Ganesis Chapter 20 - A God Who Cleans Up Messes

Well, they did it again! Abe and Sarah "lied" to assure Abe would not be killed by yet another king. Sarah must have been some beauty to be so desirable that Abraham thought they would kill him if they knew he was her husband.

Did this couple not learn their lesson the first time? They were playing a dangerous game of telling lies every time they got into a tight spot. If this pattern persisted, it would soon lead them away from trusting God at all. However, God intervened and protected everyone involved. He cleaned up Abraham’s mess once again. When would Abraham get it right and trust God by speaking the truth? God’s grace and constant protection are very evident in Abraham’s moments of weakness. How many times does God have to clean up our messes because we are not patient enough to wait on Him, or trusting enough to follow Him?

We may question why Abimelech and his kingdom were being punished since he did not realize Sarah was married to Abraham when Abimelech took her for his wife. The NIV Life Application Bible gives a good illustration regarding this. "A person who eats a poisonous toadstool, thinking it’s a harmless mushroom, no doubt has perfectly good intentions---but will still suffer. Sin is a poison that damages us and those around us, whatever our intentions."

God had closed up the wombs of the women in Abimelech’s kingdom until such time as Sarah was returned, untouched, to her rightful husband. We do not know, but perhaps this incident caused the king to gain a new respect, a reverent fear of God Almighty.

God is faithfully using our "ugly moments" for His glory. He can turn blemishes into beauty marks. Are we ever in danger of using up God’s grace? I would not want to play games of chance with God. However, there is a gospel song which brings me encouragement when it seems like giving up would be the best thing to do:

You may be down and feel like God has somehow forgotten
That you are faced with circumstances you can’t get through;
Right now it seems that there’s no way out and you’re going under,
But God’s proven time and time again, He’ll take care of you.

And He’ll do it again, He’ll do it again,
If you’ll just take one look at where you are now and where you’ve been;
Well, hasn’t He always come through for you; He’s the same now as then,
You may not know how, You may not know when, But He’ll do it again.

God knows the things you’re going through and He knows how you’re hurting;
You see, He knows just how your heart has been broken in two;
He’s the God of the stars, of the sun and the sea, And He is your Father;
He can calm the storm and He’ll find some way to fix this for you.

And He’ll do it again, He’ll do it again.
If you’ll just take one look at where you are now and where you’ve been;
Well, hasn’t He always come through for you; He’s the same now as then,
You may not know how, You may not know when, But He’ll do it again.

(Dawn Thomas, Copyright 1987 Do Dat Music ASCAP)