You’d think after all Abraham had seen — the promises, the rescue missions, the prayers answered — he’d be done struggling with fear. But in Genesis 20, we see something familiar: the same old sin coming back around.
Genesis 20:2 says,
“And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.”
Sound familiar? It’s almost the exact same thing Abraham did back in Egypt. He let fear take the wheel again. He lied about Sarah to protect himself, just like before. After all this time, after all this growth, Abraham still stumbled in the same spot.
That’s how sin works. Sometimes it doesn’t knock you down with something brand new — it tries to drag you back into an old habit, an old fear, or an old lie. Just because you’ve been walking with God for a while doesn’t mean you’ll never battle those things again.
Paul understood this battle. In Romans 7:24-25, he said,
“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord…”
Even the apostle Paul struggled. He knew what it was like to fight with the flesh — to want to do right and still fall short.
But here’s the good news: God didn’t give up on Abraham. He stepped in. He protected Sarah. He warned Abimelech. He showed mercy — again. That’s what grace looks like. Not that we never fail, but that God never walks away when we do.
Jesus is the difference-maker.
1 John 2:1 says,
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
When we mess up, we have a Savior who speaks for us. He doesn’t excuse sin, but He covers it. He convicts us, forgives us, and helps us grow stronger next time.
Abraham’s failure in Gerar doesn’t cancel his faith. It just reminds us that walking with God is a daily choice. And when those old sins try to creep back in, we don’t have to fight alone. We have a Helper who never gives up on us — even when we repeat the same mistakes.
