Abraham took his household to Gerar, where Abimelech was king.
To everyone who asked, he told them that Sarah was his sister, because she was beautiful, and he was afraid the men of the area would kill him to get to her otherwise.
Fear makes you do stupid things.
It was stupid, because it gave King Abimelech an open invitation to take her without fighting for her. And, take her, he did.
Abraham didn't know, when he got there, what kind of man Abimelech was. He could have been dangerous, for all he knew. So, once again, he took matters into his own hands and tried to fix something that wasn't broken before it was. He did something God didn't approve of because he thought it would protect them all. He told a half-truth in order to deceive the strangers.
Thankfully, Abimelech was God fearing enough to hear when God was speaking to him.
God told Abimelech, "If you touch her, you die."
Simple enough. And, scary enough that Abimelech pleaded for mercy. "I am innocent! I have done nothing wrong! He lied to me! How was I supposed to know the truth?"
God calmed him down and told him, "I understand that. That is why I have not allowed you to touch her yet. And, that is why you are still alive. But, if you don't give her back to him, I will kill you and all of your household. Abraham is my prophet. Give her back, and he will pray and you will live."
God had come to Abimelech in a dream with all of this. So, when he woke up the next morning, he called in all of his household and told them what he had dreamed, and they were very worried about it all.
Abimelech then called Abraham to him. He asked Abraham, "What have I ever done that made you so afraid that you couldn't be truthful toward me? Why do you fear me so badly that you would set me up for destruction when I have done NOTHING to harm you in any way, or your household?"
Abraham explained that he thought that the people before him were not god-fearing people, and that alone was cause for concern.
"And, besides, I didn't REALLY lie! She IS my half-sister!"
Abimelech paid Abraham with cattle, servants and gave Sarah back to him, and even gave him a thousand pieces of silver. He basically made him rich. Not only that, but he also gave Abraham permission to hang out in any part of his kingdom without being bothered or afraid. Abraham had his protection from there on out.
Abimelech probably felt like that if God thought enough of Abraham to protect him that way, he needed to make sure that God wasn't mad at him any longer, and that Abraham prayed for his forgiveness, even though he was acting in the integrity of his heart.
Besides, his whole family had been made barren and childless until this matter could be settled.
Abimelech had good reason to be angry with Abraham, and good reason to be afraid. Abraham's lie could have cost him his kingdom and his life, and any chance of having prodigy to inherit what was his!
So, when you tell a lie because YOU want to be protected, especially if you are a child of God, you need to think about the consequences your lie will have on others who are innocent.
God protected Abraham, and brought Abraham's mistake to light before any real harm could be done, but that didn't mean He excused it or condoned it. Abraham would now have to live with this attack on his own integrity for the rest of his life. Even today, we know Abraham as a liar who God used and loved.
If Fear can't make you lie, it will lie to you.
