Bible in 90, Day 2: They're very good!

Day 2: Genesis 17-28

*image courtesy of duchesssa at www.sxc.hu 

Women.

I noticed in our passage for today (specifically chapters 20-21) that God has a keen interest in protecting women.  If you remember yesterday, and I hope you do, we saw that after each part of creation God declared everything good.  It wasn't until He had created Eve that He declared everything very good.

And I concur.

Men are supposed to watch over the women in their lives.  It is part of our duty as men to protect, provide for, and lead women, especially those in our own households.  And no, I'm not a chauvinist...

I'm biblical.

In part of our story today, our hero, Abraham, fails miserably at this task... twice.
In chapter 20, Abraham fears that he will be killed if people think he and Sarah are married.  He thinks that someone will want her so badly, they will kill him to get her.  Sarah must have been some woman!  Literally to die for!  So, he tells a half-truth (which equals a total lie!) that she is his sister.  Now, perhaps this was a justifiable, if cowardly, plan on Abraham's part.  Perhaps he would be treated well, maybe even have some gifts given to him to butter him up and get in good with "big brother Abraham" from men trying to get a shot with Sarah.  Maybe Abraham thought he could avoid being killed and pull some extra money down with this plan of his.  

Think again.

Instead, Abimelech takes Sarah, ostensibly to be a part of his harem or his wife.  Before anything immoral can go happen, God intervenes.  In doing so, He protects Abimelech, the blessed line of descendants (Abimelech could have later claimed the child of promise was his!), and the honor and purity of Sarah.  Notice in vv. 14-17 that Abimelech was even more honorable than Abraham in this whole mess!  He not only returns Sarah when he learns the truth, he even gives a large sum of money to Abraham and tells Sarah in front of everyone that she is completely vindicated.  Abimelech cares more in this situation about Sarah's honor than her own husband!

Well played Abe.

So what happens in the next chapter?  Abraham blows it again, this time with Hagar.  After Sarah's surrogate-mother plan backfires, she blames Abraham and despises Hagar.  As before, Hagar is sent away (with one noticeable difference: Abraham has God's instruction this time).  In the wilderness, as it was 13 years ago in chapter 16, God speaks to her and comforts her.  God provides water for her, cares for her son, and eventually makes him into a great nation.  

Women are precious in God's sight.  They should be precious in the sight of men as well.  It is not chauvinist to want to protect the women God puts in our lives, to want to be kind and gentle to them, to meet their needs.  

It is godly.  

It takes a godly man to love his wife the way Christ loves the church, to lay down his life and not only die but live for her, to put beauty and kindness in her life, to cherish and honor her, to listen to and encourage her, to lead her gently and attentively, to nurture her and watch her bloom.  It takes a godly man to view the young women around him as sisters, the older women as mothers with absolute purity, protecting her honor and dignity.  It takes a godly man to avoid any hint of immorality, to do nothing that would put a woman into a compromising situation or press their advantage.  

Women, be women of God.  Don't fall for the boys.  Wait for a man.

Men, be men of God.  Man up, fulfill your obligations, take care of those women already in your life - mothers, sisters, cousins, friends - and live up to the expectations of those godly women, because they are very good, and they deserve our very best.