If you’re experiencing déjà vu, you’re not alone. Didn’t we just read a story about Abram passing off Sarai as his sister, as a strategy of self-protection? Scholars find in these repeated motifs a vestige of folklore that gets reworked along the way. And in the details that differ this time—Abimelech clearly doesn’t sleep with Sarah; Abraham didn’t really lie; etc.—we detect an editorial impulse to gussy up an otherwise eyebrow-raising story.
But there’s something more going on here, I think. For once again, Abraham finds himself as an alien, and once again, the story emphasizes a peaceable interaction with his host. Indeed, if we read closely enough, we’ll find that it’s
Abimelech, the “foreigner” from the biblical perspective, whose conduct is beyond reproach. Though Abraham has acted out of fear for his life, he discovers not only that those fears are unfounded, but also that Abimelech’s generosity far exceeds anything Abraham might have fathomed. With gifts of land and silver, Abimelech heaps grace upon the alien who has deceived—and endangered—him.
I wonder how often I’ve feared the “Abimelechs” in my life. I wonder how often my expectations for their behavior dictates my own. I wonder what it might look like, in my life, to expect the “other” not to threaten me but to welcome me.
I wonder. Do you?
- Have you ever experienced generosity when you expected antagonism? How did it affect you?
- Notice today the role that fear plays in your life. Notice the response it evokes in you. Notice where it comes from.
- What other details did you notice in today’s reading?
Prayer: Thank you for surrounding us, O God, with those we might not seek out. Thank you for using them to show us your open-hearted ways. Amen.
Breath Prayer: I kept you // from sinning.
