Genesis 20-21/Psalm 13

READ: Genesis 20-21; Psalm 13

Verses chosen for meditation: 

Genesis 20:1-3 “From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And 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, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.”

REFLECT

We probably had a shock when we read that Abraham, even after he was renamed (from Abram), had an inspiring dialogue with the three visitors and promised a son with Sarah, to go back to his old sin! Didn’t he learn his big lesson back in Egypt? 

We are not entirely sure why Abraham had to go to Gerar since that was the land of the Philistines. And it was on the way to Egypt! It sounded as if Abraham went to a “wrong” destination again. Even so, why did he commit exactly the same sin back in Egypt when he lied to Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister? 

Didn’t he get a taste of how this would actually bring destruction to innocent lives? Or the Lord might just destroy him and his family for dishonouring the covenant? And interestingly, later on, we read that Isaac committed exactly the same sin, when he lied to Abimelech on account of the beauty of Rebekah. 

RELATE

I had those questions in my mind when I first read Genesis 20. However, upon deeper reflection, I found that I have the tendency to do the same. To be struggling with temptations to go back to my old ways even though I am now a believer. 

It might not be to ask my wife to lie about her true status (God forbid!); but it could be many other things such as making a  decision without spending enough time with God in discernment. This is as bad as Abraham trying to go back to Egypt or Gerar without asking God if he should be doing so. A bad decision which landed him into trouble, not once but twice.

Yet, the hope is that God intervened. He showed up in Abimelech’s dream and warned that he should not be touching Sarah. Once again, grace was given to Abraham even though he made the same mistake. I believe that God in His mercy, showed grace to Abraham, not because He was being partial; but rather on account of His unilateral covenant with the chosen patriarch. 

And God was able to see the potential of Abraham when perhaps no one else could. As Abraham matured spiritually through these incidents and ministered deeply by the grace of God (when he deserved none); He grew to be a man who would not even withhold his precious son from the Almighty.

Hence, if Abraham was able to journey with God in this way, we can also do likewise. In our personal journey with God, we will make mistakes and sin against Him. But God, in His mercy can and will show us a way to repent and grow. When that happens, we have to make sure that we recognize the way of God and take it. 

Otherwise, we are only testing God and trying to take His grace for granted. When that happens too often, we can go down the slippery road of apostasy. That slippery road where we only proclaim to believe God with our mouth; but our heart is long gone into the wilderness. 

REST

Lord our God, help us in our times of weakness. Give us strength to know the way and hold on to it. Give us grace and humility to turn back to you when we sin against you. Convict us, that we cannot take your mercy and grace for granted; for You are the Almighty even though You love us so. Keep us pure in our journey with you; so that we can learn more and more to depend on you; rather than to often seek our own way back to the land of Egypt. This we pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

Jason Phua