There is a drought in Zambia. My friend Moffat Zimba told me. I did not know. In a country dependent on hydro-electric power, they have twelve hours of electricity and twelve hours of darkness. Droughts in the ancient world led to famines which led to migrations of people. We hear it in the narrative of scripture, not only here, but also in the Jacob/Joseph part of this story as well as later in Ruth. People often leave their land when their lives are threatened by natural disasters or war. This is happening today, across the world.
Remember Abram and Sarai were sojourners. God promised them land but had not yet given them the title or deed. A drought sent them scurrying to Egypt. Their descendants Jacob and Joseph would also end up in Egypt because of famine. Later, Joseph, Mary and Jesus also went to Egypt to escape harm from Herod the Great. Mass migrations go way back in history.
What do we learn about Abraham from this experience? Though he was commended for his faith, he feared the Egyptians might kill him to steal his wife. That is why he asked her to tell them that she was his sister. This raises so many questions for me. First, didn’t this put her life at risk? If Abram could trust God enough to go to the promised land, couldn’t he trust God to protect him in Egypt?
Abram also set a pattern of prevarication in his family. His son Isaac would also lie about his wife in a similar way. Jacob later lied to Isaac as he stole his brother’s blessing. Joseph’s brothers lied about selling him into slavery. We receive traits from our families through both genetics and epigenetics. A blood test reveals genetic distinctions. Only keen observation enables us to understand our families’ epigenetic tendencies. Suffice it to say, Joseph’s sons came from a long line of liars.
Just between you and God, are there any partial truths lingering in your personal narrative. Carefully consider: do you exaggerate or stretch the truth? Do you say, or not say salient facts to curate the response of your listeners? We may be sure that the generations which follow us will learn how to do life by watching us.
Years ago, Lillian Carter, Jimmy Carter’s mother tried to explain a white lie to a news reporter. He asked her for an example. She said, “Remember, when you entered the room and I told you I was glad to see you?” No matter our family patterns, we were made in the image of the One who is always true. Do we trust God to take care of us when we tell the truth today? We may. Will we?
