“You Shall Live” (Gen 20:1-7)

vs7, “Now therefore, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours”.

If we do what God has told us, we shall live. There is no unfaithfulness in God and no reason to doubt. He has never said, “Repent and believe the gospel”, and then not save someone who did it (Mark 1:15). We can have made a mess of things and have no power to fix what we've done, but if we believe on Christ, if we obey Him now, then we shall live. He has kept us from going too far, from dying in our sins, even as God said to Abimelech, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her” (Gen 19:6).

First, bless God that He restrains us from sins and keeps us from death. As evil as we've been, we haven't been judged and sent to hell, yet. As much as we've done against the Lord, He still says in mercy now, “Restore”, and “live” (vs7). But, we are not to take life and God's mercy for granted. We are not to REMAIN in rebellion against God. Now that we know His will, we must do it. “For Moses truly said to the fathers, The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you” (Acts 3:22). Just as Abimelech must honor Abraham, God has commanded us to honor the Son, the Prophet of God, and all who do not hear Him shall die.

Secondly, God spares us from death through the intercession of Another, even as Abraham must pray for Abimelech. We read, “he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live” (Gen 20:7). We come to Christ DEAD in sins, and we believe on Him to have reconciled us to God by blood. We believe that He paid the sin debt, and He lives to make intercession for us. We read, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25). So, we RELY on Him to do His work. Abraham must do the praying or Abimelech dies. Christ must make and maintain the peace by His blood, or we die. We are not fixing ourselves; we BELIEVE on Him to fix us, and thereby, we're fixed really.

Thirdly, when God saves us, He warns us and boxes us in. He says, “But if you do not restore, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours” (vs7). He reveals there is no way but faith, no way but love, and no way but being the husband, parent, and pastor that He commands. We can't be saved on our terms, and we will bow to His. “Therefore”, scripture says, “God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11). It isn't enough that we haven't done something or another; it is only enough that we repent, believe the gospel, and honor Him now. Don't plead ignorance (vs5). It isn't enough to merely want salvation; it is only enough if we do what He has said, so that God makes us obey His word, so that He can reward the obedience. He reconciles men in reality and not theory. He says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor 5:17). The soul who hated Him now loves Him. The sinner who trusted self not trusts Christ's grace. The person who thought, “I don't need God nor do I desire His ways”, comes to follow Him diligently by the fear of the Lord in the hope of life promised.

Lastly, be sure that you are saved by doing what He says, now. “So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid... Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him... So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife” (Gen 20:8, 14, 17-18). Do not wait another day. Do not say, “I'm saved, but I won't deal with issues in my life”. Do what He has said to EXPERIENCE your salvation maximally and to make your election sure.