旧约人物：亚伯拉罕--祝福紧随着试验
创世记十二章10节至十三章4节
10那地遭遇饥荒。因饥荒甚大，亚伯兰就下埃及去，要在那里暂居。
11将近埃及，就对他妻子撒莱说：我知道你是容貌俊美的妇人。
12埃及人看见你必说：这是他的妻子，他们就要杀我，却叫你存活。
13求你说，你是我的妹子，使我因你得平安，我的命也因你存活。
14及至亚伯兰到了埃及，埃及人看见那妇人极其美貌。
15法老的臣宰看见了他，就在法老面前夸奖他。那妇人就被带进法老的宫去。
16法老因这妇人就厚待亚伯兰，亚伯兰得了许多牛、羊、骆驼、公驴、母驴、仆婢。
17耶和华因亚伯兰妻子撒莱的缘故，降大灾与法老和他的全家。
18法老就召了亚伯兰来，说：你这向我作的是甚么事呢？为甚么没有告诉我他是你的妻子？
19为甚么说他是你的妹子，以致我把他取来要作我的妻子？现在你的妻子在这里，可以带他走罢。
20于是法老吩咐人将亚伯兰和他妻子，并他所有的都送走了。
1亚伯兰带着他的妻子与罗得，并一切所有的，都从埃及上南地去。
2亚伯兰的金、银、牲畜极多。
3他从南地渐渐往伯特利去，到了伯特利和艾的中间，就是从前支搭帐棚的地方，
4也是他起先筑坛的地方；他又在那里求告耶和华的名。
信息分享
而且，神带他去的地方，竟然没有足够的食物，当地正面临一场大饥荒（10节）。亚伯拉罕可以怎样做呢？他还有其他路可走吗？不要忘记，亚伯拉罕身边有一大群人需要他供养。
亚伯拉罕作了一个颇为冲动的决定：举家迁往埃及，离开神带领他去的地方。
这之后发生的事，就如我们读到的，亚伯拉罕为了保护自己而撒谎，最终导致法老下逐客令，送他们离开。处境有多么尴尬！一位信心伟人被一个异教君王下了逐客令！
当亚伯拉罕离开埃及，返回迦南的时候，他的心情怎样呢？
他心里无疑极为羞愧，这次教训令他变得谦卑。当他回到迦南，他马上到先前筑的一座坛，向神献祭。第4节对此记述美妙：「他又求告耶和华的名。」他终于重拾对神的信心。
然而，埃及的经历祸患仍存。他和罗得在埃及累积的羊群（十三2），不久便引发了一个严重的问题。罗得的堕落，便植根于此。而夏甲可能是亚伯拉罕在埃及带回来的一个仆婢。我们知道，后来悲剧便是在亚伯拉罕和撒拉、夏甲及后以实玛利之间发生。选择踏足埃及（败坏世界的代表），你就难以避免它的影响，甚至成为多年的祸患。
反思：
神必饶恕我们的过错，但过错造成的烙印却保留一生。
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.