Famine and Faith

Faith, Famine, and the Testing of Abraham

Well this morning we continue on in Genesis chapter 12 and we are Not going to do another deep dive into the promised land as we did last week. But we do want to keep that in mind because in our passage this morning We're leaving the promised land and traveling down to Egypt in verses 10 through 20.

So we're continuing on looking at the life of Abraham picking up from chapter 12 beginning in verse 10. And the first thing we read is that there was a famine in the land and Abram went down to Egypt.

To dwell there for the famine was severe in the land. Now notice that in verse 10 the word famine appears twice. There was a famine in the land the famine was severe in the land. This is a way of emphasizing just how drastic the conditions were.

Crop failure drought the water not coming. Therefore the livestock not being able to thrive. In fact, perhaps perishing Abram had been of course wandering through this new land building altars for the worship of God.

Waiting upon the promises of God to be realized to unfold in this land that God had brought him to. Part of that promise was that he would have an inheritance a seed that would fill the land and from that inheritance There would be the seed the promise seed that brings us back to Genesis 3.

But now there's a famine in the land. We don't know exactly the timetable. We don't know how much time has transpired from when he first set foot in Canaan, but there's a famine in the land. So there's all this momentum behind Abram.

He marches triumphantly into Canaan. Remember he comes to Shechem and he builds an altar to God. He's establishing the worship of God in this pagan land. He's he's claiming the promise of God, even though he cannot see it.

He's living it out by faith. He's trusting in the Word of God and he's establishing the worship of God. There's all this spiritual momentum that comes with him. God is really guiding me and he's made himself present and I I know his presence.

He's revealed himself to me and so I'm gonna build an altar here and journey more and build an altar there and Journey more and build an altar here all these places where God's presence has been known.

But now that momentum begins to dwindle. We don't read of God's presence because we don't read of Abram building any more altars we don't see God's blessing because the land is now barren and So the blessing of God doesn't really seem to be coming to fruition quite literally.

It's drying up and withering away. Perhaps then Abram is beginning to look at God's promises as though they're not going to hold true. Here I am in this land and I had all this momentum and things were going well.

But now I I don't even know how I can stay in this land. Now. There's a famine and it's so severe. I Just don't even know how I can continue to sojourn here. And so there's this parallel that we find with Abram and it's just like Israel remember when God had all this momentum as he brought his people Israel out of Egypt and Then he brought them into the desert.

And of course there they began to accuse Moses. Have you led us out into the desert to die? There's no food. We at least had food and water back in Egypt. Have you just brought us here to perish? Perhaps that's what some servants in Abrams household were saying.

Now we followed you all the way out of Haran and you brought us here to this land in the midst of a famine just. How could God's promise hold true. Are you sure that God spoke to you? Are you sure that God promised you this?

Have you upset God? Has his promise now become void? The herds were compromised. The land was vulnerable. The lack of water caused the crops to perish and fail. It might have seemed that God Was no longer going to bless Abram.

The blessing was about the land in a seed within the land. And through that an inheritance and it seems that because of this famine all of that has gone up in smoke. And so what does Abram do we read.

Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there now. Remember that God's promise as we've been working our way through Genesis. God's promise has been resting on the line of Shem after Noah, right? God wipes away the world and its wickedness due to sin.

And then he promises through Noah that his promise will be fulfilled in the line of Shem. Remember the cursed son of Ham. Well the second son of this cursed Ham. His name is Mitsrayim and that's where Abram goes to dwell.

He goes to dwell in Mitsrayim or what we translate as Egypt. So you literally have the promised son in the promised line of Shem with a promised inheritance and.

It.

It's gone. There's no fruition. There's a famine. He has to go to the son of the cursed Ham. Into this land of the son of Ham the inheritance of Ham. That's where he has to travel down and so it seems like the Blessed One in fact says very little blessing and the cursed one is is.

Actually the one who's receiving the inheritance his land is full of plenty and provision.

And.

Yet we can still detect Abram clinging to this promise. He he doesn't go down to Egypt to settle. He goes down to dwell to sojourn. The verb there is related to our noun stranger. He's gonna be a stranger.

This is just a temporary fix. He has no intention of settling down in Egypt even beyond the famine. It's only just for these excruciating times. Now on this point there is some debate. Was it sinful for Abram to go down to Egypt.

