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1.And Abraham journeyed from there to the south, and dwelt in between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar.
Gerar is located south toward and close by the Mediterranean sea. In my opinion Abraham could no longer live in a place that would remind him daily of the destruction that fell upon the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Like I said previously he no doubt was concerned about the fate of his nephew Lot. None of us could live or return to a place that has nothing but memories of sadness and despair.
2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister,” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
Abraham apparently still hasn’t learned from his past mistakes and so therefore is now doomed to repeat them. Just as when he journeyed into Egypt and told the king there that Sarah was his sister for fear of his life, he does the same with the king of Gerar. Just one other note hear that maybe some people may overlook. God has Blessed Sarah with great beauty. By this time Sarah must 89 years old now, i say this because we know that she was 90 when she had Isaac, and the Lord had just appeared to Abraham and told him in a year they would have a son. You can go to Genesis 17:17 where we are told of the ages that both Abraham and Sarah would be when Isaac was born. Yet Sarah still has a certain beauty that has men wanting her in a carnal way. Remember, in both instances these men who took Sarah from Abraham were kings and rulers over there people. They could have any woman they wanted and undoubtedly the women they took as wives and concubines were probably the most beautiful of their kingdoms. Sarah must have been a very beautiful woman.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”
Here we see again that God has revealed Himself to a king that does not worship the one true God of Abraham, but is an idol worshiper who practices paganism. As I have already indicated back in Gen 12:16 God will and does intervene in human affairs in order to fulfill His purpose to mankind; This is one of those times, so much so that king Abimelech is actually having a heart to heart conversation with God almighty Himself. Again God has to intervene directly, on account of Abraham’s misguided intentions. I am reminded of my comments back in chapter sixteen on how Sarah and Abraham concluded in their minds that the promise God made to Abraham in regards to his seed didn’t include Sarah (seeing that God never mentions Sarah in his promises up to that time), so they rationalized in their own minds that the promise seed of Abraham could be fulfilled through Sarah’s handmaid Hagar. Here Again, for fear of his life, Abraham decides that he must take matters into his own hands, in order to help along the promise God made to Abraham, in which his seed will be carried on through his wife Sarah and Not Hagar. I like the commentary from the United Church of God in regards to why Abraham decided to deceive the king of Gerar just as he did in Egypt:
Sometimes we think that our own “prudence” is compatible with faith when, in fact, it is not. Perhaps this is what was behind the action of Abraham and Sarah. In any event, these incidents affirm to us that God will protect His people in spite of our weaknesses or the unforeseen twists of circumstance. We all make mistakes or wrong choices. In some cases, there may be consequences. But ultimately, God will work things out for our good (Romans 8:28).
This is not about Abraham’s faith but more so about Abraham feeling that he must help along God’s purpose for him.
4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord will you slay a righteous nation also? 18:33
5 “Did he not say to me, “She is my sister”? Ans she, even she herself said, “He is my brother.” In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” Ps. 26:1
We see Abimelech and God going back and forth with one another in regards to Sarah. Don’t we all wish that we could sit down with the Lord and speak with Him? One day we will have that opportunity in the kingdom of God, but I digress, I thought about verse four, where the king ask the Lord if He would “slay a righteous nation also” at first I thought God was telling us in this verse that the people and the king of Gerar were a righteous people, but after writing down my thoughts and meditating on this, it didn’t make sense to me so I looked at all the commentaries, and even my own church website to see what they had to say about this verse only to find that no one had any comments on this subject. So I decided to go to Chabad.org which is a well known Jewish website that I have used before when all else fails in order to find a clearer understanding. I have found, and have even been told by my own pastor that sometimes we need to go to the Jewish teachings when it comes to interpreting the Old Testament. There I found a man named Marty Robbins (who I have found out to be a well known teacher of the Torah) in his teachings he refers to a man named Rashi, whose commentaries on the Torah are used by both teachers and students of the Torah. Rashi who was a learned Rabbi lived and died in France in the 11th and 12th century. Anyway I found both Marty Robbins teachings (using the commentaries of Rashi), as a solid explanation of this verse. I will now paste Rashi’s commentary and insert Rabbi Robbins teachings on verse four:
will You kill even a righteous nation: Even if he (Abraham) is righteous, will You kill him? Is that Your way, to destroy the nations for nought? You did so to the Generation of the Flood and to the Generation of the Dispersion. I too will say that You destroyed them for no reason, just as You threaten (lit. say) to kill me. — [from Gen. Rabbah 52:6]
Mr. Robbins gives two explanations about the statement the king is saying about killing a righteous nation. Abimelech uses the term nation because back then the king is the nation, so if you kill the king in essence you are killing the whole nation (The king is the nation), and also, if God kills the king then his people will blame Abraham for his demise and will kill him. Also, the king is saying (according to Rashi) that if you kill me then you must kill Abraham also for his part in causing me to sin. Remember; Abimelech is having a conversation with God. Mr. Robbins goes on to explain that King Abimelech is pleading his case to God:
Vs. 5 “Did he not say to me, “She is my sister”? Ans she, even she herself said, “He is my brother.” In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”
even she: This is to include her servants, camel drivers, and donkey drivers.“I asked them all, and they said: He is her brother.” :
With the innocence of my heart: I did not intend to sin:
and with the purity of my hands: I am pure of sin, for I did not touch her.
