You Cannot Trust People Who Do Not Trust God

Who would you trust more, Abraham, a godly man of faith who followed God, or a pagan king with a harem? That may sound easy and it is because the pagan king with a harem, a king called Abimelech, trusted Abraham and was betrayed by a lie. Abraham told Abimelech that Sarah was his sister and not his wife. Abimelech took Sarah into his harem and God could have killed him for it. What you have here is a reminder that the greatest failures for a believer in the Lord Jesus are faith failures, not ethical failures. In other words, someone says, “I don’t lie if I don’t need to.” I would hope not. People who lie when they don’t need to are psychotic. Most of the time when people lie or mistreat others it is because they feel the need to. They are not trusting God; they are relying on themselves.

The bottom line is that Abimelech trusted Abraham and Abraham did not trust God; so Abimelech should not have trusted Abraham. You cannot trust people who do not trust God. Abraham was a man of great faith. That is what defined him and why he is such an encouragement. I am encouraged, quite frankly, that even Abraham had lapses of faith. That means there is hope for me.

You cannot trust people who do not trust God. Why? First, it is because they are on their own. Verse 2 says, “And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.” So, people who don’t trust God are on their own. Abraham did not learn. He had done this same thing once before in Genesis 12.

Your feelings don’t learn. Sometimes we don’t remember what we should have learned when we are living by faith. Feelings don’t learn, but you and I should. Abraham didn’t teach when he should have taught because in Genesis 26 Isaac does the exact same thing with a king in Gerar. Where did Isaac get that? I don’t know if he knew the story of his father, but whether it was a direct or indirect connection, he learned something that should not have been taught. People who don’t trust God are on their own.

Second, people who don’t trust God don’t consider God. In verse 3 God basically says to Abimelech in a dream, “You are in trouble. You are a dead man because you have another man’s wife.” Abimelech replies, “Lord, wilt thou slay also the righteous nation?” This mirrors the words of Abraham when he said, “Are you going to judge the righteous with the wicked in Sodom? Abimelech says to God, “Said he not unto me, She is my sister?… In the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.”

What an amazing statement. He said, “I have a harem, but I will not take another man’s wife.” In all fairness, Abraham had two wives, Hagar as well as Sarah. So, this king may not have been a righteous man, but he was at least a man of integrity in the sense that he was living up to the standards he had set for himself.

Amazingly, in verse 6 God said to him in a dream, “Yea, I know that thou did this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet…if thou restore her not, know that thou shalt surely die…” Why does God say to Abimelech, “You have sinned against me”? Wasn’t this a sin against Abraham? No, the promise God had made to Abraham and Sarah for a son and a great nation was in jeopardy because Abraham lied and Abimelech took Abraham’s wife. Taking Sarah and lying was a sin against God because it was in contradiction to the promise God had made. People who are not trusting the promises in God’s Word do not consider God.

Third, people who do not trust God had a very narrow view. In verse 10 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?” In other words, “What were you thinking? What did you know that I didn’t know?” The answer is, “I wasn’t thinking. I was feeling.” Abraham responded, “Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place.” He was feeling not thinking. He said, “I thought,” but he was feeling fear.

Many times we say something like, “It sounded like a good idea at the time,” but the problem with having a good idea at the time is that it does not take into account the big picture. Of course, we don’t see the big picture. God had a promise that included all eternity, the Messiah that He would send, and Abraham had a little problem right now and figured he would solve it on his own. Such a person cannot be trusted at the moment.

Fourth, people who do not trust God are not honest with themselves. In verse 12 Abraham protests his innocence by saying, “Yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife,” as if that characterized their relationship. This was half of a truth and therefore a full lie. Calling his wife his sister undermined the relationship that defined them and undermined God’s promise. Abraham was not honest with himself.

In verse 13 he told his wife, “This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me,” and then instructs her to tell people she is his sister. That is kind? He wasn’t honest with himself. Kindness? Was it kind of Abraham when he nearly got Abimelech killed by lying to him? Sometimes we pit virtues one against another. Kindness and honesty are two classics. Someone says, “I didn’t tell them the truth because I wanted to be kind.” You are not being kind to them by lying to them. The best kindness you can show them, as hard as it may be, is to be honest.

Ultimately, a person who doesn’t trust God but who belongs to God lacks integrity. God responded to Abimelech by saying, “I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart.” How could God say that? Well, I’m sure there is a lot more here, but integrity is being one, whole, consistent, being one you and not several. Abimelech was being consistent with himself, his own ethic. He had a harem, but he didn’t take other men’s wives. That was a start.

We who belong to God lack integrity when we are not trusting God. Faith defines us, not perfection. There is a higher standard, so a greater sin. Which was a greater sin, Abimelech taking Abraham’s wife or Abraham lying about his wife?

Today, trust God and people who trust God. If you will trust God, then people will trust you. People say, “I wouldn’t lie or mistreat other people if I didn’t need to.” That is the whole point. The problem is not ethical; it is a faith problem. You cannot trust people who do not trust God. You can trust God because God sees the beginning from the end and is reliable, powerful, and good.