Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech
Genesis 20:1-18 “Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar, Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”
Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent? Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.”
Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that 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. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, be aware that you will surely die—you and all who belong to you.”
Early the next morning Abimelech got up and summoned all his servants; and when he described to them all that had happened, the men were terrified.
Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such tremendous guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done.” Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What prompted you to do such a thing?”
Abraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’ Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and she became my wife. So when God had me journey from my father’s house, I said to Sarah, ‘This is how you can show your loyalty to me: Wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
So Abimelech brought sheep and cattle, menservants and maidservants, and he gave them to Abraham and restored his wife Sarah to him. And Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever you please.” And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children— for on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household.”
Sarah must have been drop-dead gorgeous even as an old lady for Abimelech to want to add her to his harem. Why? Because in this story, Abraham and Sarah already have the new names that God has given them. At any rate, Abraham is at it again, sacrificing Sarah to save his own skin. Abraham’s excuse is pretty flimsy. “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’ Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and she became my wife. So when God had me journey from my father’s house, I said to Sarah, ‘This is how you can show your loyalty to me: Wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’” Way to go, Abraham! Why are you willing to sacrifice Sarah, who is to be the mother of your child of promise? Where’s your trust in God?
The story ends happily because God appears to Abimelech in a dream, warning him to leave Sarah alone and to restore her to her husband. Not only does Abimelech return Sarah to Abraham, but he also gives Abraham lavish presents and offers him the opportunity to settle wherever he wants to in the kingdom of Gerar. Evidently, this situation has gone on for several months, because God has closed the wombs of all the women in Abimelech’s household. Perhaps God has been giving Abraham time to do the right thing and give the true explanation regarding his relationship with Sarah, only intervening when Abraham has failed to do so.
Abaham prays for Abimelech and God heals everything about the situation, including removing the curse of barrenness from the women of Abimelech’s home. What is missing is God’s dialogue with Abraham. It’s hard to believe that God will allow Abraham to get away with this stunt without correcting him in some fashion. And how does Sarah feel? Once more, Abraham has been willing to allow Sarah to be taken into another man’s harem to save his own life, with Sarah running the risk of rape or even death if she fails to please Abimelech. Abraham’s cowardice proves that family dysfunction has been going on for millenia.
It is highly significant that God has never demanded human sacrifice apart from the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. When the Israelites copied their pagan neighbors, sacrificing their children as live burnt offerings to Molech, God was furious. By lying and allowing Sarah to be added to a king’s harem, Abraham is essentially sacrificing Sarah.
Today, we continue to make human sacrifices of our families by refusing to spend time with them, celebrating special moments, or putting their needs before our own. Childhood passes in an instant, and the chance to share precious milestones vanishes in a millisecond. Opportunities for intimacy with our spouses dwindle the more we refuse to take advantage of them. Eventually, our families decide that they can do quite well without us at all. Even if we do not put our work before our families, we can still neglect them if we allow depression or other emotional problems to rob us of time with them.
Looking back, I realize that my father was chronically depressed in an age when there were few effective antidepressant drugs and depression was generally treated with ECT, electroconvulsive therapy. Any emotional problem carried the social stigma of madness and those suffering from simple depression went to incredible lengths to hide their problems, hurting their families and themselves in the process. ECT frequently resulted in memory loss, a liability so daunting that the author Hemingway committed suicide rather than go through ECT again. By the time Dad was able to get on effective antidepressants, I was well into adulthood and the patterns of our relationship were already set. My mother was the one who made sure that events and successes were celebrated.
By the time God changed Abraham and Sarah’s names, He was already promising that Sarah would bear a son in her old age. Abraham should have had faith in God’s protection and should also have valued and protected Sarah; his failure to respond in faith led to problems for others as well as for his own household. May we act more wisely than Abraham, trusting that God will care for us and treasuring the families God has given us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to treasure those around us, realizing that You will protect us and give us Your peace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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