Genesis 20 – You Are a Dead Man…

This last year I went to a conference in Kentucky called Cross Conference. It was an incredible experience being able to listen to some of the best speakers talk about missions and God’s global plan for the nations. As is typical of a camp-like experience, we reach spiritual mountaintops where God seems to make His promises so clear. When we seek after the will of God, He does not hide it from us. But when we come off the mountaintop (for indeed we must), the promises become murkier and we begin to doubt. It is the age old question, “Did God really say…?” I know, personally, that it took less that a day for this process to begin for me. Imagine how Abraham must feel. God has been promising him a son for years, and not just a son, but through that son, a nation. It may be easy for us to read Abraham’s failure in this chapter and think how foolish he was, and indeed this is the case. But I’d like to argue that the focus of Chapter 20 is not Abraham’s doubt, but God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promise, in spite of even our best efforts to stop Him.

The chronology gets a bit funky here, and it’s difficult to tell when or for how long this story takes place, but we see that Abraham is on the move again. The Bible tells us in verse 1 that he has journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb, living between Kadesh and Shur; and sojourning in Gerar. As always, when visiting a new place, Abraham makes the mistake of thinking that he will be hurt by those in power because of his marriage to Sarah. Once again, he tells everyone that Sarah is his sister. Though he continues to be technically truthful, he is purposefully being misleading. She is much more than just a relative, and this lie almost leads to the death of everyone in a nation. Abimelech, the king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her as his own.

Here is where God steps in. He will not allow His promise to be unfulfilled. He appears to Abimelech in a dream and tells him that he is a dead man because he had taken Sarah, informing him that Sarah was married. This news troubled Abimelech greatly, but he had not yet approached her, or drawn near to her. Because he had not slept with Sarah, he pleads with God, asking how He could kill someone who is innocent. He reminds God that Abraham is the one who lied, and Sarah had agreed. God responds that He is fully aware of what Abraham and Sarah had done (after all, they have done this before), but that God was more interested in fulfilling His promise. Regardless of what Abraham’s sin, God would hold Abimelech responsible if he did not return Sarah to Abraham. He reveals that it was He who had kept Abimelech from touching Sarah because He had only taken her in the integrity of his heart. He is warned that if he does not return her he will surely die, and all who are his (which presumably could mean his whole nation, not just family).

Abimelech’s next steps are predictable, promptly giving Sarah back to Abraham. His outrage at Abraham should not be missed. Abraham is the prophet, but he had deceived them, and that lie had almost led to the destruction of an entire nation. When a pagan tells you that your morality is out of line with God’s expectations, you should take note that you have probably stepped out of line. Abimelech, in fear and confusion, says, “You have done things to me that ought not to be done.” This accusation is completely founded.

Abraham’s defense is weak, arguing that because there was no fear of God in the place that he thought they would kill him because of Sarah. He falls back on his lie being a half-truth, since Sarah is indeed his half-sister. What this should show us is that despite the relationship that God had been forging with Abraham over a long period of years, Abraham had a long way to go. He did not think God would protect him in this land that did not fear God. Once again, Abraham is trying to help God by doing His job. God doesn’t need our help. We are completely reliant on Him, though we are often unaware just how true this is. Abimelech vindicates Sarah with gifts of silver, and gives sheep, oxen, and servants to Abraham. Abimelech’s innocence in this passage is starkly contrasted with Abraham’s disobedience, but it is not Abraham who must pay the price. God is showing mercy to Abraham and Sarah, though they are by far undeserving, in order that He might show them how faithful He is to His children.

Abraham prays and God heals Abimelech and his whole house, which God had caused not to be able to bear children. God’s promise to bring a child had been compromised, unwittingly, by Abimelech, and until Abimelech righted the situation, he and his house would not be able to do the very thing God had promised to Abraham and Sarah. I believe it is important that Abraham had to pray for their healing, as this would be a good lesson for him. God had shown His faithfulness to Abraham, but Abraham probably felt the sting of praying for Abimelech’s healing when it was completely his own fault. God is stretching Abraham to become a man of character, molding him into His image. This is restoration of the imago dei.

