MAKE ME A BLESSING (GENESIS 20)
Several years ago, USA Today published the results of a survey on how people feel about their neighbors and their relationship with them. The interview with 1,002 adults revealed that people consider their neighbors as valuable friends, and not as nameless, faceless or heartless strangers.
Below are the results of the survey:
69% have offered to give or have received help from neighbors the previous year.
63% feel as safe in neighborhood now as 5 years ago
61% know neighbors fairly well or very well
51% borrowed from or lent something to a neighbor last year
47% chat with their neighbors five times or more a month, 37% one to four times, and 14% never talk to folks next door.
33% have shared a meal in one or the other’s house. (USA Today, 7/14/97)
In Genesis 12, God had promised Abraham three things: land, seed and blessing. The fulfillment of the promise was right on track even though Abraham was still far from the kind of man exemplifying God’s generous blessing. As the story unfolded God later specified the boundaries of the land in Genesis 15 (Gen 15:18-21) and in chapter 17 the seed Isaac was born. The present chapter captures the relationship between the Father of all who believe and his Gentile neighbors. The time had come for the father of the circumcised (Rom 4:12) and the father of many nations (Rom 4:17) to assume the role that God had assigned for him - to be God’s bearer of the promise, His instrument of peace and His mouthpiece to the world.
How should Christians relate to people of a different faith or do not worship God? What do we need to change about our understanding of them? Why does God want us to extend His blessing even to the unbelieving world?
People Can Be Honestly Mistaken and Easily Disadvantaged
20:1 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, 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. (Gen 20:1-2)
A man who lost his axe suspected that the missing axe was not misplaced but was stolen. He searched the house everywhere carefully, repeatedly but futilely – in the kitchen, inside the bedroom and behind every fixture. He was convinced in his heart that the axe could not just walk away, go into hiding or vanish into thin air. All signs pointed and led to his neighbor’s son. As the boy passed by, the man looked at the boy’s mannerism - the way he walked, the way he looked, the way he talked – and he was certain that he had found the thief. In fact, everything about the boy’s appearance, behavior and activities suggested that he had stolen the ax.
However, before too long, the man accidentally found his axe while he was digging in his cellar. The next time when he saw his neighbor’s son passed by again, he had another attitude, perspective and opinion: nothing about the boy’s behavior or appearance seemed to suggest that he had stolen the axe.
Deep in the heart, mind and being of Abraham was a sense of distrust, fear and intolerance of his Gentile neighbors. This was nothing new or shocking. Abraham was afraid of Pharaoh and lied when he was far away in foreign Egypt (Gen 12). His latest neighbor, Abimelech, was viewed with the same suspicion. Abraham was incredibly helpful to his nephew and fellow Jew, Lot, but was extremely suspicious of all Gentiles, be they enemies or friends. He would do all that is in his power to rescue his relative Lot and his household from foreign invaders, to recover all their goods and possessions, and to safeguard them from future invasions (Gen 14:16-17), but he would keep things to himself, keep things in the community and keep things separate with the Gentiles. In Abraham’s mind, they could harm, betray or even kill him, his family, or relatives if they had their way, grounds and opportunity to do so.
Abimelech, unwittingly, made what we called an honest mistake. He mistook Sarah for a single woman, someone who was available, and decided to make her a showpiece for his palace; thereby he was exposed to, called into and bound for God’s judgment.
Abraham thought he understood the Gentile human nature, but they were not as bad or mean as he thought they were! At least not all or even most of them. Plain and simple, Abimelech was dragged into trouble simply because Abraham lied. Abraham did not think the Gentiles were capable of being law-abiding citizens, godly neighbors and potential friends. They were unclean, uncircumcised and ungodly sinners, mostly predators, bandits and villains to him. So he kept secrets, told lies and fed misinformation to his neighbors the moment he arrived at Gerar.
Unfortunately, Abraham’s trust in God up to this point did not increase, but his mistrust in foreigners did. He did not exercise faith, but showed prejudice in foreign territory. He did not pray before, but after the incident, and missed a wonderful opportunity to witness to the local residents because of his narrow mind, deceptive words and corresponding actions.
