Episode 277 - “No! He didn’t! What? Really? Wow!” - Genesis 20

Gen. 20:1 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 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.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 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.” 6 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. 7 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.”

Gen. 20:8 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. 9 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.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” 11 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.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 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.”’”

Gen. 20:14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” 16 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.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18 For the LORD had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

As I read this, I decided that this blog and podcast should be called, “No! He didn’t! What? Really? Wow!” You would think Abraham would have learned his lesson from his time in Egypt since he pulled the same thing on Pharaoh.

This story takes an entire chapter. So, we’re not going to do a deep dive into it. But that’s ok because I think it’s most important to see how this story fits in the greater narrative. Let’s recall what has just happened, according to Genesis. First, Abraham got a visit from the LORD. The LORD told Abraham and Sarah that Sarah would have a son sometime in the next year at the age of 90. Then, the LORD revealed that a cry had gone up against the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham, knowing that his nephew Lot and his family lived there, reminded the LORD that surely he wouldn’t destroy the righteous along with the wicked. Lot and his daughters were saved from that judgment by obeying the command of the angels to leave and not look back.

So, in Genesis 20:1, Abraham moved again. Why? We’re not told. But it might be a reasonable speculation that, as one with many livestock to feed, he’s moving his animals to a different area. Whatever the reason, its location is in the direction of Egypt, although not that far. It’s southwest of the Dead Sea. He’s stayed in Gerar, where a man named Abimelech was the king. He was a Philistine. These are the same people with whom Israel will have much conflict later in time. They did not worship the LORD. The giant Goliath, whom David would kill many years later, was a Philistine. For the Israelites who had come out of Egypt and were entering the land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants, this story would help them understand the long history their ancestors had with the Philistines.

The real problem in this story is revealed in verse 2. Abraham did the exact same thing that he did in Egypt: he told the Philistines that Sarah was his sister and had Sarah go along with it. He did this to protect himself. As was the case with Pharoah, Abimelech took Sarah into his harem. Now, I don’t know why a king wanted another wife and one that was 90 years old as well. He’s probably not thinking about having more children by her. But maybe he didn’t know she was 90. Maybe she’s aged exceptionally well. We’ll just take this at face value. We’ve already been made aware that Sarah will have a son. So, would that son be from Abimelech or Abraham? Abraham has put the certainty of his and Sarah's bringing about the promised “seed” at risk.

Here’s where the real irony sets in. The pagan Philistine king is visited by the LORD in a dream who tells him that he’s going to die because he has another man’s wife. The LORD had spoken directly to Abraham and told him that he and his wife Sarah would have a son together. However, Abraham’s actions don’t evidence a strong conviction that that he’s buying it. Conversely, the pagan Abimelech believed every word the LORD revealed to him in a dream.

Then, Abimelech appealed to the LORD, “LORD, will you kill innocent people?” (v. 4) Who does that sound like? That was Abraham’s argument to the LORD when he knew what the LORD would do to Sodom and Gomorrah. For a pagan, Abimelech has some pretty good theology happening at the moment. The great irony happening is humorous. But don’t miss the extent of God’s grace to Abimelech. God didn’t have to reveal anything to Abimelech. But he spoke a clear message to him and actually prevented him from sinning with Sarah. (v. 6) Then, he gave Abimelech a chance to do what was right. That’s what the LORD did with Cain, remember? But Cain chose to ignore the LORD’s warning and did what he wanted. Abimelech obeys the LORD’s instruction and blesses Abraham.

The story closes with Abraham praying to God to heal Abimelech, his wife, and female servants so that they would have children. (v. 17)

I think we often look to the Bible for instruction on what we should do. We open its pages to find tips for a happy marriage and so forth. But I really think the Scriptures are more about revealing who God is and what he is like. In this story, we are reminded again that Abraham, whom God chose, is human with weaknesses like everyone else. Yet, God will not abandon the plan that he has for Abraham and Sarah. God steps into the story to ensure that what he has promised will come about. It reveals that the LORD is able and willing to reveal himself to anyone or everyone. Furthermore, as he did with Abimelech, he protected him from ignorantly sinning and, with the new knowledge, gave him the choice to obey or disobey. God showed grace and mercy to a pagan king.

This is what our God is like. May this lead us to trust the LORD and know that his ways are good.