Then Abram went up from Egypt... 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, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord. (Gen 13,1-4)

Abram was returning quite possibly the same way he came there. Seen from the outside, he was moving back and forth in a straight line, but he became more and more aware that, from the point of view of his life journey, he was in fact moving just in a circle. He descended into Egypt without God's instruction. The impetus for this was fear that seemed justified to him (and in the end, everyone around, who could, simply went). But his life's journey, which had been previously rising up, came to a standstill. Unlike before, God did not visit him in Egypt, Abram did not know him any more, he did not receive a new revelation - the greatest experience remained the salvation from the desolate situation, in which he found himself, guilt which embarrassed him, so he could not feel true joy. He was not getting any closer to God's goal for his life there, he did not follow the direction of His call. He did not worship God in Egypt as in Canaan and did not build altars for him. The main thing that counted was the preservation of earthly life. It looked only logical, but now it seemed to him that it was desperately little.

His wandering in circle is also evidenced by the account of his return: "he proceeded ... to the place between Bethel and Ai, where his tent was first, to the place where he had previously built the altar; there Abram called on the name of the Lord." His steps now lead back to the old places. He's doing what he used to do.

Abram was expelled from Egypt, so he did not leave at the time of his choice. The famine in Canaan had not yet passed. As always, acting on one's own does not solve the problem. So Abram finds himself in the same situation again and has to face it again - but he already knows that it must be done in a different way. Maybe that's why his first interest now is to worship God. It was as if he had put this above all things, as if in these moments a new belief was being born in his heart that his God would help him to overcome every difficulty. That is why he rises above the problems, he wants to look up and see God again.

Like anyone who is aware of his failure, Abram is now trying to tie the thread where it was broken. He took a new breath of fresh air and wondered how he could be blind to the fact that, despite all the prosperity in Egypt, he was there just suffocating.

So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had. (Gen 12,20)

How proudly Abram's caravan swaggered towards the capital as it entered Egypt! People stopped and paid attention to their wagons, cattle, number of people, all cargo - and they knew that Abram did not come to them as a beggar, but rather as an important guest. He needs their country as a refuge now, but he is bringing his wealth, he will buy in our markets and will need other services. Such guests were always welcome, the door was open for them.

And with what shame Abram was returning back... The news of what happened has spread around - something so peppery had not happened in Egypt for a long time for Pharaoh himself to be humbled by this alien's lie. Abram now noticed that the same people stopped by and looked at him with indignation and contempt. It seemed to him that not only the people, but perhaps also the trees by the road, the animals and the birds, were chirping about his bad reputation: expel him for ever!

The caravan fell silent along the way. They told each other only the most necessary directions for the journey, and the children did not show the usual joy, as if the seriousness of the moment had fallen on them as well. There was a tense silence between Sarah and Abram.

That alone was enough to make Abram deeply depressed, but he was also busy with a strange thing. He did not know his new God until he was seventy. He thought that at this age he already knew what life and religion were all about, because, like everyone else, he had cultivated it all his life. But he found out that he had changed inside since he had accepted his new God. Now he takes the shame he has experienced far more personally than before. Moreover, he has got the impression that he failed not only before Egypt and his surroundings, but that God is very personally interested in his life and actions, as if he were connected in some special way to his conscience. It was different than he had experienced before - with the idols, the rather impersonal observance of the required rituals and several regulations was enough. But now, as a worshiper of the invisible God, he stood before him a bit like an open book, and God seemed very sensitive to the attitudes of Abram's heart.

Moreover, his shame can be disreditting the reputation of this God before the world around. Abram increasingly felt like his ambassador in the world. He couldn't help but be surprised at how much he was bothered by his failure in this sense as well - if the Egyptians rebuked him for his actions, wouldn't the shadow of shame fall also on his God?

He realized clearly that his religion had never touched him so deep inside before, it had never been so personal.

