GOD'S RESTRAINING POWER ON SIN

Genesis 20:1-6,

Morning Meditation 8/2/15

"And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her."

There are great lessons to be learned in these few verses. When Abimelech king of Gerar took Abram's wife, he stepped over an invisible line. He did not know that Sarah was Abram's wife. Let's notice what happened--

ABRAM'S LIE TO PROTECT HIMSELF

This is the second time that Abram had lied about his wife. It is hard to justify what Abram did in doing this. He subjected his wife to the possibility of sexual defilement by Abimelech. God would not have allowed this but Abram did not know it. It seems that men in that day did not have the respect for women that they should have had. It is obvious that Abram lied to save his own skin. That is not the way God would have it done.

GOD'S INTERVENTION

Genesis 20:3-4, "But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?"

I have an idea that Abimelech got the scare of his life when God appeared to him in a dream and gave him the news that Sarah was Abram's wife.

God used some direct language in His warning of Abimelech. He said, "Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife."

ABIMELECH'S PLEA

Genesis 20:5-6, "Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart;"

Abimelech is pleading for his life. God had told him in a dream that he was a dead man. Evidently Abimelech had a reverence for Abram's God. He definitely believed that He was able to carry out His threat. So Abimelech pleaded his innocence in his ignorance. He did not know that Sarah was Abram's wife. However, he had not touched her. So he pleads, "In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands have I done this." Next--

GOD'S GRACIOUS RESTRAINTS

This is brought out in Genesis 20:6, "And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her."

God is able to restrain one from sin without the person knowing he is being restrained. Abimelech though it was his own integrity that caused him not to touch Sarah. God said, "For I also withheld thee from sinning against me."

Another important point in this is that it is plain that if Abimelech had touched Sarah, it would have been a sin again God. God holds individuals responsible, saved or lost, for their actions. When one sins against another person, it is plain from this passage that he is sinning against God first. David said after he had committed the sin of adultery with Bathsheba in Psalms 51:4, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." Many in our day are taking other men's wives. God will not hold them guiltless.

May the Lord so work in our lives to restrain us from sin. In the flesh we are weak, and if we do not walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), we will find ourselves so messed up that God can't use us. Paul dreaded this thought. 1 Corinthians 9:25-27, "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

Soon, if He has not already done it, God will withdraw His restraint on sin, and when He does this, the world will go to extremes in satisfying their lusts, and murder will be a constant occurrence.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White