In the overarching story of Scripture, this story may seem insignificant, but I believe its proximity to the birth of Isaac and Abraham’s disobedience begin to paint a picture for the reader that God is bigger than just a local deity who has petty disagreements with humans, who is vindictive, who needs something from us. This is a God who demands recognition from multiple nations, who created everything, who has chosen to restore His creation to what He intended it to be, and He has chosen to do this through this man who seems so unlikely to ever achieve faithfulness. How God has not destroyed Abraham at this point in the story is a true miracle. The patience of this God is astounding, and His dedication to fulfill His promise is unmatched.

Genesis 18 – The Appointed Time…

Before diving into Chapter 18, let’s consider the life Abraham has had until this point. He was called out from his home, singled out to be blessed by God in a way no man had been blessed before other than perhaps Adam. Certainly, Abraham’s life would have been much different had he not received this blessing. First, his name would still be Abram. Second, he would not have the promise of a son with the woman he truly loved. Third, he would not be the conduit through which God promised to bless all the Earth. But most importantly, he would not have the incredibly close relationship he had with God. Though his encounters with the living God occur infrequently, sometimes decades apart, they are nonetheless powerful meetings which have always grown Abraham in his faith and understanding of God. Most recently, God had given his sign of the covenant, namely circumcision, which was to be carried out by all the males in Abraham’s household. Abraham obeyed immediately.

In this chapter, it says that once again the Lord appears to Abraham. We do not know how long since the previous meeting it has been. The Lord appears to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which we learned in Chapter 13 was where Abram had built an altar to the Lord. In this particular situation, it appears that Abraham was just hanging out by his tent door sometime around noon, probably trying to get a break from the heat. He looks up to see three men,  but it is important to note that Abraham seems to already recognize that these are not mere men. He runs to greet them and displays overwhelming hospitality toward them. This may have been part of the culture, but I think it is an excellent example of what we as Christians should strive to do. Hospitality is a great way to share the love of Christ with others. Some may be more gifted at it than others, but we are called to display hospitality as Christians. Abraham begs them to allow him to serve them. He brings out water that they may wash their feet, some bread, and some meat. He also offers the shade of the tree that they may rest. They ask him where Sarah is, and he replies that she is in the tent.

Before we move on, the fact that there are three men here should be discussed. One of these men is God. Who are the other two and how does the invisible God who has no form appear to Abraham as a man? Is this a pre-incarnate Christ? I think these are good questions, but I think that they reveal how little we know about God. The concept of the Trinity helps us to understand that God is three persons. But having our tidy package of being able to distinguish them does not always work out. God is three in one. Writing about the Trinity will, I fear, reveal my ignorance of the whole doctrine itself. But ultimately, the doctrine is only an attempt to explain what is only implied throughout the whole of Scripture. The Trinity becomes much clearer in the New Testament, but it is here in the Old as well. Is this Christ or is it the Father or the Holy Spirit? Well…yes. I think the important to say that God is one of these men, in whatever way He chose to accomplish that, whether it be Christ in a body before the actual Incarnation or if the Father has chosen in his power to appear to Abraham. These other two are probably angels, who will be more important in the second half of this chapter.

God responds that Sarah will have a son, knowing that Sarah is listening behind the tent door. Sarah laughs, incredulously, to herself, knowing that she is well beyond the age that a woman can produce a child. She’s heard talk of her bearing this child of promise for years, and with all that talk has come years of heartache and disappointment. Laughing at God’s promise was not wise, but considering the circumstances, it was actually quite a subdued reaction. Sarah’s faith may not have been big enough to believe that God could accomplish what He had promised, but one can hardly blame her. These interactions with God have been with Abraham. This may be the first time Sarah has directly received the promise from God. God, knowing she has overheard, asks why she had laughed, and she denies it. Lying to God is not wise, but God is merciful here and responds by merely restating that she did laugh. God’s compassion here toward Sarah is much the same that He had for Hagar. God knows when people are at the end of their rope, when all hope has vanished. It is this kind of person that God desires to lift up with His mighty arm. God’s timing is one of the most amazing things I’ve come to learn about Him. It is always perfect. Sarah needed this encounter at precisely this moment. But there was another reason for this encounter, and the timing for it was also perfect.

