Honestly this Abraham story in Genesis is bizarre. Abraham appears to be hearing voices. Breaking this down
Abraham lies to people about his wife Sarah and tells others she is his sister. According to Genesis 20:12 she is his half-sister. Abraham was afraid people would kill him to get to his wife, so instead he lied, leading some, including King of Gerar, Abimelech to think it would be okay to go after Sarah for sex. Now, why would he not just up and tell people, hey, I married my sister instead of “this is my wife’ which would have solved the problem immediately? (Or maybe not, because it just might be that you weren’t supposed to marry your sister back then anyway) Because he was worried about his own skin and getting killed with his wife taken away because she was apparently pretty. (Incidentally, was the person who wrote this part of the Bible confused, because the same thing happened with Abraham’s son Isaac and with a king named (or titled) Abimelech) at Genesis 26:7. Revelation says all the liars will be thrown into the lake of fire-will this apply to Abraham and Isaac?
Genesis 20:1,2
And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. 2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
Abraham says that Sarah is his half sister, same father but different mothers.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is [a]a man’s wife.”
4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the [b]integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”
6 And God said to him in a dream, “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. 7 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.”
8 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. 9 And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I [c]offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” 10 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”
11 And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. 12 But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”
Note that this was before the 10 commandments, of which the following and a bunch of other laws were told to the Israelites by Moses. Deuteronomy 27
22 “Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
One imagines for those who believe in a god, that he (or she) did not change their mind but was consistent for Abraham AND for Moses. But this is not consistent. This would mean that Abraham was cursed if you believe god was against sleeping (having sex with) a sister. Abraham lied to people by omission because he was a coward. Was that okay? Since the Bible has this, is incest okay? At least in this country nowadays, except in two states, incest is against the law, although there are some *christians* who believe a woman who is impregnated through incest cannot get an abortion but must be forced to carry the child. Really disgusting people.
Family values here: Okay to be incestuous with your sister and okay to lie to others.