God is Highly Impartial and Equally Merciful
3 But God came to Abimelech 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.” 4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 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.” 6 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. 7 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 yours will die.” (Gen 20:3-7)
A Jewish story told of how Abraham changed his attitude towards outsiders. Once, as the Patriarch Abraham sat at the entrance of his tent, he saw an old, tired man approach. Abraham arose and ran forward to bid him welcome. He begged him to enter his tent and rest, but the old man declined the invitation and said, “No, thank you! I will take my rest under a tree.” But, after Abraham continued to press him with his hospitable attentions the old man allowed himself to be persuaded and entered the tent.
Abraham placed before him goat’s milk and butter and baked for him fresh cakes. The stranger ate until he was satisfied. Then Abraham said to him, “Now praise the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, Who gives bread to all His creatures!” “I do not know your God,” replied the old man coldly. “I will only praise the god that my hands have fashioned!”
Then Abraham spoke to the old man, told him of God’s greatness and loving kindness. He tried to convince him that his idols were senseless things who could neither help nor save anyone. He urged him therefore to abandon them and put his faith in the one true God and thank Him for His gracious acts that He did for him every day. But to all of Abraham’s fervent pleas the old man answered indignantly, “How dare you talk to me this way, trying to turn me away from my gods! You and I must have nothing in common, so do not impose on me any further with your own words, because I will not heed them!” At this Abraham grew very angry and cried out, “Old man, leave my tent!” Without a word the old man departed and he was swallowed up by the dark night and the desert.
When the Almighty saw this He grew very wrathful and appeared before Abraham. “Where is the old man who came to you this night?” He asked sternly. “The old man was stubborn,” replied Abraham. “I tried to persuade him that if he believed in You everything would be well with him. He refused to hear my words so I grew angry and drove him out of my tent.” Then spoke God: “Have you considered what you have done? Reflect for one moment: Here am I, the God of all Creation - and yet have I endured the unbelief of this old man for so many years. I clothed and fed him and supplied all his needs. But when he came to you for just one night you dispensed with all duties of hospitality and compassion and drove him into the wilderness!”
Then Abraham fell upon his face and prayed to God that He forgive him his sin. “I will not forgive you,” said God, “unless you first ask forgiveness from the heathen to whom you have done this evil!” Swiftly, Abraham ran out of his tent and into the desert and after much searching found the old man. Then he fell at his feet and wept and begged for his forgiveness. The old man was moved by Abraham’s pleas and he forgave him. (A Treasury of Jewish Folklore, ed. Nathan Ausubel 456-57. New York: Crown Publishers, 1948)
God causes the sunshine and rain to shine on righteous and unrighteous people (Mt 5:44-45). He views humans the same way, requires the same thing from them and gives them a chance, a way out, and an opportunity to repent. God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34-35).
Abimelech, to his credit, had a clear heart and clean hands. The nation was innocent. He did not cause trouble upon Abraham or Sarah. He was not stubborn, unrepentant or shameless. Unlike the previous deception in Egypt (Gen 12:19), Sarah, too, got into the act. She agreed with the plan, conspired to mislead Abimelech and echoed that Abraham was her brother (20:5). Even God did not reject Abimelech’s claim of possessing a clear conscience (20:5, 6). Further, the matter had not gone out of hand. Abimelech had approached Sarah (20:4), but the Lord restrained him (20:4, 6). The Gentile king had not touched Sarah or sinned against God. Unlike Pharaoh who had to read the signs after serious diseases were inflicted upon Egypt (Gen 12:17), Abimelech did not suffer any loss, except for a bad dream. Unlike Pharaoh who had to guess if the source of his problems were Sarah (Gen 12:18), God pointedly reminded Abimelech where danger was. In the end, the heathen king responded humbly, positively and immediately to the divine suggestion. In other words, salvation was not far away for the heathen king.
The way we rightly treat all people, the saved and the unsaved, is an integral part of New Testament teaching. According to the Greek text, the duties to “all” include doing right to them (Rom 12:17), living at peace with them (Rom 12:18, Heb 12:14), doing good to them (Gal 6:10), showing respect (1 Pet 2:17) and loving them (1 Thess 3:12,), and being patient (1 Thess 5:14), kind (1 Thess 5:15) and humble (Tit 3:2).
