ABRAHAM MISREPRESENTS SARAH part 1

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Abraham repeats the same sin which he committed when he went down into the land of Egypt and lied concerning Sarah, saying, “She is my sister.” It is the same sordid story, but this chapter is put here for a very important reason.

Abraham and Sarah are going to have to deal with this sin before they can have Isaac, before they can have the blessing.

May I say to you, until you and I are willing to deal with the sin in our lives, there is no blessing for us. Genesis chapter 20 should be familiar to anyone who has read Genesis chapter 12.

In the prior account, Abraham and his household moved to Egypt to escape a devastating famine (Genesis 12:10). Worried that the people would see how beautiful his wife was and kill him to get her, Abraham asked her to lie and say she was his sister (Genesis 12:13).

This was a half-truth: they shared the same father, but different mothers (Genesis 20:12). Perhaps Abraham imagined that, as her brother, any proposals would be brought to him and he could simply refuse them. That didn’t work.

A Pharaoh in Egypt took Sarah for one of his wives (Genesis 12:15). In that first series of incidents, God intervened. Sarah was returned (Genesis 12:19).

Abraham and his household left Egypt with far more than they had brought in. God blessed Abraham in spite of his fear and faithlessness (Genesis 12:16; 12:20).

Here in chapter 20, a similar pattern emerges. Abraham and company pull up stakes at Mamre and move to a place called Gerar, south of Gaza. Once again, Abraham and Sarah lie: claiming they are brother and sister (Genesis 20:13).

The intent is to disguise the fact that they are married. Again, the most powerful man in the region, King Abimelech, takes this supposedly unattached woman for one of his wives (Genesis 20:2).

God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah, to provide them a natural-born child, is now at risk. God’s actions demonstrate both His faithfulness and His mercy.

God afflicts Abimelech with an illness and “closes the wombs” of all the women in his household (Genesis 20:18). Then God appears to Abimelech in a dream, announcing that Abimelech will die for taking a married woman as his wife (Genesis 20:3).

Abimelech responds truthfully that he has not yet approached Sarah and that he acted with full integrity, believing her to be Abraham’s sister (Genesis 20:4–5). The Lord agrees.

If Abimelech will return Sarah, Abraham will pray for them, and Abimelech and all of his household will live. If not, they will all die (Genesis 20:7).

 

Genesis 20:1-8 KJV

[1] And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and 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, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.

[4] But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

[5] Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

[6] And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

[7] Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

[8] Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.

 

 

Genesis 20:1 KJV

And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

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Abraham is getting quite far south in the land. He has gone beyond Kadesh-Barnea where the children of Israel later came up from Egypt and refused to enter the land. Abraham has gone down to Gerar.

Abraham moves his great household from the region around Mamre south toward the border of the land of Canaan. We’re not told the reason for this move. They settle in Gerar, between Kadesh and Shur.

Gerar was south of Gaza, near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and within the borders of the Promised Land. Abraham travelled often throughout the land of Canaan during his lifetime.

The events of this chapter echo those of Genesis chapter 12, where Abraham succumbed to fear during his travels. There, Abraham lied about being married to Sarah, resulting in her being taken by the ruling Pharaoh as a wife.

Only after God’s intervention was the situation resolved. Here, strangely, Abraham seems to make exactly the same fearful mistake.

Rather than simply acting in faith, and being honest, Abraham and Sarah once again try to scheme their way towards a goal. And, as happened in other cases, the scheme backfires (Genesis 12:13–15).

 

Genesis 20:2 KJV

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

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This is quite interesting. Do you think that Sarah was beautiful? Well, at this time she is almost ninety years old, and she’s beautiful. Not many senior citizens can qualify in this particular department. Abraham lies about Sarah again.

I want you notice Abraham’s confession because this is the thing which makes this chapter important and reveals the fact that Abraham and Sarah cannot have Isaac until they deal with this sin that is in their lives—and it goes way back.

After moving to a new place, Gerar, Abraham repeats an old scheme he had used much earlier in his life. Genesis 12 reports that Abraham had moved his household into Egypt, forced out of Canaan by a famine in the land.

At that time, he was afraid someone would notice his wife’s great beauty and kill him to get her (Genesis 12:12). So, he asked Sarah to tell a half-lie for him: Say you are my sister. She was, in fact, his half-sister.

