Introduction

‘Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, ‘She is my sister.’ Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. 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.’ Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, ‘Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 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.’ 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. 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.’ Genesis 20:1-7

ABRAHAM AND ABIMELEK

After witnessing the events surrounding Sodom, Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, Genesis 19:27-29, Abraham is on the move again. This time, he goes to the region of the Negev and lives between Kadesh and Shur, Genesis 20:1. They stayed near Gerar, Genesis 20:2.

Mitchell of the British Museum says the following concerning Gerar.

‘A Philistine city, identified with Tell Abu Hureira, a mound about 11 miles southeast of Gaza. It was populated during every period of the Bronze and Iron Ages, with indications of a prosperous period during the Middle Bronze Age, the age of the patriarchs.’

While staying near Gerar, Abraham said that his wife Sarah was his sister. It was then that Abimelek, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her, Genesis 20:2. It appears Abraham didn’t learn from his previous experience in Egypt concerning his wife Sarah and trusting God, Genesis 12:14-20.

He asks Sarah to pretend to be his sister, despite her being his wife and actually half-sister; despite this being a half-truth, it was still a complete lie. Sarah must have looked younger than she was, but she was certainly beautiful. In the Old Testament, the focus seems to be on her outward beauty, but in the New Testament, she’s complimented for her inward beauty, Hebrews 11:11 / 1 Peter 3:1-5.

The reason Abraham asks her to lie about their relationship is simply because the ruling king would have the right to Sarah if she were single, as his wife. If she claimed to be already married, the ruling kind may well kill Abraham in order for him to take Sarah as his wife. So, to a degree, we understand why Abraham lied, but he was willing to sacrifice his wife, Sarah, in order to save his own life.

Abraham is falling into the same sin trap again because he didn’t trust that God would protect them in order for the seed promise to be fulfilled through him and Sarah, Genesis 12:1-3.

Notice, instead of God going to Abraham, God went to Abimelek in a dream, Genesis 20:3 / Genesis 15:1 / Numbers 12:6-8 / Hebrews 1:1-2. He tells him that he would be as good as dead because the woman he had taken was married, Genesis 20:3.

The word ‘Abimelek’ isn’t a name but a title; ‘Emolech’ means the god of the universe, but Yahweh, the Holy High God, passes judgment on Abimelek. In other words, God was in control, and if Abimelek actually did have sexual relations with Sarah, there would have been devastating consequences to pay.

Abimelek didn’t go anywhere near Sarah and asked if God was going to destroy an innocent nation, Genesis 20:4. He tells God that Abraham did tell him that Sarah was his sister, Genesis 20:5 / Genesis 20:2, and he adds that Sarah also told him Abraham was her brother, Genesis 20:5. It’s clear that he was a righteous man and the nation he ruled was righteous.

I believe Abimelek was acting out of pure ignorance, with a clear conscience and clean hands, Genesis 20:5. He was totally unaware that Sarah was actually married to Abraham. In those days, the more wives you had, meant you had more power because you were a part of a bigger family.

Somehow God in a miraculous way managed to stop Abimelek from touching Sarah, which was good news for him, otherwise, judgment would have come upon him and his nation, Genesis 20:6.

God commanded him to return Sarah to Abraham and declared that Abraham was a prophet, Genesis 20:7 / Hebrews 1:1. This is the first time that the word prophet appears in the Scripture.

Dummelow, in his commentary, says the following.

‘A prophet is one to whom God reveals his will, and who in turn declares it to men; and thus, one who can mediate between God and man, as in this case (the case of Abraham).’

‘Early the next morning, Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. 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.’ And Abimelek asked Abraham, ‘What was your reason for doing this?’ 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.’ Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father, though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 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.’ Genesis 20:8-13

The next morning, Abimelek calls his officials, and when they heard what had happened, they were terrified, Genesis 20:8. Abraham is rebuked again by a pagan king, and asks him what he done to them?

How has he wronged Abraham that he has brought such great guilt upon him and his kingdom? He tells Abraham that he has done things to him that should never be done, Genesis 20:9.

He now asks Abraham, what was his reason for doing this? Genesis 20:10. Abraham tells him that he said to myself, ‘there is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife,’ Genesis 20:11. He tells the king that Sarah really is his sister, the daughter of my father, though not of my mother; and Sarah became his wife, Genesis 20:12.

Now, remember that Abraham is a stranger in the land where Abimelek reigns. The practices of Abimelek’s land were very much different from what Abraham was used to, especially when it came to marriage.

Abraham had married one of his father’s daughters through another wife other than his mother. And so well aware that he was in a different country, Abraham had made an agreement with Sarah that wherever they went, Sarah would say she was his sister when actually she was only his stepsister, Genesis 20:13.

Abraham’s excuse may seem plausible, but it seems as though he feared men more than he feared God; in fact, he’s almost indirectly blaming God. And make no mistake about it, half-truths with the intent to deceive are a lie. I mentioned earlier, this is the second time this has happened to him, Genesis 12:14-20.

‘Then Abimelek brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah, his wife, to him. And Abimelek said, ‘My land is before you; live wherever you like.’ To Sarah, he said, ‘I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offence against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.’ Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, for the LORD had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.’ Genesis 20:14-18

I mentioned earlier that Abimelek was righteous, and he’s doing what the godly person is doing. Notice that Abimelek is giving gifts to Abraham, Genesis 20:14 / Romans 12:20, and he accepts them. I think we can see the character of Abimelek when he sent Sarah back to Abraham, Genesis 20:14. He offered Abraham the opportunity to live anywhere in his land, Genesis 20:15.

We can also see the character of Abimelek when he gave them a whole bunch of silver, twenty-five pounds in weight worth, to cover any offence this whole ordeal may have caused to Sarah, Genesis 20:16. Sarah, in a sense, is being politely rebuked by Abimelek as he tells her she should never be ashamed to declare that Abraham was indeed her husband.

The Hebrew word for ‘vindicate’, Genesis 20:16, is the Hebrew word ‘yakach’, which means setting right, setting right the wrong that was done. Remember, Sarah isn’t in the wrong here; Abraham was. This in some ways, was a covenant between Abimelek and Abraham.

Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.

‘Abimelech did this because he believed in God and was most anxious that God should find no cause of condemnation in him regarding his taking Sarah.’

It’s clear that God had intervened in this sad, unnecessary event because the text tells us that Abimelek’s wife and female servants couldn’t have children during the whole time Abraham and Sarah were living there, Genesis 20:17, until God intervened again and healed them, so they could have children, Genesis 20:18. It’s possible that Abimelek asked Abraham to pray on his behalf.

Keil and Delitzsch, in their commentary, say the following.

‘In King Abimelech, we meet with a totally different character from that of Pharaoh, Genesis 12:10-20. We see in him a heathen imbued with a moral consciousness of right, and open to receive divine revelation, of which there is not the slightest trace in the king of Egypt.’

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