Genesis Chapter 20

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396. GENESIS - Chapter Twenty

"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"

ABRAHAM INTERCEDES FOR GENTILES

This chapter comprises a serious warning to all men and women of faith. In it we find Abraham repeating the mistake that he made in Egypt at the beginning of his sojourn in the land (Ch. 12:10-20). In each case he gave way to fear of man, which invariably brings a snare (Prov. 29:25). In a merely human document such an apparently trivial lapse probably would be overlooked; but the Scriptures reveal flesh for what it is, that believers may be warned, and so learn to avoid its weaknesses. There was no need for Abraham's fear, because the encircling arms of Yahweh were about him all the time, illustrating the promise of Gen. 12:3, "I will curse him that curseth thee." There is no need for us to fear when we are in similar situations, but through weakness of the flesh, we often do. In this incident, Abraham fails to be a blessing until at the last. He foreshadowed the state of his people after the flesh: "And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen... so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing; fear not, but letyour hands be strong" (Zech. 8:13).

Abimelech Takes Sarah Into His House — vv. 1-2

VERSE 1

"And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country" — We are not told what caused Abraham to remove from Mamre, and in the absence of a statement, we can but offer a suggestion. It could be that the terrible calamity of Sodom affected the surrounding country, causing famine conditions, and creating the need to seek for fresh pastures. Certainly, it must have been something severe to cause him to leave the district where he had found immunity from great trouble, and to move into an area that he realised presented an element of risk. See v. 11. The "south" is the negeb, signifying that which is dry.

"And dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar" — Kadesh signifies sanctuary; and Shur signifies wall. The former is in the northern territory, Abraham in fear, again represents Sarah as his sister, and she is taken into the harem of negeb, the latter is described as "before Egypt" (Gen. 25:18; 1 Sam. 27:8). Shur was a barrier of some kind across the great north-eastern highways out of Egypt. It was probably constructed of forts. Reference to such a fortified border is contained in Egyptian records as far back as 2000 BC.

VERSE 2

"And Abraham said of Sarah his wife? She is my sister" - This is the second time that he made such a mistake (Gen. 12:13). After his sad experience previously, it is certainly surprising that he should repeat it. Perhaps the lapse of twenty years had dulled his remembrance of his previous experience. Perhaps fear had increased with his advancing years, and contributed to the mistake he now made.

"And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah" - Abimelech signifies Father-King. It seems to have been a title assumed by the Philistine kings (Ch. 21:22; 26:1). Gerar signifies watercourse, or rolling country. Gerar is known today as Tell-Jemmeh, and was partly excavated by Flinders Petrie. The excavations revealed a place of considerable wealth, dominating a lucrative caravan route between Egypt and the north, inland from the coastal route. It appears that Abraham first went south into the Negev, then moved his flocks northward again to the coastal region inland of Gaza in the search for food.

Abimelech took Sarah into his harem, even though she was nearly ninety years of age. She must have been a most attractive woman, who had not aged with the passing of the years. Perhaps her youth had been revived by the news of the promised birth of a son (Ch. 18:13-14).

Abimelech Is Warned Of God Not To Touch Sarah  —   vv. 3-8

Abimelech is ordered by God in a dream to release Sarah.

VERSE 3

"But God came to Abimelech"  —   The word Elohim is used instead of the Covenant Name of Yahweh, as in the case of Lot (Ch. 19:16,24).

"In a dream by night" —  God intervened to save His friend from the consequences of his own folly. It is comforting and encouraging to learn that Abraham was not abandoned to the results of his own actions. How often we find ourselves in similar positions, and have to turn to Yahweh for help to extricate us from the consequences of our own folly. How valuable is this narrative if it only impresses that fact.

"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" — Abimelech was afflicted with a serious illness that kept him from Sarah (cp. v. 17), and is now warned that he will be left to die unless he releases her, "for she is married to a husband" (mg.). "Wife" in v. 2 is from ishshah (see note to Ch. 2:23). Here the word "baal" is used, to indicate "she had a lord, a husband" (see e.g. Deut. 22:22).

VERSE 4

"But Abimelech had not come near her" —   Being withheld by his affliction.

"And he said, Lord, wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation?" —   The nation was far from righteous in the true sense of the word (cp. v. 11), but the term is obviously used in the sense of being innocent of the particular sin with which it might be charged. In the true sense of the word, Paul's words apply: "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10).

VERSE 5

"Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother" — Unfortunately, this was true. Abraham's duplicity brings his word into disrepute, and provides for the just accusation of this Gentile.

"In the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this" —   Abimelech assumes the right of kings to take unmarried persons into their harems, and in this case did so believing the story told him. But Abimelech sinned in even taking Sarah as he did; for it is obvious that she would not have gone willingly.

