Genesis 20: Abraham and Abimelek
3 But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”
4 Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”
6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7 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, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”
8 Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.” 10 And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?”
11 Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And when God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
14 Then Abimelek brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelek said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.”
16 To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.”
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, 18 for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.
Genesis 20 (NIV)
Abraham moved to a new area and told the same lie he had told in the past about Sarah being his sister. He feared that if the people knew she was his wife they would kill him to get her. This time around, Abimelek king of Gerar was the one who took Sarah in to be his wife. God came to Abimelek in a dream and warned about going near her because she was another man’s wife already.
Fortunately, Abimelek had not done anything with Sarah yet and after that encounter with God, he called Abraham and returned Sarah to him. Abimelek offered gifts to Abraham and gave him freedom to live wherever he wanted in that land.
Lessons from Genesis 20
Learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them
This was not the first time Abraham was telling the lie about Sarah being his sister and not his wife. In the past, an Egyptian Pharaoh had also fallen for the lie and taken Sarah in to be his wife and he and his household were afflicted with serious diseases (Genesis 12). Abraham apparently did not learn from that experience and ended up telling the same lie when he got to Gerar, and Abimelek also fell for Sarah’s beauty and sent for her to be brought to him. Just like with Pharaoh, Abimeleks’s household received an infliction (this time it was the inability to have children).
Albert Einstein said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. A wise person should be able to learn from past experiences and not make the same mistakes over and over again.
Take heed to the warning of the Lord
Before Abimelek did anything with Sarah, God came to him in a dream and warned him of impending death because not only was Sarah married, she was the wife of a prophet of God. Fortunately, Abimelek took heed to the warning and God spared him and his entire nation.
When God warns you about something, take heed and correct your ways immediately. The only outcome you can attain through disobedience is trouble.
A clear conscience and clean hands
In a fair justice system, an innocent person will never be punished. If there is no evidence tying a person to a crime, they should not be held accountable to pay the consequences of a crime they did not commit.
God is a just God,if you have a clear conscience and clean hands, He will never send afflictions upon you. In the case of Abimelek, the man explained that he had been lied to by both Abraham and Sarah, and God acquitted him but on the condition that he returned Sarah to her husband.
Had Abimelek refused to return Abraham’s wife now that he knew the truth, he and his people would have surely died.
As a Christian, you should strive to live a sin-free life. When the accuser (the devil) goes before God to condemn you and demand a guilty verdict, may you be found to have a clear conscience and clean hands.
Beware of technical truths
Abraham told a technical truth when he introduced Sarah as his sister. See, in verse 12 of Genesis 20, Abraham revealed that Sarah was the daughter of his father though not of his mother (i.e. his half-sister). So, yes technically she was his sister but in actuality she was his wife. He lied by omission.
I’m sure almost everyone has found themselves in a similar position at some point: telling a half-truth to avoid the possible consequences that the “real truth” might bring. Beware of technical truths. While they might make you seem innocent in the eyes of men, God does not see it the same way. Before you say or do something, think about the consequences your words or actions will have down the road. If you realize that you will need to tell a half-truth to explain something, you probably have no business doing that thing anyway. Keep your conscience clear and your hands clean. Let your plan be to tell the truth every step of the way. God is not a liar and His people shouldn’t be either.
The importance of reparations
It is quite normal to make mistakes, anyone can make a mistake. When you realize you made a mistake, try to make reparations.
When you make reparations, you acknowledge you made a mistake and you attempt to right the wrongs.
Abimelek did this by giving Abraham sheep, cattle, slaves, and silver, and returning Sarah to him. It was his way of covering the offense against Abraham and his people. He chose not to dwell on the fact that Abraham had lied to him though he could have. He took the higher road and extended an apology, and Abraham prayed for him and his people that they may be able to have children again.
Reflection
- What mistakes are you making over and over? How can you break those chains?
- Is there anyone you have wronged? How can you make amends to them?
Further reading
- Romans 6:23 [For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.]
- Revelation 12:10 [And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.]
- Matthew 5:23-24 KJV [Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.]
Prayer
Father, I thank you that you have forgiven me of my mistakes. Teach me to forgive others like you do and show me how to make reparations to people I have hurt. Today, I declare that I am breaking free from the bondage of mistakes. I will learn from past experiences, I will be led by the Spirit and I will walk in wisdom, not repeating past mistakes but going from glory to Glory in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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God bless you!
