Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife
and his female slaves so they could have children again, for the LORD had kept all
the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife
Sarah.
Genesis 20:17
Abraham the Nomad
Abraham was the head of a small but wealthy nomadic tribe of people that included himself, his wife and a few servants. In two generations this tribe would grow to about seventy people who traveled from place to place looking for good places to feed their cattle.
When Abraham grew up he was in what was probably another nomadic tribe that had begun to settle down into a city. But as his father began to settle into a city called Ur, Abraham was called to move on from there and continue as the head of a nomadic clan that he would start.
Like most nomads, Abraham's parents did not trust outsiders and made sure he married someone they trusted from within his own family so he married his half sister.
The Agreement
Abraham's step sister (Sarah) was incredibly good looking and that created a problem for him. Abraham did not trust outsiders at all and believed they were filled with lust for his wife and quite capable of doing terrible things in order to steal his wife away from him. He believed that outsiders would kill him in order to take Sarah as their own; so he gave Sarah a story to tell everyone they met along their journey.
Abraham asked Sarah to tell people that she was his sister. That way if one of those lust filled outsiders wanted her they could take her without hurting Abraham.
The Event
When Abraham stopped in the city of Gerar to buy, sell, and trade, someone noticed Sarah and before long the head of the city (Abimelek) had taken her to be his own. But before Abimelek had sex with her he had a dream that informed him that he was as good as dead for taking another man's wife. This took Abimelek by surprise because he had no idea Sarah was married, so he told God that he was innocent. God accepted that and told Abimelek to go to Abraham and ask for prayer because Abraham was a prophet.
Bad Consequences
The
Reasons: The Bible tells us that Abraham concocted this scheme because
he was afraid. Abraham was a traveler who was vulnerable in that he
didn't know the people of the cities he visited. In every city he came
near, there were powerful people and perhaps many who were skilled in
combat. Fear drove him to make some bad decisions which only hurt other
people.
A psychologist may easily see another motivator in Abraham. His wife was barren and as long as he was tied to her, his dream of having children to carry on his name and to fulfill God's promise was in danger. There may have been subconscious desires to set up the possibility for another to steal her away from him which would leave him free to marry someone else. While Sarah may have had her suspicions in this area, and while it looks interestingly possible; the Bible itself does not suggest this as a possibility; and Genesis is not afraid to point out the problems of its heroes.
Abraham was the head of a small but wealthy nomadic tribe of people that included himself, his wife and a few servants. In two generations this tribe would grow to about seventy people who traveled from place to place looking for good places to feed their cattle.
When Abraham grew up he was in what was probably another nomadic tribe that had begun to settle down into a city. But as his father began to settle into a city called Ur, Abraham was called to move on from there and continue as the head of a nomadic clan that he would start.
Like most nomads, Abraham's parents did not trust outsiders and made sure he married someone they trusted from within his own family so he married his half sister.
The Agreement
Abraham's step sister (Sarah) was incredibly good looking and that created a problem for him. Abraham did not trust outsiders at all and believed they were filled with lust for his wife and quite capable of doing terrible things in order to steal his wife away from him. He believed that outsiders would kill him in order to take Sarah as their own; so he gave Sarah a story to tell everyone they met along their journey.
Abraham asked Sarah to tell people that she was his sister. That way if one of those lust filled outsiders wanted her they could take her without hurting Abraham.
The Event
When Abraham stopped in the city of Gerar to buy, sell, and trade, someone noticed Sarah and before long the head of the city (Abimelek) had taken her to be his own. But before Abimelek had sex with her he had a dream that informed him that he was as good as dead for taking another man's wife. This took Abimelek by surprise because he had no idea Sarah was married, so he told God that he was innocent. God accepted that and told Abimelek to go to Abraham and ask for prayer because Abraham was a prophet.
Bad Consequences
Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, “What have you done
to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and
my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.” And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing
this (Genesis 20:9-10)?"
By allowing Sarah to be taken from him, Abraham set the city up for disaster.
While protecting himself, Abraham created a problem for Abimelek and his
entire house as the women in his household suddenly became as barren as
Sarah. None of the women - slave or free - could bear children while Sarah was
in his house. Sarah's inability to conceive became everyone else's
inability as well.
It is not possible to tell if Abimelek is only upset more because he had such a dire warning from God or if he was simply terrified by the thought of sleeping with another man's wife. I think it was both. Whatever the case would be, Abimelek strongly rebuked Abraham for his scheme, shaming Abraham and calling him to account for bringing such guilt on him and his people.
It is not possible to tell if Abimelek is only upset more because he had such a dire warning from God or if he was simply terrified by the thought of sleeping with another man's wife. I think it was both. Whatever the case would be, Abimelek strongly rebuked Abraham for his scheme, shaming Abraham and calling him to account for bringing such guilt on him and his people.
The Prayer
Abimelek was told by God in a dream that he needed to return Sarah to Abraham and then ask Abraham to pray for his household so that the women might be able to reproduce again. He was told by God that Abraham was a prophet and being a prophet, Abraham could pray for healing. So after letting Abraham know that he did a terrible thing that should not have been done, Abimelek asked him to pray for him and his household; and from that prayer the women in his house began to get pregnant again.
Thoughts
Abraham's Plan: Interestingly, God did not correct or chastise Abraham for his trickery. Instead, Abimelek was warned about Abraham and his wife, and as a result, he viewed Abraham as a powerful prophet.
This whole story tells me that God's anointing does not depend upon how holy or spiritual a person is; rather God anoints those He chooses for whatever reasons He decides - and those reasons are oftentimes beyond us. Some of the other early prophets did not have the highest of ethical standards, and yet their words stood the test of time. In particular, Balaam and the prophet who lied to another prophet (1 Kings 13) are classic examples of this.
The Healing: I find it curious that Abraham prayed for the healing of the problem that he created. It is also worthy of note that the ability to pray for healing was tied to Abraham's being a prophet. Were all prophets of this era considered healers?
Abimelek was told by God in a dream that he needed to return Sarah to Abraham and then ask Abraham to pray for his household so that the women might be able to reproduce again. He was told by God that Abraham was a prophet and being a prophet, Abraham could pray for healing. So after letting Abraham know that he did a terrible thing that should not have been done, Abimelek asked him to pray for him and his household; and from that prayer the women in his house began to get pregnant again.
Thoughts
Abraham's Plan: Interestingly, God did not correct or chastise Abraham for his trickery. Instead, Abimelek was warned about Abraham and his wife, and as a result, he viewed Abraham as a powerful prophet.
This whole story tells me that God's anointing does not depend upon how holy or spiritual a person is; rather God anoints those He chooses for whatever reasons He decides - and those reasons are oftentimes beyond us. Some of the other early prophets did not have the highest of ethical standards, and yet their words stood the test of time. In particular, Balaam and the prophet who lied to another prophet (1 Kings 13) are classic examples of this.
The Healing: I find it curious that Abraham prayed for the healing of the problem that he created. It is also worthy of note that the ability to pray for healing was tied to Abraham's being a prophet. Were all prophets of this era considered healers?
A psychologist may easily see another motivator in Abraham. His wife was barren and as long as he was tied to her, his dream of having children to carry on his name and to fulfill God's promise was in danger. There may have been subconscious desires to set up the possibility for another to steal her away from him which would leave him free to marry someone else. While Sarah may have had her suspicions in this area, and while it looks interestingly possible; the Bible itself does not suggest this as a possibility; and Genesis is not afraid to point out the problems of its heroes.
