24 March 2010 Devotion for Today "A Pattern Forming?" Genesis 20:1-7

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

7:48 AM

^{1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. 2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.}

^{3 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."}

^{4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, "Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? 5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister'? 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."}

^{6 And God said to him in a dream, "Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now therefore, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours." Genesis 20:1-7}

 
 

If you have been following this devotion series on Genesis you probably thought as you read this devotional passage that it seems familiar. Perhaps you are thinking, "Did I not just read this before?" Indeed you read of a similar circumstance in the latter half of Genesis 12, where Abraham went to Egypt and while he was there, he feared for his life because of the beauty of his wife, and lied about his relationship with Sarah, calling her his sister. Pharaoh inducted Sarah into his harem but before he could consummate the relationship, bad things began to happen to Pharaoh. When Pharaoh discovered that Abraham passed Sarah off under false pretenses, he ordered the pair to leave his kingdom. There seems to be a pattern forming here, doesn't there? Some liberal commentators have noted that the repeated story is a literary device used somehow to insert the beginning of another story of Abraham. I would rather say that Abraham fell back upon his character weakness in order to impress the king of Gerar . Abraham was now in new territory where he had few connections, and wanted to stabilize his business interests there. Not one thought is given to God or His expectations of Abraham as he closes this deal. Though the Scriptures do not say, Abraham uses his wife as a pledge to assure the king of repayment of his debt. Why doesn't Abraham tell Abimelech that Sarah was his wife? Possibly because the king would never have accepted her under those pretenses.

 
 

However , the circumstances were half true. Sarah was Abrahams half-sister. Still, Abraham lies in order to deceive the king. Not only this, but the king says that Sarah also lied about the relationship. God appeared to Abimelech in a dream one night warning him that he would certainly die if he followed through with Sarah. It is interesting how this noble king seemed so much godlier and noble than Abraham did. However, Abraham did prosper from the arrangement, possibly receiving much more from the king than he would have ever expected.

 
 

There are times when I am very naïve and will often take people at face value. I have little reason to doubt them, because I do not expect that they will do me harm. To manipulate anyone as Abraham manipulated this king is the furthest thing from my mind. But as I learn discernment, I will often note what people are saying to me. If they are "not playing straight" with me, many times a pattern of themes, circumstances, or complicated situations arise in the conversations I have with them. Many times I will call them "sob stories." Sob stories are dramatic situations in a person's life which they declare are beyond their control. The purpose of these stories is, of course, to evoke sympathy from the listener. It is designed to compel or manipulate the listener to respond by offering the sob-story teller a favor: usually (and in my case, most often) a gift of money. Following this, I don't hear much from the teller of sob-stories until the next crisis arises and the pattern begins again. The sob-story teller profits most when the one to whom he tells the tale has a faulty memory.

 
 

I would have expected Abimelech to have had more sense than to be taken in by Abraham. After all, Abimelech was a king and kings often talk although it is doubtful Abimelech would have had contact from with Pharaoh. But when I hear a pattern, an alarm goes off in my head. A red flag goes up telling me to proceed cautiously- a pattern is developing here. The best thing to do in a situation like this is run before we get taken in any further.

 
 

Do you have people in your life who circulate similar patterns? Be friendly, but by all means use good discernment and discernment. If you are incapable of doing this, take along your spouse or a trusted friend. When the sad-tale bearer realizes you are playing it safe or holding back, you will note how quickly he or she will back away from the relationship looking for more positive or lucrative pickings.

 
 

Prayer: Dear God, please help me to be more focused on You to the point that I do not need to earn the favor of those who desire to use me for their own purposes. Help me to use good judgment in dealing with all people. Help me to do so with Christ-mindedness and love. And when I see a pattern development, help me to deal with it graciously but firmly. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

 
 

Have a blessed day!