Bible Lesson: Intercessory Prayer:
Abraham Intercedes For Abimelech And His Family.
Bible Text:
Genesis 20:1-18 NLT (Abraham
Deceived Abimelech)
1 Abraham moved south to the Negev
and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur, and then he moved on
to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner,
2 Abraham introduced his wife,
Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar
sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace.
3 But that night God came to
Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are a dead man, for
that woman you have taken is already married!”
(Special
Note:
This is what Almighty God, thinks about adultery!
Exodus 20:14 KJV
7th
commandment “Thou
shalt not commit adultery. “)
4 But Abimelech had not slept with
her yet, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation?
5 Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She
is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘Yes, he is my brother.’ I
acted in complete innocence! My hands are clean.”
6 In the dream God responded, “Yes,
I know you are innocent. That’s why I kept you from sinning against
Me, and why I did not let you touch her.
7 Now return the woman to her
husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a
prophet. Then you will live. But if you don’t return her to
him, you can be sure that you and all your people will die.”
8 Abimelech got up early the next
morning and quickly called all his servants together. When he told
them what had happened, his men were terrified.
9 Then Abimelech called for Abraham.
“What have you done to us?” he demanded. “What crime have I
committed that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom
guilty of this great sin? No one should ever do what you have done!
10 Whatever possessed you to do such
a thing?”
11 Abraham replied, “I thought,
‘This is a godless place. They will want my wife and will kill me
to get her.’
12 And she really is my sister, for
we both have the same father, but different mothers. And I married
her.
13 When God called me to leave my
father’s home and to travel from place to place, I told her, ‘Do
me a favor. Wherever we go, tell the people that I am your brother.’”
14 Then Abimelech took some of his
sheep and goats, cattle, and male and female servants, and he
presented them to Abraham. He also returned his wife, Sarah, to him.
15 Then Abimelech said, “Look over
my land and choose any place where you would like to live.”
16 And he said to Sarah, “Look, I
am giving your ‘brother’ 1,000 pieces of silver in the presence
of all these witnesses. This is to compensate you for any wrong I may
have done to you. This will settle any claim against me, and your
reputation is cleared.”
17 Then Abraham prayed to God,
and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so
they could have children.
18 For The Lord had caused all
the women to be infertile because of what happened with Abraham’s
wife, Sarah.
Deja vu- didn't
this happen to Abraham some years before, yes!
In Genesis
12:10-20 KJV, some 25 years earlier, Abraham had gone through the
very same circumstances in Egypt, forced there due to famine. Even
though Sarah was 65 years old, Abraham feared for his life. Ladies,
what was her secret? Maybe it was the Mediterranean diet?
In Egypt, with the
Pharaoh, there wasn't any dream from The Lord....but....
Genesis 12:17
NLT
There are reasons
why we could put Abraham in judgment and reasons to put him in
clemency. We must remember that both times Abraham was in a foreign
land, and that he was at the mercy of an evil Pharaoh and King, but
this not our subject for today.
In Egypt the
problem solver was Pharaoh's words...
Genesis 12:19,20
NLT
"... Now then, here is your
wife. Take her and get out of here!”
20 Pharaoh ordered some of his men
to escort them, and he sent Abram out of the country, along with his
wife and all his possessions.
No dreams for
Pharaoh, or prayers given by Abraham.
In Gerar, King
Abimelech, was warned by The Lord, and Abraham prayed so that the
plague of infertility would be taken away from his house. The idea of
Abraham praying for King Abimelech, came from The Lord.
And Abraham
interceded...
Genesis 20:17,18
NLT
17 Then Abraham prayed to God,
and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so
they could have children.
18 For The Lord had caused
all the women to be infertile because of what happened with Abraham’s
wife, Sarah.
May we assume from
this story that The Lord, wants you and me to intercede for others?
Yes!
Who do you
intercede for?
If The Lord had a
record book of every prayer you ever prayed, what would it show?
(Unlocking The
Mysteries Of Prayer – Pastor's Reine's new eBook on Amazon.com)
God
Hears And Answers Our Prayers:
Psalm 27:14 KJV
Wait on The Lord: be of good
courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on The
Lord.
Psalm 130:5 KJV
I wait for The Lord, my soul doth
wait, and in His word do I hope.
Isaiah 40:31 KJV
But they that wait upon The Lord
shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Lamentations
3:25 KJV
25 The Lord is good unto them that
wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.
26 It is good that a man should both
hope and quietly wait for the salvation of The Lord.
Micah 7:7 KJV
Therefore I will look unto The Lord;
I will wait for The God Of my Salvation: my God will hear me.
Ephesians 6:18
KJV
Praying always with all prayer and
supplication in The Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints;
I Timothy 2:2
KJV
I exhort therefore, that, first of
all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be
made for all men;