They shared the same father, but different mothers (Genesis 20:12). Perhaps Abraham thought someone would ask his permission to marry her and, as her brother, he could simply refuse.

It didn’t work. An Egyptian Pharaoh simply took her, added her to his harem, and paid Abraham great sums as her brother. Then, as He often will in these instances, God stepped in to resolve the situation. Here, God will eventually do the same.

This is a frustrating incident in the life of Abraham, who has recently seen many signs of God’s great power and faithfulness. Even so, Abraham acts out of fear and faithlessness. Once again, the lie backfires.

The king of Gerar, Abimelech, takes Sarah for a wife, believing her to be Abraham’s sister.

 

Genesis 20:3 KJV

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.

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God gives Abimelech notice of his danger of sin, and his danger of death for his sin. As He often does in the Bible, God appears to someone in a nighttime dream. God very matter-of-factly tells Abimelech, king of Gerar, that he is a dead man.

He is guilty of adultery because Sarah is another man’s wife. Abimelech had apparently been quite ill—a disease sent by God specifically as a warning about the situation with Sarah (Genesis 20:17).

Later verses also indicate that all of the women in Abimelech’s household were afflicted with barrenness, for the same reason (Genesis 20:18). As the following verses will reveal, even the pagan Abimelech understood adultery to be a great sin.

Abimelech will defend himself to God based on two main claims: that he had not actually yet slept with Sarah, and that he did not know she was married (Genesis 20:4–5).

After God reassures him that the situation can be resolved, Abimelech will scold Abraham for his lie, demanding an explanation for why such a thing was done (Genesis 20:9).

 

Genesis 20:4 KJV

But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

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Every willful sinner is a dead man, but Abimelech pleads ignorance. God is speaking to Abimelech in a nighttime dream. God has told Abimelech, the king of Gerar, that he will die from his current illness (Genesis 20:3) for taking a married woman as his wife.

Abimelech now pushes back: He had not yet approached Sarah. He asks if God would kill “an innocent people”—the only reason he has taken Sarah is the assumption that she was not married.

To his credit, Abimelech appears to be concerned not just about himself but also about his people, who may have been sick, as well. He seems to assume that God’s judgment will include more than just the king.

That makes more sense when, at the end of this chapter, we learn that God has stopped any of the women in Abimelech’s household from bearing children.

Abimelech’s question about God’s character, whether the Lord would kill innocent people, echoes Abraham’s question to the Lord about whether He would destroy righteous people in His judgment of Sodom (Genesis 18:23).

In both cases, the answer was “no.” God’s character remains intact throughout these moments. This not only highlights the righteousness of God, it would have been a cutting point for Abraham to hear.

His own actions put the innocent at risk, though he had appealed to God for the sake of the innocent in Genesis chapter 18.

 

Genesis 20:5 KJV

Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

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If our consciences witness, that, however we may have been cheated into a snare, we have not knowingly sinned against God, it will be our rejoicing in the day of evil.

The conversation between God and Abimelech continues. God has said, flatly, that Abimelech would die from his current illness for taking a married woman for his wife. Abimelech responded that he had not yet had sex with Sarah.

If a king had many wives and concubines, it’s possible that Sarah might have been in his house for some time before he would have even approached her for the first time.

Later information, regarding the barrenness of Abimelech’s household, supports the idea that she had been there for quite some time (Genesis 20:17–18).

Given that nothing has happened, Abimelech asks, would God kill innocent people?

Now Abimelech points out that Abraham himself said that Sarah was his sister. Abraham deceived him. Not only had Abimelech not yet slept with Sarah, he had acted with integrity in his heart.

At least according to Abimelech’s opinion, his intentions had only ever been appropriate.

The following verses show God’s response to Abimelech, demonstrating once again that God’s righteousness is impeccable. The situation can be resolved, if Abimelech is willing to follow God’s plan.

 

Genesis 20:6 KJV

And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

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It is matter of comfort to those who are honest, that God knows their honesty, and will acknowledge it. It is a great mercy to be hindered from committing sin; of this God must have the glory.

God has appeared to king Abimelech in a nighttime dream with a startling message: You are going to die from your current illness, because you took a married woman as your wife.

