Genesis 20:11-13 - 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. 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. 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.”
Abraham had journeyed south to live in the land of Gerar. He
was worried once again for his safety there so he told the same lie to the king
that he had used before…that his wife was his sister. The king immediately saw
the beauty of Sarah…even in her advanced age….and took her to into his haram of
wives and concubines. God wasted no time
revealing the truth to this king…that she was Abraham’s wife. He woke with a
fear of God’s promise to let him die if he did not return her immediately.
Abraham carefully chose his words of explanation when he was
confronted. She was a step-sister…even though they were married. He also spoke
his fears of danger when they traveled….and how he had asked her so long ago to
use her sister title when they came to new places for his safety.
There are several problems with Abraham’s thinking. First…he never asked God if his twisting of
the truth was the way he should handle his fears. Abraham must have temporarily
forgotten the promise God had made to make him a great nation…complete with a
new child in the next year by Sarah. Surely that included a measure of
protection from any danger till that promise was carried out. I also wonder why
Abraham had not learned his lesson from the consequences of the first time he
used this lie. Was he really willing to risk his new child with Sarah by
letting her become the wife of another man?
It is a reminder to me that to twist the truth…to tell a half-truth…to
withhold details from the truth are all forms of lies. We can justify just
about anything if we carefully plan the way we put together our words. It is
also another reminder to ask God what to do …instead of forming our own plan
without him. Just because God will intervene to keep us in his will…doesn’t
mean that stepping out without him is the way to deal with our worries and
concerns.
Father…thank you for the reminder that your promises include
protection and coverings when danger seems to cross the pathway that we know to
be your will for our life. We do not
need to twist the truth or invent our own way of rescue when we feel threatened
or in danger…especially if it includes twisting the truth. Forgive me for the times I have knowing gone
ahead of you with my own version of the truth so I can justify my own selfish desires. Show me how to live so completely in your
will that I trust you in evry time of confusion and danger. Amen.
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