Was it sinful for Abram to go down to Egypt? God had brought him into the promised land. He'd commanded him to go. He had made his presence known in the land and he attached his presence with promise.

We read of no command for Abram to leave. Was it sinful for him to go to Egypt? Was it from a lack of faith that he left the land? Did his nerve begin to shake. Was he looking toward Egypt as as it were the sequel to Babel the sequel to the city of man?

Well on the one hand Egypt in the Bible represents the epitome of the world. This is the next stage in the successive stages of the Serpent Kingdom. In other words, this is the city of man. This is the Babel.

This is man's answer man's way of managing God's curse on the world. This is the consummate evil Empire as it were and if that's not true now It will only become true as the story of Israel unfolds toward Exodus.

And so as FB Meyer points out in the figurative language of Scripture Egypt stands for alliance with the world. Depending upon the arm of flesh not upon the arm of the Lord. Under different circumstances in the history of Israel.

We read for instance in Isaiah 31 this rebuke of Israel for turning to Egypt. Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help. Do you notice that phrase? Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help just like Abraham went down to Egypt for help and rely on horses who trust in chariots because there are many and Enhorsemen because they're very strong who do not look to the Holy One of Israel nor seek the Lord.

Now the Egyptians are men Isaiah says and not God their horses are flesh not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand both he who helps will fall and he who is helped will fall down. They will perish together.

So the Prophet is rebuking Israel because out of a fear of Assyria, they're turning to Egypt for help. Let us go to Egypt for help. Let us make alliances and gain up support from them. And what is the Prophet saying?

Egyptians are not God. Their chariots are not spirit. If you go down to them for help, I'm going to cause calamity on both of you.

And.

Historically, that's exactly what happened. Egypt was crushed as Babylon crushed over a Syria and the kingdom of Israel and Egypt itself. So this is on the one hand on the other hand. There are times when God in fact causes people to go down to Egypt.

We see this later on in Genesis with Jacob and his family there's a famine in the land again and Because of the story of Joseph this very fascinating story that some year we're going to get to maybe next year.

He's right under Pharaoh in Egypt. He's the second in command and because of the visions that God has blessed him with he's able to put aside food for this Tremendous famine that has struck the land again.

And so God actually commands Jacob go down to Egypt in a night vision. We read that in Genesis 46 I am God the God of your father. Do not fear to go down to Egypt. Because I'm going to make you a great nation there and look at this is the beauty of God's command.

I Will go down with you to Egypt and I will surely bring you up again. Here you have a command of God to go down to Egypt in a time of famine. In fact, God says I will be with you as you go. Now we move forward to the days of Jesus.

In the ministry of Jesus we find Herod. He is the Pharaoh I guess of the first century and he wants to crush the promised seed of God. He wants to eliminate any threat to his power and his throne. And so you have what's famously called the massacre of the innocents in Matthew 2 13.

Joseph is warned of this when they had departed behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying arise. Take the young child with his mother flee to Egypt. Stay there until I bring you word.

You see go to Egypt.

Seek help seek shelter in Egypt. So here's this other argument right. On the one hand Woe to those who go down to Egypt. On the other go to Egypt and do not fear to go to Egypt. So was it a sin for Abram to go down to Egypt?

Well.

In my opinion based on the narrative so far I think yes it was. Now I'd be a little more careful than I'd say it was not necessarily a sin to go to Egypt. But it was a lack of faith that led to sin and Paul says whatever is not of faith is sin.

Now, let me build my case it's easier to understand the norm of Israel's history as Always being tempted to go to the city of man to depend upon the arm of flesh. And in this case, it's Egypt. The the way that Genesis unfolds whether it's through Jacob going down to Egypt or even the infant Christ being brought down to Egypt to seek refuge to seek provision to seek protection.

This is not because God has changed his mind now going down to Egypt is a good thing. But rather because they're fulfilling the prophecies. In other words God has promised that he's going to provide that he's going to establish and it won't be the city of man.

It won't be Babel Egypt Babylon or Rome. It's going to be God's way by God's means in God's timing and so when Jacob goes down. It's all part of this fulfillment of prophecy. Israel must be enslaved in this evil kingdom so that God can in might bring him out and so even Christ Then is brought into Egypt so that like Israel God by his might will bring him out.

