Ge. 20: Again With the Wife-Sister Thing

Abraham probably needed a change of pace from living near where Sodom and Gomorrah used to be, so he moved to Gerar. I don't know where that is, other than that it is probably in the Middle East somewhere, and is near Kadesh and Shur, according to Chapter 20.

Abraham pulls the same stunt on Gerar's King Abimelech with his wife/half sister Sarah as he did with Pharaoh back in chapter 12. Abimelech sees that Sarah is pretty hot, even for a ninety-year-old chick.

So, Abimelech sends for her to be added to his wifery, and God appears to him to tell him that he is "as good as dead" because he has taken a married woman. Abimelech maintains his innocence, telling God that Abraham told him she was his sister.

In verse 6, God says that He knew Abimelech had a clear conscience, so He kept him from sinning against God. He did not let Abimelech touch her. I find this very amazing, that God would go out of his way to prevent someone from sinning against Him. This is the first time I can recall in scripture of God explicitly preventing sin. So far, God has set his standard, and sort of allowed people to make their own choices. God intervenes here, protecting Abimelech from a mistake that would have meant death (v. 7).

So Abimelech calls in his officials, and confronts Abraham in front of them...probably so they don't suspect the king of any wrongdoing. Abraham confesses that he made an assumption that there was no fear or respect of God in Gerar, and was paranoid that he would be killed and his wife assimilated into a concubine. Ironically, it was Abraham who's faith was questionable, not depending on God, his deliverer multiple times, even back with the Pharaoh in the same situation. He even tries to defend it by saying she was his half-sister. Half truth is still 100% lie.

So, like Pharaoh, Abimelech gives Abraham a bunch of cattle and money and good stuff. Despite Abraham's deception and his essentially not trusting God with his wife, he makes out like a bandit.

I gotta like Abimelech's sense of humor, because he turns to Sarah, and says, "I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver." This is the first time I laughed out loud while reading the Bible. He doesn't call Abraham Sarah's husband...he calls him her brother. Just as Abraham had claimed. Anyway, this gift is meant to vindicate Sarah, in that she didn't do anything wrong, and probably also show that Abimelech was guilty of no wrongdoing as well.

Then we have a happy ending, in which God heals Abimelech and all the womenfolk of his house, because God had shut up their wombs while Abraham made his home there. Craziness.
I don't know how long Abraham was there, but it was long enough that the women of Abimelech's house could not conceive.

Lets Review:
Chapter one: Creation
Chapter two: Eve
Chapter three: Sin in the garden
Chapter four: Cain kills Abel, genealogy
Chapter five: Adam to Noah genealogy
Chapter six: Nephelim, Noah chosen
Chapter seven: The flood
Chapter eight: The flood recedes
Chapter nine: God's covenant: The Rainbow; Ham cursed
Chapter ten: Table of nations
Chapter eleven: Tower of Babel; Sons of Shem
Chapter twelve: Abram is called; Egypt
Chapter thirteen: Abram and Lot separate
Chapter fourteen: Abram goes to war
Chapter fifteen: God promises a covenant with Abram
Chapter sixteen: Ishmael the stopgap
Chapter seventeen: God's covenant of circumcision
Chapter eighteen: Three visitors, Abraham wants to protect Sodom
Chapter nineteen: Destruction of S & G, Lot's daughters
Chapter twenty: Abraham and Abimelech