Men in the Bible: Abraham and White Lies Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe…
Men in the Bible: Abraham and White Lies
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. 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. 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. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.” So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. – Genesis 12:10-16
Another standout attribute of Abraham’s, which we can unlearn, is his penchant for lying to gain access and favor. Abraham had a propensity for telling white lies as a way of self-preservation.
From the passage above, we can see how he prevailed on his wife to lie about her relationship to him, claiming that she was his sister, in order for them to gain access to and be welcomed in Egypt. After deciding to vacate Canaan, due to the famine ravaging the land, Abraham set his eyes on Egypt, but there was a problem; he sensed that the Egyptians might not be receptive to them once they learn that Sarah was his wife. So, in order to facilitate their being received while also saving his own life, he decided to doctor the identity of his wife by claiming she was his sister.
This initially worked as planned, as the Egyptians were warm towards the couple and even lavished Abraham with many gifts as Pharaoh started to warm up to the idea of taking Sarah as his own wife, by making her supposed brother happy. Abraham must have been delighted at his newfound fortune and favor in Egypt, even though he might have had remorse at having to live without his dear wife. But at least their plan worked out, and the white lie they said was well received. Not until the consequences of what the lie led to broke out.
But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 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? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had. – Genesis 12:17-16
God visited Pharaoh and his household with great plagues for taking Abraham’s wife, even when Pharaoh was not aware she was already married. God was not interested in that. He only reacted to the fundamental that was breached by Pharaoh by afflicting him severely. Not just him, but his entire household as well. So, what was to be an innocent lie and a saving grace to help someone stay safe or alive proved to be a disaster for another person, and even more people to boot.
Therefore, while Abraham’s lie about his wife’s identity earned him a temporary respite and assets in Egypt, that did not last long. Upon discovering the cause of his recent problems, Pharaoh, who was still smarting from all the afflictions that God had piled on him and his household, no longer wanted Abraham and his wife around. So he ordered that they be banished from Egypt immediately.
Men in the Bible: A Man of the Altar Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an…
Men in the Bible: A Man of the Altar
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. – Genesis 12:7-8
In continuation of our exploration of Abraham’s personality, a unique element that stood out in his life and behavior was his disposition to worship. He was a man of the altar, as he always erected altars of worship to God at various stages of his journey.
From our reference passage today alone, which contains two verses, although many things must have happened in the life and journey of Abraham that were not mentioned in the passage. However, the chroniclers did not forget to mention the fact that he built two altars at two different places, representing different bases in his journey, which says a lot about his heart of devotion.
In fact, Abraham built more altars to God than virtually everyone else in the Bible. The only person who equaled his record in altar building was his grandson, Jacob. Even though Abraham built several altars, there were records of five distinct altars credited to him in the Bible: in Shechem (Genesis 12:6-7), Bethel (Genesis 12:8), Hebron (Genesis 13:18), Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:9) and Beersheba (Genesis 21:33). Each altar marking significant moments in his relationship and encounter with God. Little wonder that he was so blessed by God.
It is common knowledge that God craves nothing more than worship (John 4:23). This is a secret that God Himself might have revealed to Abraham or perhaps Abraham stumbled upon the secret himself in the course of their interactions. But, unlike most people who do little with the secrets they discover, Abraham made the most of his by going on to erect several monuments to God at different turns to attest to his heart of devotion and life of worship. He was the better for it.
Men in the Bible: The Man that Found Grace in the Eyes of God But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. – Genesis 6:8 The bible personality…
Lessons from a Man Who Found Unusual Grace in God’s Eyes
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. – Genesis 6:8
The bible personality of our spotlight today is Noah, a man said to have found grace in the eyes of God. This appendage to the name of Noah was interesting because, until that time, no one had been so described before. So, it makes one curious to know what he did to have impressed God to the point of hitting grace, the ultimate divine endowment.
