Note: When doing a study on a book in the Bible you use a lot of resources. The major influence for me on this study of Genesis is The Genesis Record by Henry Morris.
Genesis 20
1. And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country,
and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She [is] my sister: and
Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
This is the same half truth that Abraham used in chapter earlier in chapter 12. That time he used it to Pharaoh.
Why do you think Abraham did this again? Is it easier for a man to commit the same sin the second time?
3. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to
him, Behold, thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman which thou
hast taken; for she [is] a man's wife.
4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt
thou slay also a righteous nation?
5 Said he not unto me, She [is] my sister? and she, even she
herself said, He [is] my brother: in the integrity of my heart
and innocency of my hands have I done this.
Abimelech says that it was in innoccency that he has done this. He tells the Lord to look at his heart. His intentions and motivations.
1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we
confidence toward God.
We only know mans ways. We see the out side but God sees the inside.
What about this? Can men commit sin in innoccence? What does this mean?
6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst
this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from
sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
integrity of heart-deals with the inwardness of Abimelech(sin begins here)
touch her-deals with the physical commitance of sin
God acknowledges his honesty. God always acknowledges the honesty of Abimelech. God stopped him from committing even a greater sin and that is of taking Sarah as his wife.
7 Now therefore restore the man [his] wife; for he [is] a
prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if
thou restore [her] not, know thou that thou shalt surely die,
thou, and all that [are] thine.
What a choice. Do you ever feel like God gives you choices in life? He does. We always have a choice. Here he gives Abimelech a choice. Either return Sarah or die all of you.
8. Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all
his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the
men were sore afraid.
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast
thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast
brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds
unto me that ought not to be done.
10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou
hast done this thing?
What do you think Abimelech thought of Abraham now? I believe that this tarnished the testimony of Abraham. Abimelech was innoccent but could have lost his life because of Abraham.
11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God
[is] not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.
12 And yet indeed [she is] my sister; she [is] the daughter of
my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
He was see Abraham useing the half truth excues. Well I didn't life she is my sister, my half sister. What is wrong with a half truth? It is deception.
13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my
father's house, that I said unto her, This [is] thy kindness
which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall
come, say of me, He [is] my brother.
This sin of Abraham had to be dealt with before God could bless Abraham.
1 Corinthians 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that]
bread, and drink of [that] cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and
drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and
many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that
we should not be condemned with the world.
God could not bless Abraham until the sin is dealt with. There are Christians who God will not bless unless they deal with sin in their life.
14. And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and
womenservants, and gave [them] unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land [is] before thee: dwell
where it pleaseth thee.
16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand [pieces] of
silver: behold, he [is] to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that [are] with thee, and
with all [other]: thus she was reproved.
17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and
his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare [children].
18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house
of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
Here we see the purpose of Abraham to be a prophet and an intecessor. To pray for the people. God had closed up the womb of Abimelech and his country because of the sin or almost committing the sin. Abraham the intecessor to the world just as we. What kind of testimony do we have in the world as a intecessor?
