The Lord Knows The Integrity Of Your Heart

Abraham and Sarah were sojourning and in a foreign territory.  As they entered a new land, for the second time, Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, as his sister because he was afraid that he would be killed.  Also, again for the second time, Sarah is taken to live in the King’s home.  God came to King Abimelech in a dream revealing who Sarah was and let him know he was a dead man if he did not return her to Abraham.  Abimelech quickly defended himself to God saying he was innocent, and he believed Abraham to be telling the truth.  “Then God said to him in the dream, ‘Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her’” (Genesis 20:6).

As we read this story we are reminded of several things: our actions affect others, the Lord knows the integrity of our heart, and He will provide us a way out or keep us from sinning.  

Making decisions requires the understanding that all decisions have results or consequences.  Sometimes we only focus on the results in our lives but we need to understand that our decisions impact others as well.  Abraham was making a decision that he thought was best for him, but it could have had deadly consequences for Abimelech. He also placed his wife in a compromising situation. However, God personally came and gave instructions to Abimelech in a dream. Since Abimelech obeyed God, he was saved.  

King Abimelech was innocent and the Lord knew that.  He confirms that with Abimelech by reassuring him that He knows the integrity of his heart. We have to understand that in all things we do, all decisions made, the Lord knows the integrity of our heart in that time. How comforting to rest in that.

God assured King Abimelech that because He knew his heart, He kept him from sinning. If you are a Christian then you have the Holy Spirit in your life at all times guiding you and growing you to become more like Him. When I was growing up, I learned the phrase “mind the checks”. Over the years I have learned that the phrase means to hasten to and obey the loving guidance of the Holy Spirit in my life.  If I feel checked by the Spirit, I know the Lord is speaking about a decision or situation in my life.

This is where we truly make our decision whether or not to follow the Lord. As the Holy Spirit gives us guidance, we have the ability to say: “yes, I will follow you” or “no, I’d rather do it my way”. The more we say yes, the more we will hear Him and recognize His voice in our lives.  As we follow him, we can rest in the fact that He knows the integrity of our heart, and He will protect us. As we obey Him, we can rest in the assurance that His will is being done in our life. We can also be assured we are doing the right thing as our decisions impact others.

However, God is sovereign, and His will is going to be done regardless of our participation. Sarah would have been returned to Abraham either way because God had already made a promise to Abraham, and He had plans for Sarah. However, because Abimelech obeyed God, he lived. Sarah being returned to Abraham was not dependent on Abimelech’s obedience, but Abimelech’s own life was dependent on his obedience to God. God is always faithful, but He does require our obedience. Our obedience allows us to live in the fullest possible relationship with Him. The only way to navigate this life and our next steps is by the guiding help of the Holy Spirit, and thankfully, we serve a God who is so loving and faithful to us.

-Rebecca