GENESIS CHAPTER 20: ABRAHAM'S JOURNEY CONTINUES

INTRODUCTION: After the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of their great wickedness, and Lot and his two daughters were living in a cave in the mountains because they were afraid. Abraham decides to move on from that land because of the devastation causing it to become so barren.

And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. 2. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 3. But 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.” 

 For some reason at this time Abraham decided to deal with a situation that could cost him his life, instead of trusting God to protect him as He had promised. So Abraham told King Abimeleck that Sarah was his sister rather than his wife.

  4. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, “Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 5. Said he not unto me, She is my sister: and she even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.” 6. And God said unto him in a dream, “Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7. Now

therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.”

 8. Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. 9. Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, “What hast thou done unto me and on my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.” 10. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, “What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?”

 11. And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. 12. And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.” 13. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, “This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.” 

Here in these verses it tells us that King Abimeleck's kingdom was one that believed in the living  God and believe in the dream that God gave him. In the following verses we see the kings mercy to Abraham and Sarah, God's prophet, and they were given the choice of where to live in that kingdom. 

 14. And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and women- servants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15. And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before thee; dwell where it pleaseth thee.” 16. And unto Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.”

 

 17. So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children, 18. For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

Philippians 4:13 

The Road to Salvation (KJV)

Romans 3: 23, 24 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Romans 5:8 “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:15 “For God so loved the world That He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

1 John 4:9”In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.”

John 6: 47, 48 “Verily, verily, I say unto you He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.  I am that bread of life.”

Romans 10:9 – 14 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed: and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard: and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

If you are not saved, I pray you will accept Christ as your Savior to day. We are not promised another minute on this earth. We are but on a journey, passing though this world to the next, and you have a choice of where you will spend eternity. I pray you choose to spend it in Heaven with the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit and all those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and paid our sin debt for us. 

Seek out a Bible preaching church in your area, one where God word is preached and  is the center of their service, study and devotion.