Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:17-18

Through the Bible for Children

Download Lesson and Craft: Lesson#19 Abimelech’s Dream Genesis 20:1-18

After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham moved away from that area towards the south country. He set up his tents between Kedesh and Shur. Once again Abraham became afraid because of the beauty of his wife. For even at the age of eighty-nine, Sarah was a very beautiful woman. 

Abimelech the king of Gerar took Sarah for his wife, but God came to him in a dream at night and said, “Look man, you are just a dead man. The woman that you have taken is another man’s wife.”

Abraham told those people in the area that Sarah was his sister. He lied because he was afraid. And he was afraid because he forgot to trust God, who had promised to protect him and Sarah.

But Abimelech was innocent in the matter of Sarah, and he said, “Lord, will you kill a righteous nation? Did he not tell me that she is his sister? She herself even said, ‘He is my brother. 

God answered Abimelech in the dream, “I know that you are innocent. I have protected you from sinning. Now give the man back his wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you do not give her back, you will surely die.”

Abimelech got up early the next morning, and called all his servants. He told his servants all the things that God had told him in his dream. Then all the servants of Abimelech were very frightened.

Abimelech then called Abraham, “Because I thought, surely the fear of the Lord is not in this place, and they will kill me for my wife’s sake. And really, she is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not of my mother, and she became my wife. It happened when God caused me to wonder from my home, that I said to Sarah, ‘This is the kindness that you can show me, tell everyone that we meet that you are my sister.’”

After this Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and women servants, and gave them to Abraham. He also returned to Sarah to Abraham,

Abimelech said, “Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver as vindication and to show that I regard you both very highly.”

Then Abrahm prayed to the Lord for Abimelech, and his wife and his women servants bare children. For the Lord had not allowed Abimelech’s people to have children because Abimelech had taken Sarah.

Fear can be a terrible thing. It is really the opposite of trusting God. If we allow fear to control us it can cause us to sin as it did Abraham and Sarah. Because of their fear both Abraham and Sarah lied, causing innocent people to come under the judgment of God. A man of the world had to reprimand Abraham for his lack of trust and the danger it caused to him and his people. Let us all learn to trust God, instead of letting our fears cause us to sin so that we become a stumbling block in keeping them from seeing the truth about God.

PRINCIPLE: Fear is the opposite of trust in God. 

LEARN: Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:17-18