Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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20:4. Not such a nation as Sodom, which was indeed justly destroyed, but a nation which, in this matter, was innocent.
5 Said he not unto me, she is my sister? And she, even she herself said,
He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
6 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. God gives a very full answer to what he had said.
1. He allows his plea, and admits that what he did he did in the integrity of his heart: Yea, I know it, Ge 20:6. Note, It is matter of comfort to those that are honest that God knows their honesty, and will acknowledge it, though perhaps men that are prejudiced against them either cannot be convinced of it or will not own that they are.
2. He lets him know that he was kept from proceeding in the sin merely by the good hand of God upon him: I withheld thee from sinning against me. Abimelech was hereby kept from doing wrong, Abraham from suffering wrong, and Sarah from both. Note,
(1.) There is a great deal of sin devised and designed that is never executed. As bad as things are in the world, they are not so bad as the devil and wicked men would have them.
(2.) It is God that restrains men from doing the ill they would do. It is not from him that there is sin, but it is from him that there is not more sin, either by his influence upon men's minds, checking their inclination to sin, or by his providence, taking away the opportunity to sin.
(3.) It is a great mercy to be hindered from committing sin; of this God must have the glory, whoever is the instrument, 1Sa 25:32, 33.