Genesis 20:1

Genesis 20:1 says, And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.  Abraham was on the move again.  I am not sure if it was because of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah or not, but after twenty years he was moving.  As followers of Christ, we are never permanently at home here in this world.  Verse two states, And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.  Abraham was no stronger in his faith at this point than he had been when he was still Abram.  Even though God had told Abraham that His promise to make Abraham the father of a great nation was through a child that Abraham and Sarah would have, Abraham was still passing her off as his sister and allowing her to be taken away by another man.  We should learn from our past sins and not fall into them again.  Verse three declares, But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.  God spoke to Abimelech in a dream and warned him that he was a dead man for taking Sarah, another man's wife.  Though Abimelech may not have been aware of the sin he was committing, he was no less responsible for it.  We cannot excuse sin simply because we are not aware of the sin.  I believe that God will always make people aware of their sins, whether they acknowledge them or not.  Verse four states, But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?  God spoke to Abimelech before he had been with Sarah in a sexual relationship.  Abimelech asked if God would destroy a righteous nation.  Though I am not sure that Abimelech was accurate in calling his a righteous nation, he was not totally to blame in his actions.  He was still guilty of taking Sarah for his own desires.  We cannot call ourselves righteous simply because we have not done what could be viewed as a greater sin in the eyes of the world.  Verse five adds, Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.  Abimelech said that both Abraham and Sarah said that Sarah was Abraham's sister.  Abimelech said that he acted with integrity of his heart and innocency of his hands.  Abraham had initiated the plan, Sarah went along with it, and Abimelech was caught up in it.  I don't believe that Abimelech was totally innocent though, because his actions were fueled by lust. Though we may be caught up in a sin created by someone else's actions, we cannot justify ourselves by blaming them.  Verse six declares, And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.  God again spoke to Abimelech in a dream and told him that He was aware that Abimelech acted in innocence as for as knowing that Sarah was married and that He prevented Abimelech from touching Sarah.  God was at work in this situation, and He is still at work today.  This should be especially true for those who profess to follow Christ.  Had Abraham put his faith in God keeping him safe, and had Sarah not gone along with his plan,this situation would have never occurred.  If there is sin the world, and there always is, we as followers of Christ should never be the cause of it.  Verse seven adds, Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.  God gave Abimelech a choice.  He could either return Sarah to Abraham, or Abimelech and all that were his would die.  God did not force Abimelech to obey Him, but gave him a choice.  Even after Abraham's actions, God still referred to him as a prophet.  As followers of Christ, if we commit a sin, we are still a child of God and still have an everlasting relationship with Him.