At the beginning of Genesis chapter twenty, Abraham and Sarah went on a journey to the south country between Kadesh (located in the desert of Zin, somewhere along the border of Edom and Israel, southwest of the Dead Sea) and Shur ( a place just without the eastern boundary of Egypt). They made a brief visit to Gerar.
When Abraham and Sarah settled a bit in that country, they met Abimelech, the King of Gerar. Abraham told the king that Sarah was his sister. Why would he say that to the Abimelech? During all that traveling to a place of unfamiliar territory, would this cause Abraham to be conscious of Sarah? Did Abraham feel a bit of anxiety as he entered Gerar? Why did he not trust God or ask Him to lead the way or direct his path?
The situation that Abraham and Sarah encountered could happen to anyone. If we sense the possibility of being in an awkward position that we feel would not weigh in our favor, it would be automatic to default to humanistic deception. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was a beautiful woman who made Abraham resort to carnal ways of handling the situation instead of relying on God. Perhaps the fear of jealousy from of king made Abraham inconsiderate to ask God for help.
This flesh of ours will tend to get in the way of our relationship with God and prompt us as believers to make decisions and ignore the spiritual being within us. The war of the flesh versus the spirit is real. The choice between true and false, right and wrong, good and bad, is the reality of life. Whatever direction we choose will either benefit us or not will resonate. The result is we will have to live through those choices.
Abraham’s faith failed, and he jeopardized God’s plan for Sarah. God intervened to preserve Sarah’s participation in the history of redemption as a mother. God, in His grace, will deliver His faithful children from situations that are a result of their failure in faith and obedience.