#181 Brother and Husband

The Book of Genesis

Day 181

Ge 20:14 Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him.  15 And Abimelech said, "See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you."  16 Then to Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody." Thus she was rebuked.

We are so far removed from this culture and its practices that we have a very difficult time interpreting what is going on here.  There are many different takes on these passages from many different commentators.

These extravagant gifts could on one hand, simply be an expression of honoring a prophet of God, or an attempt at propitiation (appeasement) for the plague that had come upon Abimelech and his camp. 

Or it could be Abimelech’s way of saying, “No hard feelings Abraham for you bringing this curse upon us,”

Or it could all be connected with the restoration of Sarah’s dignity as the bride of Abraham.

Or it could be a mix of all of the above.

The King James version of verse 16 says, “And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

The use of the word “covering” ought to turn our thoughts to marriage and the husband’s responsibility toward his wife.  An ancient Hebraic wedding custom included a robe or shawl that a groom placed around the shoulders of his bride, signifying that she has come under his covenant covering of protection, and spiritual, physical, emotional, and material care.

Abimelech seems to be saying, “May this gift of 1000 pieces of silver serve as a wedding gift, and a reminder to you (Sarah) and all others, that while you may consider Abraham to be your brother, he is first and foremost your husband!  Stop pawning him off as your brother!” And thus Sarah was reproved (righted)

I like the brother/husband analogy the best, because in my mind it points to Jesus,  and that’s who we should be looking for on all the pages of the Bible.

Jesus is in fact our brother, but He is first and foremost our groom, our husband. The church (believers) are referred to as the “bride of Christ”. By faith, we put on the garment of Christ in baptism, and we, like Sarah, are covered and vindicated. Ga 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Let us then just take this simple lesson away from this account of Abraham, Abimelech, and Sarah. 

Don’t just pawn Jesus off as your brother,,,,He is your Lord!  He is to rule over you and I just as Adam was to rule over Eve, and as Abraham ruled over Sarah. Unlike Adam and Abraham’s imperfect rule, the rule of our Groom Jesus  always has protection in mind, and that’s the way the rule of Jesus plays out in our own lives. What a friend we have in Jesus…..but do not forget, He is first and foremost your Lord!

Pray: Father, these customs are so strange to us, but the love of Jesus should not be strange or foreign to us. Help us to think of Him as so much more than our brother, let us live our lives with an eye toward submission to Him and confident in His protective covering.