Believers are commanded to emulate, exercise and extend God’s mercy (Lk 6:36), even to those who doubt, question and reject His existence, the truth and the gospel. Jude 22-23 says, “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them.” Paul says, “The Lord’s servant must gently instruct those who oppose him, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Tim 2:25-26). Finally, Peter says, “Live such good lives among the ‘pagans’ that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Pet 2:12).
We Should Be Heavenly Minded and Earthly Good
11 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.’ 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 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.” ‘“ 14 Then Abimelech brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.” 16 To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, 18 for the LORD had closed up every womb in Abimelech’s household because of Abraham’s wife Sarah. (Gen 20:11-18)
E. Stanley Jones (1884-1973), the renowned Methodist evangelist and missionary, met, befriended and admired Mahatma Gandhi, the father of India, while he was a missionary to India for 36 years. He even wrote a biography of India’s most famous citizen, titled, “Gandhi: Portrayal of a Friend.” Jones and Gandhi talked openly, candidly and rationally on the subject of religion, society and politics.
The first time Jones and Gandhi met, Jones asked Gandhi a direct question: “How can we make Christianity part of the national life of India and contribute its power to India’s uplift? What would you, as one of the Hindu leaders of India, tell me, a Christian, to do in order to make this possible?”
Gandhi’s response was clear and direct: “First, I would suggest that all of you Christians, missionaries and all, must begin to live more like Jesus Christ. Second, practice your religion without adulterating it or toning it down. Third, emphasize love and make it your working force. Fourth, study the non-Christian religions more sympathetically to find the good that is within them, in order to have a more sympathetic approach to the people.” (Bill Moore, http://www.kyumc.org/discipleship/Discipleship_NetNews_10-00.html)
Abraham finally disclosed to Abimelech what was in his heart all along. In Egypt he said nothing to Pharoah even though Pharaoh, like Abimelech, also demanded an answer (Gen 12:18-20). The Father of all who believe grew in faith and trusted in others as he learned the second time round that honesty was the best policy. Abraham confessed: “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.” (20:11). After Abraham opened up, things were patched up and misunderstandings were cleared up. This time, Abraham lived a long time in Gerar (Gen 21:34), unlike the short spell in Egypt. Even his son lived in Gerar until Isaac was invited to leave (Gen 26:16).
The reason for his long residence in Gerar was obvious. He did not think only of himself now, but also of Abimelech. He mended the broken trust, built a solid friendship and corrected his past mistakes. Abraham honestly told Abimelech his fears, absolving his wife from blame and taking responsibility for the deception.
Abraham’s confession turned things around. Unexpectedly, Abimelech treated Abraham kindly after that. Abimelech brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. Abimelech even invited Abraham to live with them and choose a place of his liking (Gen 20:14-15). The friendship could not be possible before Abraham’s education and transformation in Gerar. On top of slaves and animals, Abimelech gave Abraham a thousand shekels of silver for offending the couple (Gen 20:16). Formerly in Egypt, the former Abram received nothing for compensation when he was kicked out unceremoniously by Pharaoh. What Abram had received in Egypt was given before his deception was discovered. Back then, Abram said nothing, did nothing and left in utter shame. This time, he said and did something and salvaged his reputation. Unlike Pharaoh who did not trust the old Abram ever again, Abimelech trusted Abraham after the patriarch made amends, giving Abraham a place to stay and Sarah a place of honor, putting things behind them.
Conclusion: Believers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt 5:13-14). Is your light brightly shining before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven? Are people more impressed by who you are than what you do, with who you are than by who you say you are and who you are than by the God you profess to know. It’s worthless to be heavenly-minded when there is not an ounce of earthly-good in you. It’s been said, “People don’t care how much you know till they know how much you care.” Have you made a case for Christ by your words, actions, and life? Have you shown yourself to be a bright light, a good neighbor and a model citizen?
Victor Yap
Other sermons in the series and other sermon series:
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