It is amazing that God uses imperfect people and gives us opportunities to make things right with Him & with others. Thank you for digging deep & inspiring us to do the same. God bless you & your family from a senior in 🇨🇦 😊
A notable event, yet reassuring. Such ignoble deeds lend reassurance in our less righteous seasons. Despite His disappointments, God preserves & restores us. He truly is like no other.
Thank you for this commentary sir. One notable thing for me is God’s mercy even in judgement. Freewill wasn’t taken away from Abimelech. God offered him two options life and death. It’s a good thing he choose his life and didn’t go against God. He heeded to warning. Today, God is calling out to unbelievers and offering a path of life and death-Jn3:16. I hope people are able to make the right decision before it’s too late.
Thanks for unpacking this chapter in such a thoughtful way for all to hear. I am amazed at how much I miss in my own reading. I am pleased that I can add so much joy to re-reading passages that I thought I understood.
Studying the Bible thoroughly and often is definitely one of the best ways to get the best understanding of the Bible in the correct context, including learning from those with the gift of teaching (1 Corinthians 12:28). In Genesis, some of the actions of the godly people are committed without knowledge of the Torah, as God revealed through Moses later in Exodus. Some of the behaviors would be considered guilty behaviors in Genesis, except they did not have the Law of Moses just yet. As an example, in Genesis chapter 20, "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." -- (Genesis 20:11-13). Later, in the Law of Moses, the Law would now declare, "Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere." -- (Leviticus 18:9). Abraham was not aware of the Law of Moses, and neither was anyone during his lifetime. The Amorites and the nations around Abraham went even further into sexual immorality and queer behaviors, as the Law of Moses states, "Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled." -- (Leviticus 18:24). While Abraham is established as a very great man of faith in God, He was ignorant of the Law of Moses -- that is one of the claims of the New Covenant in that "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring -- not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham." -- (Romans 4:16). Abraham acted by faith in God's promises, as he never knew the Law of Moses.
Hello Pastor I have a question about Romans 12:20. From my understanding, it means that we should "overcome evil with good," as stated in verse 21. In the story of Abimelech and Abraham, it seems that Abimelech, who was in the right, should have overcome Abraham, who was in the wrong, with goodness. This appears to align with Romans 12:20, which seems different from what you mentioned in your commentary. Could you please clarify this for me? I apologise if my grammar is incorrect, as English is not my first language. Thank you Pastor. Your commentary helps me with my walk with God. May our good God continue to bless you and your family 😊
The family of Abraham is full of deceit, Abraham deceived the Egyptians and Abimelech; same way Jacob deceived Esau, I can figure out why pastors are always deceiving their church members. Wow biblical story
Yes! But Abraham meant to deceive the king of Gerar - even though he told a "half truth," his goal (just as in Egypt in Genesis 13) was to hide the fact that Sarah was his wife, by instead only saying they were brother and sister. I'm sure we've all been in situations where we weren't technically lying, and this passage, as well as in Genesis 13, shows the peril of not telling The Whole Truth, or the peril of trying to deceive.
Sarah has two titles, one as Abraham sister and two as his wife. One when they are in a strange land and one when are in the land everyone knows them. Abraham is a man of peace, but if you offend him, he will fight you and surely wins. God is with him, so he knows what he is doing
THEY WAS NOT HALF BOTHERS AND SISTERS, But THEY WAS SPIRITUAL SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE GOD OF ZION… THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, NOT EVERYONE are SPIRITUAL SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE GOD THE CREATOR, THE GOD THST CHOOSE MOUNT ZION, SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THIS GOD, SOME PEOPLE ARE THE SPIRITUAL SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF SATAN.
Haha, more than enough! Besides one or two Los Angeles Dodger's baseball player, they are all relevant preachers, pastors, evangelists, theologians or Reformationists!