As he was about to enter Egypt, Abram said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’. Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say that you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” Genesis 12:11-13
Last time we thought about how a good man like Abram could be guilty of such cruel and dishonest behaviour. My answer was simple: no child of God, then or now, is above the danger of lapsing into shameful actions; we are still prey to temptation.
So we should take it as a warning - as Paul puts it in1 Corinthians 10:12: “If you think you are standing, be careful that you don’t fall!”
But the episode also prompted a second question: Could Sarai have done more?
The writer of Genesis doesn’t say that Sarai objected to Abram’s request. She may have done, of course; but if she did, we aren’t told. Wouldn’t it be good, though, if verse 13 had some extra words? - something like: “But Sarai said, ‘No, my husband, no! Don’t force me to do something we both know is wrong’.”
Could Sarai have done that?
I just don’t know. In the world of that time men were in charge, and women were expected to obey. So even if she had mustered the courage to protest, no doubt Abram could have over-ridden her. She is in a pretty hopeless position.
However, we do know that marriages in the ancient world were not necessarily loveless or forced. In Genesis 24 we read about Isaac and Rebekah. Certainly, their marriage was arranged. But Rebekah was given the right to say no (verses 8 and 57-58). And the chapter ends with the simple and rather beautiful words: “she became his wife, and he loved her” (verse 67).
A little later, in chapter 29, we read about the marriage of Jacob and Rachel. “Jacob was in love with Rachel,” says verse 18 - so much so that he offered to work for seven years for her father Laban.
We’re told nothing about how Abram and Sarai came to be married, but quite possibly there was genuine love - and therefore a genuine relationship. In which case, why shouldn’t Sarai have raised a protest when Abram made his suggestion?
Well, it’s not for me to criticise Sarai - of course not. I wouldn’t like to have been in her shoes.
Whatever, there are a couple of positive and challenging points we can take from her part in the story.
First... Even if it was impossible for her to take a stand against wrong, it isn’t for most of us! - especially those of us who live in countries where we have freedom of speech.
Here’s a question (which, of course, I put to myself as much as to anyone else): Have you ever stood by in silence when some clear wrong was being done? Perhaps a lie was being told, and you didn’t have the courage to speak up? Perhaps, in your place of work, some sharp practice was going on and everyone else was turning a blind eye - so you did the same?
It’s said that evil prospers when good people do nothing; and it’s true. Thank God for those brave people - “whistle-blowers” they call them - who are prepared to risk their jobs, perhaps even their very lives, for what they see as right. They are often dismissed as trouble-makers or attention-seekers, and there may sometimes be truth in that. But not always.
God give us courage to do what may well have been impossible for Sarai - to stand up for what is right and true; to stand against what is false and wrong!
Second... I think that Sarai can be for us a symbol of victimhood.
In the ancient world women were indeed often exploited and treated merely as property. And we say, quite rightly, how terrible that is. But wait a minute! - in many parts of the world very little has changed. Girls and women - not to mention children - are often forced into the sex-trade or other degrading activities.
And it’s not only girls and women. Just this week, here in Britain, we have seen news reports of men treated virtually as slaves by unscrupulous “employers” - living in filthy, squalid conditions, fed very little, and paid next to nothing.
If nothing else, Sarai can stand as a reminder to us of the millions of people all over the world - women, men and children - who have been robbed of their rights, their dignity and their freedom.
As Christians it is our duty - not to say our privilege - to speak up on behalf of such people. To borrow the tag-line of the human rights charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), we can be “a voice for the voiceless”.
We must pray, of course; that goes without saying. But how about also joining and supporting one of the various organisations like CSW that are trying to make a practical difference?
If we are Christians, standing by and doing nothing just isn’t an option. Let’s pray - and act - on behalf of the millions of Sarais in this world!
Lord God, grant us the courage to stand up against evil when we see it around us - and also the compassion to act on behalf of those who have no power. Amen.
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