6 And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also witheld you from sinning against me; Therefore I did not let you touch her.
In verse six God acknowledges to Abimelech that yes indeed he did not intend to sin. In the same verse however God also tells Abimelech that it was He (God) who kept him from sinning against Him and did not allow the king to touch Sarah. It has been explained to me that if Abimelech had slept with Sarah and defiled her; he would have sinned against God because God has chosen Abraham and Sarah for a special purpose in His plan for salvation, God loved both of them very much. It is in this context why the king would have sinned against God Himself.
7 “Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” Num. 16:31-33
God Tells Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham, and that Abraham will pray for him for he is a prophet and the king shall live, but if he doesn’t he shall surely die. There is one comment I would like to make about this verse. First God calls Abraham a “prophet,” most people I believe would take this term to compare Abraham with the prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial, and the like, but I personally don’t think that this is what God means by calling him a prophet. I like Adam Clarke’s commentary on this subject:
He is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee – The word prophet, which we have from the Greek προφητες, and which is compounded of προ, before, and φημι, I speak, means, in its general acceptation, one who speaks of things before they happen, i.e., one who foretells future events. But that this was not the original notion of the word, its use in this place sufficiently proves. Abraham certainly was not a prophet in the present general acceptation of the term, and for the Hebrew נביא: nabi, we must seek some other meaning. I have, in a discourse entitled “The Christian Prophet and his Work,” proved that the proper ideal meaning of the original word is to pray, entreat, make supplication, etc., and this meaning of it I have justified at large both from its application in this place, and from its pointed use in the case of Saul, mentioned 1 Samuel 10, and from the case of the priests of Baal, 1 Kings 18, where prophesying most undoubtedly means making prayer and supplication.
To give support to Adam Clarke’s definition in the context of which it is used in verse seven we see that right after God calls Abraham a prophet He tells King Abimelech that Abraham will pray (give supplication), for him and that he shall live, and if he doesn’t return Sarah he and all his people, even his cattle, and all material things will perish with him: See the referenced book of Numbers 16: 31-33.
one last thing I would like to comment on here is in regards to the prayer Abraham makes on behalf of king Abimelech. I believe included in this prayer Abraham must have had to acknowledge his own transgression and repent himself for the deceit, or maybe for his own prudence in regards to his faith? And ask for forgiveness Before the Lord. This is just my own opinion in this matter.
8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.
The very next morning after his encounter with God, Abimelech calls what I believe are his top leaders of his kingdom, and tells them of his encounter with the God of Abraham. No doubt the God of Abraham is very well known in the land of Canaan and they knew what He had done to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. These men were in fear of their lives and did not want the same fate of these cities to fall on them as well.
9 And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” 12:18, 19; 26:9,10
10 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”
After talking to his heads of state (if you will) Abimelech sends for Abraham to appear before him and his servants. Abimelech speaks to Abraham in a rebuking manner, yet he also chooses his words carefully so as not to anger God anymore than he already has. The king knows that Abraham must be respected in his approach to him. Instead of accusing Abraham outright, Abimelech ask what HE did wrong in Abraham’s sight to cause him and his people to sin against God (“A great sin”), Abimelech goes on to tell Abraham that he should not have done these things to him, because he feels he did nothing to deserve this act.
11 And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. 12:12, 13; 26:9
Abraham felt that because the people Gerar did not have the fear of God in them, that they were like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, (blinded to their sin), therefore they would see nothing wrong in killing Abraham just so they could have their carnal desires fulfilled, but in their twisted minds, if Sarah were not married it would be okay to just take her without needing anyone’s consent. As I am writing this down this makes me want to believe that Abraham had to know they would take Sarah and do as they please with her, and he only cared for his own life and not of Sarah’s well being. If this is the case then what I said earlier about Abraham offering prayer’s to God on behalf of Abimelech, He would have to have made supplication for his own actions. In my opinion Abraham is not guiltless in all of this.
