But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married." Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, "Lord, will You slay a nation, even though blameless? Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this." Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. Now therefore, restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours." (Genesis 20:3-7 NASB)
Abraham leaves his buddies in Hebron and moves south to the deserts of the Negev. There he settles by a place called Gerar. Archeologically speaking, Gerar is a problem. It's either in the wrong place, or the wrong time. That Isaac and Abraham both come here and meet Abimelech is also odd. But that doesn't bother me or teach me as much as the conversation God has with this king.
Abraham's explanation of why he lied starts with his belief that there was no fear of God in this place (v.11), and yet that God comes to Abimelech and that they have a conversation tells me otherwise. There are a few clues that indicate to me that Canaan had "pockets" of faithful followers of God. This is one of them. Melchizedek may have called Him El Elyon, but Abraham understood him to serve the same One he served. Later on, during the conquest, Shechem is never destroyed or faught againt, it's just included as if it was already part of the Tribes of Israel. Even later, when David takes Jerusalem (the same city of Melchizedek), this priest, Zadok makes his apperence for the first time, as if he was there all the time, and he shares the high-priest duties with Abiathar. He eventually takes over the role completely under Solomon.
I sometimes have to fight my religious prejudices. They surprise me, ambushing me while talking with people I consider unlikely brothers or sisters. Or rather, I discover them in those conversations, but they have unfortunately been there all along. I pre-judge people on apperance, or on speech, or on some other measurement, and my Master shows me that I am so wrong.
I like to think that I am fairly sensitive to spiritual discernment. I like to think that I am a fairly good judge of character. I like to think those things, but I sometimes need reminders that my "gift" of discernment or whatever judgment of character I have, I have from my Master. They are from Him, and I need to depend on Him for my understanding of them. I run into these "discoveries" of my mental limits when I am relying on my own wisdom and insight. When I rely on His wisdom and His insight, I may be surprised by what I find, but not by my own prejudices. Perhaps I will find a king in a pagan land who also knows and speaks with my Master; maybe a homeless person.
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