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Genesis Chapter 20 "Abraham's Sojourn in Gerar." This
Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/ location Now that God has made an unconditional covenant with Abraham and Sarah, we will see from here on how Satan will try to destroy the covenant that God gave, and also destroy the blood line that our Lord Jesus Christ would come through. There will be a continual genealogy, or bloodline from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then through Judah, and generations later, David; and continuing to the Birth of Christ. Now with this thought in mind, let's continue on. Genesis 20:1 "And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar." This journey takes place after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 20:2 "And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister:" and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah." Sarah is now over ninety years old, and she is still a very attractive woman. "Abimelech" in the Hebrew text means "father King"; and is the same official title of kings for this area. It is like the term, "Pharaoh" in Egypt. This is the second time Abraham felt that the king's would kill him to get his wife Sarah, and like years before in Egypt, Satan used the fear in Abraham's heart, to destroy the likelihood of a son being born to Sarah. Genesis 20:3 "But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, "Behold, thou art by a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife." This is God interceding to protect the covenant that He made with Abraham. God told Abimelech that he was as good as dead, for he had just taken another mans wife. Genesis 20:4 "But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, "Lord, wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation?" Abimelech defends himself in the fact that he had not yet slept with Sarah. There is another thing to notice here, in the word "Lord", for the Kenite scribes, changed the name of the Lord from "Yahveh", which was recorded in the Massoretic text, to "Adonai", stripping of of His deity. This is one of the 134 times that this mistranslation took place in the Sopherim [translations]. The Name Yahveh shows God's eternal, never ending power, and deity; where as Adonai gives Him the power and authority of an earthly king. Keep in mind that Abimelech, this heathen king, calls our Heavenly Father "Jehovah", and recognizes God's Supreme Deity within his dream. Though the Kenite scribes try to hid the sacred name, it is obvious that it is known even to the heathen kings, in this ancient time. The world of Abraham's day had just witnessed the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abimelech did not want this to happen to his kingdom, and household. Genesis 20:5 "Said he not unto me, She is my sister?" and she, even she herself said, "He is my brother:" in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this." In the dream, Abimelech is explaining that Abraham lied to me. He represented this woman [Sarah] as his sister. Both of these people lied to me, and in my heart you know that I am innocent of any wrong. Genesis 20:6 "And God said unto him in a dream, "Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against Me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her." God then told Abimelech that He knew the integrity of your heart, and I am putting a stop to it. God had caused something to come over the whole land where there is no reproduction in the land in any household, and God is telling Abimelech that it is He that has done this. Genesis 20:7 "Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: ad if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that thine." There is no conditions to this, just do it. God is telling Abimelech, as well as you and I today, that Abraham "is a prophet". God is saying that you will do it now, or I will destroy your entire nation. God doesn't mess around, and they had Sodom as an example of what would happen to them. Anytime someone is going to interfere with God's Divine plan, we will see God's Divine intervention. Anytime a heathen king of this earth declares his god more powerful the the God Abraham, stand by and watch the calamity fall upon him and his nation. Even the strength and power of Russia is no power for our God, and just as prophesied, that nation fell apart. All things will come about just as God's Word says it will. And as a student of God's Word, we are to pay attention to the warnings and events He has given to our generation, when they are stated in God Word [the Bible], for they will come to pass. Genesis 20:8 "Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid." This nation of Abimelech had seen the power of God in their barren nation, and now it is explained to the men of that nation exactly why it had befallen them; the men of that nation were ready to make all things right before the Lord [Jehovah]. Genesis 20:9 "Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done." Abimelech called for Abraham and confronted him face to face. Abimelech wanted to know why Abraham had treated him so, and lied to him. Genesis 20:10 "And Abimelech said unto Abraham, "What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?" In the Hebrew text it should read; "What did you see in the eye of your mind?" Genesis 20:11 "And Abraham said, "Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake." We see here how Satan worked over Abraham's mind, and brought fear in him. Again we can see the beauty of Sarah. Here she is pushing the age one hundred, and still she is a sexually attractive woman. Sarah is the princess of Almighty God, and through her womb would come kings and nations, and foremost the King of kings, and the Lord of our Salvation, Jesus Christ. Genesis 20:12 "And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not of my mother; and she became my wife." Abraham was the half brother of Sarah, and the statement was correct, only fear in Abraham's heart caused him to twist the truth a little, and make it a lie. This is also how Satan works; he takes a little truth here, and mixes it with deception, or leaves out just enough to make it a lie. The fact that Abraham married his half sister was accepted in this period of time, for God had ordered the families to repopulate the earth, and the spouses came right out of their immediate families. Genesis 20:13 "And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, "He is my brother." This was an agreement between Abraham and Sarah that they would say this to protect Abraham's life. Genesis 20:14 "And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife." It seems like Abraham just could not go wrong, for even after this act of Abraham against Abimelech, Abraham is restored not only what he had, but blessed with much more. When you are in God's will and favor, even today, it seems that you will be blessed, and things that are bad, will be turned for the good. In the mind of Abimelech, Abraham is not just a man, but as we read in verse seven, God told him that Abraham is a prophet of God. Genesis 20:15 "And Abimelech said, "Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee." Abimelech has just given Abraham the deed to the entire land. 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." Abimelech revealed to Sarah all that had been done that she had not known, thus Sarah was reproved. Everything was in the open. Abimelech bought Sarah under threat to Abraham, and now that Abimelech knew the nature of both Abraham and Sarah, he did not want any shameful reproach to fall on either himself or them. Things are now made right, and in the Hebrew idiom, "a covering of the eyes", means "lets forget what has happened". Genesis 20:17 "So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children." This is the first record of a healing in the Bible; Abimelech requested the prayer of healing for his wife, and his maidservants, and they were healed, and bare children. This physical restraint was removed from them. Genesis 20:18 "For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because ot Sarah Abraham's wife." What message is this for us today? Satan will always attempt to mess up the lives and character of those that God intends to use. As we study the entire Bible we see this continually, and it will happen even today as it did then. If you love God, and study His Word, and try to plant the seeds of faith; Satan will attempt to foul you up also, if you allow him to. However, God has given us the power and authority of Satan, and all of Satan's forces, if we will but use that power. You must be strong spiritually, and act in the power and name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have the instruction and direction given by the Holy Spirit of God, and we must learn to listen and lean on the strengths that God has given to us. Luke 10:18-20 we are given the power; "And He said unto them, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. [18] Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. [19] Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." This is written to our generation, for this is in reference to Revelation 9, when Satan will fall from heaven to the earth, to reign a short five months as the Antichrist. The serpents are the Kenites that prepare the way for the Antichrist, while the scorpions are the fallen angels of Satan that will assist in deceiving the entire earth. However, in this time we will have power and authority over them, and the protection of God. We are seeing this all come together in our modern times. The message that we receive from Genesis 20, is don't let Satan mess with you. Put him in his place. We have angels in heaven that have the attention of God, when ever we are in trouble. Matthew 18:10 records this assurance to each of God's children, that when we ask of God, He will protect.
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