Genesis 12:14-16
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. 15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
Verse 16 is an intriguing verse that could be interpreted in different ways. Do we see Abram’s acquisition of sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants and camels as a sign of God’s blessing? I suspect this was how it would have been read when written. Or do we see it as a demonstration of how someone’s material wealth is not an indicator of how holy or devout someone is – Abram’s wealth comes as a result of his getting Sarai to pretend that she was his sister not his wife, not really such a virtuous act. As JRR Tolkien put it in the Lord of the Rings, not all that glitters is gold.
Father, help us to judge people by their hearts not their appearances or possessions.
Image used with permission from www.lambsongs.co.nz
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