Read with Me
Genesis 20:1-7 (HCSB)
From there Abraham traveled to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived in Gerar, Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”
Now Abimelech had not approached her, so he said, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent? Didn’t he himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”
Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience. I have also kept you from sinning against Me. Therefore I have not let you touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours.”
Listen with Me
Abraham moved away from the area close to where Sodom and Gomorrah had been, south and west to the furthest southern reaches of Canaan, to a city called Gerar. As was common in that period, the chief leader in the walled city was called the king. He was the hereditary leader of the city, as shown by his title, not necessarily his name, Abimelech, which means “my father is the king”, a title that was passed down through the generations. (See Genesis 26:1-11.)
Abraham continued in his old habit of referring to Sarah as his sister, a half-truth he engaged in for protection for both him and Sarah. He did this even though it had disastrous effects when he had done it in Egypt nearly twenty-five years earlier (Genesis 12:11-20).
As had happened before, the ruler of the city heard about Sarah’s beauty and had brought her into his harem. This time, however, Abraham hadn’t been given a lavish bride price for her as he had in Egypt.
God had a vested interest in Sarah’s sexual purity. He had promised that she would conceive a son from Abraham. If Abimelech had relations with her, the father of the child would be in question. Since Abraham was powerless to prevent this from happening, God stepped in.
God wasn’t subtle. Hold a Abimelech clearly that if he touched Sarah, He would kill him. She was another man’s wife, and he had to let her go immediately.
The threat was effective. Abimelech was terrified. He pled his case before God clearly. He had not had relations with Sarah yet, so he was innocent of that charge. And he had been told clearly by both Sarah and Abraham that they were brother and sister. With that information, he had no way of knowing that they were married. He was a victim of deceit, and his hands were clean.
All that was true, and the warning had been heeded. He would not go near Sarah, and would return her to her husband untouched. The promise could now be fulfilled without any questions raised as to paternity. In addition, God instructed Abimelech that Abraham was a prophet, one to whom He spoke, who had a special relationship with Him, and who could effectively intercede for Abimelech before His throne.
Pray with Me
Father, it is easy for us to sit here 4000 years later with Your complete revelation in our hands and click our tongues at Abraham. But we need to remember that first of all, he didn’t know nearly as much about You as we can today, only having the knowledge he had gained of You through his occasional dealings with You. Second, we need to think back on all the stupid things we have done and the poor decisions we ourselves have made despite having Your revelation in the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit living in our hearts. In reality, we are not that much better than Abraham, if we can claim any improvement at all from the many benefits You have provided to us. Forgive our pride, Lord, and help us to live more humbly and more obediently with You. Amen.