Genesis 20. Abraham and Abimelech

Abraham and Abimelech

• We see the same story play out from Genesis 12 in Genesis 20 through the ‘she is my sister’ story and once again Abraham uses his own plan instead of God’s.
• This story takes place about 25 years later

20 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 

• Was Abraham told to travel?

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.

• God kept Sarah’s womb safe as she is about to carry the Messianic line.

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.” 

• Could God have said don’t take random women to sleep with?

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. 

• What sins does God keep us from that we are unaware of?
• Reminder that Sarah was 89

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.”

• First mention of a prophet נָבִיא (nabi) in the Bible.
• The “righteous” pagan king has to be prayed for by the lying prophet.

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.’ 

• Abraham did not fully trust God. Ironically he was that one that did not have the fear of God, while Abimelech obeyed God.

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

• So with incest being “okay” at this time, why did they not assume Sarah was ‘with’ Abraham even though they were brother and sister? I guess probably because he didn’t say “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.”’”

• Abraham says “God caused me to wander…” but God had a plan for him with a specific destination?

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.

• Was Abimelech being sarcastic saying “brother” instead of “husband”?

It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”

• The phrase “sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you” is in Hebrew “a covering of the eyes” (כְּסוּת עֵינַיִם).
  • Perhaps means covering the eyes of any suspicion, thus showing innocence.
• In Genesis 12, God says He will “bless those who bless you”. Here we see an example of that

 ¹⁷ Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 

• Abraham once again intercedes

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