Weekly Sermons

Genesis 20

 

Tonight we will compare the two times that Abraham told a ruler, “Sarah is my sister.”

 

Chapter:                    Genesis 12                                       Genesis 20

 

Preceded by:           ______________ (12:10)             Destruction of Sodom (Ch. 19)

 

Movement:              From the South to Egypt (12:9) To the South, in Gerar (20:1)

 

“Problem:”               Sarah’s beauty 12:11, 14             Sarah’s ______________?

 

Age:                           65 (12:4)                                           ______ (17:17) 

 

Proposal:                  Say you’re my sister (12:13)       States “she’s my sister” (20:2)

 

Motive:                     Fear for life (12:12-13)                 Fear for life (20:11)

 

Ruler:                         _______________ (12:15)           Abimelech, King of Gerar (20:2)

 

Consequence:         Sarah taken to ‘Harem’ (12:15)  Sarah taken to ‘Harem’ (20:2)

                                   

Judgment:                LORD plagued Pharaoh (12:17)  Closed wombs, (20:18)

 

Abimelech has a dream at night: 20:3

 

You think God hates _____________________?  You bet He does! 

 

Consternation:        Pharaoh to Abraham (12:18)      Abimelech to God (20:4)

 

Result:                       Pharaoh sends away (12:19)       God says “good answer” (20:6)

 

God does work to ___________________ sin

 

20:11 is a reinforcement of the idea of ________________ law, like the words of Romans 1 – they knew what sin was even though they had never read a Bible.

 

Man’s sinful tendency includes trying to justify the unjustifiable

 

20:13 indicates that there may have been even __________ places this happened

 

Abimelech himself is very careful to vindicate Sarah 20:14-16

 

Sometimes pagans act more _________________ then God’s people

 

Our sin affects everything _________________ us (20:17-18)

 

Now let’s spend a few minutes addressing this question:

 

Could this be an event from earlier in Abraham & Sarah’s life?

 

Near Eastern history often has “oh yeahs” to it: “let me go __________ and tell you another thing that happened.”

 

Sarah may have been beyond normal childbearing years, but still stunningly beautiful – like Sophia Loren, or like some of __________! 

 

Sarah lived to 127 years old – the only women whose age at death is given!  23:1

 

The other best answer to this question is that the first time was more about her looks, and this second time was more about her _____________________.