“And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 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.” (Genesis 20:1-3).

Abraham Lies in Gerar 

If Genesis 20 were the first chapter you were to read of the Bible, you would probably identify Abraham as a villain due to his lies that nearly got an innocent man killed. He told the people of Gerar that Sarah was his sister, not his wife. In fact, we learn further on in the chapter that lying about his relationship with Sarah was not a one-off event. Instead it seems that Abraham did this regularly, but had gotten away with it up until now. “ 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” (20:13). Gerar is different because his lying caught up to him here.

Abimelech Behaves with Dignity

In contrast, the heathen Abimelech behaves with dignity throughout the story. He has what must have been a terrifying dream where God basically says “Hello dead man.” God told him that Sarah was already married, and to give her back to her husband. However when Abimelech protested his righteousness in not touching Sarah, God told him that He kept Abimelech from sinning. It is a reminder that any righteousness that we have is not our own, but comes from the Father.

God told Abimelech to restore Sarah to Abraham, and to ask the prophet Abraham to pray for him. It is the first mention of the word prophet in the Bible, so we can surmise that the concept was familiar to Abimelech since God did not explain it. Put yourself in his position though. This deceptive prophet has shown up, and nearly gotten you killed by God. Your whole household is suffering, but now you have to ask the lying prophet to pray for you? Him? He caused this mess! It must have been a hard command to follow.

Yet it appears that Abimelech did just that. We see Abraham praying for Abimelech, the man whom he had severely wronged. God heard his prayers and healed the king and his household. Abimelech could not help asking Abraham why he did this thing. What was his reason? What did he see in this land that made him do this? Abraham gives an answer that is not satisfactory in verse 13. He violates the commandment against bearing false witness, and says that there was no fear of God in Gerar so he had to lie. Contrary to this, Abimelech and his servants did fear God, and they treated Abraham well. The king even allowed Abraham to stay in his domain for as long as he wished.

God Gives His People A Warning

Christian, are you lying? Do you have a longstanding lie that you justify? Do you have a lie that you have told for so long that you, like Abraham, have gotten used to it? Perhaps, again like Abraham, you think you are helping God by lying, but rest assured that your sin will catch up to you. Beyond that, have you harmed an innocent person like Abimelech? Is there someone who is suffering now because of you? Perhaps due to a lie you told, or another action of yours? If that person confronts you, do not be like Abraham who halfway blamed God, then offered up justifications and half-truths in his defense.

The only righteous action that we see Abraham performing in this chapter is when he prays for the people he hurt. Do you need to pray for someone whom you have hurt? Abraham had a little boy named Ishmael, whom he loved dearly. How do you think seeing his father getting caught lying affected him? Abraham’s sin hurt himself, and everyone around him. 

The encouragement that we can take from this chapter is how God forgives our sins. Notwithstanding Abraham’s failures, God still loved him, He still blessed him, and He still used him for the Kingdom. Even if you have failed publicly like Abraham, God still will use you if you let Him. Despite the humiliating events in Gerar, Abraham was still God’s prophet. Later on, he would be extolled in Hebrews 11 for his great faith in events after Gerar.

“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” – James 2:23 

About John Buckner

Journey Through Genesis