Scripture: Genesis, chapters 20-22; Luke, chapter 8
Genesis 20:1-17 (NLT) – Abraham moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur; and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner, Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace.
But that night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are a dead man, for that woman you have taken is already married!”
But Abimelech had not slept with her yet, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘Yes, he is my brother.’ I acted in complete innocence! My hands are clean.”
In the dream God responded, “Yes, I know you are innocent. That’s why I kept you from sinning against me, and why I did not let you touch her. Now return the woman to her husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a prophet. Then you will live. But if you don’t return her to him, you can be sure that you and all your people will die.”
Abimelech got up early the next morning and quickly called all his servants together. When he told them what had happened, his men were terrified. Then Abimelech called for Abraham. “What have you done to us?” he demanded. “What crime have I committed that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? No one should ever do what you have done! Whatever possessed you to do such a thing?”
Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘This is a godless place. They will want my wife and will kill me to get her.’ And she really is my sister, for we both have the same father, but different mothers. And I married her. When God called me to leave my father’s home and to travel from place to place. I told her, ‘Do me a favor. Wherever we go, tell the people that I am your brother.’”
Then Abimelech took some of his sheep and goats, cattle, and male and female servants, and he presented them to Abraham. He also returned his wife, Sarah, to him. The Abimelech said, “Look over my land and choose any place where you would like to live.” And he said to Sarah, “Look, I am giving your ‘brother’ 1,000 pieces of silver in the presence of all these witnesses. This is to compensate you for any wrong I may have done to you. This will settle any claim against me, and your reputation is cleared.”
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could have children. For the Lord had caused all the women to be infertile because of what happened with Abraham’s wife, Sarah.
Observations: At first glance, it seems amazing that Abraham “did it again” – tried to pass his wife Sarah off as his sister because he was afraid. It happened in Egypt (see Genesis 12), and now it has happened again. But there are a couple of big differences between the stories that we need to recognize. First, Abraham did this “again” after God had demonstrated his care, protection, and provision for Abraham on numerous occasions. Second, Abraham did this after God had specifically promised to give him a son with Sarah. Why would he risk the fulfillment of God’s promise by doing this? If Abimelech had slept with Sarah, and then Sarah became pregnant, there would always be the question of whether God had given Abraham his son, or whether Abimelech had. (I know that God still would have had to open Sarah’s womb, but in those days before DNA tests, the question would have remained.) It’s hard to understand why Abraham would do this, but he did. Thankfully, God protected both Abraham and Sarah from that.
There is one other difference between the two occasions (Genesis 12 and this passage) that bears comment, and it is the one which God has specifically directed me to today. In today’s passage, tells Abimelech that his reasoning was that “this is a godless place.” It is often the case that people who believe in God suspect that others – people of different cultures and backgrounds – are godless; in fact, sometimes they are. But there is a big difference between saying that certain people do not know or acknowledge God and saying that this is a godless place, because Scripture and orthodox theology tells us that there is no such thing as a “godless” place. God is omnipresent – he is everywhere. “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night – but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you” (Psalm 139:7-12, NLT).
God demonstrates that Abraham was not in a “godless” place by appearing to Abimelech in a dream and warning him not to take Sarah – and Abimelech obeys God, and makes restitution for the sin he didn’t commit by giving an offering to Abraham and Sarah. There is no such thing as a “godless place.”
Application: As we look around and consider the events of this week, it would be easy to think that we’re living in a “godless place” – or, at the very least, that there are parts of our country which are “godless places.” God is reminding me that this is not true – that he is in those places. As I was in my pastors’ prayer group yesterday morning, we were talking about the way that evil seems to be spreading and increasing, and I reminded the group that in Revelation 2 Jesus describes the city of Pergamum as “the city where Satan has his throne…where Satan lives” (see Revelation 2:12-17) – but even in those circumstances, “you have remained loyal to me.” We cannot “sell out” to false teaching – from whatever direction – but we must never fall prey to the lie that we live in a “godless place.” Even in “the city where Satan has his throne,” God is there – and in the end, God’s power and God’s Kingdom will triumph.
Prayer: Father, thank you for reminding us that there is no such thing as a “godless place,” because no matter where we are, you are there. Thank you for your promises to be with us, to lead us, and to continue your work in us to prepare us for eternity in your Kingdom. Help us not to fall prey to the despair that Satan tries to peddle when it seems as though evil is “winning,” because we know that you still are, and always will be, God Almighty. May your Kingdom come and your will be done in us, by us, and through us today. Amen.
My Journey 