VERSE 6 

"And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart" — God acknowledged that Abimelech had acted in accordance with the custom of the times, though He did not necessarily endorse the custom as being right.

"For I also withheld thee from sinning against Me" — Abimelech doubtless acted in the integrity of his heart as far as Abraham was concerned, but he was ignorant of his accountability to God. To have touched Sarah would have been to have sinned against God, which is a far more serious matter than sinning against man, as David came to realise (2 Sam. 12:9,13). Concerning his illicit association with Bathsheba David prayed: "Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight" (Psa. 51:4). Abimelech acted in innocence and ignorance, but nevertheless was held accountable.

"Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her" — There was a Divine providence overshadowing the lives of Abraham and Sarah, as there is in every age. The Psalmist gave expression to this: "When they went from one nation to another, From one kingdom to another people; He suffered no man to do them wrong; Yea, He reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not Mine anointed, And do my prophets no harm." (Psa. 105:13-15).

God prevented Abimelech from touching Sarah by natural means; for the king was afflicted with some physical (probably sexual) illness (v. 17), and this affliction delayed any such approach.

VERSE 7

"Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is prophet" — See the same title given to Abraham in the Psalm quoted above. As prophet, Abraham acted as public instructor and priest (see 1 Cor. 14:3; 1 Kings 18:21; Jer. 7:16). A prophet was the mouthpiece of God (Exod. 4:15-16; 7: 12). This is the first time the word prophet is used in Scripture.

"And he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live" — The intercessory prayer of Abraham would heal Abimelech from his affliction. The same action was granted to Job on behalf of his friends who had acted foolishly (Job 42:8-10). 

"And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine" — Sin is social and can affect others if it is not acknowledged and forsaken. "Evil communications corrupt good manners," wrote Paul (1 Cor. 15:33). By remaining obstinate, Abimelech would have involved his entire family in a calamity. God was merciful in warning him of the consequences; Abimelech was wise in acting upon it.

VERSE 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" — Abimelech is to be commended upon his immediate response to the Divine message. He lost no time in taking steps to comply with it, and to correct his previous conduct. He rose early in the morning to put the reform into effect. He instructed his officers in the matter, and passed on to them the Divine warning. This induced a Godly fear in them that led to repentance (cp. 2 Cor. 7:9).

Abimelech's Attempt to Justify Himself — vv. 9-13

Abimelech commanded Abraham to appear before him, and bitterly upbraided the patriarch for what he had done. He demanded an explanation. It is a sad thing to see a faithful man reduced to that state before a pagan.

VERSE 9

"Then Abimelech called Abraham" — He commanded that he appear before him for a conference.

"And said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou has brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?" — Abimelech assumed the position of one who had been wronged, and to a certain degree he was right. Nevertheless, Abraham's deception did not justify the king taking Sarah into his harem. Both men were found to be in the wrong.

"Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done" — It is a sad thing when a righteous man is rebuked with some justification by a sinner. See Gen. 12:18,19; 1 Tim. 3:7.

VERSE 10

"And Abimelech said unto Abraham" — Evidently Abraham was silenced before the rebuke of the pagan king. When we see a faithful and courageous man such as Abraham reduced to such a state, who can show great confidence in his own continued integrity? There is great consolation in the fact that God overshadowed Abraham for good, even though his own folly reduced him to the difficult position in which he now found himself.

"What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?" — Abimelech waxed bolder on the assumption that both he and the nation were exemplary (cp. v. 4). In this he made a mistake, as Abraham proceeded to reveal.

VERSE 11

"And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place" — Abraham had a more factual assessment of the alleged righteousness of the nation than did its king. In fact, there was more right on Abraham's side than there was on that of Abimelech, as subsequent events revealed (Gen. 21:25). 

"And they will slay me for my wife's sake" — Abraham must have had reason for this allegation. Nevertheless, it was a case of "the fear of man bringing a snare" (Prov. 16:6). Caught in that fear, Abraham became temporarily forgetful of the care and protection of El Shaddai. Unfortunately, the weakness of the flesh causes us all to succumb to such influences at times.

VERSE 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" — This was an explanation, and an attempted justification, but it was also an evasion of the real issue. It is interesting to notice that such a marriage was prohibited under the Law of Moses (Lev. 18:9), indicating that in Ur where the marriage took place, Abraham lived in ignorance of God's will concerning this matter (Josh. 24:2-3).

