01-61 The Return of Past Sin

Genesis 20:1-18

Most victories do not come easily. War is generally prolonged b/c of this—and becomes very costly not only monetarily but more important in terms of lives lost. But what’s true in the physical realm is also true in the spiritual realm. Your personal victory over sin is not described in Scripture as an easy pursuit.

Romans 7:19–24 NASB95

19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

Hebrews 12:1–4 NASB95

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

The Xn life is a race, battle, requiring fighting, struggling, enduring against the ravages of sin that are ever before us and within us.

Jesus—Lk 13 24 “24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

1 Timothy 6:12 NASB95

12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

1 Corinthians 9:25–26 NASB95

25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;

Now, for some when you come to Christ, there are sins of your former life that are immediately broken and there is never a temptation to return to them. But for many of us—the sins that are cultivated in our youth are ones that keep returning and we find ourselves having to continue to fight, resist, wrestle against them as this war wages (described by Paul in Rom 7). The question then is what are we to do? What does the believer do when old sins return? He can throw up his hands in defeat and give into temptation—walk into the sin—not realizing the victory that belongs to him on account of the blood of LJC (where he will find defeat, uncleanness, guilt and despair).

Or, by faith resist sin and temptation and be strengthened in this battle—thru the HS in you. Now, there is one important promise to lay hold of when you do encounter temptation and you find yourself straying from the path the Lord would have you walk:

1 John 1:9 NASB95

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 2:1–2 NASB95

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

In our vv today, Abraham does the former. He returns to an old sin that is familiar with and one that keeps coming back.

Arthur Pink

“The contents of Genesis 20 furnish a striking proof of the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. No fictitious historian would have recorded this dark blot on the life of such an illustrious personage as Abraham. The tendency of the human heart is ever toward hero worship, and the common custom of biographers is to conceal the defects and blemishes in the careers of the characters which they delineate, and this, had it been followed, would naturally forbid the mention of such a sad fall in the life of one of the most venerated names on the scroll of history. Ah! but herein the Bible differs from all other books. The Holy Spirit has painted the portraits of Scripture characters in the colors of nature and truth. He has given a faithful picture of the human heart such as is common to all mankind.

Arthur W. Pink. (n.d.). Gleanings in Genesis.

In addition to showing us the Lord’s response to His people when they step into error, this passage gives us a true picture of sin:

All sin is an offense against the holy God and a violation of His holy Law. It does not matter if that sin is committed by the one who belongs to Him or by the unregenerate (vs 6—Lord to Abimelech “I have kept you from sinning against me”; Ps 51:4) So too is Abraham’s deception

Sin never impacts the person committing the offense alone. Abraham’s sin was not only an offense against God but it violated the sacred relationship he had with his wife—risking her honor. His sin nearly brought destruction upon this pagan king…sin always impacts other people and is very destructive in its nature. So many people think that their own personal sin doesn't effect anybody but themselves—this is a deception from the evil one himself.

Sin is a powerful enemy. The fact that this is a repetitive sin for Abraham reveals the power of sin—enslaving all men from the moment they are created—Paul describes that relationship as “slaves of sin”

Heart is deceptive as it seeks to shift the blame for what it is responsible for (Jer 17:9). Abraham, when confronted later tried to diminish his responsibility for lying by 1) twisting the truth—vs 12; 2) blaming God for the whole ordeal (vs 13).

We have a true picture of sin—not attractive at all. And it reinforces what Scripture teaches about the inability of every individual to remedy the sin condition that he is afflicted with.

Let me walk thru this passage with you this morning, pointing out 8 divisions in the narrative.

1. The Journey

vs 1—since the moment he left Ur, Abraham has lived his life as an alien, a vagabond—having no permanent home to settle down at. For a time, he kept coming back to the Oaks of Mamre—this is where we last encountered him when he was showing hospitality to 3 visitors (YHWH and 2 angels). Shortly after that encounter the YHWH departed and the 2 angels went to Sodom where the account of the destruction of those cities is explained in ch 19. At the end of this chapter Abraham looks down toward the cities of the valley that had been destroyed and sees the smoke ascending from it.

20:1 “Abraham journeyed from there” from where he observed the Lord’s judgment and came toward the Negev (south country)…settling b/t Kadesh and Shur and “sojourned (to live as an alien) in Gerar” (west of the Dead Sea and east of Gaza). Kind of gives you an idea of where this is taking place.

