Abraham with doing that which was not justifiable, in disowning his marriage; this he speaks of justly, and yet tenderly; he does not call him a liar and cheat; but tells him he had done deeds that ought not to be done. Note, Equivocation and dissimulation, however they may be palliated, are very bad things, and by no means to be admitted in any case. (4.) He takes it as a very great injury to himself and his family, that Abraham had thus exposed them to sin; "What have I offended thee? If I had been thy worst enemy, thou couldest not have done me a worse turn, nor taken a more effectual course to be avenged on me." Note, We ought to reckon that those do us the greatest unkindness in the world, that any ways tempt or expose us to sin, though they may pretend friendship, and offer that which is grateful enough to the corrupt nature. (5.) He challenges him to assign a cause for his suspecting them as a dangerous people for an honest man to live among, v. 10, "What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? What reason hadst thou to think that if we had known her to be thy wife, thou wouldest have been exposed to any danger by it?" Note, A suspicion of our goodness is justly reckoned a greater affront than a slight upon our greatness.
2. The poor excuse that Abraham made for himself.
(1.) He pleaded the bad opinion he had of the place, v. 11. He thought within himself, (though he could not give any good reason for his thinking so,) "Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and then they will slay me." [1.] Little good is to be expected there, where no fear of God is: see Ps. 36. 1. [2.] There are many places and persons, that have more of the fear of God in them, than we think they have: perhaps they are not called by our dividing name, they do not wear our badges, they do not tie themselves to that which we have an opinion of; and therefore we conclude they have not the fear of God in their hearts, which is very injurious both to Christ and christians, and makes us obnoxious to God's judgment, Matt. 7. 1. [3.] Uncharitableness and censoriousness are sins that are the cause of many other sins. When men have once persuaded themselves concerning such and such, that they have not the fear of God, they think that will justify them in the most unjust and unchristian practices toward them. Men would not do ill, if they did not first think ill.
(2.) He excused it from the guilt of a downright lie, by making it out, that, in a sense, she was his sister, v. 12. Some think she was own sister to Lot, who is called his brother Lot, ch. 14. 16, though he was his nephew; so Sarah is called his sister. But they to whom he said, She is my sister, understood that she was so his sister, as not to be capable of being his wife; so that it was an equivocation, with an intent to deceive.
(3.) He clears himself from the imputation of an affront designed to Abimelech in it, by alleging that it had been his practice before, according to an agreement between him and his wife, when they first became sojourners, v. 13, "When God caused me to wander from my father's house, then we settled this matter." Note, [1.] God is to be acknowledged in all our wanderings. [2.] Those that travel abrond, and converse much with strangers, as they have need of the wisdom of the serpent, so it is requisite that that wisdom be ever tempered with the innocence of the dove. It may, for aught I know, be suggested, that God denied to Abraham and Sarah the blessing of children so long, to punish them for this sinful compact which they had made, to deny one another; if they will not own their marriage, why should God own it? But we may suppose that, after this reproof which Abimelech gave them, they agreed never to do so again, and then presently we read, ch. 21. 1, 2, that Sarah conceived.
14. And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and men servants, and women servants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15. And Abimelech said. Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16. And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. 17. So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid servants; and they bare children. 18. For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
Here is,
1. The kindness of a prince, which Abimelech showed to Abraham. See how unjust Abraham's jealousies were; he fancied that if they knew that Sarah was his wife, they would kill him; but, instead of that, when they did know, they were kind to him, frightened at least to be so, by the divine rebukes they were under. (1.) He gives him his royal licence to dwell where he pleased in his country; courting his stay, because he saw that God was with him, v. 15. (2.) He gives him his royal gifts, v. 14, sheep and oxen, and v. 16, a thousand pieces of silver. This he gave when he restored Sarah, either, [1.] By way of satisfaction for the wrong he had offered to do, in taking her to his house; when the Philistines restored the Ark, being plagued for detaining it, they sent a present with it. The law appointed, that when restitution was made, something should be added to it, Lev. 6. 5. Or, [2.] To engage Abraham's prayers for him; not as if prayers should be bought and sold; but these, whose spiritual things we reap of, we should endeavour to be kind to, 1 Cor. 9. 11. Note, It is our wisdom to get and keep an interest with those that have an interest in heaven; and to make those our friends, who are the friends of God. (3.) He gives to Sarah good instruction, tells her that her husband (her brother, he calls him, to upbraid her with calling him so) must be to her for a covering of the eyes, that is, she must look at no other, nor desire to be looked at by any other. Note, Yokefellows must be to each other for a covering of the eyes. The marriage-covenant is a covenant with the eyes, like Job's, ch. 31. 1.
2. The kindness of a prophet, which Abraham showed to Abimelech; he prayed for him, v. 17, 18. This honour God would put upon Abraham, that though Abimelech had restored Sarah, yet the judgment he was under should be removed upon the prayer of Abraham, and not before. Thus God healed Miriam, when Moses, whom she had most affronted, prayed for her, Numb. 12. 13, and was reconciled to Job's friends, when Job, whom they had grieved, prayed for them, (Job 44. 8..10.) and so did, as it were, give it under his hand, that he was reconciled to them. Note, The prayers of good men may he a kindness to great men, and ought to be valued.
CHAP. XXI.
In this chapter, we have, I. Isaac, the child of promise, born into Abraham's family, v. 1..8. II. Ishmael, the
