Genesis 20 “The Lies of Abraham and Faithfulness of God”
Intro: “Blunder”=technical term in chess for a catastrophic mistake.
-Today’s passage: blunder of Abraham, but also the continued grace of God.
-God’s people mess up—often in repeated ways—but God’s remains faithful to keep the promise.
**God protects the promise, even as his people make the same sins and mistakes!
CONTEXT: Life of Abraham (ch 12-26)
-Promise and Protection: God gives a promise to Abraham and protects that promise.
-Ch 12 Promise given: Give Abraham the Land, Make into great people, ALL the nations bless through him
-Abraham’s response: MIX of faithfulness and sin à GOD continues to restate the Promise and Protect it!
-God has promised that Sarah will get pregnant within a year (ch 17,18).
-Now Abraham sojourns South, and we see an epic failure of Abraham right before fulfillment
-We see: the lies of Abraham and faithfulness of God.
*God protects the promise, even as his people make the same sins and mistakes!
I. GENESIS 20: Abraham Travels South
Abraham Heads South (1)
-We don’t know why, but he does, and he is in the land of Gerar, ruled by a king named Abimelech
-Abraham is 99 and God has promised within a year Sarah is going to get pregnant.
Abraham’s BLUNDER (2)
-Abraham lies about his wife: “Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.””(2)
-King of Gerar, assuming Sarah is unmarried, takes her into his household to be his wife (2b)
-DIDN’T THIS ALREADY HAPPEN? Yes, it did! Back in Genesis 12 in Egypt (24 years ago)
**NOTE: There is great danger to God’s promise to Sarah and Abraham.
-Who will protect this promise? Will God’s promise not come to pass?
GOD PROTECTS THE PROMISE (3-7)
–God intervenes and comes to Abimelech in a dream (3)
-God confronts him: “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”” (3)
–NOTICE: God’s view of adultery—serious, evil, deserving of death!
-This is very different from our culture—it is a betrayal, but sometimes viewed as justified.
-Abimelech pleads innocence and thankfully has not yet slept with Sarah (4-5)
-He was told by both Abraham and Sarah that Sarah was merely the sister of Abraham (4-5)
-God’s protection and warning (6-7)
-It was actually God who prevented Abimelech from sleeping with Sarah (6)
-Abimelech must return Sarah to Abraham (7)
-Abraham is referred to as a prophet—first time in Scripture
-Abraham will “pray” for Abimelech, and his life and lives of those with him will be spared.
–NOTICE: Corporate language—his actions as king have consequences for all
ABIMELECH FEARS GOD AND CONFRONTS ABRAHAM (8-10)
-Abimelech “rose early” and told his servant all these things (of the dream), and “men were very much afraid” (8)
–NOTICE: Abimelech obeys God and fears Him.
-He is actually being more goldy than Abraham in this chapter!
-Abimelech confronts Abraham for his deceit and “great sin”, and what “ought not be done” (9-10)
–NOTICE: The Bible doesn’t gloss over the sins of believers
-“Besetting sins”=a particular sin/temptation that we continually struggle or have weakness”
–QUESTION: What is your besetting sin? Are you pleading to God daily for help?
ABRAHAM’S LAME EXCUSES (11-13)
-Abraham tries to justify his actions (11-13)
-If he really “feared God” then he would have trusted him and told the truth—Sarah is his wife!
-Ironically, Abimelech and the people showed more fear of God than Abraham in this chapter.
ABIMELECH OBEYS GOD AND RETURNS SARAH AND GIVES SILVER (14-16)
-Abimelech returns Sarah to Abraham (14b)
-He also gives many possessions to Abraham
-Abimelech offer the land to Abraham (15)
-Generous offer to someone who just sinned against him.
-Abimelech’s Word to Sarah and Gift of Silver to Abraham (16)
–COMMENTATORS note the barbed phrase “I have given your brother”
–SILVER= sign of innocence for Sarah and before everyone.
ABRAHAM’S PRAYER AND GOD’S HEALING (17-18)
-Abraham prays to God and God brings healing to Abimelech, his wife, and maidservants (17)
-Apparently, Abimelech and those in his household afflicted because of this sin
–NOTICE: The fulfillment of Gen 12:1-3 “bless those who bless you…curse those who curse”
-ALSO OBSERVE: God is not finished with Abraham, but continues to show him grace.
–GOD is not finished with you and me!
-We continue to walk in faith, but sometimes stumble and fall
-But God is not finished with us: 1 Cor 1:4-9
–God’s promise of eternal life remains, even as we repeatedly fall and stumble.
*SUMMARY: God protects the promise, even as his people make the same sins and mistakes!
APPLICATION:
1. Let the truths of Genesis 20 KEEP US HUMBLE
-A great temptation for the believer is PRIDEàto think you are beyond temptation or sin.
-Particularly manifests itself when we see the sins of others, ones that we are not as tempted by.
-But this is a great danger, and can lead to sin and great fall: 1 Cor 10:12
-All of us are sinners in need of grace
–COMMUNITY: Bonhoeffer, ‘view our sins as the worst in the community of God’
2. Let the truths of Genesis 20 KEEP US DEPENDANT ON CHRIST
-We need God’s grace everyday and every moment
-“apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5b)
-Don’t get proud, but stay dependent on Christ
-He will help you say no to temptation and to do what is right against besetting sins..
3. Let the truths of Genesis 20 KEEP US LOOKING TO CHRIST
-Isn’t Christ amazing?
-Instead of lying, he told the truth
-Instead of self-serving, he was self-sacrificing
-His death and resurrection brought life to Jews and Gentiles
-If you believe in Christ you will be saved and delivered from sin.
4. Let the truths of Genesis 20 KEEP US LOOKING TO GOD’S DAILY GRACE
-Daily Christian life is one of minute-by-minute dependance on God for grace to say no to sin.
-Christ shows us His grace and empowers us by the Holy Spirit to say no to sin and yes to God
-The Christian is TRAINED by God’s grace: Titus 2:11-12
CLOSE: Believer, your sins are GREAT, but His mercy is more!
-God is NOT done with you believer.
-See the truth of His grace toward you in saving you
-Plead for grace to repentance and walk in holiness today
-REJOICE—God keeps his promise to His people, even as they blunder and make repeated errors!
GOD protects his promises, even as his people make the same mistakes!
