Scripture Study with Bibi - Genesis 20:1-18

"There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous."  - Blaise Pascal

Have you ever done something in your life, then after realizing it wasn't such a good idea you vowed never to repeat it again? I think most of us have been there at one time or another. Abraham did, too, yet he was about to go down this road again.

As we already know, Abraham moved around from place to place in search of good pasture for his herds. Now we find him in Gerar, a Philistine city near the see coast that lied about 40 miles west of Hebron which was his main home.

If you recall back in Genesis, chapter 12, verses 10-20, Abraham had an interesting encounter with the Pharaoh of Egypt. At that time, Abraham had traveled to Egypt with his wife Sarah to wait out a great famine.

This action in itself wasn't the problem, it was what happened during their stay that got them into trouble. Sarah was a very beautiful woman, and the powerful rulers of that day had no problem in taking such women for their own, married or not.

Husbands were a liability so they were usually quickly disposed of. Abraham, being aware of this, devised a plan whereby Sarah his wife would be promoted as his sister, rather than wife. In actuality, it turns out that she was his half-sister (Genesis 20:12).

We know that faith can falter from time to time, and this was one of those occasions for Abraham. During his move to Egypt to flee the famine, the fear that the Pharaoh would take Sarah and kill him drove him to do what he did.

And, as it turned out, this is exactly what happened (Genesis 20:14-16). The plan worked out pretty well for Abraham, but not so for Sarah as she became part of the Pharaoh's harem. Naturally, the LORD did not think very highly of what Abraham had done.

And though the Pharaoh had unwittingly fallen for Abraham's lie, he still suffered for it (Genesis 12:17). The thing to keep in mind here is that we shouldn't engage in spiritual warfare with earthly weapons; the end result does not justify the means.

We cannot sin and get away with it. God did not abandon Abraham for what he did, but He did let the sin work itself out. After finding out what he had done to him, Pharaoh reprimanded Abraham, then had both he and Sarah escorted out of Egypt (Genesis 20:18-20).

You would think that this incident should have been a good lesson. Yet, here in Genesis 20 we find Abraham and Sarah in a similar situation almost twenty years later! This demonstrates just how great our own perpetual weakness to sin can be.

Before completing the study questions, I strongly suggest that you read the material beforehand. Doing so will provide a good starting point, and greatly enhance the appreciation and knowledge of the material presented.

Let's begin with prayer: Dear LORD, as we meet together to learn, grow, and change in study, help us move into a deeper understanding of Your truth. Amen.

Now, this week's study...

We never truly break free from sin, after all, we all all born sinners! But that doesn't mean we have to let it rule our lives. Fortunately, we have God to help us if we only ask Him in faith. We quickly find ourselves in real trouble when we forget Him and try to handle it on our own!

1.) Abraham left Mamre (near Hebron) after nearly twenty years. He ended up in an ancient Philistine city in southern Palestine. What was the name of this new location? (Genesis 20:1)

2.) Abraham found himself in the same sinful predicament as in Genesis 12. What was it? What happened? (Genesis 20:2)

3.) This time, Abimelech, the king of Gerar, was the victim of Abraham's deception. Once again, God stepped in to intervene. By what means was this accomplished? What was the dire warning that God served him with?  (Genesis 20:3)

4.) King Abimelech then pleads ignorance to Abraham and Sarah's plan. He is confident in this because he had committed no harm to Sarah. What was his plea to God? (Genesis 20:4-5)

5.) God knew the honesty in the king's heart. He listened to Abimelech's plea then answered him. What was God's response? What was God's command to Abimelech regarding the situation? (Genesis 20:6-7)

6.) The next morning, Abimelech called out to both his servants and Abraham. What did he tell his men? How did they react? What did he ask Abraham? (Genesis 20:8-10)

7.) Abraham responded to the king's questions quite poorly. How did he try to justify his actions against Abimelech? (Genesis 20:11-13)

8.) Despite what Abraham did to him, Abimelech displayed kindness toward Abraham. How was his kindness extended to Abraham? (Genesis 20:14-15)

9.) Sarah was not forgotten in this sequence of events. What did Abimelech do to set things right in regards to her? What was this gesture meant to be? (Genesis 20:16)

10.) As Abimelech had shown kindness to Abraham, the latter reciprocated the gesture. What was it that Abraham did for Abimelech? Then, what did God do for Abraham's wife and female servants afterwards? (Genesis 20:17-18)

This concludes our study of Genesis, chapter 20. Next time, we will begin our study of Genesis 21 where we will see the birth of Isaac, the casting out of the bondwoman Hagar and her son Ishmael, and Abraham's treaty with Abimelech.

Until then, have a safe and blessed week!

Scripture: 1 John 1:8; Proverbs 10:9; Psalm 52:2; Luke 6:31; Jeremiah 17:9 

Prayer: Dear LORD, strengthen me with hope of my salvation and the many other blessings You provide with Your presence in my life. Amen.

May you be generously blessed!

Bibi