Genesis 20:8, 14 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid….And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
While Abimelech had Sarah in his harem, the Lord came to him in a dream and told him to restore Sarah to the man: ”You are a dead man. Restore the man his wife; he will pray for you and you will live, and if you don’t restore her you will surely die.” Abimelech responded to God’s word of judgment by not only returning Sarah, but he also gave Abraham gifts to make him wealthy; and he also gave him a thousand pieces of silver.
This incident reveals to us that God is faithful to His Covenant word of Promise: protection and blessing. God protected the mother of the promised Seed: God prevented Abimelech from touching Sarah. God blessed Abraham so that he could be a blessing to the nations: He kept him alive and made him rich. The Lord did this out of sheer grace, just because He promised. Abraham, in his unbelief, certainly didn’t deserve it. So our Lord makes and keeps His Promises to us on account of the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus Christ. Even when we waver in sin and unfaith, God is faithful.
The response of Abimelech’s servants was great fear (“sore afraid”). Fear is the proper believing response to God’s Word of judgment and mercy, or, Law and Gospel. ”Fearing God” means believing we are sinners deserving eternal death and believing the awe-inspiring love of God gracing us with eternal life. The Gospel gives the power to respond with fear and love, that is, to believe.