Genesis 20:1-18

Abraham travelled from that place to the territory of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he lived temporarily in Gerar.

² And Abraham told people regarding Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “See, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is another man’s wife.”

⁴ But Abimelech had not had relations with her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an blameless people?

⁵ Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with integrity in my heart and with innocent hands.”

⁶ Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, in fact, it was I who kept you from sinning against me. For this reason, I did not let you touch her.

⁷ So, return the man’s wife now, because he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will stay alive. But if you do not return her, know that you shall definitely die, you, and everyone associated with you.”

⁸ So Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very frightened.

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 caused me and my kingdom to commit a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.”

¹⁰ And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking, that possessed you to do 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’s beauty.

¹² Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she later became my wife.

¹³ And when God caused me to roam from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is the consideration you must show me: at every place where we go, say of me, He is my brother.'”

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; live wherever you want to.”

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 could again give birth to children.

¹⁸ For the LORD had closed all the uteruses of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

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Door to disaster

Lot had decided to protect himself and his family by getting away from it all. His attempt at self-preservation ended in sin and shame. Now, it was Abraham’s turn. Would this man of faith trust God for his protection? Things were not looking good. He had lied to protect himself from those who might want Sarah, and that lie was found out.

Before we criticize Abraham for doing this, we need to keep in mind that we all fail the LORD in some decisions that we make – even the spiritual giants like Abraham do.

But an interesting thing happens in Gerar. The LORD speaks to king Abimelech in a dream, and spills the beans. He warns Abimelech that Sarah is Abraham’s wife, and explains how much danger Abimelech is in. If the LORD had not intervened by speaking to Abimelech in a dream, Sarah would have become another of his wives. Neither Abraham nor Sarah realized what was at stake here. When we give in to fear, we open the door to disaster. Only God in his grace can rescue us from our short-sightedness.

LORD, may we keep the faith, and trust you to rescue us. May we be faithful to you, and live in such a way that we proclaim you as faithful to us.