Sovereign God and Praying Men

[Servant Boy]

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Genesis 20:1-7,15-18 Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land
of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned
in Gerar. Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So
Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech
in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man
because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.” Now
Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a
nation, even though blameless? “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.” Then God
said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your
heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me;
therefore I did not let you touch her. “Now therefore, restore the
man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will
live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die,
you and all who are yours”... Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is
before you; settle wherever you please.” To Sarah he said, “Behold, I
have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is
your vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you
are cleared.” Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his
wife and his maids, so that they bore children. For the LORD had
closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of
Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

The last time Abraham asked his wife Sarah to say that she was his
sister was back in Egypt when they had sojourned there (chapter 12).
The problem was similar and the result was the same - God spared
Abraham, Sarah and the rulers who took Sarah to be their wife.

We need to remember here that even though Sarah was in her 90s, she
obviously looked physically much, much younger and was certainly so
beautiful that men found her attractive and wanted to have her as
their wives.

Also, Abraham was not lying about his relationship to Sarah because
she was his sister through his Dad but not through his Mum. This whole
situation seems bizarre but in those days, there were many such
cultural oddities that we will not understand till we get our heads
around their culture and the growth of polytheism and resultant
sinfulness.

The question that comes to my mind when I considered this passage is
God's support for Abraham and the purpose of this situation?

Abraham's way of dealing with this situation prior to God's
intervention seems rather strange considering he had a bitter
experience before in Egypt, but it seems to be a result of living in a
land not his own and trying to save his skin and his wife's as they
dealt with people of no moral repute.

God's timing was perfect because He gave Abimelech the opportunity to
make amends before he went too far and Abimelech's response to God
shows his conviction in his rightful actions. Eventually, Abimelech
makes the right choice and spares himself and his nation from God's
wrath.

Obviously we as God's children do not always seek God's will before we
act but God who is sovereign brings His will to pass regardless of the
brokenness of the world and we can take comfort in that.

Also, we need to remember that God gives us opportunities to pray for
one another and the prayers of a righteous man have much fruit. We are
not righteous in ourselves but because of Jesus Christ who shed His
blood on the cross as a payment for our sins.

In His Loving Service,
ServantBoy

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for
one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a
righteous man can accomplish much.