Many commentators have taken great care to explain the similarities b/t this event and the one where Abraham and Sarah travel to Egypt b/c of the severe famine in ch 12. Really, the only similarity was the lie and Moses doesn’t explain why he moves in ch 20 to Gerar. But this is where he is, continuing to sojourn b/c he does not have a permanent place to settle—though:

Hebrews 11:10 NASB95

10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

2. The Deception

vs 2

Abraham returns to a familiar sin. 25 years have passed since they were in Egypt and he feared that Sarah would be taken and forced to become the wife of Pharaoh. Whether the same practice was in this region is debatable. Nonetheless, this is the lie he told and Abimelech (probably a title for the king of Gerar since there are other “abimelechs” in Scripture: Gen 26; Ps 34—king Achish). The title means “the king is my father.” This is a pagan king—not much is revealed about him except he takes Sarah (intending to marry her).

There are sins which so easily entangles us (Heb 12:1). I looked up that word and it refers to the ease of being ensnared—the picture is how quickly sin brings us under tight control. The writer of Heb says be quick to lay aside those encumbrances—sins that distract you from running the Xn race which you are running.

Every believer here (does not matter your level of maturity) is capable of failure b/c of the deceitful attractiveness of sin. We only have to look at everyday compromises of faith that we make to avoid conflict or to conform to the norms of the society around us. These things are often cultivated in our youth—sins that keeping coming back b/c they’re attractive…and the ultimately distract us from pursuing the holiness we’re called to. This is Abraham, he returns to an old sin—that of ultimately trusting in himself and his own wisdom in order to save his own hide.

3. The Nightmare

vs 3

I don’t know what you would do in a circumstance like this. God appeared in a dream (not uncommon in this time—in Gen 4 outsiders will receive dreams). God’s people received dreams. God would reveal Himself in this way (Heb 1:1). This is a warning dream—and if God comes to you and announces imminent death—how would you respond? Most of us would probably just wouldn’t wake up.

Now, why did God say “you’re a dead man?” b/c of adultery. Sarah was lit “married to a husband” and Abimelech has taken her with the intent of making her his own wife. Later, God would require death for adultery (both man and woman—Lev 20:10; Dt 22:22). Listen, adultery is a sin. It is ultimately an offense against the holy God (though it also wrongs others on human level)—Ps 51.

The just verdict on sin

Romans 6:23 NASB95

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God was reproving Abimelech (Ps 105:14) on account of the promise He made to Abraham—according to His own purposes that would be established thru Sarah’s seed—culminating in Messiah. God’s rule is universal and He maintains absolute control over all His creatures—even pagan rulers.

4. The Defense

vv 4-5

God has Abimelech’s attention. Moses reveals that he is indeed innocent as it pertains to adultery “had not come near...” Nevertheless, he took Sarah and so she must be restored (vs 7). Now, I think Abimelech knew what happened to S&G. He knew about the destruction of those cities and this is why he doesn’t ask “who are you?” I think he knew beyond all doubt that the one speaking to him in a dream was the same one who rained firm and brimstone from heaven. So he makes his appeal on the basis of divine justice. “will you slay a nation...” Kind of the same question Abraham had for the Lord because of Sodom (18:23ff 50,45, etc). “blameless” is the same word for righteous that Abraham used. Will you kill innocent people? This is his 1st defense. For he himself was innocent, again, of adultery.

The 2nd defense was that he was deceived—which was also true. Abraham deceived Abimelech—vs 5. Sarah joined Abraham in the deception. Aside from what they told him, Abimelech could not have known that she was married. There was no evidence that she had children in the travelling party so how could he ever imagine they were telling a lie?

So he tells God— “Integrity of heart...” He took her, intending to make Sarah his wife b/c he believed her to be lawfully available to do so. However, this man is an unbeliever. He is not justified like Abraham or Sarah. He was not a man of faith. And so, even if he is innocent of the act of adultery, he is still under the divine sentence of death (as are all people).

5. The Instruction

vv 6-7

God indeed confirms the innocence of Abimelech regarding adultery. He reveals to the king that He is omniscient (all-knowing) “yes I know.” He also reveals that the reason he is innocent is b/c of God’s omnipotence (power). I mentioned earlier how this passage gives the true picture of sin (how sin is very powerful enemy). But God is greater! I think it is a very important truth that we find in God’s instruction that His power over sin is greater.

He reveals to the king that it was His power that kept him from violating Sarah. “I have kept you from sinning…did not let you” God’s power is infinitely beyond the power of sin. And His power to restrain sin is unchecked. This means: sometimes He permits it (Adam, Abraham—even you and I)…other times He prevents it—both times in order to accomplish His purposes (we really can’t know the hidden counsel of the Lord), but we can trust His goodness and the perfections of His character—that He does what He does to reveal His glory among His creation.

Now, His instruction for the king: “restore” to return Sarah in the condition he took her. Sarah was Abraham’s wife and she needed to be restored in that manner. Abimelech also learned that Abraham was a prophet who would pray for the condemned man. This is the 1st occasion of the word in the Bible. Abraham is a prophet whose role is that of a mediator. He was the 1st to intercede with God on behalf of others (18:22-32). Abimelech’s salvation would hinge on the man whose wife he has taken. This was his only hope—otherwise God says “you will surely die.”

