...I saw it, I saw with my own two eyes..."
(or so says Ozzy)
:?)
In Genesis 20 we see Abraham repeating a past sin. What was he thinking? I recently was watching a movie or something and I thought about my self-righteous rantings about the failure of Abraham to defend his wife, giving her away to Pharoah and now to Abimelech by telling others that Sarah was his sister and not his wife. It's easy to condemn the man for these cowardly actions, but like most anything, "there, but by the grace of God, go I." I cannot imagine how I would behave with a machine gun shoved in my face and the real and present threat of impending death hovering over me and my family. Even if I could point back to a past event where I was the hero, disarming my attacker and capturing them, that would not guarantee the same behavior in the future. I can only hope that God will give me the strength (and that I'll know enough to ask for it) in such a terrible and violent situation. Nevertheless, it was still a pretty chicken thing for Abraham to do.
"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, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, 'She is my sister.' Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her."
Sarah must've been beautiful, for the big celebrity "rock stars" of her day were always sending for her. Maybe Abraham didn't really like her much. Maybe she was like a model Barbie -- beautiful to behold, but "too precious to touch" and a unpleasant hothead that made everyone around her miserable. Who knows? It's just hard to explain why Abraham keeps making this mistake. But God had his back.
"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.' Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, 'Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 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.' 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. 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.'"
Sarah was complicit in this wrong-doing, it is true, but I still blame Abraham as the one who instigated the plot/scheme. It's pretty amazing that God talked like this with Abimelech and that He acted this way, protecting Sarah's virtue. That's pretty cool. Note that God told this guy that Abraham would pray for him.
This text reveals something very important we shouldn't miss (which is also a principle repeated in Scripture):
YOU ARE IMPORTANT. GOD DEPENDS ON YOU TO SEE HIS WILL DONE ON EARTH.
This is a mystery, to be sure, and it begs the question: 'Why would God limit Himself and His work on earth by using intercession and the prayers of His people to accomplish things?' Surely He could wave His magic hands and make stuff happen, but instead He chooses to answer prayers and work through His people, His ambassadors, His apostles.
A word of caution: Don't go calling yourself an "apostle," because you will be rebuked and treated like an idiot.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at October 24, 2006 10:04 AM