VERSE 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" — Abraham is frank in his statement, and assumes the responsibility for what had been done, thereby exonerating Sarah. His excuse is three-fold: (1) the character of the men of Gerar; (2) Sarah was his halfsister; (3) the agreement entered into with Sarah (Gen. 20:13). None is conclusive. It was not the lack of fear of God in Gerar that was the root cause of the deception, but the fear of man on the part of Abraham (Prov. 29:25). Abraham had no need to fear. El Shaddai had promised him protection; his large household had acquitted itself well in battle on an earlier occasion (Gen. 14:14); and faith in God should have sustained him in the integrity of his heart now. Of course, it may have been that he had left most of his household at Hebron whilst he and Sarah with a few retainers moved to Gerar seeking pasture lands. Notwithstanding that, no such agreement as he had entered into with Sarah should have been made.

Abimelech's Gift To Abraham — vv. 14-16

The intervention and revelation of God deeply affects Abimelech. Concerned at his own standing in the matter, he endeavours to make suitable restitution.

VERSE 14

"Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife" — Abimelech's gift was a token of genuine repentance on his part, and a desire for reconciliation with Abraham.

VERSE 15

"And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee" — Abimelech recognised that Abraham was a great man, enjoying special privileges from God, and respected him for this. Notice his declaration in Gen. 21:22. His attitude compares more favourably than that of Pharaoh. The king of Egypt attempted to hasten Abraham's departure (Gen. 12:20), whereas Abimelech invited Abraham to dwell where he pleased. Abraham accepted the invitation (Gen. 21:34).

VERSE 16

"And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother" — Notice the sarcastic rebuke of Abimelech. He does not refer to Abraham as the husband of Sarah, but as her brother!

"A thousand pieces of silver" — Silver is the metal of redemption (Exod. 30:13; Lev. 5:15). It is significant that Isaiah quotes this figure as the rate of hire of a vineyard (Isa. 7:23); and that in the Song of Solomon this same amount is quoted as the tribute payment for the Bride's vineyard (Song 8:11). Abimelech now paid this amount for the "loan" he had of Abraham's "sister."

"Behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes" — It was the custom for a bride to cover her face, including her eyes, with a veil (See Gen. 24:65). Abimelech claimed that the payment of the money, and the return of Sarah, restored her to Abraham as his wife. As such she could cover her face, and so manifest her proper status.

"Unto all that are with thee, and with all other" — That she was the wife of Abraham and not merely his sister would be evident to all men: both the patriarch's retainers, and those who were strangers.

"Thus she was reproved" — As it reads in the A.V. this appears as a comment on the words of Abimelech; but the Septuagint adds it as part of the king's speech, rendering it: "and in all things speak the truth." The Hebrew venokachath is from a root, yakach or yakah signifying to make straight, direct, right, or to speak rightly and correctly. Hence the Septuagint rendition. The New Old Testament renders: and thou art justified. Taking the latter rendition, Abimelech claimed that Sarah's honour with her household, which would have been injured by her forcible abduction, would be justified, or set right.

Abimelech's Restoration — vv. 17-18 

Abraham intercedes for Abimelech who is healed of his affliction. In this he stands as a type of the faithful redeemed of the future, who, notwithstanding their failings from time to time, are saved by God and elevated to being Mediators for all humanity.

VERSE 17

"So Abraham prayed unto God" — Abimelech had no direct access of approach to God, and had to depend upon the intercession of Abraham. In similar manner, Job was commissioned to pray for his three friends. James taught that the prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16). Men of faith need to exercise that grace on behalf of non-believers.

"And God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children" — He was cured of his affliction which had affected him in the manner indicated.

VERSE 18

"For Yahweh had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech" — Notice how the covenant Name is suddenly introduced into the narrative. Previously the reference was to the Elohim; now it is to Yahweh Who had overshadowed the circumstances described in this narrative to protect Sarah in view of the covenant that she would have a son by Abraham. In the allegory, she represented the Ecclesia (Gal. 4:26), the Israelitish portion of the "wife of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:9). Though the Bride of Christ passes through times of apparent danger, she has the assurance that no weapon formed against her shall prosper (Isa. 54:17). 

"Because of Sarah Abraham's wife" — The motive being to protect the purity of the promised seed. This incident probably stimulated the faith of Sarah as she again received tangible evidence of the overshadowing care of Yahweh.

REFERENCE LIBRARY

Genesis Expositor - HP Mansfield

PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS:

1. Was Sarah Abrahams sister?
2. What does the Hebrew word Elohim mean?
3. What does the Hebrew word Yahweh mean?
4. Which other gentiles received dreams from God?
5. How many wives did Abraham take?
6. Is it right to marry your half sister?

ESSAY QUESTIONS:

1. Was Abraham right to tell people that Sarah was his sister?
2. Why did Abraham move away from Mamre?
3. Is it wise to place ourselves in danger?
4. How does God speak to men?
5. Why did Abimelech give Abraham gifts?
6. How is Abraham similar to Job?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Why do we make the same error  more than once?
2. Should we tell half-truths
3. How many wives should a man take?