Tension:
Would God punish an innocent nation? Person? This was the exact question that was asked in this chapter (20:4). Would God have punished Abimelech for Abraham’s deception? It is here that we have an important distinction. On one hand, no, God would not punish Abimelech if he were innocent. On the other hand, yes, if the king did not heed God’s warning.
Having grown up in the wilderness and endured God’s judgment for their parents’ sins, many in Moses’ audience were naturally asking this question themselves. Had God been unjust in keeping them in the wilderness? And yet they were about to enter and take the Promised Land. This story lifted their eyes to God’s mercy and warning. God was giving these wayward people another chance. He did not abandon them in the wilderness, but instead, prepared them. God was also calling them to obedience. Would they heed God’s call to obey, or, like their parents, live in disobedience and welcome the judgment of God? God extends mercy on sinners by calling them to obey Him. However, His justice will judge disobedience. God’s mercy is seen in His keeping His promises and giving people time to respond.
Text:
After the events of Sodom, Abraham traveled to Negev. He worries that the king there will kill him and take Sarah. So Abraham devises a plan to tell the king that he and Sarah are brother and sister. The sometimes faithless Abraham gives his wife away to spare his own life.
God’s promise is at stake. So God steps in and protects Sarah and the promise made to her and Abraham. God afflicts the king with a sickness and sends him a dream that night. The dream cleared up the situation. Abimelech questioned God’s justice in punishing him for something he didn’t know.
Something interesting is happening here. Abimelech did not know that Abraham was deceiving him, but he does now. God didn’t judge him for ignorance, but sent a dream so that he might respond in obedience. God explained that he would not punish him for what Abraham had done, but now that he knew the situation, he was responsible for obeying it immediately.
Abimelech does what God commands him to do and returns Sarah the next morning. When questioned about it, Abraham makes excuses as to why he did what he did. Ironically, Abraham says, “There is no fear of God here” (20:11), yet he himself does not trust or fear God, attempting instead to save himself by his own actions.
As the chapter closes, Abraham receives provisions from the king to help him settle in the land that God had given him. God protected His promise to Abraham even when his faith was faint. God’s mercy sustained Abraham and Sarah. God’s mercy sustained His promise to Abraham. God’s mercy sustains His promises.
Takeaway:
Moses’ audience took great comfort in the reality that God sustains His promises through His mercy and by His goodness. It would not be dependent on them. They were sinful. They would often walk away from the covenant. God’s power called them back and sustained His promise. God will complete His promise by His power alone. Their taking the Promised Land was God’s doing, not theirs.
God protects His promises. This is both a comfort and a challenge. There is judgment for disobedience. We only need to look at the Old Testament for examples of how God disciplines those He is in covenant. The question for Moses’ audience was, after 40 years in the wilderness, were they ready to obey God’s commands, or those of the land?
For us, we see that God will fulfill His promise to make us His people. We see this accomplished in the work of the cross and the hope of the empty tomb. Christ will bring us into the promised presence through His blood shed and resurrection. We cannot accomplish this. God alone has done this, loves to do this. God’s mercy protects His promises. God’s mercy calls sinners to repent. God’s mercy sustains our faith when we fail.
The question for us from the text is, will we live faithfully in God’s strength or by our own strength? We must seek to be faithful when life presses in. It is not up to us to scheme our way out of difficulty. Instead, we must trust that God will carry us through. Take this text as a call to lay down your striving to scheme and rest in God’s power. Live rightly, and let God handle the rest. This doesn’t ensure an easy life, but a righteous one. God will redeem all that the world breaks.
Will we repent of our sin and receive God’s mercy? Or will we double down on sin? Like Abimelech, we have a choice. We know what sin is. Therefore, we must repent when the Holy Spirit reveals sin in our lives. If not, we risk judgment and discipline from God. And we know this discipline, hard and painful as it may be, is for our good. But let us choose obedience. To heed God’s warning is wise.
God will not punish the innocent. He has warned all people that they are dead in their sins. We see this throughout all time and cultures. It’s in their art and philosophy. Just look and you will see. No one is innocent. The good news is good news because God didn’t leave us dead in sin. His mercy and grace are seen through Jesus' coming and dying on a cross. Like Abimelech, we must choose: will we listen to God and live, or die in sin?