A few years ago, I went to a women's rest retreat. I went in ready to "listen and fix" and I went out ready to "listen and be loved."
God wanted to love on me.
So I was led to the scriptures, and I started to do a study on the word "love"
The first time the word "love" appears in the Bible is actually in Genesis 20:13.
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."'"
Abraham and his wife Sarah were in Gerar. Abraham, had repeated this scenario once before in chapter 12 (verses 10-20) in Egypt with Pharaoh.
Sarah was beautiful. Abraham was afraid the rulers of that area would see her beauty and kill him in order to obtain possession of her. So, here we see Abraham, fearing for his life, ask Sarah to tell half of the truth here. He instructs her to say that she is his sister.
She was his sister, same dad, different mom. It was very common back then to marry half sisters. But that was only half the truth. The other half was that she was his wife. That's a very important other half of the truth that was left out.
This had happened once before, and the Pharaoh had taken her, yet not violated her (just yet.) So Sarah knew what might happen when the question arose.
And she obeys, again, in chapter 20, out of selfless love to her husband. And the king of Gerar, Abimelech took her.
God intervened and came to Abimelech in a dream and told him he took a married women. So this verse is part of Abraham's response to Abimelech's question of why he did this:
"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.' Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 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."'"
And, oh, by the way, this is the first time we see the word, "prophet" as well.
God says to Abimelech in verse 7, "Now return the man's wife, for his 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 yours will die."
Now, we can look at this the glass half empty- "she lied"
or we can look at it half full: she submitted, she obeyed, well knowing it may result in her being taken by the king
Where is God's glory revealed here? I think it is revealed in her obediance to her husband, in God's rescue and in God's continuning to honor and lift Abraham up, even when perhaps they didn't go about it in God's way.
And let us not lose sight of who Abraham was, the Father of all Nations. God chose this man to be a part of the eternal plan, even full knowing the faults and failures such as failing to trust God with his life. God walked with Abraham. WALKED, in the presence of, discussed his plans with him!
Chapter 18 verses 16-33
Kind of reassuring, isn't it? Even if we miss the mark, which we will so many many times, God still has us in His hands and will continue to use us. Not because He needs to, but because He wants to. He wants to give us that experience.
All I can say is, whew! Thank you for grace and mercy! And thank you that my life is not written out with all my faults and failures displayed for generations after to read!
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