**The Sojourn of Abraham in Gerar**

The sun hung low over the southern wilderness as Abraham journeyed with his household toward the land of the Negeb. The dust of the road clung to his sandals as he walked, his thoughts heavy with the uncertainties of dwelling in a foreign land. He had left the familiar plains of Mamre, where he had pitched his tents for many years, and now found himself drawing near to the city of Gerar, a place ruled by King Abimelech.

Sarah, his wife, walked beside him, her beauty veiled but still radiant despite the years. Though she was well advanced in age, the Lord had preserved her grace, and Abraham knew that the eyes of men still lingered upon her. A familiar fear crept into his heart—the same fear that had once driven him to Egypt, where he had called her his sister to spare his own life.

As they entered the borders of Gerar, Abraham turned to Sarah, his voice low but urgent. “My sister,” he said, “tell no one here that you are my wife. Say instead that we are brother and sister, so that they may treat me well for your sake and spare my life.”

Sarah’s eyes met his, and though a shadow of sorrow passed over her face, she nodded. She had walked this path before, trusting in Abraham’s judgment even when it grieved her.

### **The King’s Desire**

Word of the beautiful woman traveling with Abraham soon reached the palace. King Abimelech, a powerful ruler of the Philistines, sent for Sarah and took her into his household, believing her to be an unmarried sister. His intentions, though not yet wicked, were clear—he desired her as his wife.

But the Lord, who sees all things, would not allow this sin to go unchecked. That very night, as Abimelech lay upon his bed, the Almighty appeared to him in a dream, a presence so fearsome that the king trembled even in his sleep.

“Behold, you are a dead man,” the voice of God thundered, “for the woman you have taken is another man’s wife!”

Abimelech, though a heathen king, had not yet come near to Sarah. Startled, he cried out in his dream, “Lord, will You slay an innocent nation? Did not Abraham himself say, ‘She is my sister’? And did not Sarah also say, ‘He is my brother’? In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands, I have done this!”

The Lord answered him, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now, restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you and all who are yours will surely die.”

### **The King’s Rebuke**

At once, Abimelech awoke, his heart pounding. The dream had been no mere vision—it was a divine warning. Before the first light of dawn, he summoned his counselors and told them all that had happened. Fear spread among them, for they knew their king had unknowingly provoked the wrath of the God of Abraham.

Without delay, Abimelech sent for Abraham. When the patriarch stood before him, the king’s face was a storm of anger and dread.

“What have you done to us?” Abimelech demanded. “What sin have I committed against you, that you would bring such guilt upon my kingdom? You have done things to me that ought not to be done!”

Abraham, humbled yet resolute, answered, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife. Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. So when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

Abimelech’s anger cooled, for he saw that Abraham had acted out of fear rather than malice. Still, the offense was grave. The king took sheep, oxen, and servants, and gave them to Abraham, along with a thousand pieces of silver as a public vindication of Sarah’s honor.

“Behold, my land is before you,” Abimelech declared. “Dwell where it pleases you.” Then, turning to Sarah, he said, “See, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a covering of the eyes for you before all who are with you, and before all men you are vindicated.”

### **The Prayer of the Prophet**

Abraham, moved by the king’s repentance, lifted his voice in prayer to the Lord. He interceded for Abimelech, and God heard him. The curse was lifted, for the Lord had closed the wombs of the women in Abimelech’s household because of Sarah. But now, in answer to Abraham’s prayer, He opened them again, and life returned to the palace.

Thus, the mercy of God was revealed even among the Philistines, and Abraham dwelt in safety in the land of Gerar, his faith tested but his trust in the Almighty reaffirmed.

And so the Lord proved Himself once more as the protector of His chosen, the hearer of prayers, and the righteous judge of all the earth.