The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Did Abraham Lie?

BUT...... Abraham married her and thus regardless of the familial relationship between them, Sarah was in fact Abraham's wife! The key to this whole matter is easily seen in the CONTEXT which totally discredits all those who reject the truth of the matter; Abraham LIED and so did Sarah who was Abraham's covenant-bound wife in order to deceive Abimelech and save his own life. Here is what GOD preserved for our instruction:

It would have been a gross sin for Abimelech to take Sarah since she was Abraham's wife. That she was his half sister doesn't even enter into the matter! All attempts to avoid what God's intent of including this event are futile, erroneous, an affront to the Spirit Who had this written down and those who do this miss the value the truth revealed about God could belong to them otherwise. God's sovereignty, providence and holiness are perspicuously displayed and man's sin, fear and lack of faith though also pitifully displayed are no stumbling block to God's eternal purpose to save a people for Himself in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is the definition of "lie"? Cambridge Dictionary says:

to say or write something that is not true in order to deceive someone:

Merriam-Webster says this:

: to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
: to create a false or misleading impression

In the application of saying something that isn't true, he did not lie as his statement was true albeit only half true; in the application of misleading or having intent to deceive, in this maybe, since he withheld information with an obvious intent to deceive; However, the question now is, does withholding information constitute a lie? It seems that the general understanding of a lie is to say something that is not true, and misleading or deception is generally considered a different sin entirely.

So did he lie in the traditional sense of saying something that was not true? No... Because he did tell a partial truth. But did he fear for his life and have little faith by withholding the whole truth? Yes! The truth is though, that if he would have said she was his wife, then God would have protected him anyway.!

So the issue here isn't that he lied, but that he had little faith by not sharing the whole truth. In this case, if there was a sin, it would be deception, not lieing..

"(2) If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, ... or hath deceived his neighbour;" {Lev 6:2 KJV}

So if it is not a lie to not tell the whole truth, then the question becomes, is it a sin to have little faith? The bible does not indicate this to be true. The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible does not explicitly label having little faith as a sin, nor does it label not sharing all the facts as a lie, but it does indicate that Jesus expressed disappointment in those with little faith, suggesting a lack of trust in God. Verses like Matthew 17:20 highlight that even a small amount of faith, like a mustard seed, can achieve great things. However in this specific situation, God did not express any disappointment with Abraham...

The term "little faith" is used by Jesus to describe a lack of trust or confidence in God. This phrase appears in several passages, including:

Matthew 6:30: Jesus addresses worry about basic needs, saying, "O ye of little faith."
Matthew 8:26: During a storm, He rebukes His disciples for their fear, stating, "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?"
Matthew 17:20: Jesus explains that their inability to perform miracles is due to "your unbelief" and refers to their "little faith."

Encouragement to Grow: The Bible suggest that Jesus encourages believers to strengthen their faith. He emphasizes that even a small amount of faith, like a mustard seed, can achieve great things, which in this case, even the little faith that Abraham had ended up with him obtaining great riches. It also allowed God to make a show of strength, and as someone earlier said, this was strategic as it was planned out before they even got to town which indicates wisdom and forsight.

And one final though to consider, the law as obtained by Moses had not been established yet at this time and although there were laws that appear to have been known by Abraham, God said in Gen 26

"(5) Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." {Gen 26:5 KJV}

So in summary, Abraham did not lie in the traditional sense, it may be considered deception but he was never punished for it which indicates that God was not angry with him about it, and finally God himself says that Abraham kept His laws...