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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