Title [Genesis 20:1-7] Abraham's Crime
Even the godly sometimes face spiritual crises. This chapter records an incident that created a dangerous situation that would destroy the covenant with God because Abraham, the father of faith, also sinned. Through the events of this chapter, we can discover human weakness and God's meticulous providence and work.
1. Abraham's Crime
① It is a big mistake to leave the promised land and leave. It must have been a mistake for whatever reason that Abraham, who was living in tents in Hebron, abandoned the land he had promised to bless and moved to Gerar, a Philistine territory west of the Dead Sea.
② It is also a big mistake to deceive your wife into being your sister. Of course, according to his excuse (12), it is a grave sin to deceive that she is actually a wife even if she is a half sister. Leaving Hebron or deceiving his wife as a sister was due to the instinct to preserve life. However, this was caused by unbelief in God, who is the owner and protector of life. If your life is precious, your wife's life is also precious, but putting Sarah in a dangerous situation is a big mistake. Moreover, knowing that this was a crisis situation that thwarted God's will and plan to fulfill God's promise as a pure child, his sin could not have been small.
2. The God Who Protected Sarah
King Abimelech of Gerar welcomed Abraham's refusal to emigrate, and for his alliance with him, he married Sarah, who was strategically called Abraham's sister. That night, God confirmed to Abimelech in a dream and ordered Sarah to go back. At the same time, he warned that if he did not return him, he and his household would perish. Early the next morning, Abimelech summoned his servants and told them all this. He also called Abraham, rebuked him, gave him sheep, cattle, and slaves, and sent Sarah back. He also gave Sarah a thousand pieces of silver to set her free from all her shame. In this way, God insisted that God's covenant be fulfilled without change by protecting Sarah. Let's look at some lessons about sin here.
① We can see that even a sin between humans is ultimately a sin against God (6).
② It can also be seen that when there is no fear of God, humans will commit sins (11).
③ We can see that there are times when selfish thoughts lead to sin.
④ It can be seen that human sin must be revealed.
⑤ Even if you are a servant of the Lord, you can see that if you commit a sin, you will inevitably face shame (9-10).
⑥ You can see the severity of God's judgment on sin (4, 7).
⑦ God reveals in various ways so that we do not sin, and those who accept it sensitively can know that sin can be avoided (Abimelech). Anyway, may the God who protected Sarah protect us from being ravaged by Satan.
3. Abraham's intercession (17-18)