Abimelech and Abraham

Genesis 20 Sometimes God allows the unrighteous to act more righteously than us to show us how truly unrighteous we are. For example, we find Abraham in a strange land due to his not seeking God’s direction. In his mind, he thinks, “Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.” [Gen 20:11] Proverbs 29:25 speaks to that: “The fear of people becomes a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high.” 

Only when Abimelech confronts Abraham does he “fess up.” God has his way of making his will known and encounters Abimelech in a dream. Abimelech fearing God’s pronouncement of death hears and obeys Him and then confronts Abraham with this question: “what prompted you to do such a thing?” [Gen 20:10] Has an unbeliever ever confronted you with such a question? 

The Holy Spirit has placed this story here to give us an example of what not trusting God reveals. Unrighteous Abimelech fears God more than Abraham who seeks to obey only to protect himself; not Sarah. We can learn much from this simple episode.

Pay attention to the unbelievers around you when you are confronted with their accusations. God has allowed that to reveal who we truly are. When God says to trust Him, He means it! God blessed Abraham graciously not because of what he did, but because God is a covenant keeper.