In Chapter 13, we learn that the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked. The time for judgment had come, but more than that, it was time for Abraham to learn what being part of the family of God is all about. After resting, the three “men” rose and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham walked with them. Next comes a discussion that God has with Himself, which is recorded for us here in Scripture. Is God actually debating with Himself? Obviously, the answer is no. The reason this internal conversation was included in the biblical record was in order to teach us about God and His relationship with us. What does it teach us about God? I think it teaches us a lot about what it means to be included in God’s family. With adoption as one of God’s children come certain privileges. One of those is being part of the work that God is doing on the Earth. We will never, no matter how close our relationship with God, be privy to everything that He is doing all over the Earth as that information would be far too much for our minds to contain. But the fact that He ever chooses to clue us in to what He is doing, we who are fallen and finite, is an unfathomable act of love in and of itself.

God’s debate, in this case, is whether or not to tell Abraham about what He is about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah. The interesting thing is that telling Abraham does not accomplish anything for God. Abraham has nothing to offer God that He doesn’t already know. God doesn’t need to know the best way to attack. Abraham’s disagreement with the impending doom would not dissuade God, who only judges rightly. So why the debate? Because Abraham is the conduit through which God will bless the nations. God is building trust. God is teaching. God is doing something more than just sharing His plans for the sake of boasting about what He is about to do. God is giving Abraham a chance to have a seat at this war table and discuss terms that he finds agreeable. And that is what happens. Abraham is told about God’s plans and immediately questions God’s justice.

Justice seems like such a simple concept, but when it comes to God’s justice, His is almost universally questioned. It’s the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people. 9/11 here in the United States caused many to question God’s sovereignty. If God is truly omnipotent, how could he allow those evil men to destroy so many innocent lives? In the end, I think we must always unequivocally uphold that His is the only perfect justice. Yes, there is evil in the world, and yes, the scales of right and wrong in our eyes seem to always be slanted toward injustice, but there are many reasons we should affirm the goodness of God. First and foremost, God is not the author of evil, though I believe He is sovereign over it. Second, I do believe there is such a thing as free will which is intimately entwined with God’s sovereignty in such an indistinguishable way that I doubt I’ll ever have a good grasp of how both things can be true, though I will affirm they must be. Finally, I believe that the scales, if currently out of balance, will one day be so fully righted that we who saw all the evil in this world will weep for joy seeing how all things had been used by God in ways we had never imagined for the good.

But the fact that Abraham questions God’s justice here is not because he doubts God is just. He is calling on God’s character in order to see if he can save his nephew, Lot, from harm. “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right?” This stirring speech given by Abraham does not change God’s mind, but He does agree to spare the city if Abraham can find just fifty righteous men. The reason I say it does not change God’s mind is because God knows that Abraham will not even find one. But Abraham continues to push God, asking to spare the city if he can find just forty-five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, and finally they settle on sparing the city if only ten righteous men are found. Throughout this questioning, Abraham realizes that what he is doing could provoke God to anger, and seems unwilling to push past ten, probably thinking that finding ten righteous men in a city as large as Sodom should be easy. What he didn’t realize was that none are righteous and that all are deserving of the fate given to Sodom and Gomorrah. Only one man has ever in the history of the world been righteous and it is only through His imputed righteousness which covers us that any of us can escape the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.

So why does God spare so many other cities which seem even worse than Sodom? I can’t say for sure that God has spared other evil cities. I’m not one to point to a natural disaster and claim that it was God’s justice for x, y, or z sins, but I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility. However, I think it is more likely that God does not destroy cities in the way He did Sodom and Gomorrah today is because He was trying to teach us something about His relationship with sin. God is at war with evil. It provokes Him to anger in terrifying ways. The question we should be asking is why God doesn’t destroy all of the cities of the world for their iniquity. I believe the answer is that ultimately, He will eradicate evil, but for now His patience holds out due to His desire to give grace and allow as many people to come to know Him as possible.