A famine comes to the land, and Abram goes down to Egypt to stay there for a while because the famine is severe. This is the first of three wife-sister episodes in Genesis (Genesis 20, 26:1–11) and the first major test of Abram's faith after the call. He has just arrived in the promised land, received the promise, built two altars — and immediately the land cannot feed him. The descent to Egypt is the pattern that will define Israel's later history: famine pushes the covenant family to Egypt, and rescue pulls them back. Joseph's story in Genesis 37–50 is this pattern extended; the Exodus is its definitive resolution. Romans 8:28 assures that all things work together for good — the famine that drives Abram to Egypt is not the failure of the promise but the beginning of a test. The application: the arrival in the promised land does not guarantee the absence of famine. What you do when the promised land cannot sustain you reveals what you actually believe about the promise.

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