Sermon Tone Analysis

Wednesday February 22, 2006

Genesis: Genesis 20:17-18-Abraham’s Intercessory Prayer for Abimelech

Lesson # 104

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 20:1.

This evening we will complete our study of Genesis 20 by noting Genesis 20:17-18, which gives us the record of Abraham interceding in prayer for Abimelech.

In Genesis 20:1-2, we saw that Abraham told a half-lie to Abimelech saying that Sarah was his sister, which she was, but a half-sister.

As we noted, Abraham fails to tell Abimelech that Sarah is his wife and fails to do this because he is afraid that Abimelech will kill him in order to secure Sarah for himself.

This half-lie endangers not only Sarah but also Abimelech.

Although, he is not mentioned in the passage, Satan is the invisible enemy of God’s people who is behind the scenes influencing Abraham and tempting him to enter into fear, worry and anxiety.

Satan’s purpose for doing this is so that he can prevent the birth of Christ by preventing the birth of Isaac who was to be in the line of Christ.

Genesis 20:1, “Now Abraham journeyed from there (oaks of Mamre in Hebron; see Genesis 18:1) toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in Gerar.”

Genesis 20:2, “Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ‘She is my sister.’

So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.”

Then we saw in Genesis 20:3-7 God intervenes by speaking to Abimelech in a dream prohibiting him from keeping Sarah in his harem and having sexual intercourse with her.

Thereby thwarting Satan’s attempt to prevent the birth of Isaac and ultimately, the birth of the human nature of Jesus Christ who would come from the line of Isaac.

Genesis 20:3, “But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, ‘Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.’”

Genesis 20:4, “Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, ‘Lord, will You slay a nation, even though blameless?’”

Genesis 20:5, “Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’?

And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’

In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”

Genesis 20:6, “Then God said to him in the dream, ‘Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.’”

Genesis 20:7, “Now therefore, restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live.

But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

In Genesis 20:8-13, we read Abraham giving three excuses to Abimelech as to why he lied to him and said that Sarah was his sister and not his wife.

Genesis 20:8, “So Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were greatly frightened.”

Genesis 20:9, “Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, ‘What have you done to us?

And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?

You have done to me things that ought not to be done.’”

Genesis 20:10, “And Abimelech said to Abraham, ‘What have you encountered, that you have done this thing?’”

Genesis 20:11, “Abraham said, ‘Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’”

Genesis 20:12, “Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.”

Genesis 20:13, “and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, ‘This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, ‘He is my brother.’”

Then in Genesis 20:14-16, we have the record of Abimelech compensating Abraham and Sarah motivated out of fear of being killed by God.

Genesis 20:14, “Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him.”

Genesis 20:15, “Abimelech said, ‘Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please.’”

Genesis 20:16, “To Sarah he said, ‘Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is your vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you are cleared.’”

Genesis 20:17-18 presents the record of Abraham interceding in prayer for Abimelech.

Genesis 20:17, “Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children.”

Genesis 20:18, “For the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.”

“Prayed” is the 3rd person masculine singular hithpael imperfect form of the verb palal (ll^P*) and refers to “intercessory prayer,” which is praying for both the temporal and spiritual needs of both believers and unbelievers (Luke 23:34; Eph.

1:16-23; 3:14-19; 6:18; 1 Tim.

2:1-4).

There are five essential elements to prayer: (1) Confession (2) Thanksgiving (3) Worship (4) Intercession (5) Petition.

Confession: 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Thanksgiving: Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”

Worship: Psalm 18:3, “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

Intercession: Ephesians 6:18, “By means of every kind of specific detailed reverential prayer requests, all of you make it your habit to pray at each and every opportunity while in fellowship with the Spirit.

Now, for this very purpose, all of you make it your habit to stay alert (in prayer) with every kind of persistent specific detailed requests with regards to each and every one of the saints.”

Petition: Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

All prayer must be addressed to the Father (John 14:13-14; 16:23-27; Rom.

8:15; Gal.

4:6; Eph.

2:18; 3:14; 5:20; Col. 1:3, 12; 3:17; 1 Pet.

1:17; Rev. 1:6).

Luke 11:2, “And He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.’”

Prayer must be made in the name or Person of or through intermediate agency of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:13-14; 16:23-24; Eph.

5:20; Col. 3:17).

The believer is to pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ because it is through the merits of His impeccable Person and Finished Work on the Cross and Advocacy with the Father as well as the believer’s union with Him that gives the believer the privilege to boldly approach the throne of God in prayer.

John 16:23, “In that day you will not question Me about anything.

Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.”

Praying in our Lord’s name means that we are to pray to the Father consciously aware of our exalted position where we are seated at the Father’s right hand because of our eternal union and identification with Christ.

Ephesians 2:6, “and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Prayer must be made in the power of the Spirit or by means of the power of the Filling of the Spirit (Eph.

2:18; 6:18; Jude 20).

Jude 20, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”

Every church age believer is commanded in Scripture to pray (Mt.

7:7; Eph.

6:18; 1 Thess.

5:17).

1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Make it your habit to pray.”

Prayer is asking for what God wants and must be according to His will in order to be effective and productive for God.

1 John 5:14, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

1 John 5:15, “And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

Abraham’s prayer was successful because it was according to the will of God.

Answered prayer demands faith on the part of the believer (Mt.

17:20; Ja. 5:15).

James 1:5, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

James 1:6, “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”

Abraham’s prayer for Abimelech was successful because he offered it in faith.

Answered prayer demands perseverance on the part of the believer.

Matthew 7:7, “Ask repeatedly, and it will be given to you; seek repeatedly, and you will find; knock repeatedly, and it will be opened to you.”

The Scriptures do not command a set time for prayer or length, but rather the believer is to pray day and night, nor does the Scripture command that a certain posture accompany prayer since it is the attitude of the heart, which is important to God, thus it can be accomplished sitting, standing or kneeling down.

The believer is to not only pray as an individual but also a part of a corporate unit in the local assembly as an expression of unity (Acts 12:12; 16:25; 20:36).

Prayer solves problems (Kgs.

17:1; cf.

18:36-46; Acts 12:1-17; Phlp.

4:6).

The believer-priest should have a prayer list whether mental or written down.

You can make intercessory prayer for others by simply mentioning their names without any specific need of theirs in mind or you can pray for their specific needs when you have specific information regarding their needs.

Genesis 20:17, “Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children.”

Genesis 20:18, “For the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.”

Notice that Abraham is praying for Abimelech who is an unbeliever.

The Word of God commands the believer to enter into intercessory prayer on behalf of all men since God desires all men to be saved (1 Jn. 2:2; 1 Tm.

2:1-8; 2 Pet.

3:9; Jn. 3:16-17).

1 Timothy 2:1, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men.”

1 Timothy 2:2, “for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

1 Timothy 2:3, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”

1 Timothy 2:4, “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

“Entreaties” is the noun deesis (devhsi$) and refers to intercessory prayer where Paul offers up to the Father specific detailed requests on behalf of all men.

“Prayers” is the noun proseuche (proseuxhv), which refers to “a face to face audience with the Father in order to present a request.”

“Petitions” is the noun enteuxis (e&nteuci$), which refers to that aspect of prayer where the believer goes as a child of God to the Father on behalf of another.