Tuesdays with Abraham

Read Genesis 20:9-11 – And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?” And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. (NKJV)

Sorting out the “whys” and the “should haves” in Abraham’s behavior in this passage is difficult indeed. But one thing is clear. Abraham’s choices were driven by fear. He thought Abimelech would deal treacherously with him and he responded with his own scheme—one that was devastating to Abimelech’s household. Fear leads us to many flawed choices. Like Abraham, we can allow fear to drive us to treat others as though they are evil, even if they are not. Here Abimelech proves to be an honest man, but Abraham has treated him otherwise. Fortunately, this regional king responds in a way that can heal the current rift. How do our fears cause us to treat others? Do we see darkness and negative intent because of what is occurring within us? In life, we often get what we expect of others, so it’s usually more beneficial to believe the best about people and trust God to protect us from their worst.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.