And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” (Gen 20,9)

Abimelech was clearly shaken. He was a king, and no one in his territory exceeded him, but he had just encountered the power of God Himself, before which he and his men were in fear. He summons Abraham and reproaches him for his conduct. How strange it is when a heathen king morally rebukes a man of God!

It is good to perceive how other people see us. It is good not to live a life that arouses disgust at our faith. But there is a balance to be struck. It probably happens to every follower of God from time to time that he is judged unfairly by those around him. When people feel that we are superior to them in certain things and we care about how our lives are perceived by those around us, they like to point out something in which we are not exactly perfect. But such criticism may not be fair, for it is often carried by the slogan "it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog...". Often we come to the conclusion that if we were to live up to all expectations and meet everyone's criticism, we would end up being unable to do anything at all, we would be completely paralyzed - if we behave this way, it bothers someone, if differently, it bothers someone else.

On the contrary, it's more often a trap to throw us into feelings of guilt and justification in front of people. When we fall into this, the criticism doesn't stop. Since it is working and fulfilling its purpose, it will continue. Therefore, it is wisest to draw our own conclusions about the matter and not fall into a state of inwardly reporting to men and not to God. If there is anything we need to change, let us confess and bring it to God, knowing that He alone is the judge of us, not men.

Abraham's present case is a little different, however, because we know for certain that the fault was on his side. Nevertheless, God remained at his side and ultimately vindicated him against Abimelech ("He will pray for you and you will live" Gen. 20:7), for he rather could not bear the pressure of the current situation (a sense of danger) than to have plunged into sin through his own initiative.

How good it is that God sees not only the act, but also the motives that led the person to it! For this reason, too, our judgment is never entirely just. The same act of two men may be judged differently by God. This is also why Scripture advises us to be very careful about our judgment of others.