Last 5 Days
Temptation Lurks Round the Corner
1 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. 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?” 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.”’”
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.” 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 was chosen by God to lead his people out of Haran to the Promised Land (Genesis 12:1-2). Wow! What an awesome task! Surely such a man would be faithful and righteous. In Genesis 18:10, the Lord promised Abraham and Sarah a child in their old age. In Genesis 18:20-33, Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare Sodom & Gomorrah if there were at least ten good men in the cities. Abraham was close to God.
In Genesis 20, Abraham and his entourage entered Gerar on the way to the Promised Land. Abraham feared for his life as he heard that the Philistine King Abimelech was very ruthless (Genesis 20:11). His escape plan was to claim that Sarah was his sister. Abimelech took Sarah into his harem. God warned Abimelech in a dream that Sarah was the wife and not a sister of Abraham. Abimelech, as cruel as he was, listened to God and released Sarah the next day.
What can we learn from this passage? Let me share two points.
1. Abraham could have skirted Gerar on his journey to the Promised Land. Perhaps, he knew Gerar and its surrounding had good pastures for his flock. So, he was willing to use deception in order to enjoy the comforts of life for a while.
I had read confessions of many good Christian men falling into sexual temptations, especially on business trips. Often, it starts with an innocent movie in the privacy of the hotel room. Then, it progresses to pornography and eventually into sexual sins. Let Proverbs 5:7-8 remind us, “do not turn aside from what I (God) say. Keep to the path far from her (adulteress), do not go near the door of her house.”
I had to be away on business trips to the US for a few months in 2017 and 2018. After work, I kept myself busy with colleagues, bought Christian books to read and prepared my Bible Studies. I did not turn on the TV in my room throughout my stay.
2. Abraham spoke half-truth to gain Abimelech’s favour to sojourn in Gerar. We too are often weak, fall into temptations and fail to trust God despite His watching us all the time.
Have I spoken half-truths? Worse than that, I lied during an important tender meeting in the sixth month of my first job. Trying to impress my bosses, I prepared answers for all possible questions that might be asked. The meeting progressed well and I was silently giving myself a pat on my back until suddenly, an unexpected question came up. Wow, I wasn’t prepared. So, I lied to avoid a delay to the tender award.
After the meeting, I felt terrible and promptly asked God for forgiveness and prayed for courage to speak the truth in future meetings. God allowed many opportunities to test me. With God’s help, I spoke the truth and apologised when I didn’t do or didn’t have the answer. In the end, God blessed me and I won the favour of my bosses.
Dear brothers and sisters, Satan is always exploiting our weaknesses and seeking to trip us. May we memorise the following verses and use them as our prayer.
a. Psalm 119:9,11, the Psalmist reminds us, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
b. Solomon in Proverbs 3:7 reminds us, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”
Let us encourage one another to be faithful to God, obey His Word and draw strength from Him and trust Him for His guidance and protection.