I find it interesting that a man such as Abimelech tries to teach morality to Abraham, who is not only a man of faith (Hebrews 11:8), but a prophet of God (Genesis 20:7). The protests of the unrighteous are not to be taken seriously, although at least one commentary considers the moral standard of Abimelech to be higher in the context of this event than that of Abraham.[1] Nevertheless, what right had the king to take Sarah in the first place, regardless of her marital status?
It seems Abimelech is ready to abuse his right of authority over the land of Gerar by excusing his immoral behavior to steal and enslave a pilgrim and free woman. So, although the gods are empowered to dispense justice, they excuse themselves of acting unjustly by right of strength—who can keep them from doing as they please? I’ll speak to Abraham’s behavior below, but, for the record, Abimelech’s, so-called, moral protests are without integrity. He is seeking to save face, because, if he wishes to live, he must now bow to Abraham and return his wife (Genesis 20:7).
Abimelech is all about saving face. He is the king of Gerar and of the Philistines, but he must bow to the wishes of this pilgrim who, for all intents and purposes, merely wandered into his land. Therefore, Abimelech protests to Abraham, asking what he (Abraham) had seen (Genesis 20:10), or what he (Abimelech) had done that offended Abraham that he would veil his presence in the land (Genesis 20:9) in such a manner that would destroy the whole nation, of which he, the king, was its father (meaning of the name Abimelech)? For, “such a thing ought not to be done” – thus, blaming Abraham for the wrong, while excusing his own behavior of taking Sarah by force, regardless of her marital status (Genesis 20:2).
Abraham addressed Abimelech’s second question, namely, “What did you see, that you had done this thing?” (verse-10). Abraham told the king that, from what he observed in the land, the fear of God wasn’t there. Therefore, Abraham took precautions for his own safety. In other words, the authorities of the land, which ultimately pointed to Abimelech, abused their power. Abraham simply didn’t feel safe in their presence, believing they would have slain him outright and take Sarah captive (Genesis 20:11). Nevertheless, he hadn’t lied to Abimelech, because Sarah was, indeed, his sister by his father, but they had different mothers (Genesis 20:12).
In fact, this was exactly what Abraham requested of Sarah from the very beginning, when the Lord called Abraham away from his father’s house (and the land of his birth). He wanted Sarah to make known only their brother/sister relationship, not the fact that they were married, because such a thing would put his own life in jeopardy (verse-13), so those in authority over the lands, they sojourned in, would be free to take Sarah as their wife. Therefore, the thing done had nothing to do with Abimelech in particular. Rather, it was because he was in authority over a land that didn’t fear God.
This is the second time in which Abraham permitted Sarah to be taken by the king of the land in which he entered. The first was, when he went to Egypt (Genesis 12:11-13). First of all, if we are serious about the truth in the text, what we must recognize is the Lord not only never rebuked Abraham’s behavior, but he supported his efforts, both when he claimed Sarah was his sister in Egypt, and he supported him in the matter with Abimelech. Both Abimelech and Pharaoh were “as dead men” if they didn’t return Sarah to her husband, Abraham! Why would God do that, if Abraham’s behavior was immoral, as so many commentaries accuse him of being during both events? Why would the Lord support a lie? Why would he defend a liar? If calling Abraham a liar goes too far, why, then, would the Lord support and defend a faithless man? However, if one could imagine the Lord doing so, why would he do it without rebuking Abraham?
What could Abraham have done to defend Sarah in Egypt? Similarly, what could he have done against the armies of the father of the Philistines? The whole matter is revealed in the faith of Abraham. Abraham was weak, but his God was strong, and the Lord promised to protect him (Genesis 15:1). As for protecting his wife from evil, in Egypt, it would have taken a year, or close to it (cp. Esther 2:12), for Pharaoh to be assured that Sarah wasn’t already pregnant with another man’s son. As for Abimelech, whether or not this was important to him (cp. Genesis 20:4-6), Sarah was under the protection of the Lord (Genesis 15:1), whether he had a year to do his work or only hours. Thus, Abraham trusted God not only with his life, but in the matter of Sarah as well. Everything that was done occurred, as a test of Abraham’s faith in God, and the Lord supported him and never rebuked him even once, but he did hold the lives of kings and nations in the balance, if they refused to submit to Abraham (cp. Genesis 12:3).
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[1] See The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges at Genesis 20:9.
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