Abimelech’s response has been that not only had he not yet slept with Sarah, he had acted with integrity. He believed Abraham’s lie that Sarah was merely his sister.

Abimelech’s question to the Lord from verse 4 still hangs in the air: Will you kill the innocent?

Now the Lord relieves the tension a little. He agrees that Abimelech has acted with integrity. He also reveals that He, the Lord, has kept Abimelech from even touching Sarah.

This is part of God’s faithfulness in protecting His promise to Abraham and Sarah, that they would soon have a natural-born son (Genesis 17:15–16). Making it clear that Sarah and Abimelech were not intimate is key to this passage.

Though the text doesn’t say so here, verse 17 reveals that Abimelech had been ill. In Genesis 12, when Abraham lied in the same way and an Egyptian Pharaoh had taken Sarah as his wife, God had sent plagues on the Pharaoh’s household (Genesis 12:17).

Abimelech’s illness may even have been why he has been unable to touch Sarah and complete his sin against the Lord.

Notice that God describes this potential adultery as a sin against Himself and not just against Sarah and Abraham. Later, God will make abundantly clear to His people Israel that adultery is strictly forbidden in all cases.

 

Genesis 20:7 KJV

Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

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But if we have ignorantly done wrong, that will not excuse us, if we knowingly persist in it. God has appeared to Abimelech, king of Gerar, in a nighttime dream.

God has stated flatly that Abimelech will die from his current illness for taking Sarah as his wife, since she is a married woman (Genesis 20:3; 20:17).

When Abimelech protested that he did not know this, God agreed that Abimelech acted with integrity and had not yet touched Sarah, albeit because of God’s own intervention (Genesis 20:6).

Now God gives Abimelech a choice about whether he will live or not. He is to return Sarah to Abraham. When he does so, Abraham will pray, and Abimelech and his household will live. Otherwise, they will all die.

This is the first use of the Hebrew word for prophet, nabiy’, in the Old Testament. God considered Abraham to be a prophet, one who speaks for God and to God on behalf of others.

Abraham has already approached God on behalf of Lot and the people of Sodom in Genesis 18.

Apparently, this is the end of God’s conversation with Abimelech in a dream. When morning comes, Abimelech will quickly act on what the Lord has said to him.

 

Genesis 20:8 KJV

Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.

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He that does wrong, whoever he is, prince or peasant, shall certainly receive for the wrong which he has done, unless he repent, and, if possible, make restitution.

Abimelech, king of Gerar, has taken Abraham’s wife Sarah for his own wife. Abraham had said plainly that Sarah was his sister. Abimelech believed him.

Apparently, some time passed during which God kept all of the women in Abimelech’s household from bearing children and during which Abimelech, and possibly others, had become very ill (Genesis 20:17–18).

The previous verses describe a conversation between God and Abimelech in a dream. God said Abimelech would die for taking away another man’s wife (Genesis 20:3).

Abimelech said, truthfully, that he didn’t know Sarah was married, and he had not yet touched her (Genesis 20:4–5). God agreed, stating that Abimelech and his household would live if he would return Sarah to Abraham and Abraham would pray for them (Genesis 20:6–7).

Now Abimelech gets up early in the morning and tells all his servants about the dream. Everyone is afraid. They believe, apparently, that God will do as He says. Their fear of God demonstrates more faith in Him than Abraham’s fearful lie to Abimelech.

 

ABRAHAM MISREPRESENTS SARAH part 2

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Abimelech confronts Abraham about his lie and demands to know why he did it (Genesis 20:9). Abraham’s excuse is his fear of being killed by someone who would take Sarah as a wife.

He explains that she is, in fact, his half-sister, though also his wife (Genesis 20:12). The answer reveals, once more, Abraham’s lack of confidence in God to protect him and Sarah, in spite of all of the ways God has shown Himself faithful.

Abimelech returns Sarah, along with gifts of animals, servants, choice land, and a large sum of silver to show Sarah’s innocence and protect her reputation (Genesis 20:14–16).

Abraham prays to God. Abimelech is healed. His wife and the women of his household are once again able to bear children. Soon, just as promised (Genesis 17:15–16), Sarah will bear a child of her own (Genesis 21:1–2).

 

Genesis 20:9-18 KJV

[9] Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

[10] And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

[11] And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.

[12] And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

[13] And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

[14] And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

[15] And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.

