From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur, and he 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 Ahimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” (20:1–3)
This is not the first time that Abraham told a king that Sarah was his sister. We saw this back in Genesis 12:10–20. And we see that God was involved as usual:
“Then God said to him (the king) in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. Now then return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours” (Genesis 20:6–7).
I don’t know what Abraham was thinking! Sarah was supposed to bear his promised son, and he let the king take her? We can’t get into his mind and understand how he thought this was a good idea. But we can be grateful that God is at work, He doesn’t forsake His people or His plans. And that is comforting!
We mustn’t take God and His grace for granted, however. While I don’t fear being “zapped” for every wrong decision I make or action I take, I do want to be pleasing to God in the way I live and in the decisions I make. Some bad decisions do have bad consequences, even when there is forgiveness from God. How much better to seek Him in challenging situations!
Prayer: God, You are so faithful and good! May I not take You for granted. May I seek to walk in Your ways. Thank you that You are gracious when I slip. May I be pleasing to You in all my attitudes and actions. Amen.
