I’m deep into a study of Genesis right now, and not long ago I came across a verse that, if you read it, might make you rethink all you believe about free will. For that reason, I thought it was important to clarify it.

Background: Abraham and Sarah have journeyed to the realm of King Abimelech. As they did, Abraham told a half-truth (which is just as bad as a whole lie) by saying that Sarah was his sister. Why do this? Because he feared that the King might find her beautiful, desire her for his harem (that was a thing back then) and kill him in order to claim her. If she was just “his sister” then he could take her and there would be no need to kill Abraham. He pulled the same stunt in Egypt back in chapter 12 and it was a whole fiasco for everyone, but apparently he has not learned his lesson.

You might be wondering: “What was Abraham’s plan in the event that Sarah was taken and he was spared? How would he get his wife back and leave town?” To that, my answer is…

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, just as Abraham feared, the King found his wife beautiful (and, sidebar: Sarah, by this point, is VERY old, like almost a century, so good for her, right?), and took her for his own. Before anything could happen, however, God appeared to Abimelech in a dream, threatening to kill him for taking another man’s wife. In the course of their discussion, Abimelech basically says “I had no idea! Abraham said she was his sister!” He pleads ignorance. Let’s hear God’s response…

And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 

(Genesis 20:6)

The Lord makes two statements here, both of which were probably great reliefs for the King to hear, while also raising some interesting questions. First, God says that He knew Abimelech had integrity and didn’t suspect that Sarah was anything more than how Abraham had described her. That raises the question: Why does God threaten Abimelech with death if He knows he was acting out of ignorance?

The answer we must conclude: Ignorance of sin does not excuse sin. A principle taught throughout the Bible is that those who “sin willfully” receive sterner punishment than those who sin ignorantly, but that still implies that those who sin ignorantly receive some degree of punishment (Luke 12:47-48). Abimelech might not have known that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, but had he bedded her, he would have been punished all the same, in spite of his ignorance.

The second statement God makes is even more curious: The Lord tells Abimelech that He “withheld” him from sinning against the Lord. He clarifies that by saying “I did not allow (“suffered thee not”) you to touch her.” This certainly raises the question: Did God deprive Abimelech of his free will? Indeed, one could easily read this verse and think it completely unravels all we understand about God’s refusal (or even His inability, by His nature) to deprive us of our free will. After all, if this text says what some might argue it says—that God can stop us from sinning by forcing us not to sin—then that implies God causes us TO sin, because if He can stop us at all, He can stop us always, and if He doesn’t stop us always, then He is complicit.

It would be hard to argue with that logic.

Fortunately, that’s not at all what God is saying. In fact, the explanation behind this verse is so simple it’s no wonder that it has flown over the heads of many who argue that it’s repudiating the notion of free will. In short, God is basically saying: “I stopped you from sinning BY COMING TO YOU NOW IN THIS DREAM!”

What you’re reading—the vision of Abimelech and his conversation with God—is the way in which the Lord withheld the King from sinning against him. In other words, the whole reason God came to him and said “you’re a dead man” is because He knew Abimelech was ignorant of the sin he was about to perform.

It is in God’s nature to warn people about sin before they act, giving them space to do right instead of wrong (He also warns them again before He punishes them, giving them space to repent). In this case, He warned someone who was about to sin by coming to him in a vision. He “suffered” the King not to touch her by commanding him not to touch her. It’s not that God deprived him of the ability; it’s that God threatened him, scared him, and then made it clear that he did not have permission to do what he was planning on doing.

This verse doesn’t challenge our thinking about free will at all. On the contrary, it highlights one of the ways in which God leads us to do righteousness and avoid wickedness without forcing us against our will to do as He demands. How did God stop Abimelech? By warning him. In effect, God took on the role of a preacher, warning His blissfully ignorant audience about sin, about what IS sin, about sins they didn’t even know were sins, and about the dangers that come to those who do sin.

Ignorant people are still in danger of judgment. That’s why we warn them, to make them understand the danger they’re in, and to lead them into fixing things before it’s too late.

~Matthew