[16] And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

[17] So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

[18] For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

 

 

Genesis 20:9 KJV

Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

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See here much to blame, even in the father of the faithful. Mark his distrust of God, his undue care about life, his intent to deceive. Abimelech appears to be rightfully angry.

He calls Abraham before him and confronts him with very similar questions to those asked of Abraham by an Egyptian Pharaoh many years earlier (Genesis 12:18–19).

Here, though, the questions have a more pointed tone. Abraham has lied and told Abimelech that Sarah is his sister, leaving out the full truth that they are actually married.

When Abimelech took Sarah into his house as an additional wife, he was stricken with a disease and confronted by God in a dream (Genesis 20:3).

Abimelech wants to know what he has ever done to Abraham. It’s a question asked by a reasonable person: Did I do something to deserve this terrible treatment from you?

Unlike the Pharaoh, Abimelech also identifies this near-adultery as a great sin with consequences for himself and his whole kingdom. He seems to agree with God that adultery is wrong.

He says clearly to Abraham: You shouldn’t have done this.

 

Genesis 20:10 KJV

And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

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Abraham is now talking to Abimelech who is greatly disturbed that Abraham would do a thing like lying about his wife.

He also threw temptation in the way of others, caused affliction to them, exposed himself and Sarah to just rebukes, and yet attempted an excuse. These things are written for our warning, not for us to imitate.

Abraham’s actions put the king and his family at risk—they were stricken with disease and barrenness (Genesis 20:17–18) until God confronted Abimelech in a dream (Genesis 20:3).

At that point, Abimelech appealed to his good intentions, and that he had not yet touched Sarah. In the prior verse, Abimelech had demanded to know why Abraham had acted so inappropriately, by lying and allowing this risk to fall on his family.

After beginning with an angry series of confrontational questions in the previous verse, Abimelech’s question here seems more pointed. He genuinely wants to know why Abraham lied and said that Sarah was his sister.

More specifically, Abimelech asks what Abraham has seen or encountered that would motivate this kind of deception.

Abimelech honestly doesn’t get it. In light of all of God’s goodness to Abraham, his answer in the following verses will not be very satisfying to us either, though it will sound very human.

 

Genesis 20:11 KJV

And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.

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Again, Abraham was not trusting God. He felt that he was moving down into a godless place, but he finds out that Abimelech has a high sense of what is right and wrong.

Abimelech puts a tremendous value upon character and apparently is a man who knows God. Poor Abraham doesn’t look good by the side of Abimelech here.

Abimelech has asked Abraham a reasonable question. He wants to know why Abraham lied about Sarah being his sister. This resulted in Abimelech taking Sarah as a wife, and nearly committing adultery as a result (Genesis 20:2–5).

Why did Abraham do this thing and bring the wrath of God on Abimelech and his innocent household?

Abimelech is pressing the question very directly: he wants to understand what would lead Abraham to do such a thing.

Abraham’s answer reveals how his fear in that situation overcame his faith in God, and an apparent misunderstanding about the faith of Abimelech and his people. Abraham believed there was no fear of God in Gerar.

He believed someone might kill him to take Sarah for his own. Notice that Abraham, again, was not wrong about Sarah’s desirability. She must have been extremely attractive.

Both in Egypt years earlier and now in Gerar, the most powerful man in the area quickly took her for his own wife (Genesis 12:14–15).

Abraham was wrong, though, about God’s ability and/or willingness to protect him and Sarah. His lack of faith is hard for us, as readers of the Bible, to fully understand. Abraham has literally walked and talked with the Lord.

He has seen God utterly destroy the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah while rescuing his own nephew Lot from among them.

He has received blessing after blessing from the Lord, alongside powerful promises, including one that Sarah will bear him a son within the year.

Abraham was also wrong, it seems, about the lack of faith in God in Gerar. If they didn’t have it before, the king and his people certainly learned to fear the Lord very quickly under threat of death from God.

 

Genesis 20:12 KJV

And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

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Abraham lets it all out now. He says, “To tell the truth, it’s half a lie. Sarah is my half sister, and she is my wife.” Even Abraham hath not whereof to glory.

He cannot be justified by his works, but must be indebted for justification, to that righteousness which is upon all and unto all them that believe.

