Genesis 20:1-7 May the Lord Keep You

Quiet Time 4/1/10

Time Spent: 40 min

Main Idea: It is the LORD that keeps you from sin

What I Learned about God: God not only wants us to stay away from sin, He is the one who is keeping us from sin

Summary: Abraham, to protect his own hide, decides to lie about his relationship with Sarah as he ventures into the country of Negeb, where Abimelech is king. This is not the first time he lies about his marriage with Sarah as he does the same exact thing in Egypt (Gen. 12). Abimelech tries and takes Sarah for his harem but on that night, God comes to him in a vision, stating that he and his household shall perish if he sleeps with her. Abimelech is shocked at this and pleads ignorance in the situation that was brought upon through the lying teeth of Abraham. God responds by acknowledging Abimelech's innocence and goes on to state that it was God himself who had kept Abimelech from sinning against Him! It was God "keeping" Abimelech that caused him to not sin against Him.

Application: The Psalms are filled with the prayers of God's people for God to "keep" Him. The Jewish word for "keep" has connotations of keeping one from defeat, calamity in life. This is a major theological theme: that God has the grace to keep us from sinning. What this means for my life is to pray the prayers of the Psalms who asked God morning and night to "keep" them. I recognize that I am in a position which a blot on my record has a greater affect upon the people I minister to and my testimony as an ambassador for Jesus. Thus, I should always be sober minded, disciplining my body through prayer and Scripture but above all asking the Lord to keep me from sinning. What great news that it is the Lord that not only saves us but keeps us from falling. It is not in myself that I can overcome sin, but it is through the God that keeps me from sinning!

To apply this, I will ask God to "keep me" saved, faithful, disciplined, gracious, and loving EVERYDAY when I wake up.

"The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore"-Ps. 121:7-8