Questionable Ethics
Genesis 20:9
Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “… how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.”
You’ve heard the old proverb, “those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it,” but I think our greater problem isn’t that we overlook the past but that we misinterpret it. Abraham has made a lot of spiritual progress since God’s initial call in Genesis 12, but it’s sad to see him resorting to the same, deceptive sleight-of-hand that failed against Pharaoh all those years ago. Maybe he looks back at that moral fiasco and interprets it as a success rather than a failure. Perhaps he’s forgotten the disgust in Pharaoh’s rebuke or the regret in Sarai’s eyes and he just remembers walking away from Egypt a wealthier man. After all, can something that ends in blessing really be all thatbad? Yes. Because God’s reputation is at stake. And it’s a shameful moment when pagan kings have more ethical backbones than prophets of God.
Christian, don’t measure your choices today by what they do for you. Measure your choices by what they say about Him.