12 “But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
This is where we finally see an explanation of what Abraham meant when he says that Sarah is his sister. Just as he did back in Genesis twelve while they were in Egypt.
13 “And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
So then, since this is the way Abraham thought before he left the land of Chaldea does this make him blameless before God in his actions while in Egypt and Gerar? I ask this because when he asks Sarah for this kindness to him he has not yet really come to know God and his ways, and therefore they haven’t developed a close relationship. Yet that was then and this is now. Abraham could have changed his attitude by the time he settles in Gerar. Please don’t get me wrong; I am not judging Abraham, that is not my place. I’m just trying to understand God’s word here, and how I can apply it to myself.
14 Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male, and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. 12:16
Just as the Pharaoh of Egypt gave Abraham Sheep and oxen, and male, and female servants, so to did Abimelech. This was not commanded by God, but it was probably a custom, or maybe a sign of respect towards Abraham.
15 And Abimelech said, “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” 13:9; 34:10; 47:6
16 Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was rebuked. 26:11
Unlike the Pharaoh of Egypt, King Abimelech went even further in his gifts to Abraham. The king also told Abraham that he could dwell wherever he wanted in his kingdom, and he even gave Sarah a veil of silver made of a thousand pieces of silver. I believe that just as God was the one who did not let king Abimelech touch Sarah, that it also was God who put it into the kings heart to let Abraham dwell wherever he wanted. I say this because God had already promised Abraham this land for him and his descendants, and it is God who owns everything, and it is his to give to whoever he pleases. King Abimelech is merely the tool God used to fulfill His purpose for Abraham. As far as the silver that was given to Sarah as a covering I prefer the American standard version translation (Compare Gen 20:16 ASV), There are differing translations in other bibles when it comes to the meaning of verse sixteen. There is no general consensus as to the meaning of this verse among it’s interpreters. Because of this I can see how this would be very confusing to the ordinary person such as me. Therefore I would like to share with the reader Adam Clarke’s Commentary that best tells my own understanding of this verse and why I like the American standard version over all other translations:
And unto Sarah he said – But what did he say? Here there is scarcely any agreement among interpreters; the Hebrew is exceedingly obscure, and every interpreter takes it in his own sense.
A thousand pieces of silver – Shekels are very probably meant here, and so the Targum understands it. The Septuagint has χιλια διδραχμα, a thousand didrachma, no doubt meaning shekels; for in Gen_23:15, Gen_23:16, this translation uses διδραχμα for the Hebrew שקל shekel. As shakal signifies literally to weigh, and the shekel was a coin of such a weight, Mr. Ainsworth and others think this to be the origin of our word scale, the instrument to weigh with.
The shekel of the sanctuary weighed twenty gerahs, Exo_30:13. And according to the Jews, the gerah weighed sixteen grains of barley. R. Maimon observes, that after the captivity the shekel was increased to three hundred and eighty-four grains or barley-corns. On the subject of ancient weights and measures, very little that is satisfactory is known.
Behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes – It – the one thousand shekels, (not he – Abraham), is to thee for a covering – to procure thee a veil to conceal thy beauty (unto all that are with thee, and with all other) from all thy own kindred and acquaintance, and from all strangers, that none, seeing thou art another mans wife; may covet thee on account of thy comeliness.
Thus she was reproved – The original is ונכחת venochachath, but the word is probably the second person preterite, used for the imperative mood, from the root נכח nachach, to make straight, direct, right; or to speak rightly, correctly; and may, in connection with the rest of the text, be thus paraphrased: Behold, I have given thy Brother (Abraham, gently alluding to the equivocation, Gen_20:2, Gen_20:5) a thousand shekels of silver; behold, It is (that is, the silver is, or may be, or let it be) to thee a covering of the eyes (to procure a veil; see above) with regard to all those who are with thee; and to all (or and in all) speak thou the truth. Correctly translated by the Septuagint, και παντα αληθευσον, and in all things speak the truth – not only tell a part of the truth, but tell the whole; say not merely he is my brother, but say also, he is my husband too. Thus in All things speak the truth. I believe the above to be the sense of this difficult passage, and shall not puzzle my readers with criticisms. See Kennicott.
17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; Job. 42:9
18 For the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Like I said previously Abraham probably had to not only pray for the king, but he also had to pray for his own actions concerning Sarah and his deceptive behavior. Apparently the Lord had cast a curse on the king and his people for the sake of Sarah. It appears that those women who were with child was unable to go into labor while Sarah was living amongst them. These women were probably going through all the labor pains of giving birth but unable to deliver them (which as any woman would tell you this must have been very unbearable), As far as the king himself we are not told what kind of sickness he had. We are only told that he was healed after Abraham prayed for him.