As a teenaged pastor I came upon a man in a ditch. The back wheels of his truck were spinning in the air. I gave him a ride home, but when he arrived, his wife was not there. His actions that night put him in prison. I went to visit him at the Beto unit in Palestine, Texas. He became a Christian and so did his wife. Later, one of our ladies who was listening on the "party line" telephone told me that a man had moved in with her. I drove to her trailer and confronted the man, demanding that he leave. I said, "Hell is populated with men who take other men's wives."
Abraham handed his wife to a stranger. It was looking bleak for the couple God had chosen to be the parents of a nation. "But God . . ." Two of the most powerful words in the Bible are, "But God . . ." We do all that we do and get into insurmountable trouble, "but God . . ." God speaks. He told Abimelek he was as good as dead for taking a married woman. Abimelek denied touching Sarah and said that Abraham told him she was his sister.
Apparently, God takes marriage seriously. I know our world makes light of commitments. I went to a wedding where both couples laughed their way through their vows. It was a joke to them. That is why I say in ceremonies I officiate, "In the presence of God and these witnesses, you are entering a covenant."
The adulterous man left the trailer, cursing, jumped in his car and sped away. Then I sat down with the young wife and urged her to be patient and wait for Roger's return from prison. By God's grace, Roger was released and came home. One Christmas weekend, our church loaded up presents for their two children and delivered them to their trailer. God is working for peace in our families. Bringing another person into the relationship is always the wrong plan. We may be afraid, like Abraham, or we may be tempted to do something wrong. "But God . . ."
