Genesis 20

“She is my sister” (vs. 1-2)—Abraham and Sarah journey to a region controlled by petty kings of Philistia. Just as he had done in Egypt (chapter 12), Abraham asks Sarah to claim that she is his sister. We wonder why Abraham would make the same mistake again, but, reader, have you ever committed the same sin twice? The previous instance with Abraham would have been some 25 years before, so it wasn’t like he made a habit of it.

God warns the king of Gerar (vs. 3-13)—“Abimelech” was probably just the common name for Philistine kings at the time, like “Pharaoh” in Egypt. This Abimelech was ruler of a small town, and he exercised the right that every Oriental monarch has ever exercised of taking into his harem any woman he can get his hands on. So he takes Sarah. He no doubt has plenty of other concubines. It wasn’t just a property thing with Abimelech; Abraham was a powerful lord and making an alliance with him wasn’t a bad idea. But God comes to Abimelech in a dream: “You are a dead man” (v. 3) because you’ve taken another man’s wife. Abimelech pleads innocence and rightfully so, but God tells him to restore Sarah to Abraham, which he does the next morning. Abraham explains, as he did in Egypt, that he was afraid that he would be killed if Abimelech thought Sarah was the patriarch’s wife. And Sarah was his half-sister, so again, it was only a half-lie. But Abraham deceives Abimelech and that deception was wrong and almost cost the king his life.

Abimelech gives Abraham wealth and land (vs. 14-18)—The last verse in the chapter says that God had shut up the wombs of the women of Gerar because of Sarah. Abimelech, having been told by God that Abraham is a prophet, needs his help. So he gives Abraham a lot of money and livestock and offers him any piece of land he wants in the area. The king is almost certainly hoping that Abraham the prophet would beseech God in his behalf, but again, he no doubt wanted to stay on good terms with the powerful patriarch. Abimelech was the king of a small city-state, Gerar, so it wasn’t impossible that Abraham could have put more men onto a battlefield that Abimelech could. And it never hurts to have powerful friends who have a powerful God. Abraham does pray for the women of Gerar and God restores their ability to bear children.