond what there is
cause for. We have often found more of
virtue, honour, and conscience, in some people
than we thought they possessed; and it
ought to be a pleasure to us to be thus disappointed,
as Abram was here, who found
Pharaoh to be a better man than he expected.
Charity teaches us to hope the best.
(2.) The dismission was kind and very
generous. He restored him his wife without
offering any injury to her honour: Behold
thy wife, take her,
v. 19.
Note, Those that
would prevent sin must remove the temptation,
or get out of the way of it. He also
sent him away in peace, and was so far from
any design to kill him, as he apprehended,
that he took particular care of him. Note,
We often perplex and ensnare ourselves with
fears which soon appear to have been altogether
groundless. We often fear where no
fear is. We fear the fury of the oppressor,
as though he were ready to destroy, when
really there is no danger,
It would have been more for Abram’s credit
and comfort to have told the truth at first;
for, after all, honesty is the best policy. Nay,
it is said
(v. 20),
Pharaoh commanded his
men concerning him, that is,
[1.] He charged
them not to injure him in any thing. Note,
It is not enough for those in authority to do
no hurt themselves, but they must restrain
their servants, and those about them, from
doing hurt. Or,
[2.] He appointed them,
when Abram was disposed to return home,
after the famine, to conduct him safely out
of the country, as his convoy. Probably he
was alarmed by the plagues
(v. 17),
and inferred
from them that Abram was a particular
favourite of Heaven, and therefore,
through fear of their return, took special care
he should receive no injury in his country.
Note, God has often raised up friends for
his people, by making men know that it is
at their peril if they hurt them. It is a dangerous
thing to offend Christ’s little ones.
To this passage, among
others, the Psalmist refers,
He reproved kings for their sakes, saying,
Touch not my anointed. Perhaps if Pharaoh
had not sent him away, he would have been
tempted to stay in Egypt and to forget the
land of promise. Note, Sometimes God
makes use of the enemies of his people to
convince them, and remind them, that this
world is not their rest, but that they must
think of departing.
Lastly, Observe a resemblance between
this deliverance of Abram out of Egypt and
the deliverance of his seed thence: 430
years after Abram went into Egypt on occasion
of a famine they went thither on occasion
of a famine also; he was fetched out with
great plagues on Pharaoh, so were they; as
Abram was dismissed by Pharaoh, and enriched
with the spoil of the Egyptians, so
were they. For God’s care of his people is
the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.
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