Genesis 20 – What Were You Thinking?

Out of fear, Abraham lied to Abimelech. Even worse, he was willing to give his wife to the king to save his own neck! Miraculously, it all ‘worked out in the end.’ But I have to wonder what happened to the relationship between Abraham and Sarah. How did she feel about ‘protecting’ her husband’s life at the potential cost of her own integrity, not to mention being violated by another man?

In the story, it is Abimelech who asks the question to Abraham, “What were you thinking?” But I imagine there might have been another conversation after the drama, one in which Sarah asked Abraham the same thing, perhaps while smacking him on the head! (I concede I am looking at all of this through the lens of today’s morality and sexual politics/gender roles, etc. But isn’t that what we are supposed to do with scripture? We read the stories of God’s people, learn from their mistakes and try to apply the wisdom gained).

The wisdom gained is: do not act out of fear. If you are afraid that part of your funding or band program will be cut, don’t let the principal think it isn’t important to you, only to have him or her attacked by angry parents afterward. Instead, advocate for yourself and for the program you love and see if your principal will come through like Abimelech, who made all of the right calls once he was made to see the cost of believing Abraham’s lie.

If your principal is…unprincipled…then you may have to rely on a higher authority to fight on your behalf. Abraham had the Lord, who confronted the king without prompting from Abraham. You could talk to colleagues about who best to ask for help. But ask for that help out of love for the program and the students, not out of fear of your principal!

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