Chapter 11: Abraham and Abimelech

Q1 - God instructed Abimelech in Genesis 20:7 (BSB): “Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you and you will live.” This seems to be the first reference in the Bible to a prophet. In what way was Abraham a prophet?

A1 - God spoke through prophets in order to make His will known to various people. While the prophets were often believers in and followers of God, such as Elijah, there were a few, such as Balaam, who were not. God spoke directly to some, while He made His will known through dreams or visions to others. God had various messages to present through prophets and often revealed to them the future. So, while we don’t usually think of Abraham as a prophet, he definitely qualified as one, as he was someone God spoke to directly and revealed to Him His plans for the future.

Q2 - Abimelech wanted to make doubly sure he corrected his mistake in taking Sarah. Here’s how the New Living Translation states what he said specifically to her in Genesis 20:16: “And he said to Sarah, ‘Look, I am giving your ‘brother’ 1,000 pieces of silver in the presence of all these witnesses. This is to compensate you for any wrong I may have done to you. This will settle any claim against me, and your reputation is cleared.’”

Why do you think Abimelech called Abraham her “brother” when he now knows she is his wife? How do you think this whole incident affected Abimelech?

A2 - You have to think that Abimelech’s referral to Abraham as Sarah’s “brother” was more of a bitter tongue-in-cheek type of remark. Sarah had called Abraham her brother, at Abraham’s request. This led Abimelech to believe she was an eligible single woman when she was not. God then held Abimelech accountable for his action and told him he was as good as a dead man.

Abimelech realized he could have unknowingly made a fatal mistake, and he was not pleased with Abraham and Sarah placing him in God’s cross hairs. Abimelech’s life had been placed in jeopardy. He was likely hurt and upset about this whole incident and felt like he had been deliberately deceived. Whether he was a follower of God or not, he immediately recognized God’s authority and power and tried to make things right by compensating Abraham with 1,000 pieces of silver for taking Sarah. In doing so, he showed his own sense of integrity.

Q3 - How do you think Sarah felt when she was taken away from Abraham for a second time and brought to Abimelech? How do you think Abraham felt?

A3 - Sarah probably thought—here we go again! She had already been through a similar incident with the Egyptian Pharaoh. God had protected her during that time, so hopefully she and Abraham both had faith in God to protect her during this trial as well.

Women in certain ancient cultures did not enjoy the freedom and autonomy that they do today. They were treated more as property and often had to live under the protection of a male, such as their father, husband, or brother. Having been born in olden times, Sarah may not have had the expectation of personal rights that women do today. However, both Sarah and Abraham know that God has promised them a son together and that God has big plans to bless the whole world through that son. So perhaps knowing God’s promises gave both of them hope and the confidence that God would work everything out for them.