September 21, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“To Sarah Abimelek said, ‘I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.’ Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah. (Genesis 20.16-18)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

God is sovereign over everyone, believers or not. Some may see the blessing and benefit of such sovereignty daily or at least in their lifetime. Others may not understand God’s sovereignty until the end of their lifetime when it can no longer be ignored. I might offer Abimelek as an example. He had heard of the demonstrations of Abraham’s faith in God. More importantly, he had heard of God’s demonstrations of faith in Abraham as well as the demonstrations of justice against those who refused the wise counsel of God leading them toward repentance and the spiritual transformation that brings new life. This would later be put into words as God issued the Ten Commandments as the “rules of righteousness” beginning, “I AM the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before Me.” God’s sovereignty is not intended to be dictatorial and manipulative. God can and does take control in order to protect and serve His people (those who put their faith in Him alone.) While Abimelek knew of Abraham’s God and feared the might of His power and justice, he still didn’t believe in God to the point of becoming a believer and follower. He was convinced that giving Abraham and Sarah a certain wealth and promise that it would please their God and save them from all transgressions. As we see in today’s scripture for reflection, this is what happened. Abimelek repented, though he was actually innocent of any wrongdoing as God pointed out. God prevented a terrible thing from happening to Sarah as well as to Abimelek and his family. Abimelek did provide compensation for “damages” to both Abraham and Sarah. I still wonder if Abraham believed this is the way it would be if he had made such a self-serving request of Sarah. Did Abraham believe that God would again protect her and bless him? If he did, that would be put to the test when God would require the ultimate sacrifice of Isaac.

What I see in this story as it comes to a close is that God demonstrated mercy on Abimelek because he saw what Abraham had done…a second time. The first was with Pharaoh when Abraham and his clan left the drought-striken Canaan and went down to Egypt. He commanded Sarah to again present herself as his sister so that Pharaoh in his desire for her beauty would show favor to Abraham. God had to intervene then on behalf of Sarah. He also had to intervene to teach Abraham the danger of treating Sarah and their relationship with such fear of loss and death instead of courage and faith. Now God did so again with Abimelek. Striking his who family with sickness was not a punishment but a protection. If he could not be intimate with his own wives, then he surely could not be intimate with Sarah. God’s intervention bore witness to Abimelek of His sovereignty even over the foreigner. God’s will of courtesy and brotherly love should be the measure by which all relationships are bound. That Abraham feared Abimelek more than he feared God showed that Abraham did not fully comprehend the power of faith. God’s intervention for Sarah’s sake was a mercy; for Abraham it was a lesson. That Abraham and Sarah received blessings of wealth and property from Abimelek was a bonus. It was not commanded by God and not expected by Him either. God was the sole and soul provider for everyone; especially Abraham and his family. Perhaps Abraham learned a lesson. He did intervene in prayer for Abimelek and his family. I would think he saw his part in the tragedy which required God’s intervention. Was it his way of repenting? Regardless of the motivation, God answered his prayer and restored Abimelek and his family for future generations to come.

Mighty ones of God, there is a lesson to be learned here about trusting in God’s promise to provide. Do you think that God is capricious or sovereign? Do you believe that God can and would break His promise to all of His people to effect justice as mercy and grace? God’s only intention is to honor and prosper His creation. That is because God is love. We need to act in accordance with the nature and character of love as God has made it known to us through the Law and through Grace.

TODAYS’ PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness endeavor, but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.