So then we see it's not that God's going sometimes. It's good to go to Egypt. Sometimes it's not. It's not good to go to Egypt and Christ just like Joseph is Fulfilling this picture of God's deliverance.

So Matthew says in the very next verse that it might be fulfilled. Which was spoken by the Lord through the prophets saying out of Egypt. I called my son.

You see.

Israel is God's Son out of Egypt. I called my son and so as as Jeff Thomas states and I think this is right on Abram's departure was a loss of faith. His plan of action was addressing the wrong problem.

The problem was not the lack of bread. The problem was the lack of trust in the Lord. Man shall not live by bread alone. But by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, this was not the first famine in the land.

It wouldn't be the last. Abram had learned to trust God and less demanding times. Now he has to trust God in tougher times when the heavens are like brass and you know that God will provide. But he doesn't cast himself on God's provision.

He chooses the easy way out. He goes down to Egypt and because he goes down to Egypt He almost destroys his marriage and he almost loses his life. Now Abram's loss of faith, I think is why God rebukes Israel.

It would be the same rebuke that Abram would have received if he had ears to hear it. Isaiah 30 Woe to the rebellious children says the Lord who take counsel, but not of me who devised plans. But not of my spirit.

That they may add sin to sin who go down to Egypt and have not asked my advice. To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame.

Trusting in the shadow of Egypt will be your humiliation. You see I think here in Isaiah 30 Abraham is the echo in the background. Israel does what Abram did in chapter 12 they go down and looking for that protection under the shadow of Pharaoh.

It becomes their shame. So we see here this morning. I think the father of faith the father of all those who have faith.

Lose his faith. Lose his faith.

The earth dries up. It seems like God's promise is void. He hasn't felt the presence in a while. There's a famine in the land. What am I going to do? How am I going to get myself out of this situation?

I'm going to go down to Egypt. Now the principle that we find at the beginning here is this. Often in the Christian life trial follows blessing. Trial follows blessing. You can take that as a principle of life in Christ.

Trial follows blessing and some of you are cringing, you know, you've been blessed. You got that tax return and you're going, you know, things are really great. Everything's lining up. You got that promotion that you hoped for and then you hear.

Trial follows blessing and you're bracing for impact. The way that God brings about trial is such a fascinating thing because no Christian ever regrets having gone through a trial. Every Christian Cringes and and is anxious about being brought into trial.

It's an amazing thing, isn't it? I've never met a Christian. You could meet a Christian who's been through the worst things unimaginable things. Never met a Christian who says You know, I I wish none of that ever happened.

I would be better off if none of that had ever happened. I've never met a Christian who has that testimony. They might regret the consequences the baggage the damage, but they'll say God used it. God humbled me through it.

God saved me through it. God keeps me close to him through it. If they have any perspective at all on God's providence they bless God for the trials he brings. Something that I think the world does not know the world cannot understand.

And so don't be alarmed when I say a trial follows blessing. Though I think we all are alarmed. I was just in preparing the sermon going. Oh Lord. Have I been trying? It seems like it's been a while. Oh.

What's 2021 going to hold? The Lord often sends a trial he brings us through a season of testing and that often comes when he's moved Powerfully or providentially in our lives. It's this sort of automatic way that he proves his people.

You know, he'll bring us to greener grass and then as soon as we're like, ah, it's so much better here. We found the pasture it begins to dry up. It begins to shrivel. Well, are we gonna trust the hand that brought us here or are we gonna turn to our own devices?

This is just the way that God proves his people he keeps our hearts loyal to him. Trusting upon him in his word not upon the things that we see or the sense that we get of our trajectory in his providence.

Are we serving him just because things are going well boy, have I seen my share of people who've done that they receive their healing as Jesus explained and You know, did I not heal many where where are the others only you came back.

I've seen that too many times to count. Someone whose marriage is falling apart. Someone who's going through some personal crisis or maybe they've they've had this addiction. They cannot overcome. Maybe they're going through this season of guilt because they've hit rock bottom and they're looking for any handout.

And so we're all excited because they seem like that sprout that's shooting up. Oh, they're they're talking about Jesus. They're coming to church. They're reading the scriptures. Oh, they're ready to be baptized.

This is so wonderful. But as soon as that heat comes up that sprout it shrivels they were never looking for God. They were just looking for the blessing of God the stability of God. They were looking for God to order and arrange their lives.