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. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way." (Gen 12,17-19)

In addition to faith, Abram is also known as a man of prayer, but we do not know if he already knew its secret at this moment. Did God intervene here sovereignly or did he hear Abram's prayers after losing his beloved wife? We can only assume, but we have little indication to understand. Because people of all eras and races have certain traits in common, it is almost certain that this particular crisis has taught him more about God than when he experienced peace and prosperity - that's just the way it is in life. Difficult stages transform us, they bring a change to our habits and values. Abram most likely became a man of prayer through difficult situations like this because they forced him to humble himself (he had to admit that he had gone to Egypt on his own, without God) and to call on God for help. At that time he did not have much experience with answered prayers. And he wasn't even sure if God would be willing to hear him when he had to admit that he had failed somewhere. But he had no choice but to ask for help from above, no one else could help here.

Therefore, even this experience became the cornerstone out of which the building of his faith was built from the very beginning. God suddenly entered the situation and saved Abram. Sarah was even returned to him without having to ask Pharaoh for her. At the same time, it was his first great experience of disobedience, leaving God's way. He still had no idea if this God was willing to have mercy on man´s failures and shortcomings and accept him again. Accept - and not blame?

No, God did not blame.

However, Abram did not come out of the whole situation just so easily. He had to experience bitterly one of the most important spiritual principles: a man reaps what he sows. God did not blame, but others did: Pharaoh, the whole court and the whole city. The public disgrace was so great that it was completely impossible to stay here, Abram was literally expelled. How tragic it is when Egypt rebukes a man of God for immorality that would not be possible even between them...

And how uplifting is the knowledge that when Abram is later mentioned in Scripture or by Jesus himself, it is all about different things than his disgrace in Egypt.

And the woman (Sarah) 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. (Gen 14,15-16)

When Abram descended into Egypt, he already was a wealthy man. But now Pharaoh himself enriched him with more property and flocks, so that his entire retinue grew abundantly again. It must have counted at least dozens of people. But how can a person — moreover, a man like Abram, who has known the reality beyond this world — be satisfied only through wealth or similar things? Many may have envied Abram at the moment, but he knew he was in a golden cage. He didn't feel well in it, he couldn't sincerely rejoice in what he had gained. Half-truth (he and Sarah had the same father, not their mother - such marriages were allowed in ancient times) helped him to Pharaoh's gifts and now he had to play the well-paid role and not reveal the truth. But his marriage was defiled and he might have lost his wife forever.

He kept fighting: he was troubled by an inner voice that told him he hadn't behaved properly and was guilty of it all. Again, the issue seemed to be the doubt whether it was necessary to go to Egypt at all. But Abram objected to the voice, saying he had no choice. "You did," said the voice. "I didn't!" Abram replied excitedly. "If only you could look at it from another point of view." "No, because there was no other way out!" Abram shouted back. But the voice continued, "What about Sarah, have you ever thought about how she was feeling in that all...?"

Abram saw absolutely no solution in the current situation. He couldn't just come to Pharaoh and take Sarah back. 

But in this dark moment, a wonderful thing happened: his new God entered the scene.

"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. (Gen 12,14-15)

Abram entered Egypt with an unhappy heart full of worries. Not only had he (already before) lost the certainty that he would always be well in the Promised Land, but he also felt that something was completely wrong from the beginning of his Egyptian adventure. What a difference compared to previous months, when he was accompanied by internal security, confirmed by external success. But now it was gone, and in his heart he now had to fight fear.

It seemed to Abram that he had never been in such a difficult situation in his life that he had to lie about his wife. He decided to do so for sure before entering Egypt, when he had no idea what awaited them there. But his caravan was so impressive that it simply could not hide among others who also descended to Egypt in search of food. He expected it to cause a commotion. Abram apparently already had the dignity of princes, and he did not shy away from the ruling class either - he did not go to the countryside, but to the capital, near the seat of the princes, where he was noticed by Pharaoh's courtiers.

His lie eventually caused Sarah to be taken from him and offered to Pharaoh. Abram was consumed by despair. He didn't understand how he could find himself in such a crazy situation. He would have preferred to cancel the whole expedition and return, but he was trapped: he couldn't leave without Sarah, but he didn't know how to get her back.

Abram tried to call for the help of his new god, but it was not easy because he felt that he had somehow deviated from his journey recently. He realised that fear was not a good counselor, and if it affected someone, he seldom makes the right decision.

