At the same time, Genesis 20 is also a commentary on the Abraham, upon hearing of the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, interceded for the cities on behalf of the righteous who dwelt in them (18:22ff). This is recorded here, 1st, To show that though Abraham saw his own family highly dignified with peculiar privileges, yet he did not look with contempt upon his relations, but was glad to hear of the increase and prosperity of their families. Abimelech's discourse with Abraham, wherein he chides him for the cheat he had put upon him (Genesis 20:8-10), and Abraham excuses it as well as he can, Genesis 20:11-13. Chapter Overview: We have here, Abraham's sin in denying his wife, and Abimelech's sin thereupon in taking her, ver. God spoke and the earth brought forth grass, herbs … God’s protecting power can guide even a pagan king (Proverbs 21:1). At the same time, we should not ignore the idea of Sarah’s continued attractiveness even in old age. (Genesis 20:13)? . Genesis 20 Home >> Bible Studies >> Genesis Studies >> Genesis 20 This verse by verse Bible study on Genesis is an inductive verse by verse study with extensive reflections, teaching points, cross-references, and applications. What did you have in view, that you have done this thing: This was a logical question for Abimelech to ask Abraham. It is used of animals going astray, of a drunken man reeling, or staggering, of sinful seduction, of a prophet’s lies causing the people to err, of the path of a lying heart. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. a. turned a wimp into a great nation. Reflection For Genesis In The Beginning. God had disclosed to Abraham that he would be the father of a son born through Sarah (17:15-19; 18:10). he restored Sarah his wife to him. Genesis 20 From the tragedy of Lot's life we move on to another tragedy in the life of Abraham. Humans were created to be caretakers of the animals, to nurture and protect them, to take care of them. 7. Date 20 Jan 2020 Series Biblical Reading and Reflections. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter He tells them to, “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.”. Failure may still occur after many victories. Genesis 20 is a commentary on Abraham's cowardice and betrayal of For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. Such was the case in the life of Abraham as described in Genesis 20. What if there were only 30 or 20 or even if there were only 10? b. Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister”: Abraham’s concern was probably not because Sarah looked like a young beauty at 90 years of age. Then Abimelech took But who can conceive the nature of life? "sister" (Genesis 20:2) and ask her to tell them that he is her "brother" Genesis 20 is a commentary on Abraham's cowardice and betrayal of his wife Sarah. ( B) Kadesh and Shur, and. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. Genesis 20:7 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] Genesis 20:7, NIV: "Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live.But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.'" Bereishit - Genesis - Chapter 20 « Previous Chapter 19. "all of "closed up" (Genesis 20:18). Monday, March 24, 2008 Genesis 20 Unless yielded to the Spirit of God, we will repeat in our old age the sinful patterns of our youth. Abraham certainly did not have the LORD in view when he lied and failed to trust God. Despite all the incredible things, we as human are the pinnacle of creation. Thus she was rebuked. from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that Click on the different category headings to find out more. my brother.”’”. The moving creature that hath life — Endued with self-motion and animal life. He told his servants, "Stay here with the donkey, while my son and I go over there to worship. GENESIS 20:1 1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. Forgive me, Abimelech.’” (Barnhouse). He is the living God, the Creator, the most High God, possessor of heaven and earth. And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. i. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; This may seem drastic, but something important was concerned. you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is Why did Abraham tell people that his wife is his And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. Mark his distrust of God, his undue care about life, his intent to deceive. Yet in spite of all these trials, he could say to his brothers, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20). Chapter 20. Was Abraham a coward? ( A) there to the South, and dwelt between. He put a saddle on his donkey and left with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go. Commentary on Genesis 20:9-13 (Read Genesis 20:9-13) See here much to blame, even in the father of the faithful. of [his] wife" (Genesis 20:11). Verse 20. — How much soever we may be astonished at the stupendous vastness and magnificence of inanimate matter, the least piece that is animated and has life, is still more admirable. But the point had to be made to Abimelech, even though he could truly say he acted in the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands. Rashi 's Commentary: Show Hide. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander Reflection #2: The Creation Week of Genesis 1 Another unique feature of the biblical account of creation quickly emerges when compared with other “creation” accounts in the ancient world. miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Gaza. He is the God of glory. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. Abraham went to a place full of pagans, was afraid that he would be killed, told half-truth about his wife in order to send her to the harem of the most powerful guy in town, and was eventually exposed of his deception. IV. The ancient axiom, "God helps those who help themselves" reflects the strong tendency we all have to do what we can in all circumstances. Genesis One & Two Reflection Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Everyone knows this quote, and everyone understands the creation story, and how Genesis 1 explains it. How long had Sarah been in Abimelech's custody? Genesis 20 - Commentary by Rev. We will come back." Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. the wombs of the house of Abimelech" to have been noticeably How long had Sarah been in Abimelech's custody? We may request cookies to be set on your device. In that day, a harem was sometimes more of a political statement than a romantic statement. Genesis; 20; November 1, 2018. i. At the same time, Genesis 20 is also a commentary on the grace of God who chose to build a great nation out of such a man. "stayed in Gerar" (Genesis 20:1), which is 10 Abraham's sin may not have been as serious as the failure of Lot, but we can hardly say that we make spiritual progress if we move from chapter 19 into chapter 20. of my mother; and she became my wife. The Hebrew word occurs exactly fifty times in Scripture and never in a good sense. “She had in some measure been physically rejuvenated, in order to conceive, bear, and nurse Isaac, and possibly this manifested itself in renewed beauty as well” (Morris). Reluctantly, Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away. Also, it is interesting to see that Abraham accepted these gifts when he had refused gifts from a pagan king previously (Genesis 14:21-24), because he wanted no one to think a man had made him rich. Abraham, upon hearing of the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, interceded for the cities on behalf of the righteous who dwelt in them (18:22ff). because he was grieved at Lot's incest with his daughters, and the reproach which the Canaanites cast upon him for his kinsman's sake. You can check these in your browser security settings. the wombs of the house of Abimelech". It reminds me of two of my boys who aggravate each other something rotten. Genesis 20. “Suppose Abimelech had taken Sarah and God had not intervened? Chapter 20. Did he pull this stunt only in Gerar? Then they bore children; for the LORD had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed Such was the case in the life of Abraham as described in Genesis 20. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? Then Genesis 20:7 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] Genesis 20:7, NIV: "Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live.But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.'" Passage. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Hagar runs out of water and is ready to die along with her son. Genesis 20:7, ESV: "Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. b. I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart: Because Abimelech’s heart was right in this regard, God kept him from worse sin. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. However, on the last day, mankind is created, and it is very good. Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is … These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. God Himself - it is doubtful he got any sleep after his dream. Recipes, videos, reflections on Scripture and life in general. Three days later Abraham looked off in the distance and saw the place. Abraham and Abimelek (). therefore I did not let you touch her". AC 39. Despite Abraham’s failure to really trust God in the situation, God did not abandon him. a. Today, I wanted to focus on a more personal reflection. How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? i. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”. Back then, if a powerful man wanted to make an unmarried woman his wife, he Kadesh and Shur" (Genesis 20:1), Abraham moved north(east) and Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Where are "Kadesh and Shur, and ... Gerar" (Genesis Next » Chapter 21. God’s mercy did not leave Abraham, even though Abraham didn’t trust God the way he should. 20 And Abraham journeyed from. Then God sends an angel to bring words of comfort, and opens her eyes to see a … Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. a. b. I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver: We can imagine the irony in Abimelech’s voice when he referred to Abraham as Sarah’s brother. Download. Kadesh is located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Gaza and Shur is her husband and then take her. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. No, "in every place, wherever" c. When God called me to wander from my father’s house: This was an indirect way of blaming God for the problem. How must his wife have felt about Abraham's cowardice? 1, 2. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”. Reflections on Genesis January 6, 2018 January 6, 2018 Rebekah Freed Starting off 2018, it was neat to begin my time connecting with Jesus in the book of beginnings. Each day, something amazing is created, and God declares it good. But indeed she is truly my sister. My hope is that these reflections will encourage other believers to study the Bible with confidence that it is well within the capacity of lay believers to comprehend. "on account Two seeds would have been at the door to Sarah’s womb, and to this day an element of doubt would cling to the ancestry of our Lord” (Barnhouse). Read in the NKJV Join Discussion. "the fear of God" (Genesis 20:11), he would kill He knew that even though his brothers hated him at the time and were trying to get rid of him, behind them it was God who was at work, sending Joseph to Egypt for God’s sovereign purposes (Gen. 45:5, 7, 8). God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. In Genesis one, God also creates man and woman at the same time. would Share. And Abimelech said, “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was reproved. God: "For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; Then to Sarah he said, 1. and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur--Leaving the encampment, he migrated to the southern border of Canaan.In the neighborhood of Gerar was a very rich and