They were not looking for God. And so that's why the Lord must test his people he must prove them. He must check their hearts check their loyalties. He must strip away those things that they're depending upon.

Until they find they're all in him he does this so faithfully in our lives. He tests his people. What does the accuser constantly ask does Job fear God for nothing? Hey, of course, Joe Follett's following you.

Of course. He's doing morning and evening sacrifice. Look at how much you've you've patted this guy.

He's got the life.

Joe doesn't fear you. He just doesn't want to lose the blessings. He has does Job fear God for nothing and so trial follows blessing sometimes. For this very reason we're tempted to think that trial has come because we've sinned or because God is angry with us.

Now that may be the case. It may be that trial has come because you're being disciplined. You're being chastised. God is rebuking you and so he's brought some some trial some hardship into your life that you'll be brought low and turned to him in Repentance certainly he disciplines the ones that he loves like any good parent.

But what we can infer from the story of Job and what we see here in Genesis 12 I'm convinced is that God brings trial in order to prove his people and as he proves his people He's pruning his people. That's what Jesus says in John 15.

I'm the true vine. My father is the vinedresser every branch in me that does not bear fruit. He takes away but Every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit now notice the logic of the statement here.

You would think he's pruning you because you have a lack of fruit in your life. I've just been a miss lately. I've been far from God to be honest. Sometimes. I think I'm just praying to myself out loud.

Yeah, I'm distant from the Lord. No wonder he's gonna start pruning me. Well, you haven't understood what Jesus just said. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes you see. So who does he prune? My things are really connecting for me.

I really feel closer to God than ever. I just feel like he's been moving in my life and in my family lately I I feel closer to God than I ever have before. Bring out the shears. It's time for some pruning.

God is going to make you even more fruitful. He prunes the branches that bear fruit. Do you see? Sometimes it's not the lack of fruit that brings trial into the Christians life. It's in fact the presence of fruit.

It's the abundance of fruit. And I hope that's an encouragement if perhaps someone here is is in that season of trial and you're tempted to think because the accuser never stops accusing. Of course this has come.

Look how fickle you've been. Look how wayward you've been. Look how cold you've been. Look how rebellious you've been. Of course. He's brought this trial on you into your life. It may be that you were exhibiting such fruit.

That the vinedresser decided to prune you every branch that is fruitful. God cuts. He brings a trial he he brings a test. He he brings that furnace of affliction, but he's present in the midst of it and his goal is good.

It's to make you more fruitful more joyous more humble more close and This is what God is seeking to do in Abram's life, you know. Abram has been trusting God by faith. He left her on and now he's dwelling as a sojourner living by the promise of God in this land of Canaan.

And yet he still has this dependence upon the flesh. He still has these ways of scheming and manipulating as we'll see in a few verses. He's still very self-reliant. And he still has a fear of man who wouldn't given his situation.

He's been cut off from his community and his support network. He has no friends. No relatives outside of those dwelling in his tents. No wonder he feels vulnerable to the Canaanites and to the Egyptians.

All these old attitudes. God is going to prune away so that Abram can be made more faithful and we're going to see that as the chapters unfold and so we read the predicament as Abram is traveling down to Egypt turning as it were to depend upon the arm of flesh.

Not seeking or beseeching the Lord it came to pass as he's closing into Egypt. You can imagine his mind going back and forth and I'm just gonna trust the Lord. I'm just gonna trust the Lord. And he starts seeing the towers and the buildings and the cities and he sees the smoke and the smells from afar and his fears get the best of him and he turns to his wife and says Indeed, I know you're a woman of beautiful countenance.

Let's just pause here for a moment. There was a Rabbinical commentary, it's amazing how much material the rabbis have on Genesis 12 and on Sarah's beauty and what's taking place here with with Pharaoh in his household.

There's a.

Rabbinical commentary what you'd call a midrash sort of a an elaboration or an exposition and a lot of times these rabbinical commentaries They lay hold of Jewish legends and there's a Jewish legend from this midrash on Genesis a midrash Genesis Rabbah rabbinical Commentary on Genesis and this is what it states about Sarah's beauty.

It came to pass when Abram was coming into Egypt. Where was Sarah? He had put her in a box and locked her in it.

