"...By God’s mercy, we are preserved even in our wrongdoings, so that we can be His representatives on this earth to carry out His work, which is to give life."
When I at first read Genesis 20, it didn’t seem to immediately relate to my Christian life. But praise the Lord, during our group sharing time on Saturday, the Lord still revealed something fresh to us. The word of God is always living! (Heb 4:12)
In this chapter, Abraham “sold” or “sacrificed” his wife again, similar to what happened in chapter 12. The sequence of events is almost identical to the first time he did this in chapter 12: he used his wife to save his life (12:11-13, 20:2); Jehovah struck the king with calamity (12:17, 20:18); the king feared, so returned his wife to him (12:19, 20:14); and it seemed as if Abraham even benefited from all of it. (12:20, 20:14)
It was surprising that Abraham would make this same mistake again after everything that happened. The first time was almost understandable because Abraham had not had as much experience with God. But by Genesis 21, Abraham had reached a much higher place in his journey with God. He had been called out by God in chapter 12, had received God’s promise in chapter 13-15, was circumcised in chapter 17, had beautiful fellowship with the Lord and a glorious intercession for Lot in chapter 18-19. After all these experiences with God, to everyone’s surprise, his old weakness came back in chapter 20. Abraham should have known he could have God to consult with, but instead he feared man (12:12, 20:11) and used the same excuse to save himself (12:13, 20:2, 13).
When we started examining Abraham’s situation in Genesis 20, we were reminded that however spiritual we may be or how experienced we are with the Lord, we must still be careful. Our old man with his fallen nature can come back to haunt us at any time, and even cause others to suffer (20:3). It is surely a warning to us.
However, although Abraham was weak, in God’s view, after many years of “training”, he was now a different person than before. Not only was he promised to be the father of nations (17:5), but now he considered by God to be His prophet (20:7). He had the power and authority to pray for others and save lives (17), even though the other people’s suffering in this case was caused by his own wrongdoing. Although God did not talk to Abraham at all in this chapter, God listened to his prayer!
God always wants human beings to represent Him on this earth (Gen 1:26). Once we have been called out (saved) by God, we may not have the realization that our position in God is now different. As we grow in God and are being “trained” by God, our position will be revealed and manifested by God, especially through our weaknesses. By God’s mercy, we are preserved even in our wrongdoings (20:6), so that we can be His representatives on this earth to carry out His work, which is to give life. This is convicting and encouraging at the same time.
Praise the Lord for His choosing us, preserving us, and perfecting us for His heart’s desire! The Lord in His mercy has continued speaking personal words to us through our time together in Genesis. May the Lord keep revealing Himself to us and cause us to grow more in Him! Amen.