Old Testament - Genesis 20 - February 16, 2022

 2/16/2022 – Genesis 20

This chapter was confusing to me and I had to search for some help—which I found in the Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual—which said: “Following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and Sarah journeyed to the land of Gerar, where Sarah was taken from Abraham by Abimelech, king of Gerar. After learning that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, Abimelech restored Sarah to Abraham and allowed them to dwell in his land. In this land, Isaac was born in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham.” 

Even though Sarah was no longer young, she must have kept enough of her beauty that the King of Gerar took her into his house. This is a repeat of what had happened so many years ago in Egypt. But this time “God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.” (v 3)  The Lord told Abimelech that He knew this had been done, thinking that Sarah was Abraham’s sister, for evidently his taking her would have been lawful if she had truly been his sister.  Abimelech  immediately:  1) informed all of this servants, 2) went to Abraham telling him that he had only acted on the information that had been given him…that Sarah was his sister. 3) Abraham explained that he had been worried that the same thing that occurred so long ago, would occur in this new area. Abraham. 3) Abimelech then gave Abraham many gifts. 4) Even though the Lord had warned Abimelech about what he was doing, and even though Abimelech tried to make things right, “the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.” This situation had to unfold slowly. But after Abimelech had come to Abraham and they had talked, “Abraham prayed unto God; and God healed Abimelech and his wife, and his maid servants; and they bare children” (v 17) 

This is a scriptural example of how someone who has sinned must repent, and how the person who has been sinned against should be forgiving and loving. Abimelech truly repented of a sin he had not realized that he was about to commit. He certainly immediately and strongly repented. He listened and responded to the Lord. He called his people together told them what had happened, for they were being affected by the Lord’s punishment. He returned Sarah to Abraham, and he went to Abraham and they talked enough to help each other understand what and why the other had acted. In the tradition of his kingship, he showered Abraham with gifts. And in the end Abraham and Sarah stayed in his country for a time, for Isaac was born there.

Boyd K Packer: “No member of this Church—and that means each of you—will ever make a serious mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Holy Ghost. “Sometimes when you have made a mistake, you may have said afterward, ‘I knew I should not have done that. It did not feel right,’ or perhaps, ‘I knew I should have done that. I just did not have the courage to act!’ Those impressions are the Holy Ghost attempting to direct you toward good or warning you away from harm” (“How to Survive in Enemy Territory,” New Era, Apr 2012, p 3). We need to be aware of the whisperings and feelings that come to us from the Holy Ghost. We can also project ourselves by reacting to the warnings from our prophets, and from the scriptures.