Spiritual Warfare Team: Devotional Tuesday

Scariest Thing to Hear from God, Part Two

Last week, we read Genesis 20, where Abraham chickens out over the fact that Sarah is still kicking it in her eighties, and when staying in a pagan land, tells her to introduce herself as his sister (which, she half is...) rather than his wife. King Abimelech takes her into his harem, and is told by God that he's a dead man if he doesn't fix some things. Abimelech is a smart man, thankfully, and returns Sarah to Abraham, basically asking him, "Dude, what on earth gave you the idea to pull that prank?"

This thing, that Abraham has already pulled in Genesis 12 in Egypt to Pharaoh.

The question is, now, why did God go after Abimelech (and Pharaoh) with the scary warning and not the one who actually held all the cards of info on what they were doing.

Well, there are several reasons.

• Taking another man's wife is inexcusable. Period. "They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. Shall I not punish them for these things declares the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?" (Jeremiah 5:8-9).
• God had promised that Sarah would have Abraham's son. If either Abimelech or Pharaoh had succeeded in taking her from Abraham, that promise would not have come to pass. "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29).
• Not only were the Israelites- an entire group of people!- coming through that line, but also Jesus. The salvation plan was hinged on Sarah and Abraham remaining together.
• Abraham had already received the aforementioned promise of a son with Sarah. He should have trusted that God would not allow him to die before that promise had come to pass and could have walked into either of those pagan cities with his head held high. But even as the man legendary for his faith, he didn't always trust God one hundred percent all the time. This is an encouragement for every believer who feels like a failure in trusting. Even a faith hall of famer doubted (Hebrews 11:8-12)!
• Both these occasions included Abraham getting gifts from the leaders- and then being rushed out of the respective lands that much richer. God was using this bad for Abraham's good (not to encourage any of you to go out and do likewise. You don't want God saying those scary words to you). "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28).

Now for what may be the most important reason of them all, and the reason everything that happens, happens- both in the Old Testament, and now.

• For the glory of God. When God humbled Pharaoh and Abimelech, those leaders saw clearly that there was One greater than they. And what happened could not have remained secret- their entire kingdoms heard of the God of Abraham in those days, and how He had proven His might over their own idols to attack their very kings. 

And that is why God said those very scary words to Abimelech, and also went after Pharaoh instead of Abraham. For His own glory and for the good of those who love Him. Perhaps, by the former, causing there to be more of the latter.

Amen and God bless.