12:11-13
Where a problem did arise was in Abram telling his wife to say she was his sister, rather than his husband. Now this was a half-truth. She was actually his sister. Indeed in those days husbands would sometimes adopt their wives as sisters. However, Abram’s concern was to hide the fact that she was his wife. This would mean that someone would feel free to take Sarai. Abram seems more concerned about his own safety here, as if they knew she was his wife, then they might kill Abram, or at least that's what he feared. In fact, v13 is quite explicit about Abram’s concern for himself! It also says that Sarai was beautiful in appearance. She was 65 at this stage. We do need to remember that Sarai lived to about 130, and Abram to 175. If we take these ages as genuine, which I believe we should, it was not simply a matter of having many years as an old man or woman. The whole aging process was slowed down.
12:14-16
The “princes of Pharaoh” saw that Sarai was very beautiful and informed Pharaoh of this fact. So Sarai was taken into the palace and Abram was treated very well. So things seemed to be working out very nicely for Abram!
12:17-20
However, Abram had forgotten God! God was protecting Sarai. People sometimes accuse the Bible of being “patriarchal” and misogynistic. If we look at things a little more carefully we see that this is far from true. In this episode it is Abram who comes out of things badly, and we see God protecting Sarai as Abram has fallen short on his responsibilities. So the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues. Pharaoh summons Abram and is justifiably annoyed with him, and Abram and Sarai are sent packing. So Pharaoh is seen in a better light than Abram. Abram was not saved because of any goodness of his own!
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