Genesis 20
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Wednesday night crew! Yall ready for this. Whew we made it through last week. We have it through the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham sees that destruction first hand. Lot and his two daughters survive that destruction not by any efforts of their own. Now you might start to think, it must all be down hill from now. But when we start to read tonight you will see that we as humans are just ignorant. We constantly struggle with our own selfish and you will also see that Abraham doesn’t seem to have learned anything.
Genesis 12 he makes a mistake. Then you see right here. He is about to repeat the same mistake.
1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar.
2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
Anyone in here want to just ring his neck? Shake him a bit maybe? Abraham what in the world are you doing? What is happening?
First let’s not read into what isn’t there. We don’t know why he is leaving. The from there remember is from the mount where he saw the smoke of Sodom and Gomorrah so maybe he is leaving because hey that is too close to home. Maybe him believing that Lot is dead doesn’t want to be around that memory. We don’t know. It doesn’t appear to be because of fear or lack of faith in God like it was in 12. But did God tell him to leave. No. Now he doesn’t go all the way to Egypt either so that is a good thing but he is right on the southern edge of Canaan. Almost back in the spot of chose again of the house of God or the house of destruction. Yall remember that?
Then the fear of his neighbors. They are still some pretty bad people right. And let me just say anything you are still trying to justify and not call sin will always be a problem for you. If you refuse to call over eating sin, you will always over eat and wonder why you struggle with your weight. Call it what it is and deal with it. Lust, lying, stealing, gossiping, pride, control freak, doubt, homosexuality, greed, and the list goes on. whatever it is that you deal with call it sin. Let it go. I need to deal with it not because it is bad for me. Not because it doesn’t benefit me but because it is sin. Fear of man is sin. the self pity attitude and life is sinful. Here is abraham with a sin in his life that he doesn’t want to deal with. Oh but he felt bad. Well maybe not. Here we go again. Why didn’t moses set it up again like he did last time? Because you read it last time and know why he said it.
And Abimelech took her. That is what kings do. And again Abraham is willing to allow Sarah go through whatever she has to as long as it doesn’t happen to him. This is the Hezekiah attitude. Hezekiah does some pretty good things but at the end of his life does some pretty bad things, and God says you are going to get sick and die. He prays for mercy. Gets it with 15 more years of life but God says my wrath is still coming but you will not experience it. Your kids will. He says whew. At least I don’t have to. are you living that life? Abraham says at least I’ll be ok. But Sarah is likely pregnant at this time. If not, then she was about to be. Remember she was given 9 months. Abraham could potentially be ruining the entire thing right here that he has been waiting 25 years on.
Now I am going to say something that will give a little push back but I just want you to follow. IF you read this story and had no idea about these two men of who they were or what they did, you would assume that Abimelech was a more righteous man than Abraham. I mean you’ll see it that he is quick to admit wrong, he turns this around really quickly right. But he is going to go to hell because he is not a believer. HE worshipped pagan gods. But in this moment he is showing more integrity than Abraham.
Hello church. Is the world living with more integrity than you. I hear it all the time in business that people would rather deal with non Christians because “Christians are the hardest to please and they tend to be the least scrupulous of the bunch. They tip better. They aren’t trying to push me to give out of guilt but because they are actually affective. People just want the job done well. So if people encounter a man of God who actually follows what God says about our job, it should be the best experience for any one of their life. So look what happens next. Who intervenes? Not Abraham. God has to come in.
3 But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”
4 Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation?
5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”
6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her.
7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”
Can we just get to the point in the church where we don’t excuse sin but realize that God uses fallen men. That is the truth of real men. It is not us that is great, it is Him. God doesn’t need us. You think for a moment that I am God’s choice to be up here? I am not looking for approval. What looking for you to realize is that all God wants is that our yes is on the table. There are so many smarter men in scripture than I. So many less sinful men than me. SO many more deserving to be here. But maybe God didn’t have their yes.
