Genesis 12:13

“Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.”

     Abraham was a very righteous man. He is considered the father of faith to both Jews and Christians. Yet despite his deep faith, Abraham was far from perfect. In fact he made the same mistake twice. Abraham lied to the rulers of countries that he was visiting about Sarah, his wife. He told her to claim that he was her sister. He feared for his life that the kings would just take Sarah as their wife by killing him.

     His fear was well founded. Granted he should trust the Lord, but it was not above kings to do this at that time (or in times since). Look at David, the man after God’s on heart, and his behavior toward Bathsheba and you could relate to the fear that Abraham felt when confronted with this ungodly kings. You can understand why he would be tempted to tell them that she was his sister, because death is never a pleasant prospect.

     You can also almost see the wheels turning in Abraham’s head. He tells Sarah to say that their relationship is brother and sister because this was partially true. It was not an outright lie, but just an omission of some very important details. Yet God was still displeased with this lie. At times, people today do the same thing. They tell a little white lie to avoid unpleasant consequences, and rationalize it to themselves on both accounts. We should all remember that God expects total honesty from His followers, and he will punish those who lie.

“Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.”