Yeah.

Not exactly husband of the year. When he came to the customs house the official demanded pay the custom due. I will pay he replied. You carry garments in the box, I will pay the dues on garments. He said you're carrying silks.

He asserted I'll pay on silks. You're carrying precious stones. I will pay on precious stones. Now that customs officials going what in the world do you have in this box? It's imperative that you open it.

You see he keeps raising the stakes open it to prove it to me unless you want to pay More it's imperative that you open it so we can see what it contains and as soon as he opened it Egypt was illumined with her radiance.

So the rabbis said Sarah I was more beautiful than Eve. If we're gonna be a little cruel to the Egyptian women They said that Sarah's beauty made all the Egyptian wives look like monkeys. So there you have it.

Now that seems to be more legend than truth. I'm sure there were fair daughters in Egypt and I don't think Sarah is that renowned? But she would have been different and that would have been exotic and we can understand why Pharaoh would desire to have her in His royal harem, but look at Abrams complaint verse 12.

It will happen when the Egyptians see you. They'll say this is his wife and they're gonna kill me, but they'll let you live. So this is what's bouncing around in Abrams mind. They're gonna kill me. They're gonna take her.

They're gonna want to marry her. She's beautiful. They're just gonna kill me. They're just gonna off me. I'm just a stranger.

They could care less.

The Egyptians seem to be willing to murder rather than commit adultery. This is a pretty common Thing we saw it with David and Bathsheba. Didn't we murder first and then take what you want. This is sort of the way of rulers the way of Kings.

The later historian Josephus who's commenting on the Egyptians said they were so full of desire for women. They became wild with passion and this is Abrams fear. They're gonna become wild with passion for my wife.

They're just gonna kill me and marry her and that's that now what happened to the faith of Abram? What happened to the faith of Abram? It was rock-solid when he was at the great tree of Shechem. Building an altar over against the shrines the false gods.

It was rock-solid when God's presence was there. But all it took was a famine and now leaving that land of promise and going into just depending on himself. How am I gonna get out of this one? What am I going to do?

This is what's going to happen to me. We know how the Egyptians are and this is what they're going to do to me Sarah. You have to help me out. Notice how he frames his thoughts. Therefore it will happen when the Egyptians see you they will say this is his wife.

They will kill me. These are all absolute actions. They will do this. They will say this this will happen. Do you notice how his whole mind frame has shifted away from the promises of God? It will happen.

They will say this. They will kill me. That's contradicting how God gave his promises to Abram. I will take you. I will give you. I will bless. You see it's a direct contradiction to God. He's replacing God's I will promises with his fearful thoughts of they will they will they will.

God's concrete promises have been ignored and things that haven't even happened yet are made concrete in his mind. This is what will happen to me. Abram is allowing his anxiety to become a prophecy. This is what's going to happen.

His anxiety has become a false prophet and he's heating that false prophets voice. Verse 13, please say you're my sister. That it may be well with me for your sake and that I may live because of you. So notice that he's putting his life in his own hands really in his in his scheme.

He's saying if we can manipulate in this way if I can scheme in this way, this will save my life. Now his life is no longer in God's hands. He's even turning to his wife save me Sarah. Save me. I don't really care what happens to you.

I just I just want to save me. Again, if she's coming out of the box and that journey not exactly husband of the year. Bruce Waltke great commentator. He says Abram reasons that her defilement is better than his death.

That is not the way of Christ. Is it? According to Ephesians 5 Christ willingly takes death so that his bride is made pure holy. It's the opposite of Abram, isn't it? It's anti Abram. I'd rather my wife be defiled made filthy made unholy and spare my life and Christ says no exactly the opposite.

I give my life so that my wife may be cleansed may be made holy. The philosophy of the world is better defiled than than dead, isn't it? But that's not how you're gonna build worship to Yahweh in the land of promise.

That better defiled by paganism and idolatry than dead. I don't want to ruffle any feathers. Abram came in guns blazing building altars to Yahweh. Even though the Canaanites were all over the land. He just trusted God was going to protect him and that it was true.

His children would come. Sarah I would not be barren. They would fill the land and these Canaanites would be gone. He he really trusted that he was really living out that but here he is in Egypt and all of this is up for grabs.