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.” (Gen 12,11-13)

Something fundamental had changed on the outside - there was a drought and the country had stopped producing crops. But no matter how external circumstances changed, Abram was surprised to find that his inward feelings were quite different from years ago. He now had a special peace, as if the external crisis has not affected him as much as those around who did not know God. At times, he was even tempted to just let things go and do nothing - after all, his new God brought him here and does not send him away. So is it right to leave? But doing nothing is completely illogical, it is a sheer folly. The pastures are devastated and there is little hope of restoration. Everyone around sees it in the same way and reassures him - now we need to leave, at least for a while.

But he noticed that at the moment he finally decided to leave, his inward peace left him. He couldn't explain it. After all, when he used to decide on something after mature consideration, it always worked exactly the opposite: he had acquired the inner room as soon as the matter was finally "decided". But now...

Once a person leaves the place where God has put him - and unlike with Abram, in the New Testament era it is primarily a spiritual place - he loses his inward strength. The compass is relentlessly accurate. This is the message of Jn 15:4 -  if a person remains in Christ, he has the strength to resist, if he leaves this soil in his heart, he withers inwardly.

It is important to note that Abram experienced a loss of peace not only in Egypt, but still in the Promised Land. He instructs Sarah before he enters Egypt to pretend to be his sister. He was afraid they would kill him because of her. But the same cause for concern - jealousy of a beautiful foreign woman - nevertheless existed all the time among the Canaanites as well! However, as long as Abram remained in God's line, he had inner strength to resist, despite the circumstances. Once he leaves it, he loses this power - and it happens inside him before the feared circumstances occur. In fact, it is independent of them, it is far more a question of what is happening in his heart and relationship with God.

What a wonderful thing is this "Shalom" - the peace of God with which God accompanies us on his journeys! It often manifests itself inside our hearts as if illogically, incomprehensibly, and often in contrast to what is happening around. How good it is to not leave the place where we experience it in fullness and not change it for other place where we lose it.

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. (Gen 12,10)

It was Abram's experience that since he had followed his new God, the things only got better. But this all ended when the famine arrived in the land.

So far, God has led him (by voice, vision, or strong consciousness — whatever we call it, it was a form of "revelation") where to go. But now when Abram experienced that following God's guidance did not necessarily mean that he would not have problems, he decided to react to the unfavorable situation himself. He did not ask God what to do, and if so, he received no answer. If he had already been a man of faith, whom he later became, he would have waited and not acted hastily. But he was gripped by inner restlessness, and so were the other members of the caravan, who insisted that something be done now.

Abram did not yet understand that the land God had given him had significance in God´s sovereign plan for the world, and that God wanted to lead him to a special way of grasping his gift. It is the same with his gifts up to this day. Abram's faith had not yet reached the necessary level to be able to face difficulties of this scope, let alone others. In response to a critical situation, a person usually descends a level lower and reacts with shortcuts (the people around wonder: what has only happened to him that he is like that?). Which, of course, is the beginning of a fall on the path of following God.

And so the caravan began to pack up to leave the place where God had brought them.

 Now there was a famine in the land. (Gen 12,10)

Abram was confused. So far his pursuit of a new God has been much more successful for him than he thought before. This God accompanied him and brought him here - we do not know how, but we know that he showed him the way ("go to the land which I will show you". 12,3) Awareness of the special protection, the knowledge that there is a supernatural power which benefits him, protects him on his journey - all this has not completely disappeared but it was difficult for him to understand the contradiction between what he was feeling inside and how things looked from the outside.

Of course, Abram asked himself whether he could not be wrong and if he did not make a mistake - is he really in the right place? But no matter from which point of view he looked at it, he could only say there was no doubt. He only went where this God led him, he was not mistaken. After all, he testified it to him again when he appeared to him recently.

