Let’s go over the details of Abraham’s biographical profile.
Abraham had two brothers.
This was an unusually small family for this time.
One of Abraham’s brothers died and afterwards Abraham took his half-sister Sarah to be his wife.
Now I know what you’re thinking.
Didn’t God outlaw such marriage relationships between same-blood family members?
The only answer I have to that question is…
…at this time marriage between family members was not yet forbidden by God.
Onward.
Although, we’re not given the reasons why, Abraham’s father Terah one day decided to…
…suddenly gather up his family and leave behind the convenience and security of city life in UR and head out to the land of Canaan.
They picked up, travelled north and then went west for about 600 miles until they arrived at a town called Haran.
However, for some reason Terah decided to NOT continue on to his original destination.
Instead of moving on to Canaan located about 400 miles to the south, they decided to settle in Haran.
I can’t say for sure but I have a feeling by the time the family arrived in Haran, everyone was just plenty exhausted and road weary.
Think about it.
A 600-mile journey from Ur to Haran was no easy feat in those days.
I betcha as soon as the family arrived in the town of Haran, the creature comforts provided by city life seduced them and they ended up saying to themselves…
…”To heck with Canaan. Let’s just stay here”.
This is speculation of course but I think it makes good sense.
Onward.
Nobody really knows what Abraham’s occupation was but we’re told in Genesis that he had many flocks and herds.
Hence, he was quite wealthy.
One day when Abraham was out tending to his flock, the Lord suddenly revealed himself to him and…
…instructed Abraham to leave Haran.
But here’s the kicker.
He didn’t tell Abraham where he was going.
The Lord just told Abraham to leave behind everything he had known in his life up until that point in time.
This command was probably connected to Abraham’s by now very aged father and his surviving brother’s decision to stay put in Haran.
God was having none of that for Abraham and struck up a covenant with him…
…that would separate Abraham and his wife from his family forever.
The nature of the covenant God entered into with Abraham was what we would call a “unilateral” contract.
God told Abraham that if he would follow and trust Him, He would do the following three things for him:
He would give him a land of his own.
He would bring forth a great nation from his seed.
And that through him and his seed, the whole world would be blessed.
And thus right here began the salvation process for all of mankind.
Your only answer is, WHAT?
“The only answer I have to that question is…
…at this time marriage between family members was not yet forbidden by God.”
LOL.
Wow. Such insight!
How about some INDEPTH study?
Begin here:
1 John 3:4
sin is the transgression of the law.
Romans 3:20
the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 7:7
I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
Romans 5:13
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Romans 4:15
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Romans 4:8
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned
Genesis 26:5
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Romans 3:23…again, in case anyone missed it:
For all have sinned.
Abraham wasn’t SINLESS. Marrying your sister was STILL A SIN. He just didn’t KNOW IT. Remember, the tree in the garden had a title, which included the word KNOWLEDGE.
By the way, it doesn’t matter if she was half sister or not. The bible equates half sisters as sisters.
Leviticus 18:6
None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord.
Leviticus 18:9
The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy
mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their
nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
Leviticus 18:11
The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
Leviticus 20:17
And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s
daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a
wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he
hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
Deuteronomy 27:22
Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the
daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.
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And now, ABRAHAM, who obeyed God’s commandments, statutes, ordinances, and “TORAH”?
Genesis 20:12
And 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.
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And yet, God never informed Abraham of this grievous sin, but blessed brother and sister with a promised inbred son. According to the codified law, Abraham is cursed, because he did a wicked thing, and should be cut off from the sight of his people, and shall bear his iniquity…yet, he was NOT cursed at all, but BLESSED. God never told him about this sin, but gave brother/sister an inbred child instead.
And somehow we are to equate this with Genesis 26:5?
Genesis 26:5 (again, for those who missed it)
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
SIN WAS IN THE WORLD…
Romans 5:13
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
When was “UNTIL THE LAW”? Adam and Eve? Abraham? Or Moses?
Is sleeping with your sister the ONLY commandment under the law, but not in the days of Abraham?
Go back and study mine out, keeping in mind HOW MANY commandments that Abraham didn’t have, that the law of Moses has, besides the sexual concorse with sister Sarah.
Your statement falls short of explanation.
Ed Chapman