Critics say that the account of Abraham lying to the pharaoh about Sarah shows the Book of Abraham to be false, since God would not tell anyone to disobey the 10 Commandments.
The story of Abraham lying to Pharaoh must be evaluated in terms of the Bible record. The Bible gives us accounts of several instances when God has commanded His prophets, as well as others, to protect the innocent by giving the wicked less than the whole story.
The Midwives Lie to Pharaoh
The first Bible example of approved deception occurs in the time of Moses. (Ex 1:16 -19) Pharaoh tells the midwives to kill all the male children born to Israelite women. The midwives disobey the pharaoh, but when questioned deliberately lie, saying, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.”
The midwives are confronted with a command from the head of state that offends their personal and professional morality. They decline to participate, and actively deceive Pharaoh — they even lie to him or his officers so that the deception may continue, as well as to (one assumes) spare themselves his punishment. The subsequent verses indicate God's approval of their action. (See Ex 1:20 )
Honesty to the wicked is not the primary moral value — obedience to the will of God is.
Moses Deceives the Pharaoh
A second Bible example of approved deception comes from the prophetic call of Moses. Exodus 3 contains the account of Moses being told by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to a land “flowing with milk and honey.” However, God tell Moses that he tell the Pharaoh something different — that the elders of Israel are only going on a three-day journey into the wilderness to perform sacrifice.
This deception even extends to the Egyptian neighbors of the children of Israel in the matter of “borrowing” jewels, raiment, and other valuables.
We are not told why the Lord instructed Moses to deal with the Egyptians in the way he did. It is significant that Moses did not take such an approach on his own; only a direct command motivates his less-than-forthright behavior.
One can speculate, however — it is certainly reasonable to think that the Egyptians would have murderous intent toward their slaves who presumed to leave. They are willing to act on such inclinations, despite the plagues, when it becomes indisputable that Israel has left for good.
If Moses had announced that Israel was leaving, what would the reaction of Pharaoh's court have been? Moses' failure to tell the whole story may well have saved Egyptian life, as well as Israelite. To be sure, God could have used another way. But, in this instance, deception was the specific tactic that He commanded.
The Critics' Double Standard
What would happen if those critics who mock the Book of Abraham were to apply the same standards to the Bible? Anti-Moses critics could doubtless exploit this situation to great rhetorical effect — they could mock Moses' "ethical lapse" here, and insist that he did it all for monetary gain. They could contrast his behavior here with the "thou shalt not covet," "thou shalt not bear false witness," and "thou shalt not steal" commands given later at Sinai, and point out that "borrowing" when you don't ever intend to come back looks a lot like "stealing."
Conclusion
The Bible tells us that Moses did what God told him to do. Is it so surprising that Abraham might have been told something similar to prevent death to the righteous? The Bible record tells us that God blessed Abraham despite his action. The Book of Abraham simply makes it clear that Abraham did not choose this path on his own, but like Moses was obeying a direct command from God, who may grant exceptions to His Laws if He pleases
