Genesis Part 035
In two instances we find Abraham identifying Sarah as his sister. While in neither case was this a complete lie, as Sarah was his half-sister, the intent was nevertheless one of outright deception. Adam Clarke commentary records “Eben Batrick, in his annals, among other ancient traditions has preserved the following: “Terah first married Yona, by whom he had Abraham; afterwards he married Tehevita, by whom he had Sarah.”
The UCG reading program states the following about Genesis 20:
“In this chapter we find the second incident in which Abraham identifies Sarah as his sister. The first time was the incident with the Egyptian pharaoh in Genesis 12. Now, in Genesis 20, he does the same thing with another ruler, Abimelech. While in neither case was this a complete lie, as Sarah was his half-sister, the intent was nevertheless one of outright deception. Interestingly, the strategy backfires in both circumstances. Repeating the same mistake is not unusual for any of us. Sometimes it takes multiple times before we learn our lesson. And like everyone else, Abraham and Sarah had to grow in faith. Sometimes we think that our own ‘prudence’ is compatible with faith when, in fact, it is not. Perhaps this is what was behind the action of Abraham and Sarah. In any event, these incidents affirm to us that God will protect His people in spite of our weaknesses or the unforeseen twists of circumstance. We all make mistakes or wrong choices. In some cases, there may be consequences. But ultimately, God will work things out for our good (Romans 8:28).”
Why did Abraham, ultimately referred to as the ‘Father of the Faithful’, not deal truthfully in this matter? Was it an attempt at self-preservation since the Pharaoh or Abimelech could desire Sarah to be their wife? It appears as though Abraham was concerned about his welfare because of Sarah’s beauty.
Genesis 12:11-13 provides some insight into his thought process:
“And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, ‘Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife”; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.’”
In both cases, God supernaturally intervened on behalf of Abram and Sarai. God had plans for them, and He was going to protect them even if their faith was weak at the time. Hebrews 11 records the ‘Hall of Fame’ of the faithful and Abraham and Sarah are both mentioned due to their exceptional faith and obedience.
God is able to work with the character traits that He sees are desirable and He is able to orchestrate events to fulfill his plan even when we are weak as humans. It is an encouragement to know that God is willing to overlook our failings and focus on strengths as He works with us fallible humans to bring His plan for all mankind to fruition.
This will conclude part one of our daily dives into Genesis. We plan to resume part two of the book of Genesis in the future. Next week we will move our focus to some of the Wisdom Literature books of the Bible.
UYA Team | uya@ucg.org
United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.