By the way one of the proofs that this is truly the word of God, nobody writes a book about themselves and makes themselves look this bad. God did because he wants us to see His mercy in all of these. How many of yall would have given up on Abraham already? Tell the truth shame the devil. I mean if I am trying to bless Abraham, I go well he is out. I am done. This boy just don’t listen. I mean if he got all right all the time, we would read it and go no wonder God chose him. But he doesn’t yet here is God still electing him. God wants us to see again that sin always matters and God intervenes in this.
If God doesn’t intervene we don’t know the child to come is really Abrahams. This is what God is preventing. Now I do want you to see something different in the story. In the first story Abraham was offered all kinds of things from the king for Sarah but in this one Abimelech just takes her. She is older now so this probably isn’t about his pleasure more than it is his power. it is a look at me move. I know this guy but look what I did to him. Ladies I am sorry. Email me at scottdobbins@bellsouth.net
If sin can get to Abraham, you and I are cupcake game.
So why does Abraham sin?
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
He has a sin nature. Why do you sin. You have a sin nature.
CS Lewis says that once your spirit comes to life there is a war going on and your flesh is fighting for its life. Whichever one you feed is the one going to win. Period. Every time you sin it is because you were led by the flesh and not the spirit. You gave in to the desire of the flesh and not the spirit.
2nd reason, Abraham leaves where God told him and he gave in to fear of man rather than fear of God. He became a sin dare devil. Oh I can go into a bar and not drink. I am going to witness to these strippers in this establishment. I am going to just window shop in here. I can get on my computer when no one else is around I’ll be fine. NO!!! Stop it. God didn’t tell him to move. But he does and he is afraid of man.
You one thing that covid taught us in the church, the spirit of fear is still alive and well. I don’t mean, hey I am in some type of way physically, so I think for me this treatment works and that’s what I am going to do. No what i mean is the bashing of people the division caused the name calling simply because people were afraid. And it was on both sides of the aisle. If you were for the vaccine, people in your camp would tell the other camp they were killing people. News reports, pastors, politicians, this is the war of the unvaccinated and if you love your brother you are supposed to get the vaccine. Then you had the other side and in that camp we had yall are just a bunch of sheep following the man and if you really had faith you wouldn’t get the vaccine. Both of that is stupid and both ungodly and both driven from fear. I am not here to have the debate on who was right but let me just tell you my fear of God better far surpass my fear of men because there is a time coming when they won’t shut this church down because of a disease but they will shut it down because they can and what are you going to do? Will you day uncle sam says we can’t meet so we wont. If we are not unified now we won’t be then and you better make a decision now. There is comign a time when being a culture believer will not be possible. The goats will be separated from the sheep and I don’t think any of us will like how that is to be done.
Ok let me just go here. You know where else fear is taking place in the church right now today. Listen to this
35% believe the bible condemns abortion. What do the other 65% believe?
20% of Christians don’t know if the bible condemns transgender-ism.
28% agree that the bible’s condemnation of homosexuality applies today.
90% of pastors favor lgbtq agenda or are passively silent over it
73% oppose the overturning of r v wade
this is the modern church in this america we allow any ole thing to sway us because we want to look cool we want to appease the masses. Hello Lot!!!! We have people in leadership afraid to take a stand because of the backlash. But let me tell you something, Jesus is still on the throne, his word still stands, heaven is still real, hell is still hot and I will not back down from it. The road to that destruction is still wide and fornicators, liars, cowards, homosexuals, soft men, thieves, gluttonous folks are still making their way down there and if you are anything on that list or the longer one in scripture repent today. Do not have such a great fear of man that you forget to fear the Lord.
Paul says should we keep on sinning to show the grace of God. He says have you lost your mind. You have been freed from sin not freed to it.
When he got afraid, he moved into enemy territory and he stopped walking by faith and began to walk by sight. These folks look dangerous. But he should have said God is with me. If I am walking by God, Abimelech means nothing. We should not fear the creation. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation.
Fear of man and faith in God cannot dwell together.
You cannot fear people or diseases or government and have faith in God.
