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.' – Genesis 20:11

Today's Scripture Reading (October 1, 2024): Genesis 20

Sometimes, all we want to do is fit in. And we will do whatever it takes to make that a reality. I was reading a political thriller recently, and the main character commented that he changed his diet whenever he knew he was going to certain nations. For instance, he would give up meat when he traveled to Asian nations because their complaint is often that North Americans smell "meaty." It was something I had never really thought of before, even though I had noticed different smells coming from various people. The novel argues that if we want to be accepted in a specific culture, part of that acceptance depends on things like the way we smell, and often, acceptance depends on things of which we are not even consciously aware.

Abraham makes a stop in Gerar. Gerar was a Philistine city in what is today south-central Israel. Again, we need to remember that Israel did not yet exist at this time, so all of Canaan was in the hands of pagan rulers. In this case, Gerar was in the hands of a King called Abimelek. Before getting too excited about knowing this Kings name, we must understand that all Philistines were called Abimelek. Abimelek was essentially a fusion of two words, "Father" and "King." But as Abraham stops in Gerar, he is afraid that these strange people might kill him to gain his wife. He reasons that this is a place that does not fear God.

However, Abraham was wrong. What Abraham wanted more than anything was to fit in. And that had very little to do with God. He was afraid that his wife would interfere with the process. The truth was that Abimelek believed in many gods rather than no God. It was Abraham who was struggling with his belief in God. Abraham was willing to accept God when he was being blessed, but when there was a cost, Abraham still had some spiritual growth to do.

Abraham was unwilling to place his life in the hands of his God. Instead, he would prefer to tell a half-truth and conspire to find his way through the circumstances put before him. He was willing to allow his wife to be defiled rather than protect her from the people and the King of Gerar.

Abraham was a lot like us. We often seem to take a path that makes sense for us, even if it includes lying and deceit, rather than trust that God has everything under control.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 21