The story of Genesis 20 is very dear to me. It is a story that changes the easy assumptions of our side being good and the other bad. It makes me realize we should never allow stereotypes and biases rule our interaction with others.

Abraham lies

We already know the story from Genesis 12, where Abraham uses the same deception in Egypt, where they had to go because of a famine. You could say that they had no choice then, although Abraham did not object to receiving Pharao’s gifts. Still, God protects Sarah and she is returned to Abraham. In Genesis 20, however, there is no famine. We don’t know why they went to Gerar, but the story emphasizes their vulnerability: they stay as aliens (‘Ger’ in Hebrew) in Gerar (the city of aliens). They were strangers in a strange land. Aliens did not have rights like citizens did. Only if your tribe would we billing to take revenge you could feel protected, but Abraham and Sarah had left their homeland long ago. So you can imagine why they lied again. Telling the truth would not save Sarah, but only endanger Abraham’s life.

It is easy to see how the Philistines were particularly fearsome. They were Europeans with an excellent knowledge of seafaring, warfare and iron weapons, when most Semites were still using stone knives. After a failed attempt upon mighty Egypt, they had conquered and colonized the Gaza strip and ruled a mixed population of Philistines and Canaanites as kings, nobles and warriors. They worshiped both Canaanite and Philistine deities. Abimelech even uses a Canaanite title, meaning “my father-king.” They had brought with them the cultic practice of sacrificing puppies, burying them with their cut-off heads between the paws.

Some commentators note that it was not a lie to say that Sarah was Abraham’s sister, but I think that is beside the point. In Genesis 26, the story repeats itself with Isaac and Rebekah fleeing from famine to Gerar. They use the same deception, even though they are merely cousins. For me, the sadly familiar observation is that Abraham and Sarah deceive even themselves with a half-truth: they do not want to see themselves as liars, they want to keep up a semblance of righteousness. But they know from the previous episode that their deception endangers their hosts. Then it was the house of Pharao, now it is Abimelech’s. After some time, how much we can only guess, Abimelech finds out that none of the women in his household get pregnant. It seems his royal officers were anxious about it as well, for when he tells them about a dream, they are all afraid. The plague is such that Abimelech could not touch Sarah in a sexual way and that everybody was afraid they could die. Perhaps the men too had a disease.

God speaks to the Philistine king

Whatever the case may be, after some time it has become clear that there is perhaps a curse on his house and Abimelech is having a bad night. Then he receives a vision from God in which God reveals to him that Sarah is Abraham’s wife and that the disease is not to kill a righteous people but to protect Abimelech from sinning. This pagan idolater, if you allow me some stereotyping, this leader of a group of European colonizers who took Canaanite lands and would later terrorize the Israelites, this puppy-killer and dog-eater, is protected by God! God loves him and acknowledges his righteousness and that of his people. You may disagree, but don’t forget that even inmates in a maximum-security prison have an honour code. And taking another man’s wife is against Abimelech’s code, as is emphasized again in the story with Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 26. Abimelech had even asked Sarah personally about her relationship with Abraham! No, it really seems that God agrees with Abimelech, when the latter asks Abraham:

“What have you done to us?
How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom?
You have done things to me that should never be done.
… What was your reason for doing this?”

Abraham is at fault and he answers with a lame and rather offensive excuse:

“I said to myself,
‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’”

Abraham does not know the Philistines personally, except from hearsay. He does not trust them but fears them. And so he does not love them, but tries to outsmart them, endangering then in terms of moral guilt and divine retribution. Yet even as they fall ill, to the point of fearing death, he does not intervene. God himself must go to Abimelech. Our righteous father Abraham does not trust God or his fellow-man but seeks refuge in deception and even makes that a rule between him and Sarah.

But God not only protects Abimelech. He also protects Abraham from Abimelech’s wrath. In his revelation to the king, God said that Abraham is a prophet and should pray for the inflicted. Then there would be healing. Can you see how both men were humbled by God to reverse the vicious circle of ignorance, distrust and paranoid behaviour? God wanted them to see the other for who that person is, to develop trust and to learn to cooperate. Abraham too has a special gift, and God uses Abimelech to remind him of it: the power of prayer. Abraham prays, and the Philistine queen and the women in the palace can conceive again. But this prayer does not only heal the sick, it even restores the relationship between Abimelech and Abraham.

But Abraham still has a task as a prophet of God

True faith is not about being a Philistine, a Canaanite, or even Abraham himself. It is not about belonging to one of the Abrahamic religions like Judaism, Christianity or Islam. It is about discerning God’s voice and acting upon it. It is about getting to know each other in the hope of discovering grace and beauty, about building up faith in one another, so we can learn how to serve each other with mutual respect. It is all about love. It is about hope for everyone.

That does not mean we have to forget or water down our own religious tradition. Abraham is a prophet, Achimelek is told. That gives Abraham a specific responsibility and role. He is to share the healing power of his prayer. Likewise, I believe, the children of Abraham have a special responsibility to share from their traditions. Not that any one of us is better than the Philistines. Not that God does not reveal himself to the Philistines. No, it is about sharing what we have received, despite our ignorance, fear and deceit.

Religions are powerful combinations of interactions, narratives, and practices that produce meaning. Some combinations have an extraordinary capacity for healing and uniting people. Jesus taught his friends to love and not to judge, so that they could form dedicated and healing communities. For a conflicted Paul, who had become a radical zealot for the Law, it changed everything. He broke down and found refuge among the very followers of Jesus he had despised and persecuted. Among them, he discovered the saving power of faith, hope and love, - provided that love takes priority.

The story of Sarah, Abraham and Abimelech invites us to share the riches of our tradition with others, and to learn from others at the same time. For God moves in mysterious ways among all of us.

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Left: captive Philistine warriors from a wall relief at Medinet Habu, Egypt, 1185-1152 BC. Right: an artist’s rendering of a Philistine warrior. Image: John Shumate.

Suggestions for dialogue

A moderator can explain the dialogue steps and invite people to contribute:

• Check in with yourself. Share with each other how you are in this moment. Then take a moment again to seek stillness, humility and openness. 
• First round: Share something from the text or image(s) that stood out to you and that you would like to explore with the group, briefly indicating the thoughts and feelings that it evoked within you. Listen to the others do the same: what resonates with you? Responses in this round should be limited to questions for clarification.
• Second round: Name one or two things that resonated with you from the things that others just shared. 
• Third round: Having heard the group, the moderator names the main topics for exploration. The moderator may also propose a common thread that emerged in several topics. The exploration normally starts with asking the person(s) who brought up the topic to expand on it.
• Leave room for silence and contemplation. 
• Check out by sharing what you take home from this dialogue.

These suggestions are an adaptation of the Estuary protocol. Look for more at https://www.estuaryhub.com