Good Morning.
And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. (Genesis 20:1-2)
As he had done in Egypt with Pharaoh, Abraham once again presents his wife to Abimelech as his sister. Later, God visited this king in a dream and warned him not to touch Sarah lest he die. I’ve always found it interesting that God seemed to deal quite harshly with Abimelech — the man who did what he did “in the integrity his heart” — while allowing Abraham to escape any criticism. Why is that?
One thing I have considered is that, at times, God will be merciful to us and will preserve the purpose for us even when we’re being stupid. Abraham’s actions here are, at the very least, questionable. Yet, God’s response to Abimelech regarding Abraham’s deceit is, “He is a prophet.” Maybe the call that Abraham had upon his life had something to do with how God dealt with him in this situation. That is not to say that God made excuses for him; it is to say that what God would require of him in the future far outweighed what was happening at that moment. In other words, God knew what Abraham still had to endure and overcome in order to accomplish his purpose. God wouldn’t allow his questionable judgment here to derail what He intended to do in his life later.
There are so many instances in my life where I failed miserably and yet God continued to work with me and through me, allowing me do what He has called me to do. Surely, He has been merciful to me in spite of my stupidity. I’d like to think it was because He knew that, one day, I’d figure some things out and start walking in my purpose. He knew what was required of me and was content to let me discover what I had to do in order to be the person He had called me to be. The point, then, is to appreciate the mercy and long-suffering of our Father and not squander the times He let us live when we should have died. His mercy toward us has given us the opportunity to be what He has called us to be.
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Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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