Abraham and Sarah are still nomads, still on both a physical and spiritual journey. They leave the Promised Land yet again in order to care for their flocks and provide them with good pasture. Yet, their movement into the Negev (what is now) Desert and toward Egypt implies yet again a movement away from closeness with God and His promises. Despite being a generally upright man, Abraham still does not quite understand what it means to trust God with his safety and his advancement. We've definitely heard this story before.
The couple is wary when they encounter the local king, Abimelech (My father is king), thinking that he may harm them in some way. Again, Abraham deceives the king into thinking that Sarah is available for marriage, and again, she is chosen for the king's harem (wow, what a babe, even at 89 years old!) . The difference here is that Pharaoh, when being admonished that Sarah is taken, remains angry at the trickery and casts them out. Abimelech, on the other hand, takes it to God and pleads innocence. God, knowing his heart, agrees and points out that He does not want Abimelech to sin. Now the choice is in the king's hands...if he returns Sarah, this will be a powerful witness of his desire to be righteous and Abraham and his family, the righteous line, will intercede for him. If he chooses to ignore this, then the sin must merit a just punishment. Abimelech chooses to do right and confronts Abraham about what he has done, teaching Abraham anew that his trust needs to be in the Lord. Abraham feels so silly and embarrassed, I'm sure, when confronted by the king and admitting that he believed this man would not treat him with honor.
An interesting aspect of this scene is how Abraham "mans up" here where he himself, as well as his ancestors, never could before. Abraham not only admits the deception to everyone, including himself, exposing his own self-deception, but takes responsibility from his wife. He admits that he considered this to be a "white lie", in that it was kind of true, and that he had personally asked his wife to do this for him as an "act of love." Adam never admitted this, Noah never had the stones to admit his own faults in this way. Abraham proves that, sinner though he may be, he is capable of responding to his "falls" in the most righteous and godly of ways through his close relationship to the Lord. Sarah, for the moment, still seems to be journeying toward this point, lagging behind Abraham, but she still merits the honor of personally being the mother of the family line that leads to Jesus.
Lot, when faced with a warning of what is to come due to his sin, had to be literally dragged out of it. He wanted to live in his sin, despite being so close to the model of righteousness. Abimelech, on the other had, chooses voluntarily to leave his sin and grows closer to God and to his model righteous man and intercessor, Abraham. The son-in-law forfeits his rights and blessings, while the stranger draws them near. God likes this dynamic, apparently...his Word abounds with implications that those who have a "right" to draw blessings, those who by nature ought to be considered first (first born sons vs. younger ones, relatives vs. strangers, Israelites vs. Gentiles) can so easily forfeit their birthright by not meriting it. God does not look at any characteristics of a person other than his heart. In the end, the Chosen People end up having no boundaries...anyone who merits it can be adopted and chosen by Him. This is how it was set up before the Fall, and God spent the rest of history leading us back there. He chose a family...the family of Seth and Noah...then he chose a tribe...the Hebrews...then he chose a kingdom...Judea/Israel...then he sent Jesus to offer membership in the Chosen to all humanity.
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