But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
Abimelech had taken Sarah but had not approached her when he made his plea to God. He asked whether God would destroy a righteous nation, insisting that he and his people were innocent because they had acted without knowing she was married. God had warned him in a dream about Abraham's wife and had held him back from touching her and sinning. His fear that taking her would bring guilt and punishment on himself and his kingdom shows that adultery was already understood as a grave sin against God. The principles of God's moral law were therefore known and binding with accountability for right and wrong long before they were formally given at Sinai.
Plea and Historical Setting
Abimelech had taken Sarah but had not come near or approached her when he spoke, and his plea was that God would not punish his nation in this matter. He asked the Lord whether He would slay also a righteous nation, insisting that he and his people were righteous and innocent because they had acted without knowledge of her marriage to Abraham. He faced the danger of bringing guilt upon himself and his people, and he pleaded that God would spare them because he considered them righteous.
The plea belongs to the second time Abraham said Sarah was his sister, an untruthful deception practiced to protect himself. That deception arose from unbelief and imperfect faith, for despite his standing as a man of faith he lacked trusting faith in God's protecting care. In the surrounding account God warned Abimelech, king of Gerar, in a dream concerning Abraham's wife, speaking to him directly and warning him against transgressing His law. He kept him from sinning by withholding him from touching her. The plea occurred during Abraham's sojourn with Abimelech among the Philistines at Gerar, a nation that had knowledge of the true God and a higher regard for morality than the other nations of Palestine.
The verse falls within God's providential dealings with Abraham and his family as the chosen progenitor of the promised Seed, a record showing God's providential care and interest among men. It belongs to the history of the beginning of things and to the story of God's dealing with the Seed and the enemy's attempts to thwart God's plan. It also falls within the Genesis 12-21 story of Abraham's attempt to bring about God's promise through human planning, a plan that led to bondage and trouble rather than fulfilling God's purpose. In this episode God used Abimelech to give Abraham a stern rebuke.
Law Known Before Sinai
Abimelech had taken Sarah but had not come near her when he asked whether God would destroy a righteous nation, and his plea shows he understood the prohibition against adultery and that God directly instructed him about it. He believed that taking her would bring guilt upon himself and his people, although he had not approached her, and his concern reflects a known moral law against adultery. Adultery was thus understood even then as a grave sin against God.
The episode shows that people knew sin and moral accountability before the law was given to Israel, for Abimelech appealed to God as he faced the danger of bringing guilt on himself and his people after God had kept him from sinning. The principles of God's moral law, including the commandments, were known before they were formally given at Sinai, and moral right and wrong were recognized in the time of Abimelech. Abimelech recognized that taking Sarah had brought the threat of a great sin upon his kingdom.
Taking another man's wife was a violation of the seventh commandment before the law was proclaimed at Sinai, for Abimelech had taken Sarah, another man's wife, but had not yet approached her. His question about whether God would destroy a righteous nation shows that he considered the people innocent of the threatened judgment. The account is also used to show that Abimelech coveted Abraham's wife, violating the tenth commandment.
Even though the taking was unwitting, it could bring dire punishment, showing that the law against adultery was already in force in Abraham's time. Abimelech pleaded that God not destroy a nation for what had happened, while recognizing that his unwitting act had brought the threat of a great sin and dire punishment upon his kingdom.
God warned Abimelech king of Gerar concerning Abraham's wife, speaking to him directly and warning him in a dream against transgressing His law. This proves that after the fall God continued to communicate with men in person and to manifest His will, not only to the righteous but also to the wicked, and that a real knowledge of God existed among the nations at that time.
God is in the place of adultery and in the hell it makes, seeing, warning, and restraining the sinner, for He came to Abimelech after he had taken Sarah while he had not yet come near her and withheld him from sinning and touching her. So He is present in the den of sensual temptation with the strange woman to hold back from sin and to give mercy and rescue.
Abimelech had taken Sarah but had not approached her when he made his plea to God. He asked whether God would destroy a righteous nation, insisting that he and his people were innocent because they had acted without knowing she was married. God had warned him in a dream about Abraham's wife and had held him back from touching her and sinning. His fear that taking her would bring guilt and punishment on himself and his kingdom shows that adultery was already understood as a grave sin against God. The principles of God's moral law were therefore known and binding with accountability for right and wrong long before they were formally given at Sinai.
Plea and Historical Setting
Abimelech had taken Sarah but had not come near or approached her when he spoke, and his plea was that God would not punish his nation in this matter. He asked the Lord whether He would slay also a righteous nation, insisting that he and his people were righteous and innocent because they had acted without knowledge of her marriage to Abraham. He faced the danger of bringing guilt upon himself and his people, and he pleaded that God would spare them because he considered them righteous.
The plea belongs to the second time Abraham said Sarah was his sister, an untruthful deception practiced to protect himself. That deception arose from unbelief and imperfect faith, for despite his standing as a man of faith he lacked trusting faith in God's protecting care. In the surrounding account God warned Abimelech, king of Gerar, in a dream concerning Abraham's wife, speaking to him directly and warning him against transgressing His law. He kept him from sinning by withholding him from touching her. The plea occurred during Abraham's sojourn with Abimelech among the Philistines at Gerar, a nation that had knowledge of the true God and a higher regard for morality than the other nations of Palestine.
The verse falls within God's providential dealings with Abraham and his family as the chosen progenitor of the promised Seed, a record showing God's providential care and interest among men. It belongs to the history of the beginning of things and to the story of God's dealing with the Seed and the enemy's attempts to thwart God's plan. It also falls within the Genesis 12-21 story of Abraham's attempt to bring about God's promise through human planning, a plan that led to bondage and trouble rather than fulfilling God's purpose. In this episode God used Abimelech to give Abraham a stern rebuke.
Law Known Before Sinai
Abimelech had taken Sarah but had not come near her when he asked whether God would destroy a righteous nation, and his plea shows he understood the prohibition against adultery and that God directly instructed him about it. He believed that taking her would bring guilt upon himself and his people, although he had not approached her, and his concern reflects a known moral law against adultery. Adultery was thus understood even then as a grave sin against God.
The episode shows that people knew sin and moral accountability before the law was given to Israel, for Abimelech appealed to God as he faced the danger of bringing guilt on himself and his people after God had kept him from sinning. The principles of God's moral law, including the commandments, were known before they were formally given at Sinai, and moral right and wrong were recognized in the time of Abimelech. Abimelech recognized that taking Sarah had brought the threat of a great sin upon his kingdom.
Taking another man's wife was a violation of the seventh commandment before the law was proclaimed at Sinai, for Abimelech had taken Sarah, another man's wife, but had not yet approached her. His question about whether God would destroy a righteous nation shows that he considered the people innocent of the threatened judgment. The account is also used to show that Abimelech coveted Abraham's wife, violating the tenth commandment.
Even though the taking was unwitting, it could bring dire punishment, showing that the law against adultery was already in force in Abraham's time. Abimelech pleaded that God not destroy a nation for what had happened, while recognizing that his unwitting act had brought the threat of a great sin and dire punishment upon his kingdom.
God warned Abimelech king of Gerar concerning Abraham's wife, speaking to him directly and warning him in a dream against transgressing His law. This proves that after the fall God continued to communicate with men in person and to manifest His will, not only to the righteous but also to the wicked, and that a real knowledge of God existed among the nations at that time.
God is in the place of adultery and in the hell it makes, seeing, warning, and restraining the sinner, for He came to Abimelech after he had taken Sarah while he had not yet come near her and withheld him from sinning and touching her. So He is present in the den of sensual temptation with the strange woman to hold back from sin and to give mercy and rescue.