Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 40
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IMMERSE
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BEGINNINGS
20:9–21:12
terrified. Then Abimelech called for Abraham. “What have you done to
us?” he demanded. “What crime have I committed that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? No
one should ever do what you have done! Whatever possessed you to do
such a thing?”
Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘This is a godless place. They will want
my wife and will kill me to get her.’ And she really is my sister, for we both
have the same father, but different mothers. And I married her. When God
called me to leave my father’s home and to travel from place to place, I
told her, ‘Do me a favor. Wherever we go, tell the people that I am your
brother.’”
Then Abimelech took some of his sheep and goats, cattle, and male and
female servants, and he presented them to Abraham. He also returned his
wife, Sarah, to him. Then Abimelech said, “Look over my land and choose
any place where you would like to live.” And he said to Sarah, “Look, I
am giving your ‘brother’ 1,000 pieces of silver in the presence of all these
witnesses. This is to compensate you for any wrong I may have done to
you. This will settle any claim against me, and your reputation is cleared.”
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife,
and his female servants, so they could have children. For the Lord had
caused all the women to be infertile because of what happened with Abraham’s wife, Sarah.
The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised.
She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old
age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham
named their son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac
was born.
And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about
this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah
would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!”
When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a
huge feast to celebrate the occasion. But Sarah saw I shmael—the son of
Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac.
So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman
and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac.
I won’t have it!”
This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. But
God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do