Abraham continues to answer Abimelech’s questions about why he lied about Sarah being his sister (Genesis 20:9). Now he reveals that it’s not completely a lie. She is his half-sister, as well as being his wife.

They share the same father and different mothers. Of course, even true statements, told with the intent to deceive and to disguise some other important truth, are still lies. Abraham was acting in fear for his own life, and he knew full well what he was doing.

Though God, in the Law of Moses, would later forbid marriage for those in that closeness of family, it was apparently not uncommon or disapproved of in Abraham’s day.

God never seems to have condemned Abraham or Sarah for it, either. In contrast, the relations between Lot and his daughters described in the previous chapter was apparently thought to be wrong both in Abraham’s time and, later, under the Law of Moses.

 

Genesis 20:13 KJV

And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

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Abraham did not have complete confidence and trust in God, and so when they started out, he and Sarah made a pact that anywhere they went where it looked as if Abraham might be killed because of his wife, Sarah would say that Abraham was her brother.

Abraham and Sarah thought that that would keep Abraham from being killed. They made that little agreement, and they had used it down in Egypt, and here they have used it again.

This sin must be dealt with before God is going to hear and answer Abraham’s prayer in sending a son. Isaac will not be born until this is dealt with.

Abraham continues his explanation to Abimelech about why he lied about Sarah being his sister.

First, Abraham admitted he was afraid that someone would kill him to take Sarah.

Next, he revealed that Sarah was, after all, his half-sister.

Finally, he claims that telling this lie has been a strategy they have used ever since they began traveling away from the safety of their homeland. More specifically, Abraham says that he asked Sarah to participate in this lie as a kindness to him.

As details appear, it becomes harder for us to sympathize with Abraham in this situation. He is admitting, here, that he has repeatedly asked Sarah to put herself in harm’s way in order to save his own life.

In addition, this is only the second time Scripture has mentioned him doing this when coming to a new place (Genesis 12:12–13).

So, is Abraham lying about it being their normal routine?

Or has it happened in other places, as well?

We don’t know.

This is the end of Abraham’s explanation to Abimelech, as unsatisfying as it must have been.

Self Examination

How many Christians are there who will not judge sin in their lives, and as a result, there is no blessing in their lives?

If those who are in places of leadership in our fundamental churches would confess their sins and deal with the sins that are in their lives, I frankly believe that we could have revival. I do not believe there will be any blessing until sin is dealt with.

Listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians: “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:28–32).

Blessing is being withheld from the church and from the lives of many believers because we will not deal with the sin in our lives. This is a tremendous spiritual lesson here in the twentieth chapter of the Book of Genesis.

 

Genesis 20:14 KJV

And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

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Abimelech, being warned of God, takes the warning; and being truly afraid of sin and its consequences, he rose early to pursue the directions given him.

God had said to Abimelech that he and all those who were his would die if he failed to return Sarah to Abraham. They would live, however, when Abraham prayed for them (Genesis 20:7).

Abimelech had taken Sarah as a wife, thanks to Abraham’s lie that she was only his sister. Confronted by God in a dream, Abimelech had proclaimed his ignorance, and obeyed God’s instructions to return her to her husband (Genesis 20:3–6).

Now, Abimelech does return Sarah, but he goes well beyond that. He also gives Abraham sheep, oxen, and servants, in addition to a large sum of silver mentioned in verse 16.

Abimelech seems eager to clear away any hint of this potential sin and any scandal between him, Abraham, and Sarah.

This is not only a sign of good will from Abimelech, it is an important part of God protecting the promise he made to provide Abraham and Sarah with a natural-born son (Genesis 17:15–16).

The fact that Abimelech, in no uncertain terms, never touched Sarah maintains the upcoming birth of Abraham’s son, Isaac, as legitimate.

 

Genesis 20:15 KJV

And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.

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We often trouble ourselves, and even are led into temptation and sin, by groundless suspicions; and find the fear of God where we expected it not.

Years before this, Abraham had lied about Sarah, causing the Pharaoh of Egypt to take her as a wife. When the Pharaoh realized what had happened, he immediately returned Sarah (Genesis 12:18–19).

At the same time, he immediately had his men escort Abraham and his family out of Egypt (Genesis 12:20). That Pharaoh didn’t want to be anywhere near a people whose God brought plagues on his household.

