20:1Avraham
journeyed from there toward the land of the South, and lived between Kadesh and
Shur. He sojourned in Gerar. 20:2Avraham
said about Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." Avimelekh king of
Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 20:3But
the Mighty One came to Avimelekh 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 a man's wife."
20:4Now
Avimelekh had not come near her. He said, "Sovereign, will you kill even a
righteous nation? 20:5Didn't he tell
me, 'She is my sister?' She, even she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the
integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands have I done this."
20:6The
Mighty One said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of
your heart you have done this, and I also withheld you from sinning against me.
Therefore I didn't allow you to touch her. 20:7Now
therefore, restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for
you, and you will live. If you don't restore her, know for sure that you
will die, you, and all who are yours.
20:8Avimelekh
rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these
things in their ear. The men were very scared. 20:9Then
Avimelekh called Avraham, and said to him, "What have you done to us? How
have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a
great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done!" 20:10Avimelekh said to Avraham, "What did
you see, that you have done this thing?"
20:11Avraham
said, "Because I thought, 'Surely the fear of the Mighty One is not in
this place. They will kill me for my wife's sake.' 20:12Moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my
father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 20:13It happened, when the Mighty One caused me
to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, 'This is your kindness
which you shall show to me. Everywhere that we go, say of me, "He is my
brother."'"
20:14Avimelekh
took sheep and oxen, men-servants and women-servants, and gave them to Avraham,
and restored Sarah, his wife to him. 20:15Avimelekh
said, "Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it pleases you." 20:16To Sarah he said, "Behold, I have
given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for you a
covering of the eyes to all that are with you. In front of all you are
vindicated."
20:17Avraham
prayed to the Mighty One. The Mighty One healed Avimelekh, and his wife, and
his maid-servants, and they bore children. 20:18For
Yahweh had closed up tight all the wombs of the house of Avimelekh, because of
Sarah, Avraham's wife.
Yahweh Requires His Prophets To Pray For Repentant
Sinners
20:7 and 20:17 appear to show that it was Yahweh's requirement that Avraham, a prophet, pray for Avimelekh and his household. It appears that it is Yahweh's requirement of his prophets that they pray for those who repent of their sins, that the repentant sinners may be forgiven their sins and healed of the consequences of their sins.
The Sin Of Adultery Is Committed Against Both Yahweh
And The Woman's Husband
20:6 shows that had Avimelekh had sexual intercourse with Sarah, he would have been sinning against Yahweh. Avraham, Sarah's husband, would not have been the only person that Avimelekh would have sinned against.
It therefore appears that when we sin we do so against Yahweh. And the sin of adultery is one committed not only against the woman's husband, but also against Yahweh.
Sin, Even Unwitting Sin, Must Be Atoned For
It is evident from the above passage that Avimelekh had sinned, even though unwittingly, in that he had taken someone else's wife to be his own wife. To atone for his unwitting sin he paid Avraham some compensatory property, including sheep, oxen, men-servants, women-servants, and a thousand pieces of silver. It therefore appears that when sin is committed, even unwittingly, it must be atoned for.
Repentance And Prayer Contribute To The Atoning For
Sin
Seeing that Avimelekh had sinned against both Yahweh and Avraham, he had to atone for his sin, offering compensatory property to those sinned against. With Avraham, a human being, he indeed gave various items of property. But with Yahweh, seeing that Yahweh owns all property, there was really no property that he could have given Yahweh for compensation. What Yahweh required of Avimelekh was that he repents of his sin - his unwitting sin, and be prayed for. The prayer to Yahweh would take the place of a compensatory offering. And by the prayer having been offered to Yahweh, Yahweh would set aside Avimelekh's sin, and the resultant consequences arising out of his sin.
Why Did Yahweh Require His Prophet To Pray For A
Repentant Sinner?
Why did Yahweh require Avraham, a prophet, to pray for Avimelekh? Why did not he require Avimelekh to pray for his own sin?
Is it the case that Yahweh hears the prayers of his prophets more than he does of those who are not prophets of his?
And if he does not hear the prayers of those who are not prophets of his to the degree that he hears his prophets' prayers, what is his reason for so hearing and not so hearing? Such that if the reason lies outside the position of prophet, then anyone meeting the appropriate qualification will indeed be heard by Yahweh when he or she prays to Yahweh. And if this is the case then it appears that in this instance Avraham met this qualification, while Avimelekh did not.
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