I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth…
Although rules have been adapted somewhat in recent years, the traditional way of taking an oath in court has been to promise to the tell the truth. In America it is to “swear to the the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
So it may be a bit of a surprise to learn that the patriarch Abraham, in early days, was found lying and hiding the truth.
Preparing the Bride for GOD’s Story
How do we prepare as the Bride of Christ? One aspect is to learn GOD’S STORY. He created us in His image…. Piece by piece, and peace by peace, we learn to walk as He has walked. And we learn His perspective.
Genesis 12:11-20
“And it came to pass, when he [Abram] was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.”
Sarai was Abram sister
Tracing the heritage of Abram and Sarai, we find that they were related. This marriage took place centuries before the Law which Moses passed down from the LORD to the Hebrew people; these laws included the rules / advice about marriage — a man must not marry his father’s wife, etc etc… Abram did marry his (half) sister (Genesis 20:12) which culturally, seemed to be acceptable at that time.
A partial truth: is that the same as a lie? Abram certainly didn’t encourage the whole truth when he arrived in Egypt. Abram wanted to protect himself and so he put his wife into a precarious position. Sarai was put into the Pharaoh’s harem, not a particularly desirable place for a married woman to be. But the whole business didn’t seem to be important to the LORD.
Abram had called it correctly. The couple had arrived; the Egyptians did fancy the woman; Sarai was invited into Pharaoh’s harem.
But GOD
GOD kept Sarai safe.
Pharaoh worked out the plague put upon Egypt came as a result of Sarai being in his harem.
Abram was sent packing with all his goods. No big deal.
And why didn’t GOD seem to mind that Abram hid the truth? Probably it was because Abram was proven precisely right… and as unpleasant as the whole experience might have been, alternatively had Abram been murdered and his wife “taken”, plague or no plague, it would have been too late to incorporate GOD’s plan with the one He’d chosen to give the Promised Land.
Sometimes things aren’t attractive but they are pragmatic. It isn’t right to lie but it seems to be demonstrated here, that the first priority is simply to protect life.