She's Your What?!

She’s Your What?!

Genesis 12:10-20; 20:1-18 (HCSB)

Have you ever played two truths and a lie?  You know the game where you have to be really good at telling a lie to try and get the other players to pick one of the truths instead?  Let’s play that game right now!  1.) I have six sisters. Kris, Jen, Eryn, Kylie, Monique and Erin.  2.) I was the state wrestling champion in Nevada at 161 lbs.  3.) Over the course of my time in college I held 6 different majors.

So what do you think?  Which one is the lie?  It is hard to tell when you are just reading it on paper and not seeing my face and reactions when saying these.  I will tell you which one is the lie in a little bit, but I will tell you even the statement that is the lie is mostly true.  Even if we say something that is for the most part true, but add something that is not or leave out an important detail…it is still a lie.  No matter how you slice it, a lie is a lie. 

I don’t want this chapter to focus on telling lies, but on sin in general.  We all sin in some way.  Whether it is by telling a lie, stealing something or loving something more than we do God, we all commit sin.  Now depending on who you are some sins are not as hard for you to avoid as others, but we all have at least one sin we just can’t seem to shake.  As hard as we try to resist committing that sin, we still do it and feel guilty every time it happens.  The story we will look at is about a man who told the same lie more than once.

So have you figured out which of my three statements is the lie?  If you thought the first one you would be wrong.  I do have 6 sisters and yes two of them both share the same name even though spelled differently.  The first four names are half-sisters and the last two are step-sisters.  Did you maybe think the third statement?  You would be wrong here as well.  I attended three different institutions before settling on the major I actually earned a degree in, digital media.  The other majors under consideration were accounting, criminal justice, ornamental horticulture, Bible and radio broadcasting.  So now you have figure out the second one is the lie.  I was actually the state runner-up placing 2^nd in the state of Nevada at 161 lbs.  Did I get you?

Story Time:

Abraham, who at this point is still called Abram, has traveled from his home to settle in a new place.  A famine hits the land and forces him to have to travel away from his new home in order to go to a place where the famine is not.  This takes him to Egypt.  Before entering Egypt he turns to his wife Sarai (better known later as Sarah) and tells her to tell the people in Egypt she is his sister.

We all know beautiful people and could probably spit out a list of at least five without having to think really hard.  If we were alive during the time of Abram, Sarai apparently would have made the top of everybody’s list.  Sarai would have been ranked #1 in People Magazine’s top 100 most beautiful people every single year.  Abram knew this and told her to lie to the Egyptians about their relationship.  Abram thought if people knew that Sarai was his wife, they would kill him so they could have her for themselves.  Wow, that is some kind of beyond beautiful if people would kill because of your looks!  Sarai goes along with this plan and they convince everybody they are not married but are brother and sister.

Everybody immediately notices how stunning Sarai is and has her brought before Pharaoh.  Pharaoh is so captivated by Sarai that he treats Abram very well thinking he is her brother.  He gives Abram flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.  Abram just got rich because Pharaoh believes Sarai is his sister.

As best we can tell, Sarai is now living in Pharaoh’s house and God sends a severe plague upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai.  Pharaoh figures out that Sarai is really Abram’s wife and tells Abram he and his family have to leave.  Pharaoh sends them away with everything they owned and have come to own while in Egypt.

Fast-forward eight chapters and a lot of years as we look at part two of this story.  Our couple is now called Abraham and Sarah instead of Abram and Sarai.  A few major events have happened, like Abraham taking Hagar, Sarah’s servant, as his wife and having a son named Ishmael.  The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah has also happened.  We now find Abraham traveling with his wife Sarah and settling in a land ruled by a king named, Abimelech.

Now I mentioned Sarah would have been #1 in People Magazine’s top 100 most beautiful people.  She is now a little older, but would she still be on the list?  As you look through the chapter there is no mention of Sarah’s beauty, but I think we can assume she is still quite the looker as we see Abraham yet again in Genesis 12:2 lying about their relationship.  Or did he? We will come back to that question in a little bit.

Abraham says Sarah is his sister, so Abimelech has Sarah brought to him.  Now a conversation happens between God and Abimelech about Sarah. 

“But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”  Now Abimelech had not approached her, so he said, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?  Didn’t he himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’?  And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’  I did this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”  Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience.  I have also kept you from sinning against Me.  Therefore I have not let you touch her.  Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live.  But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours.” (Genesis 12:3-7)

Abimelech stands up for himself and basically tells God, “I didn’t do anything wrong!”  So to avoid being killed (smart man) he gives Sarah back to Abraham and says to him, “What the heck?!  What in the world did I do to you that would make you tell me this lie and almost get me squashed by God?”  This time, unlike in the previous incident with Pharaoh, Abraham comes clean about why he has been telling this lie.  He said, “I thought, ‘There is absolutely no fear of God in this place.  They will kill me because of my wife.’  Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.  So when God had me wander from my father’s house, I said to her: Show your loyalty to me wherever we go and say about me: ‘He’s my brother’ ”(Genesis 12:11-13). 

Abraham was caught yet again in his lie.  But instead of being asked to leave, Abimelech tells Abraham he can live wherever he wants.  Abraham is given sheep, cattle, male and female slaves and 1,000 pieces of silver.  If he wasn’t rich when leaving Egypt, he most certainly is now!