Now, after a very similar lie from Abraham results in almost the same consequences, king Abimelech has a different response.

In addition to returning Sarah, along with gifts of herds, flocks, and servants, the king of Gerar offers to allow Abraham to settle anywhere in his kingdom that he would like.

It’s hard to imagine he was happy with Abraham. More likely, the king was eager for Abraham to pray for him and for his household so that they would live. It’s also possible that Abimelech wanted to prove his good intentions to the Lord.

 

Genesis 20:16 KJV

And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

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We must not condemn all as hypocrites who fall into sin, if they do not continue in it. But let the unhumbled and impenitent take heed that they do not sin on, thinking that grace may abound.

Years earlier, the Lord had promised to unconditionally bless Abraham. He continues to do so here. Even when Abraham appears to act dishonorably in fear and faithlessness, God blesses him in it.

It happened after Abraham’s lie about Sarah being his sister in Egypt, and it happens again here.

King Abimelech, eager to be healed and show himself obedient to Abraham’s God, has returned Sarah, untouched (Genesis 20:4), to Abraham along with great gifts: herds, cattle, servants, and the choice of any land in the kingdom for a homestead (Genesis 20:15).

Now the king goes even further, blessing Abraham and Sarah in two more ways.

First, Abimelech gives Abraham a thousand pieces of silver. That’s a lot of money in this era, far beyond the normal price for a bride. Abimelech’s stated reason for doing so is the second blessing: It is meant as a sign of Sarah’s innocence in this matter.

Somehow, this large sum of silver was meant to protect Sarah’s reputation, to tell everyone that she had not been compromised while in Abimelech’s household.

Notice that while telling this to Sarah, he still calls Abraham her “brother” and not her husband.

Since that was the half-truth, half-lie used by Abraham, Abimelech might mean that statement as a not-so-subtle sign of his continued displeasure with fearful Abraham.

 

Genesis 20:17 KJV

So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

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Agreements to deceive generally end in shame and sorrow; and restraints from sin, though by suffering, should be thankfully acknowledged.

Abraham’s earlier lie had caused king Abimelech to take Sarah as a wife, not realizing she was actually married to Abraham (Genesis 20:2–3).

After being confronted by God and stricken with an illness, king Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham, untouched, along with gifts of herds, cattle, servants, choice land, and a great amount of silver (Genesis 20:16).

In return, Abraham fulfilled his obligation. He prayed to God for Abimelech’s healing. God healed Abimelech, as well as returning to Abimelech’s wife and female slaves the ability to bear children again.

God restored what He had taken from Abimelech and his household after Abimelech returned what he had taken, in innocence, from Abraham. More specifically, God healed after Abraham prayed.

Why did God require the middle step of another person’s prayer before taking action?

God often works that way, especially through his prophets in the Old Testament and in the church today. God stands ready to exercise His power in response to the prayers of His people. He wants us to ask; He acts when we do (James 5:17–18).

 

Genesis 20:18 KJV

For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

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Though the Lord rebuke, yet he will pardon and deliver his people, and he will give them favour in the sight of those with whom they sojourn; and overrule their infirmities, when they are humbled for them, so that they shall prove useful to themselves and others.

The previous verse reveals that in response to Abraham’s prayer for their healing, God restored the ability of Abimelech’s wife and his female slaves to bear children.

This verse concludes that God had closed all the wombs of all the women in the house of Abimelech because of Sarah. She had been taken in as a wife, by Abimelech, who was deceived by a lie told by Sarah and Abraham (Genesis 20:2–3).

This established two points that are important when interpreting this incident.

First, Sarah must have been in Abimelech’s household for a while before God appeared to him in the dream.

She had to be there long enough for it to become apparent that the women of the household could not bear children. That’s not something one can realize in a few short days, or even weeks.

Second, this shows us once again that God exercises complete control over fertility, giving and withholding children as He sees fit. Psalm 127:3 indicates that children are a gift from the Lord.

He sometimes withholds them in judgment, as He did here, or until the time is right, as will happen with the birth of Isaac in the following chapter.

At still other times, He withholds children without explanation or condemnation. In all cases, His people are called to trust the Father’s timing, His grace, and His love.

 

 

I hope that you have really enjoyed this post,

 

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