The Dream

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE DREAM

Gen 20:1-7

20:1 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman." 4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, "Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister,' and didn't she also say, 'He is my brother'? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands." 6 Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7 Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die."

NIV

By rights, we should cover the whole of this chapter for it is the whole of the event or interactions between Abraham, Abimelech, and God. However, we are struck by something God did concerning this bothersome problem of Abraham and Sarah agreeing to say they were brother and sister. First, it is difficult to understand that at the age they were, Sarah would be a desirable woman that a king would kill her husband to take her for his own. We know Abraham was at least ninety-nine for that is when he and every male in his household were circumcised. Sarah was ninety when Isaac was born and that is going to happen within the year, so here we have a ninety-year-old woman still beautiful enough to be desirable to take as a wife. However, our focus here is how God intervened in this situation. God did not come down to speak to Abimelech but did appear to him in a dream. We know dreams can be extremely vivid and our minds create some powerful images and actions as if we were awake, but still we sleep. However, Abimelech’s dream was not of his mind’s creation, but of God speaking into his thoughts during his sleep, yet this narrative says that God came to him in a dream. Still, here we see God telling him that he is as good as dead because his taking Sarah as his wife, and that she is already married. His dream included a complete conversation with God, which seems it was not a typical dream, which we would think so if God came to him in his dream. So here is where we get our lesson or understanding more about God. He kept a man, one who was not a believer, but rather a pagan, from sinning against Him and committing an offense against Abraham. We do wonder if God was more interested in Abimelech not sinning or protecting Abraham although he was the one who committed a wrong against both Abimelech and God. It might be a little different in our lives since we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within, that God would not have to come to us in a dream, but at the same time, the Spirit could intervene within us, either as in a dream or when we are awake if we are about to commit a sin against someone and thus against God. However, we are also able to quench the Spirit, putting him down, ignoring him completely, and following our own path of offense against God. It might not be some grievous act like taking another man’s wife, although we know that could happen somewhere within the church at large. But our offense might be more like greed, unforgiveness, holding a grudge, gossip, envy, jealousy, lust, or pridefulness, just to name a few. But we would believe that God would intervene, and yet here we are, still committing offenses which seem we do not care about God. How can that be, why does he not intervene to keep us from committing such sins? Maybe he does, and unlike Abimelech, we do not pay attention when God comes to us in a dream, or the Spirit speaks within us. Are we that callous? Are we that selfish? It cannot be, we want God to intervene. Our desire is to do what is right in his sight, but why do we fail? Even if we are weak, He is strong, and we would think he would come to us somehow, but at the same time, we must be willing to listen and obey, even if he comes in a dream.