20 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.”
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.”’”
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 all1 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.
Section Overview
Genesis 20 opens with Abraham on the move again and repeating the sin of pretending that Sarah is merely his sister and not also his wife (Gen. 20:2). This is sometimes imagined to be merely a variant telling of the earlier episode when Abram went down to Egypt (12:11–20), but we see significant differences between the two events. Those who know and work with people understand that sins are rarely random but rather tend to fall into standard patterns, reflecting our own personal heart idolatries. Those who are inclined to be fearful do not suddenly stop being fearful simply because the situation resolved itself on a previous occasion. It is entirely plausible that under the pressure of a new situation Abraham adopts an old pattern of sin as a defense mechanism, even though the outcome is predictable. Indeed, 20:13 reveals this to have been Abraham’s default approach to new environments. Once again God must intervene to deliver Abraham from the consequences of his sin and restore him to a position from which the Lord’s promise to him can finally be accomplished. This is the final hurdle to be crossed before the promised child can be given to Abraham and Sarah.
This passage also explicitly calls Abraham a “prophet” (v. 7), not because he has a direct revelation from God for Abimelech but because he will intercede for him. Intercession is a key part of a prophet’s calling,286 as may be seen from the exceptional restriction placed on Ezekiel, preventing him from interceding for his people (Ezek. 3:26).287 Here Abraham eventually fulfills his calling to be a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:3) despite his earlier missteps.
Section Outline
VII. The Family History of Terah (11:27–25:11) . . .
L. Abraham and Abimelech (20:1–18)
Response
Abraham feared people more than he feared God—even after so many years of walking by faith before the Lord. He idolized his own safety and, in pursuit of that, was willing to give up Sarah’s safety and the way of obedience to the Lord. Yet the God whom he had failed to trust for his safety nonetheless protected both of them, bringing them out of the dangers facing them. The Lord enabled Abraham to be a blessing to Abimelech, praying for him and seeing the judgment lifted that had been placed upon his household, so that the women could once again have children.
This truth is both humbling and encouraging. It is a humbling reminder that we too, even after many years of walking with the Lord, will only ever make small beginnings on the road to righteousness. Our besetting idolatries continue to exert a strong hold over us, and “experience” is often simply the name we give to the ability to recognize our sins as we commit them all over again. Yet this truth is also encouraging, for the Lord does not give up on Abraham despite his weakness, defensiveness, and sin. The Lord will not let him go until he has done what he promised for him, and he will use Abraham’s many failures to humble him and deepen his grip on the Lord’s grace.
One of the ways in which God matures all his followers is by showing us, and others, our sin. Often this will be embarrassing for us, even humiliating, especially if we are in positions of Christian leadership. But in this way he gives us an opportunity to repent publicly and to speak plainly to others about the gospel, which is the only hope for sinners like us. Jesus loves us when we are bad, as well as when we are good, and our public sins give us ample opportunity to reflect on and to testify to that amazing fact. We never grow beyond our need of the gospel, and our remaining sins make that reality abundantly clear to all.Genesis 20