Abraham after God’s promise of offspring - from him & Sarah- still fearfully falls back on old habits.. ”Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, ‘What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.’ And Abimelek asked Abraham, ‘What was your reason for doing this?’ Abraham replied, ‘I said to myself, “There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.” Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife.“ Genesis 20:9-12 NIVUK seems like a tiny picture of the whole nation of Israel (& my own propensities, unless God helps me. Interesting the way God & Abimelek talk, & the way God saved him (in his ignorance) from doing worse eh? Interesting the way Abraham is called on to pray for his fellow humans and to invite God’s gracious help and creative life giving blessings on them… as though they might not get to them without that blessing…
Considering previous parts of the story (ch 18):
”They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I be fruitful?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “Yes, you did laugh.”“ Genesis 18:9-15 NRSVUE Wow, see how the judge of all the Earth deals with Sarah, he doesn’t accuse her of lying, he asks why she laughed (which gives her a chance to consider what she did, or rather “why” she did it). She denies that she did laugh, so now she is less likely to discover “why” she did it. She is in denial. Before he goes, the stranger denies her denial, then walks out, which leaves her with the possibility of revisiting the issue, and trying to answer that question as to why she laughed. And the Lord, or his angel, has already given an answer to any honest response she might give, to help allay further fears… wow!
What a lovely fulfillment of even Sarah’s laughter! God makes it into a true and right response, a celebration… he gives her an experience of a good reason to laugh, in answer to his previous question… I think Sarah got the goodness God intended for her with his previous question (“ why did you laugh?”):
”The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Now Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” And she said, “Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”“ Genesis 21:1-2, 6-7 NRSVUE
Plus see Hugar! & Responding re: spending..
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