Verses prior to and after our reference passage provide us with a rich context of what made God enamored with Noah so. Verses 5-7 of Genesis 6 paint a grim picture of the sociocultural milieu that Noah lived in: ‘Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”’
Reading further down in verses 11-12, the picture was even grimmer: ‘The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.’
This was the reality of Noah’s time. that was the order of the day in the society he had to live in. However, to his credit, Noah was rather different from the lot of the people. Whereas everyone else was corrupt, vile, evil and wicked, he made a different choice, Whereas he was surrounded by vices, he chose to be virtuous. While his friends and relatives thrived on sin, Noah chose the path of righteousness. When everyone else was scheming and taking advantage of each other or the system, Noah was upright and sincere in his own dealings. Little wonder he found grace in the eyes of God. It was so easy to stand out as the shining light in the midst of the pervasive darkness that defined the time.
The Bible describes him as a ‘just man, perfect in his generations’ and someone who ‘walked with God.’ That was the testimony of Noah, which made him a darling to God and His favorite person at that time.
We often hear various admonitions to ‘dare to be different,’ particularly in relation to a good cause. However, as popular as the saying is, and as fluid as it may sound, it is not an easy thing to do. Conformity is far easier and fancier to do than being different from everyone else.
Even the best of us will admit the pressure that choosing a different route brings. Not to mention that the best of us may also be among those mounting pressure on us to conform and do what everyone else is doing, as long as that is okay and does not hurt anyone or violate any fundamentals. And here lies the danger of conformity. It is not everything we are pressured to conform to that is evil or bad in itself. However, that something is okay does not make it expedient for everyone to do.
Noah was different in his days. He was noble, righteous, pure and godly in the midst of a perverse and wicked generation, not minding the pressures he must have contended with daily to let down his guard and be like everyone else. He did not, and that was why he found grace in the eyes of God.
Men in the Bible: Noah, A Man of Experiments So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he…
Men in the Bible: A Man of Experiments
So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. – Genesis 8:6-12
Continuing our spotlight on the lessons to be learned from Noah, another highlight that distinguished him was his inclination to scientific procedures, otherwise known as experiments.
As we can see from the passage above, after the flood that overwhelmed the known earth in Noah’s days had receded, he wanted to find out if it was okay for him and his family, as well as the other creatures in the ark with them, to come out. Obviously, when he opened the window of the ark, he could see patches of dry ground outside. But he was intelligent enough to know that sight can be deceptive, and the dry earth he could see outside did not mean that it was hard enough to sustain the weight of humans and animals. Therefore, to confirm the status of things, he decided to test the ground and conduct an experiment. He sent out a raven to check out the situation of things outside.
However, the raven he sent never returned back to him. Now, for someone who needed the raven’s feedback to know whether he and his family should come out, Noah demonstrated intelligence by not misinterpreting the non-return of the raven as an indication that outside was now conducive for them to step out. Recall that they had all been in the ark for months, and they all must be feeling restless being holed in there and would be eager to come out into the daylight and enjoy the fresh air.
But Noah did not allow their pressing need for sunlight, fresh air or a change of scenery to pressure him into making a wrong call by misinterpreting the disappearance of the raven as a ‘yes, come out’ sign. How often do we wantonly interpret trends and maneuver data to suit our own purposes only to have them blown in our faces?
Another lesson we can learn from Noah in this scenario is that, even though his first experiment with the raven failed, he did not become discouraged on account of it. Rather, he used the raven’s incident as feedback to make two intelligent calls. Firstly, he concluded that a raven was not the best candidate for such an assignment. And, although he still had other ravens with him in the ark, he did not send another one out again to find out the state of things outside. On the contrary, he sent a dove instead.
Secondly, the fact that he opted for a dove, a species of bird with an opposite temperament to a raven, revealed Noah’s scientific mindset. This procedural change turned out to be successful, as the dove returned to the ark, unlike the raven. Then, seven some days later, Noah sent out the dove again to check out the earth’s surface, and he repeated this process at intervals until the dove itself did not return any more. Considering the period he lived in, how scientific can one get than that?
