舊約人物：亞伯拉罕--祝福緊隨著試驗
創世記十二章10節至十三章4節
10那地遭遇饑荒。因饑荒甚大，亞伯蘭就下埃及去，要在那裡暫居。
11將近埃及，就對他妻子撒萊說：我知道你是容貌俊美的婦人。
12埃及人看見你必說：這是他的妻子，他們就要殺我，卻叫你存活。
13求你說，你是我的妹子，使我因你得平安，我的命也因你存活。
14及至亞伯蘭到了埃及，埃及人看見那婦人極其美貌。
15法老的臣宰看見了他，就在法老面前誇獎他。那婦人就被帶進法老的宮去。
16法老因這婦人就厚待亞伯蘭，亞伯蘭得了許多牛、羊、駱駝、公驢、母驢、僕婢。
17耶和華因亞伯蘭妻子撒萊的緣故，降大災與法老和他的全家。
18法老就召了亞伯蘭來，說：你這向我作的是甚麼事呢？為甚麼沒有告訴我他是你的妻子？
19為甚麼說他是你的妹子，以致我把他取來要作我的妻子？現在你的妻子在這裡，可以帶他走罷。
20於是法老吩咐人將亞伯蘭和他妻子，並他所有的都送走了。
1亞伯蘭帶著他的妻子與羅得，並一切所有的，都從埃及上南地去。
2亞伯蘭的金、銀、牲畜極多。
3他從南地漸漸往伯特利去，到了伯特利和艾的中間，就是從前支搭帳棚的地方，
4也是他起先築壇的地方；他又在那裡求告耶和華的名。
信息分享
而且，神帶他去的地方，竟然沒有足夠的食物，當地正面臨一場大饑荒（10節）。亞伯拉罕可以怎樣做呢？他還有其他路可走嗎？不要忘記，亞伯拉罕身邊有一大群人需要他供養。
亞伯拉罕作了一個頗為衝動的決定：舉家遷往埃及，離開神帶領他去的地方。
這之後發生的事，就如我們讀到的，亞伯拉罕為了保護自己而撒謊，最終導致法老下逐客令，送他們離開。處境有多麼尷尬！一位信心偉人被一個異教君王下了逐客令！
當亞伯拉罕離開埃及，返回迦南的時候，他的心情怎樣呢？
他心裡無疑極為羞愧，這次教訓令他變得謙卑。當他回到迦南，他馬上到先前築的一座壇，向神獻祭。第4節對此記述美妙：「他又求告耶和華的名。」他終於重拾對神的信心。
然而，埃及的經歷禍患仍存。他和羅得在埃及累積的羊群（十三2），不久便引發了一個嚴重的問題。羅得的墮落，便植根於此。而夏甲可能是亞伯拉罕在埃及帶回來的一個僕婢。我們知道，後來悲劇便是在亞伯拉罕和撒拉、夏甲及後以實瑪利之間發生。選擇踏足埃及（敗壞世界的代表），你就難以避免它的影響，甚至成為多年的禍患。
反思：
神必饒恕我們的過錯，但過錯造成的烙印卻保留一生。
OLD TESTAMENT HEROES: TESTING FOLLOWS BLESSING
Genesis 12:10 to 13:4
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance.
12 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.
13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.
15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.
16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
17 But 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 you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
19 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.”
20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.
2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Message
Secondly (v.10), in that land to which God had led him, there was insufficient food. In fact, it was in the grip of a serious famine. What was Abraham to do? What alternatives did he face? Remember he had a very large household to cater for.
Abraham took what seems to have been an impulsive step. He moved his household down to Egypt, leaving the land to which God had led him.
Then followed the sad story of deceit and self interest on Abraham's part which you have just read. Finally Pharaoh asked his police force to escort Abraham out of the country. What a situation! A man of faith was asked to leave by a heathen king!
What would have been Abraham's emotions as he travelled east out of Egypt, back to Canaan?
No doubt he had serious guilty feelings. It must have been a humbling experience. But when he arrived in Canaan, he went back to one of the altars he had built some time before. Verse 4 expresses it beautifully: 'There Abraham called on the name of the Lord.' What a wonderful restoration for the man of faith.
The marks of Egypt were still with him however. The flocks he and Lot had accumulated in Egypt (13:2) became a serious problem soon afterwards. In Lot's case, it was the beginning of his downfall. One person Abraham seems to have acquired in Egypt was Hagar. You remember the tragedy involving Abraham, Sarah and Hagar and later Ishmael. It is a sad story. You can't go to Egypt (a type of the world) and not have it influenced your life for years afterwards.
A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: God forgives. But the scars can remain.