25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
Ok so let’s get back. Abimelech in verse 4 and 5 says that he was lied to by both Abraham and Sarah. Abimelech was deceived. And God is getting on him. You think the story of Sodom and Gomorrah has gotten to his door. You would destroy the innocent? He is questioning god’s judgment as well.
But God says to Abimelech I will not allow you to mess this up even though Abraham put you in this situation. So I have kept you from violating her but if you do not give her back, I will kill you. Not just you but every body with you. Are you not just enthralled that we serve a powerful God. Like it is some the equivalent of the rock walking into the room and telling everyone, put the weapons down and walk away. If you don’t, I will be the only one walking out. And your like yeah go get em rock. I could do that. Forgetting it is all scripted. lol Here is God telling this ruler what he is about to do and the ruler is going to listen.
But just look again at the mercy of God. To Abraham mercy of his repeating the sin that he supposedly repented of. To Sarah the mercy of her going along with this lie to the king and to Abimelech the mercy of his warning to him.
8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.
So he calls everyone because he is afraid. They become afraid. Why does God discipline people. Because it works. If this scenario happens today, we have Jesus showing up and asking Abimelech to not do this if he wouldn’t mind because the Jesus we have created is not the same as the one in the bible. I come to offend. I come bringing a sword. He spoke the words I am and every person that came to kill him fell down. God says to Abraham and Sarah I will not allow you to mess this up like this. God allows us to suffer the consequences because it works!!!!
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.”
10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?”
So here is Abimelech, why did you do this to me. To us. What did we do to you that you thought this was ok.
Look at his response.
11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’
12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.
13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”
He blames. Look. Its yalls fault I did this. Because if yall weren’t such an evil place I wouldn’t have to lie like this. If yall weren’t so bad. If yall loved God like I did, I wouldn’t have had to do this. And because I thought. My thought process was this. Was it reality. Did he think correctly. NO!!! His truth was not truth. There was a fear of God in this place. Just because you think it so doesn’t make it so. Everyone is talking about me. No the truth is you don’t matter that much to people’s lives. No one is talking about you. They are talking their days their jobs, their lives. If they are talking about you right now, give it 3 secs and they will be talking about the next tik tok challenge. I think I am a girl. I think I am a boy. I think I am a dog. You know what my parents did when I thought I was a super hero, my dad punched me in the arm. Did that hurt he said. Fighting back tears, yes. Then you aren’t super man. Reality. You brain will and does lie to you. We are told to capture those thoughts. It is in the christian world also. I think the bible says this is ok. But what about this scripture that goes against that. Well your reading it wrong. No you just need to change the way you think. REPENT!!! Metanoiya is the word for repent and it means change the way you think. If you are shown verse after verse on something and you cannot get passed them you just choose to ignore them to justify your own belief then you need to repent. Same for me. If I stood up here and said something that was against scripture and you showed me the scripture proof, I would need to repent. Abraham doesn’t repent. Look he doulbes down. He goes from blame to justifying.
She really is my sister. I wasn’t technically lying. I wasn’t completely dishonest. No you are justifying your sin and you need to stop it. Repent.
Finally he throws back on Sarah and her feelings. You owe me this.
All that i have done for you, you owe me. This is how you can repay me.
Look what happens
14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him.
15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.”
16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”
Yall notice something that when there is an encounter with God, people give. Now abimelech reasoning is out of fear, but he still gives as a sign of making it right. So he gives kind of the same thing the other guy did to make restitution. Then he addresses Sarah. Hey I gave this much. This should make it right. You were innocent. You were wronged. I didn’t do anything to you but I wanna make it right. I wanna do right by you.
I actually love that. What i hate is Abraham isn’t doing that.
So abraham receives that and look what he does
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children.
18 For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Abraham prays and Abimelech is healed. I didn’t even know they were sick. But God so quickly moved on their behalf that all the wombs in the house were closed. NO ONE IS GOING TO HAVE A BABY IN THIS HOUSE UNTIL THIS IS MADE RIGHT!!! I will not have this messed up. My plan will go forth. I am shutting the whole thing down. Lol it is so amazing the power of our God.