The Ancient Egyptians were a people of faith and high morality. Read Genesis 12:10-20. This month we will be going to Egypt in our sermons and devotions. I led a group of 15 to Egypt in September and plan to integrate what I learned into the Bible narrative. Egypt is first mentioned in Genesis 12. God called Abram (Abraham) out of Ur and led him to the Promised Land. The Promised Land wasn’t very promising when it was hit by a famine, so Abraham went to Egypt. Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, as his sister to save his own life, and the next thing we know is that Sarah is sent to Pharaoh to become a wife. When Pharaoh discovers the truth that Sarah is Abraham’s wife and not his sister, he confronts Abraham. At first glance, we might wonder, “Why does the Pharaoh care? He’s Pharaoh. He can have whatever he wants.” But a close examination of Egyptian life, culture, and religion will reveal that the ancient Egyptians had a high moral standard driven by their faith in the gods and an afterlife. Maat, the goddess of truth, had a code of 42 laws that had to be followed in order to reach the afterlife. Two of those were “Do not commit adultery” and “Do not lie.” Pharaoh believed that if he committed adultery by taking another man’s life, he would be denied the afterlife. When he confronted Abraham, he said, “What is this you have done to me?” Abraham’s lie almost cost Pharaoh the afterlife. Pharaoh responded by sending him out of Egypt. Pharaoh was not just the ruler of Egypt; he was responsible for overseeing the temples and priests. He would visit regularly and offer sacrifices of grain, oil, and flowers. As our band of 15 visited the temples of Karnak and Luxor, we saw the effort of the Pharaohs to put their resources into places for worship. 

Prayer: Holy God, help us put our energy into worshiping you and following Jesus. Keep us mindful of your laws and empower us with your Holy Spirit to follow them. Amen.