6. The Confrontation

vv 8-10

At this point, Abimelech tells those around him and everyone is frightened (rightly so). There’s a sense of urgency here “next morning” for he knows that his life is in the hand of the God who has the power to take it. So he summons Abraham (this is a king’s prerogative). He asks Abraham 3 questions: What…How…what (vv9-10).

Just an observation…interesting how a pagan king can appear in better light than the friend of God. He had many fine qualities—not the least of which was his concern for the welfare of the subjects that he ruled over (his kingdom). He was troubled by what God revealed and he needed answers from the one who lied to him and brought this trouble upon him.

7. The Weakness

of Abraham’s faith—vv 11-13

Abraham’s response was about as pathetic as Adam’s (the woman you gave me…).

First, Abraham had completely misread Gerar… “no fear of God.” According to Abimelech’s response, there was indeed fear of God among these heathen. They took God at His word which is why they were greatly frightened (vs 8). Abraham had a greater fear for his life than he had for God. For a moment, he lacked respect and reverential awe for God, which if he had it—he never would have lied to begin with. So what he thought about this city, was actually playing out in his own heart—losing the fear of God. This too is a major reason why we choose to walk into temptation rather than resist it (even to the point of shedding our own blood). For a moment, the believer will lose the fear of the Lord and with it, the wisdom to walk in the manner worthy of God who has called us.

The next excuse for Abraham is lame—vs 12. so a half-truth. What is a half-truth? A full lie? Because it is meant to deceive. This is the why in a court of law a witness will swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. No half-truths are permitted. Abraham’s aim was to deceive and though Sarah was his half-sister--notice vs 13 (see the blame shift?)…from the moment they left Ur this was the plan…a deception that was devised earlier in life is one that kept coming back upon Abraham (his son will repeat the sin-ch26). So Abraham brings Sarah to participate in the deception also.

Spurgeon “God does not allow His children to sin successfully.” What he meant is that when you disobey God, you will suffer both the natural consequences of that sin as well as the chastening hand of the Lord. God graciously offers forgiveness but in His sovereignty He allows the sad harvest of what we sow (Gal 6:7). Ps 32 & 51 are powerful examples of the physical and spiritual consequences of walking in sin and failing to repent and confess his sins to the Lord. Abraham (and David, ktl) are warnings for us that the righteous can stumble and when we do, there is damage to our testimony of Christ in this world. We don’t know if Abraham ever sinned along this line again. His life does become increasingly more dependent on God as God’s promise is brought to fruition.

Hebrews 11:17–19 NASB95

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

8. The Grace

vv 14-18

Instead of becoming embittered against Abraham—Abimelech—vv 14-16. He fully absolves both Abraham and Sarah of the deception and even tells her “you’re vindicated…cleared” Kindness was shown by Abimelech to Abraham and Sarah—this is God’s grace to His own.

Abimelech also received grace— vs 17-18

The testimony of God in this place would leave a profound impact as Abraham prays, God heals, and then opens the wombs of his household.

Iain Duguid Living in the Gap b/t Promise and Reality

Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Grace (vv. 14–17)

God’s ability to use even our sins for his own purposes shows that he doesn’t love us simply for the great things we can do for him. There’s an additional verse to the children’s hymn “Jesus Loves Me” that we don’t sing very often, but that captures this aspect of God’s love perfectly:

Jesus loves me when I’m good,

When I do the things I should.

Jesus loves me when I’m bad,

Though it makes him very sad.

God did not condone Abraham’s sin. The fact that he preserved Abraham and controlled circumstances to bring him to the point of receiving the promise reveals the love He has for those whom He has redeemed.

Wiersbe:

Be Obedient Chapter Eight: Abraham the Neighbor (Genesis 20; 21:22–34)

God does not reject His children when they sin any more than a parent rejects a disobedient son or daughter (Isa. 49:13–16). Abraham was justified by faith and had a righteous standing before God (Rom. 4:1–5). Justification does not change; we are accepted in Jesus Christ no matter what we are in ourselves (2 Cor. 5:17, 21; Eph. 1:6). Of course, the fact that we are justified before God means there will be a change in our lives; for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). But our position in Christ (justification) is not altered by our practice on earth (sanctification).

The important thing is that we deal with our sins humbly and honestly, confess them to God, judge them and forsake them, and claim His promises of forgiveness (1 John 1:9; Micah 7:18–19; Isa. 55:6–13)

Battling sin is a struggle, fight, battle, war—the irony of the Xn life is that the more you become like Christ (sanctification) the less you will find yourself sinning (you will become more and more holy), but the greater sensitivity you will have to the sin in your life—you will see it more clearly b/c the HS is at work in you.

1 John 1:9 NASB95

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.