well-watered pasture land. had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, God's discourse with Abimelech in a dream upon this occasion; wherein he shews him his error, ver. Genesis 20 – Abraham Lies About Sarah Again A. Abraham’s lie, God’s protection. Each time God responds by telling Abraham He would not destroy the city for the sake of those righteous people. Why did God choose to build a nation out of such a wimp? Genesis 20: Biblical Reading and Reflections Biblical Reading and Reflections - Part 39 Speaker Alastair Roberts. Genesis chapter 20. The Book of Genesis Chapter 20. And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? Why did God choose to build a nation out of such a wimp? But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. (Gen 20:11-13) Abraham’s excuse. “Abraham should have said: ‘Forgive me, Abimelech, for dishonoring both you and my God. But indeed she is truly my sister. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Updated 2001-05-26; 14:31:31utc. grace of God who chose to build a great nation out of such a man. c. She is my sister: This is the same lie Abraham told back in Genesis 12:10-13. Surely the fear of God is not in this place: This was Abraham’s excuse for his sinful deception, but the real problem was that the fear of God wasn’t in Abraham. i. "And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I … 4, 5, 6. and directs him to make restitution, ver. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. As mentioned above, Gen. XX is Gen. XII all over again. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. But a half-truth, said with intent to deceive, is always a whole lie. He showed that it was easy to slip back into sinful habits. "sister" (Genesis 20:2) and ask her to tell them that he is her "brother" Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Genesis 20 Posted by fiveboysmom under Personal Insights Leave a Comment If he really respected the LORD, His commandments, His promises, and His protection, then Abraham would have never trusted in his own efforts to keep his family safe and together. Indeed she is truly my sister: This was another attempt to justify his lie, by saying it was really the truth. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. We can surmise that she was reasonably attractive at that age, but more importantly she was connected to one of the richest and most influential men of the region. So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. He also threw temptation in the way of others, caused affliction to them, exposed himself and Sarah to just rebukes, and yet attempted an excuse. Matthew Henry :: Commentary on Genesis 20 ← Back to Matthew Henry's Bio & Resources. But if she were married and the man lacked He is not as your gods of wood and stone. Who protected Sarah against Abimelech? It has the idea of “set right,” so it is debatable if Sarah was set right by Abimelech’s rebuke, or if she was found to be right because of her humble submission in this occasion. We are here returning to the story of Abraham; yet that part of it which is here recorded is not to his honour. Instead of trusting God to keep his family together, he devised his own plan to do it. After living in "between And God said, Let the waters cause to creep forth the creeping thing, the living soul; and let fowl fly above the earth upon the faces of the expanse of the heavens. his wife Sarah. Genesis 22:20. Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 1:20-23 previous - next - text - summary - Genesis - BM Home - Full Page. Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. Instead of defending his wife with his life, he was b. b. Abraham claimed that God sent him out on this dangerous journey upon which Abraham had to protect himself. c. Thus she was reproved: The ancient Hebrew word for reproved is yakach. But what the typical person might not know so well is Genesis 2, the second creation story. simply take her. (Genesis 20:13) they went. You can also change some of your preferences. 1. Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. We see it daily around us, but cannot comprehend it! i. After having had the scariest night of his night - imagine being personally threatened by Abraham is distressed by this, but the Lord tells him that Ishmael will become a nation as well as Isaac. Abraham didn't want to get killed Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. Genesis 20:7, ESV: "Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. 3. accepts his plea, ver. 20:1)? . Her womb was going to bring forth the son of promise, who would eventually bring forth God’s Messiah. But indeed she is This was somewhat backwards; Abraham should have given gifts to Abimelech because Abraham was in the wrong. God took his time creating a beautiful world for man to have dominion. ( C) stayed in Gerar. Long enough, perhaps months, for "all of A blog dedicated to cooking, kids, and Christ. (1-2) Abraham lies again, in a similar manner as before. He told me He would be my shield and my exceeding great reward, and supplier of all my needs… In sinning against Him, I sinned against you. a. Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham: In showing such generosity to Abraham, Abimelech was essentially heaping coals of fire on Abraham’s head (as in Romans 12:20). Animals were created, then humans. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. (Genesis 20:13)? therefore I did not let you touch her" (Genesis 20:6). John Schultz. Genesis 1:20. This axiom, and the thinking behind it, while intending to contradict laziness and the wrong-minded idea of doing nothing while leaving everything up to God, is also wrong-minded. And Abimelech said, Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? Lessons and Reflections. To demonstrate His greatness, God didn't turn a great man into a great nation; He You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. ©2018 David Guzik – No distribution beyond personal use without permission. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. Abraham journeyed from thence . Interesting to see how man blamed the woman, and she blamed the serpent. Genesis records God creating both time and space and everything that fills them within the span of six days after which God rested on the seventh day. And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. 20:8)? 20:1)? And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. Genesis chapter 3. Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. c. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you: Even though Abraham was in sin, he was still a prophet and man of powerful prayer. If you’re interested in reading about how Christians should interpret Genesis, I have some resources at the end of the post. He would not let Abimelech touch Sarah. Indeed you are a dead man: This was a scary thing to hear from God, even in a dream. 20 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. Genesis 20, Coffman Commentaries on the Bible, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the Church of Christ, presents a … Perhaps he did not want to live in the hills overlooking the destroyed region any longer, and be reminded of those people and the judgment that came upon them. No one standing up and accepting responsibility for making the decision to eat the apple in the first place. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. 2. “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.”. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. truly my sister. Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. Why did Abimelech rise "early in the morning" (Genesis Reading Time: 3 minutes Listen Online And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. Overall, we might want to reflect on what this story tells us about the way God operates in human lives, in particular given what we think we know about Jacob’s character up to this point in the story, how we feel about that, and whether we have anything to learn from our reactions to this story. Indeed, moment by moment Jesus’ Spirit is animating and causing energy to flow in creation so that the sun shines, plants grow and, as Genesis tells us, even “all kinds of creeping things” can make us aware of God’s nearness and the truth that God sees all these as “good.” The fairest marbles have their flaws, and, while there are spots in the sun, we must not expect any thing spotless under it. His plan would fail completely. marry someone else to save his neck. You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”. about 50 miles east of Kadesh. “There is a terrible meaning in this verb wander which Abraham uses. So Abraham prayed to Reflections on Scripture. 20:8)? they bore children; for the Lord a. Abraham journeyed from there to the South: After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham moved. i. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Because we see through a glass darkly, these are my reflections on what God has revealed to me in my daily scripture reading. We are given two creation stories in Genesis (Genesis 1-2:3 and Genesis 2:4-8). June 11, 2010. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is … God had disclosed to Abraham that he would be the father of a son born through Sarah (17:15-19; 18:10). Age does not automatically sanctify us. Of the worst kind. Abraham’s wife. My selfish cowardice overwhelmed me, and I denied my God by fearing that He who called me could not take care of me. Where are "Kadesh and Shur, and ... Gerar" (Genesis On this third day, the world of botany was born. 2d, To make way for the following story of the marriage of Isaac to Rebekah, a daughter of this family. God would not leave this matter up to man. Six other words are translated wander, any one of which Abraham might have used, but he used the worst word available.” (Barnhouse), ii. CHAPTER 20. There are two things here: firstly there is Sarah and how she did not believe that she could have a baby, and then there is Sodom and what God was planning to do there. In a sense, both were true. Abraham stumbled in a place that he had stumbled before. sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. Or, the second account of creation. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. With Sarah, she did not think it was possible she would have a son., After all, here she was a 90 years old, with Abraham even older, being in his 100th year. The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. wiling to and even asked his wife be willing to go and have sex with and Abraham journeyed from there to the South, Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister”, in the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart, For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done, What did you have in view, that you have done this thing, Surely the fear of God is not in this place, When God called me to wander from my father’s house, Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver, © Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . Genesis 18:20-21 God continued, "The cries of the victims in Sodom and … You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done: It is sad to see that Abimelech – the pagan king – was in the right, and Abraham – the man of God – was in the wrong, and Abimelech told Abraham so. Genesis 20:16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. (Genesis 20:1-18) Faith is Challenged Again -- God overrules even our besetting sins to accomplish His kingdom purposes – Abimelech takes Sarah into his harem (Genesis 21:1-21) Sovereignty of God Over Both Child of Promise and Child of Flesh – Birth of Isaac (Genesis 21:22-34) Faith Receives Guarantees of Possessing God’s Promises a. Genesis 20:1-18.ABRAHAM'S DENIAL OF HIS WIFE. Why did Abimelech rise "early in the morning" (Genesis Why did Abraham tell people that his wife is his 2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ( D) “She is my sister.”. Show content in: English Both Hebrew. Here, because of Abraham’s compromise, he found it hard to reclaim the same high moral ground.