Integrity outside of religion.

Have you heard someone say something like this, “The people outside the church have better standards than those within it”?

If you have, you will understand this story of a king who didn’t fear God as Abraham did, yet had more integrity than the father of faith.

“Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. ⁹ Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.” ¹⁰ And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?” ¹¹ Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ ¹² Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. ¹³ And when God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’ ¹⁴ Then Abimelek brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. ¹⁵ And Abimelek said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.” ¹⁶ To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekelsof silver. This is to cover the offence against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.” ¹⁷ Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, ¹⁸ for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.” (Genesis 20 v 8-18)

The king who had no faith, in a kingdom that had no fear of God, had a conscience that the cowardly father of the faith didn’t have. Abraham had thrown his wife under the bus to save himself, bringing disaster upon another family. How did he justify doing this deception again? Only that he presumed the pagans had morals lower than his. In doing so, not only was he prejudiced against the people of the city, but he had also decided not to trust God for protection.

But he was wrong.

Are we ever guilty of the same charge as Abraham? Guilty of the half-truth. Sarah was his step-sister. This half-truth/half-lie was certainly misleading. The truth was that Sarah was his wife, and he had withheld the truth.

It reminds me of a Pastor overseas that I found had been blatantly lying. I confronted him, and he said, “I wasn’t lying, I was just withholding the truth.” It was technically accurate but totally misleading.

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God steps in, and the king doesn’t commit adultery with Sarah. He then responds with a generosity that, to say the least, is surprising and reveals that in all humans there is the capacity to tap into the image of God.

What does this strange story tell us?

• Religious identity doesn’t automatically prove moral superiority.
• Half-truths are lies.
• You can be a person of faith and yet, through fear, become a coward.