Now he's even willing to throw away the promise of God that Sarah I will bear his seed in this land. Now we have to be a little careful about how Abram's scheme comes to pass.

First of all.

Abram was telling half of a truth. We read in Genesis 20 that Sarah I was in fact his half-sister. So it's a it's a half truth. They had the same father but different mothers and. Really, it seems like Abram's whole plan was not to go in and marry her off to Pharaoh.

He never could have predicted that his plan was very simple. The Egyptians are gonna see that you're beautiful. They're gonna kill me and take you for a wife. But if I am your brother, they have to negotiate with me to marry you.

That's the honorable thing to do that have no reason to kill me. I'm not a threat or a competitor and so they'll come to me and say I I want to Take Sarah I for my wife name your price and I'll be able to stall and negotiate and hopefully I can stall long enough that The famine will end and we'll go back to the land.

That seems to be his plan. We see this for instance with Laban. Laban is Rebecca's brother, but the negotiation for the marriage takes place between Laban. But as we'll see this little plan that was so carefully devised goes up in smoke.

Because while you can negotiate and stall with other Egyptians, you can't do that with the ruler of Egypt. You can't do that with Pharaoh. Pharaoh doesn't negotiate. He just takes he takes what he wants in this case.

He wants Sarah and so Abrams plan before he can even react goes up in smoke verse 14 and 15 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.

Abrams careful planning is thrown out the window. She's basically abducted. Negotiations do not take place. He cannot stall. She's taken into the house of Pharaoh. The house of Pharaoh here is not white picket fence two-story Cape.

It's it's a palace and she's in the quarters that belong to the royal harem. She's going to become a concubine. Now we have an example of this in Esther chapter 2. It's a different culture different kingdom different period.

But the same general concept applies. We read in Esther 2 about Esther Being prepared to be a consort a concubine to the Persian king Ahasuerus. So it was when the king's command and decree were heard many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel under the custody of Haggai.

That's not Haggai the prophet. That's Haggai the eunuch that Esther also was taken to the king's palace into the care of Haggai the custodian of the women now. The young woman pleased him and she obtained his favor.

So he readily gave beauty preparations for her besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants provided for her and he moved her from the maidservants to the best place in the house of women. So this would be the harem each young woman's turn came in to go to King Ahasuerus.

After she had completed 12 months preparation According to the regulations for the women and thus were the days of their preparation a portion six months with oil of myrrh. Six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women.

Thus prepared each young woman went to the king and she was given whatever she desired. To take with her from the women's quarters to the king's palace. Again, different culture different context, but this is kind of what Sarah I could expect.

I'm gonna be in this harem. I'm gonna have a period of preparation. I'm gonna be living the spa life. To be given over to Pharaoh to become a concubine to this ruler. What about the promise of God. That I would bear Abram a seed and fill this land that we have now left because it's it's barren.

Well, maybe this is just God's intention. Maybe this is just God's way. God in fact is providentially Preserving. If there was a lot of pressure put on Abram just from a normal Egyptian. The stakes would have been higher and maybe things could have happened faster, but the fact that she has to be prepared.

It buys some time that she's gonna be off-limits. She's only being dealt with by eunuchs. She's being prepared. And so verse 16 we read Pharaoh treated Abram well for her sake he had sheep oxen male donkeys male and female servants female donkeys and camels.

That's being treated very well in The ancient Near East. Now, this isn't just meant to record generosity of Pharaoh toward Abram. This is really a bride price. I've taken her. I realize you're her brother.

Here's a bunch of good stuff. She'll become mine. She's gonna be my possession now. It's not necessarily a formal marriage. She's becoming a concubine, but he pays a bride price as it were now you can discern just how wealthy Pharaoh is by the gifts that he's given.

Arkin Hughes in his commentary mentions that female donkeys were prized. This is again going back into an ancient Near Eastern mindset. It seems rather strange to us. You know if you go home and tell your wife you're worth at least 15 female donkeys to me, you know.

That would have been a compliment, you know several thousand years ago. Probably more of an insult today female donkeys were far more controllable dependable for riding. Therefore the right of choice for the elite.

These were the Lexus is the BMWs along the Nile Camels were even better. He says they were prestige symbols show for the very rich not for utility. I Remember driving up 128 not that long ago. I don't know why guys have this weird complex that we just know cars, you know and have an interest in car.