Genesis
20:1 ¶ And Abraham journeyed from thence
toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in
Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his
wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
As
proof that Sarah was still desirable to look at in an age where people lived
longer and were more youthful looking longer and as further evidence of the
customs of the time, the king of Gerar places Sarah in his harem. Abraham
repeats his same, what we would call today cowardice, practice as in chapter 12
in Egypt in protecting himself from possible murder but not his wife from this
humiliation.
This
shows us the dangers of travel in those days particularly if you had a wife
other men might desire. Abimelech king of
Gerar is used here as Pharaoh king of
Egypt is used in 41:46 and in other verses. The question then arises as to
whether or not Abimelech is a
Philistine title for a king or whether it is a name. Isaac will repeat this
behavior in a few chapters and dwell in this same city for a time. In 26:8 this
king of Gerar is called the king of the Philistines.
We
see two characteristics of life in the ancient world. One, the molestation of
visitors to a city as revealed in the story of Sodom and later in Judges 19
and, two, how ancient kings might forcibly take a man’s wife and kill him if
they felt like it.
This
also shows us the political powerlessness of women, used without their consent
as commodities, sexual resources, or just instruments to produce progeny. The
woman had no right to say no to any of this. Her value was in her usefulness to
men, much like a farm animal, modified only by affection and a sense of moral
custom. But, when God’s directive will was involved, by these cultural
practices, women in the Bible were blessed by being part of God’s plan of
producing the line that He came to earth through in His work of reconciliation
of man to Himself. A woman’s lot in life, based on the consequences of Adam and
Eve’s sin and man’s prevailing cultural custom, was ameliorated only by the
affection her husband might have toward her and the love of and for her
children, sons of which might care for her in her old age if She was widowed.
Keep
in mind again that man invents culture and civilization and God permits him to
do so by God’s permissive will. God alters and modifies to lead man’s effort to
an end He has ordained. Imagine that while slave ships and ships for conquest
went out a couple of hundred years ago missionaries went out as well. And while
many missionaries were simply instruments of the conquering country or
institutional church a minority simply went out as God’s instruments to save
souls. We need to reorder history in our minds to see how God intervenes and
directs. When you include God’s actions in the course of history and cease
thinking of Him as simply a first cause or standing on the sidelines waiting
for a prayer you get a different picture of history. Of course, you get a
different picture of everything from biology to literature if you haven’t
accepted the mental condition of modernity that removes God from every
equation.
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