So it was no mistake. But some mistake is here anyway, and a big one - things don't work anymore. If Abram was not mistaken, that means only one thing - this God is not as powerful, perhaps even not omnipotent, as Abram nearly believed. He had witnessed that people from the surrounding tribes had changed their idol for another one when they discovered that it did not bring them the protection, success, and victory in the struggles they expected. Or if they did not change, then at least added to the existing god a new one, from which they expected more. Apparently that's the way it is with gods. Everyone worships something, but there are times when you have to help yourself alone.

So there seems to be no choice than to leave the country and go somewhere where there is still abundance. If there is a certainty in this world in this respect, it is for no reason called the "granary of the world" - Egypt.

He looked at one of the last altars he had built in the country. He knew that he would build no altar of the Lord in Egypt, and he felt a little strange at the thought of leaving. It was as if he - by means of the altars - anounced to the inhabitants of Kannan something he himself did not quite believe any more.

Now there was a famine in the land. (Gen 12,10)

The turning point came, and the magic God used to help him with had apparently ceased to work.

Of course, Abram noticed the connection between obeying God and how he grew more and more prosperous. He first entered an uncertain ground when he and his family left Ur for ever. But things got better and better, until Haran. There, where he grew economically, he made a big decision between the early and the eternal. For the first time, he "wrote off" what he had received from God and went to a less civilized country, to greater uncertainty. So far, following God has paid off, he got rich and he did well. If that had been all he cared about, he would not have left Haran. What moved him to leave? Was it obedience to God or rather the fact that he still did not reach the fullness of the promise - he did not have the promised land and the descendant? In the light of how we see his character so far and the changes to which he matured only later on, we cannot not have much illusions. For now, Abram was able to lose his earthly things - because he expected to find (earthly) things even better.

Although it is not easy to accept, on our path of pursuit of God we are sometimes unexpectedly derailed, in other words: God uses "hunger" for our growth. If there is something we really miss in life, where our needs are pushing us, it may be the place where God wants to bless us. But he wants to do it in his own special way, leading us to inner transformation. As A. W. Tozer once said: "If God is to bless a man, he must first overcome him." However, Abram did not yet know these strange ways of God - so far everything went smoothly, simply and from Abram's point of view it was heading towards the goal. It couldn't last long, and the offspring God had promised would come, he told himself.

The crisis therefore shook him deeply. What will he do now that everything he has received from God seems to run away from him? Things have stopped working, the promised land is becoming uninhabitable... Abram did not yet fully know the faith of which he was to become a father. He therefore responded with a shortcut. It was the crises, this one and many others that will follow, that would lead him to the knowledge and acquisition of real wealth that he can still pass on to us even today, four thousand years later.

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. (Jam 2,23)

At the first level of his relationship with God, a man is in the position of a child. The child enjoys the fact that it is loved, it does not return anything to the parents for their care - except for a smile, a nice look - it is enough that it is theirs and simply exists, and it should be so. In the same way, one expects from God help, support and comfort in difficult moments, so that he can feel and experience his love.

But just as in life, one is to grow in his relationship to God. The next level is the one of a friend. Friendship must not be based on what the other one can bring me. It is an intimate relationship, primarily a matter of mutual understanding, even if it does not bring any immediate advantage: "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." (Pr 17:17) As soon as other elements insinuate into it (such as efforts to sell household cleaners or insurance), it brings about a damage, because it is clear that one party wants to use it for its own profit.

He who is in the position of a friend in relation to God no longer comes to him because he expects to gain something. But that doesn't mean he doesn't get anything! As Abram grew in his relationship, he received much, more and more, but this gradually ceased to be the reason why he followed God. (In current jargon, we could say that the more he prospered, the more he abandoned the prosperity teaching.) In the beginning, however, the fulfillment of his needs was a strong impetus, and as everyone else he expected it from his idols first. Would he have not chosen them if they could have given him more than this invisible God?

Another level of relationship is a co-worker relationship. Most people who are still struggling in their relationship with God at the level of a child want to become co-workers in order to earn God's friendship and experience the level of reciprocity. Man wants to present God his commitment, success, his deeds, so as to receive praise and acceptance. It leads to an endless cycle: unfulfillment - efforts - the expected fulfillment has not come - unfulfillment - even greater effort - again emptiness - unfulfillment - effort - ...

One must become a friend of God before a servant of His.