Scripture: From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”‘”
Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.” Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. For the LORD had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Genesis 20:1-18 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Lot relocates to the hills with his daughters and settles in a cave. As time passes, the eldest daughter reasons with her sister that given there are no available men to develop conjugal relations and continue the family line, each should intoxicate their father with wine and lay with him. So they, on separate nights, take turns; all the while, drunkard Lot is oblivious to what has happened—until his daughters show signs of pregnancy. Moses concludes this bizarre story of incest to inform his audience (the second generation of wilderness wanderers approaching the Promised Land) that the despicable Moabites come from Lot’s oldest daughter, who gave birth to Moab, and that the loathsome Ammonites come from the younger daughter who gave birth to Ben-ammi.
Today’s passage returns to Abraham’s story. Moses reports that Abraham sojourned in Gerar (the land of the Philistines). Like the earlier encounter with Pharaoh, Moses again misleads a ruler by presenting Sarah to Abimelech as his sister (his half-sister and wife). Following a similar outcome to Pharaoh, God reveals to Abimelech in a dream that Sarah is Abraham’s wife and threatens to kill him. Also, like Pharaoh, this intervention occurs before the king defiles Sarah. Indeed, as the dream develops, Abimelech declares his innocence, and God reveals his full knowledge and sovereign actions to rescue Sarah with further instruction to return her to Abraham, a prophet, and seek his intercessory prayers.
Abimelech obeys without delay and confronts Abraham for placing him and his kingdom in great peril for such a potentially great sin. As with Pharaoh, Abraham shifts the blame to the ruler, citing Abimelech and his people do not fear God and would otherwise kill Abraham to gain his wife. And Abraham likewise justifies his half-lie by noting that Sarah is his half-sister. Asking no further questions, Abimelech returns Sarah, adds gifts of silver, flocks, and servants, and invites Abraham to settle wherever he likes in his kingdom. So, Abraham prayed to God to heal Abimelech’s family and servants and open the wombs that God had closed.
Takeaway: This is the second chronicled occurrence where Abraham demonstrated a lack of faith in the Lord regarding his safety in a foreign land. Surprisingly, Moses not only includes this second occurrence but notes that Abraham asked Sarah to carry out this ruse whenever they settled in a new territory (v.13). It is one of those biblical stories that makes us squirm but also lends credibility to our Bible being untampered through three millennia of copying and translating its parts. But why include it? Because it reveals that even great men (and women) of faith can commit egregious sins. But more importantly, it shows that God is faithful: He will not renege on his promises and will persuade even unbelievers to accomplish his purposes. It also reveals that God redeems: He restores Sarah to Abraham, enlarges Abraham’s possessions, and heals Abimelech’s household.
Our takeaway? This story does not promote deception to ensure self-preservation or promise gain. Instead, it inspires us to live faithful lives, trusting we need not take matters into our own hands but rest in knowing that God is faithful and redeems our losses—not necessarily with monetary restitution but certainly with treasures of eternal import (i.e., a maturing faith that bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit, see Galatians 5:22-23). Additionally, we must not forget that God is a holy God and that he calls us to uphold his holiness by presenting one another as sacred to him (confer 1 Peter 1:14-16). As such, our pursuit of gain or security must never come at the expense of others’ well-being. Our faithful God will do his part. Our part is to live faithful, holy lives as his image bearers.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who manifested a life of faithfulness and holiness that consequently glorified you. We also thank you for your Holy Spirit, who matures our desire to live faithful and holy lives. Still, like Abraham, we are prone to relapse, demonstrating a lack of faith. So, please help us submit to the correction and guidance of the Holy Spirit to make course corrections, trusting that you are faithful and will redeem the consequences of our sins as evidenced by your Son’s resurrection. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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