Contemplative Bible Reading

Genesis 26:9-10 (New Living Translation)

⁹ Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, “She is obviously your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

“Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me,” Isaac replied.

¹⁰ “How could you do this to us?” Abimelech exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin.”

Isaac told everyone that his wife was his sister. Abimelech discovers the lie and reacts in verse 10. Note the word that Abimelech uses: SIN.

This is before the Law, before the ten commandments. Abimelech is not part of the chosen line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet Abimelech knew what was right and what was wrong. And, somehow, Abimelech knew the concept of SIN – wrong against the creator God.

Now we come to my speculation part of the post. I believe that people today outside the Gospel also know what is right and what is wrong. I believe that they know the concept of sin – wrong against the creator God.

None of us has any excuse. All of us have the grace of God.