Our story ends with Abraham praying for Abimelech.  God hears the prayer and heals all the women in Abimelech’s house.  For as long as Abimelech kept Sarah, God made it impossible for them to be able to have children.

My Thoughts:

Just like any chapter in this book this section is strictly what I think we can learn from this story.  Some stories have multiple lessons and some teach different people different things.  Please remember that what is shared in the “My Thoughts” section is my opinion and by no means absolute truth.  I say this here because this story has always baffled me a little bit.  Maybe when you discuss as a group or whoever you might be with, you will come up some stellar answers.  If so, please feel free to let me know!

Let me start off by putting out there the biggest question or thought I have about these two incidences in Abraham’s life…

WHY DOESN’T IT SEEM LIKE HE GETS IN TROUBLE?

Abraham told a lie did he not?  Sure, people were marrying their cousins and 2^nd cousins back in those times.  Sure, Sarah may have been Abraham’s half sister.  (And yes, today this would be really, really weird.)  But does one family relation trump another?  Does the status of husband and wife get more face time then if the couple were cousins?  Does the couple being a brother and a sister become more important to announce than your marriage?  I don’t know, and maybe it is just me, but I would like to think that no matter who your husband or wife is to you; you would stand proud that this person is your companion in love and marriage. 

I’m getting off track a little here.  My original question was, “why doesn’t it seem like Abraham gets in trouble for lying about his relationship with Sarah?”  Let’s break down the events that take place in each story.  Maybe I overlooked the part where the shame on you Abraham part happened.

Story #1:

• Abraham says Sarah is his sister
• Pharaoh takes Sarah into his house
• Pharaoh and his household get a plague
• Pharaoh gives Sarah back
• Abraham leaves with more stuff than he had when he came
• Pharaoh and household are healed

Story #2:

• Abraham says Sarah is his sister
• Abimelech takes Sarah into his house
• God tells Abimelech that Sarah is Abraham’s wife
• Abimelech gives Sarah back
• Abraham is allowed to settle wherever he wants
• Abraham is given more stuff than he had when he came
• Abimelech and his household is healed because God closed the female’s wombs

Did I miss it? I am still not seeing the shame on you Abraham.  Well this poses some interesting questions I will let you hash out during the discussion time.  At least let me say this, God’s ways are always right…even if we don’t understand them.  God knows what is the best punishment for a given sin situation.  God knows the best time for punishment to happen, or maybe for it to not happen?  I don’t think our God is one who just lets things go.  In my opinion, there is one of two possibilities for these actions taken by Abraham.  One, Abraham at some point in some way had to deal with what he did.  Two, maybe Abraham didn’t ever experience the consequence and generations to follow did.  This reminds me of Ishmael.  Ishmael was the son of Hagar who Abraham slept with because Sarah couldn’t have children.  Ishmael was sent away because of the turmoil between Sarah and Hagar.  That turmoil still continues between the Israelites and the Arabs.  Whatever the outcome was is probably just not recorded for us to know. 

The point of this chapter is not to hash out whether or not Abraham did or did not tell a lie.  This chapter is really to get us thinking about sin and how we all have one sin we can’t seem to shake.  There is something that no matter how much it tempts us, no matter how hard we try to say no, no matter how much accountability we have…we just can’t seem to shake it.  However, with constant prayer, accountability and Bible study you can begin to beat that temptation.

Obviously the temptation that is hard to shake is different for everybody.  For some of us it is lust, money, status, jealousy, hatred, or lying.  Of course there are many more, but temptation leads to sin.  It is not wrong to be tempted, but it is wrong to fall into it.  I know most people feel guilty when there are tempted, even if they don’t give into the temptation.  I have talked and prayed with people who have felt this way.  I sometimes feel that way as well, but I want to challenge you with something.  What if you viewed temptation as tool to help you become better and stronger in your faith?

Think about it.  God allows for us to be tempted so we can overcome and show our love and devotion to Him.  So what if when we are tempted we accepted the challenge and did all we could to beat the temptation?  That would feel pretty good, right?  God doesn’t want us to sin.  He doesn’t want us to fail.  He wants us to win in the sin battle.  He knows overcoming temptation will make our faith stronger.  We also don’t have to be so afraid or nervous about being tempted.  Yes, sometimes temptations can freak us out, but God promises that when we are tempted we will be able to overcome.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity.  God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.”

Pray continually.  Have accountability.  Study the Bible.  All of these will help you know and understand how God can give you the strength to overcome temptation.  If you know what your seemingly unshakeable temptation is, don’t be like Abraham and keep falling into it; do what you have to do to overcome.

Discussion Questions:

1.  Do you think Abraham told a lie?  Why or why not?
   
2. The consequence may not have been immediate or even have affected Abraham, but do you think Abraham got into trouble for telling a lie or consequences came later?  If so, what do you think the consequence was?
   
3.  Is it ok to tell a lie sometimes?  Why or why not?
   
4. Do you think God eventually punishes us for every sin we commit?  Why or why not?
   
5. Do you feel guilty when tempted or do you view temptation as a Godly tool?  Explain.
   
6. What is your unshakable temptation?
   
7. What steps can you take to overcome your temptations?
   
8. Prayer, accountability, and Bible study all help in overcoming temptation in their own way.  Talk about how much each one is a part of your spiritual life.  Also discuss how each one helps overcome temptation? 
   
9. One last thing…make sure you end in prayer.