Gen 20-21

Gen 20

1 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.”

Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. 3 But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.” 4 Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister,' and didn't she also say, 'He is my brother'? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”

6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7 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.”

8 Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid.  9Then 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.” 10 And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?”

11 Abraham replied, “I said to myself, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.' 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And when God had me wander from my father's household, I said to her, 'This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ' ”

14 Then Abimelek brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelek said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.” 16 To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.”

17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, 18 for the LORD had kept all the women in Abimelek's household from conceiving because of Abraham's wife Sarah.

Gen 21

1 Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.

3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking,10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.

12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.  13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

22 At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23 Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”

24 Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek's servants had seized.

26 But Abimelek said, “I don't know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.” 27 So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty.

28 Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29 and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?” 30 He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.”

31 So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there.

32 After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines.

33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

SS36 Not So Honest Abe

Gen 20-21

Gen 20

Abraham is on the move and again lies about Sarah being his wife.  She is really old at this point – but still hot.  Another king takes her.  Were they low on women or something?  Lot's daughter really should have tagged along and nabbed a king!  

God does not whack Abraham aside the head for doing this, instead, God tells the king that he is going to be whacked.  The king protests that he had not touched Sarah – and God said, yep, I did not let you.  So you can live if Abraham prays over you.  The king takes this seriously and pays Abraham to take Sarah back.  He says they can live wherever they want.   Abraham prayed and God healed the king's family so that he could make babies again.  

There is some humor in this story – the king paying Abraham to take Sarah back.  God making sure the king could not have sex with Sarah through what appears to be impotence.  God has a sense of humor.

But what about Abraham?  He has a promise that God will give him a son through Sarah within a year and yet he is willing to let another man sleep with her. I can just imagine God rolling his eyes as He has to seal all of the wombs in the city to keep His promise to Abraham. Abraham is not making things easy for God.  

Abraham places God's covenant in jeopardy because of fear. I really relate to Abraham and Sarah because they come up with so many GREAT ideas that just make things so much harder. God still is faithful to them.  He also uses their mistakes to help promote His plan.  

Gen 21

Abraham is 100 when God finally sends his promised son.  God has his own, often impossible, timetables!  

Sarah had laughed first in disbelief when told she would have a child. She then laughed again in joy when she conceived.  Isaacs name means laughter. God's promise was made through laughter. I love that.

Isaac is Sarah's only child and a child of old age and a child of a promised covenant. I am SURE he was spoiled rotten. Ishmael, now a tween, sees all of this and is probably annoyed and jealous. He teases Isaac. Sarah loses it again and insists on throwing Hagar and Ishmael out. Abraham is too old for this (ok, I am assuming) , but God lets him know it will be ok.  God saves Ishmael and his mother. God is compassionate. I think it is interesting that Ishmael becomes an archer, a man of weapons. A foreshadowing of the Middle East today.  I do not like how any of this was handled.  I am glad God showed them kindness.  

Ok, remember the last king who almost married Sarah?  Well, he is back in v22.  He wants Abraham to swear to deal honestly with him.  Remember Abraham had already lied and gotten the king in trouble with God once.  He had reason to be worried.  They negotiated about a well – a significant disagreement in the desert.  Abraham gives the king seven lambs to seal an agreement- so the king could tell his people it was purchased.  But seven lambs sounds symbolic rather than fair market value.  

Abraham plants a Tamarisk tree and calls out to God.  Wonder what the tree is about.  Did some digging.  This occurs at the boundary of the nation of Israel.  This is the only thing Abraham is ever recorded as planting.  The tree is very slow growing (takes 400 years at an inch a year).  It also has a natural air conditioning property and a substance from it can be eaten.  I think this shows a long-term connection to the land and a thought to future generations.  We invest in others this way – planting things that we may never see the fulfillment of.   They are spiritual Tamarisk trees.