Men in the Bible: the First Mighty Man Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore…
Men in the Bible: the First Mighty Man
Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). – Genesis 10:8-12
The man in the Bible that we shall spotlight today is Nimrod, the mighty one. Nimrod had the honor of being the first man to be described as ‘mighty’ in the Bible and, by extension, in recorded history. He was not just mighty on earth, even God acknowledged his might, to the point that his name became proverbial, and a popular saying originated to his credit thus, “Like Nimrod, whom the Lord saw as a great hunter” (Genesis 10:9, CEB).
Now, there is something particularly intriguing about Nimrod and his greatness. We had earlier read how his grandfather, Ham, was cursed by Noah, his own father, for making fun of his nudity. You can read that account here. Ham was not just cursed, but his entire lineage was cursed as well. They were condemned by a parental decree to become generational vassals to the other races that emerged from the other sons of Noah, Shem and Japheth. Therefore, it can be said that Nimrod began life from a rather disadvantaged background. He came from a cursed lineage and had the burden of a generational curse hanging on his neck.
However, Nimrod proved to us that irrespective of the disadvantages one might have in life; anyone can go ahead to become great and make a name for themselves. Through noble choices, sound decisions, a dint of hard work, and physical exertion, Nimord proved to us that anyone can attain greatness in life, become a global icon, and command the recognition of God.
Little is known about anyone else in Nimrod’s time, but coming from an accursed race, he did well to discard the yoke of hex upon himself and went on to build monumental kingdoms greater than anyone had ever done before him or even during his time. some of the kingdoms credited to him were Babel, Erech, Accad, Calneh, Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen.
By breaking through the barriers of his cursed lineage, Nimrod proceeded to also break into uncharted grounds and unfamiliar territories, to build great cities and a name for himself. A name that even God recognized. We can all learn from that.
To know more about the principles that worked for Nimrod, please watch this YouTube clip.
Another lesson we can learn from God is His disposition to a balancing act. He is not a God of extremes. Even though some who profess to follow Him go to extremes in His name or make extreme claims on His behalf, extreme is not a label that one can pin on God. He balances the acts.
Understanding God: He is Not Moved by Sentiments
Another lesson we can learn from the personality of God is that sentiments do not move Him. Therefore, He cannot be deceived into making a wrong judgment or call, as humans tend to do.
Understanding God: He is A Creator
He is a Creator. This is not to be interpreted loosely, particularly in the light of our contemporary use of the word. God is the ultimate Creator, as He created all things, even the ends of the earth (Isaiah 40:28).
Understanding God: God of the Beginning
There is no better way to begin this journey of exploring the people and entities in the Bible than to start with God. He is not just the beginning but is the origin of all things.
Women in the Bible: A Paragon of Beauty
What made Sarah’s beauty so compelling that kings and nations took notice? Explore the deeper layers of grace, favour, and mystery surrounding one of Scripture’s most unforgettable women — and discover why her story still provokes wonder today.
Men in the Bible: A Man of Ambition and Adventure
Terah may not have reached Canaan, but his courage to start a life-changing journey laid the foundation for Abraham’s destiny. Discover how ambition and bold steps mark a life of significance.
Men in the Bible: An Impetuous and Impudent Man
A revealing glimpse into a man whose choices exposed deeper issues of character, showing how hastiness and entitlement can quietly shape a destiny, and why his story still speaks to us today.
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight
Sometimes what looks like a smart choice can hide the seed of a mistake. This reflection from Scripture invites us to think again about how foresight — or the lack of it — shapes a man’s story.
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe
Before laws, temples, or traditions, one man honoured God with his substance. Abraham’s tithe was not commanded, demanded, or enforced. It flowed from reverence.
Fathers in the Bible: A Destiny-Shaping Father
What makes a man a truly aware father? Discover how one man’s prophetic foresight shaped his son’s destiny and changed generations forever.
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