Abraham got away with lying. At least it seems like he did. When he thought his life was in danger because Sarah was so beautiful. In the time and day he lived more powerful men could kill him to take her as a wife, he lied twice. He said, "She is my sister." That was a half truth. Disgusting in our day but not taboo then. He seems to get away with it and come out better off.
Isaac lied and seem to get away with it - same situation of being married to a beautiful relative, same situation of danger, same half truth. He seemed to walk away blessed too.
But after that, we begin to see the consequences of an unbroken generational sin. Isaac's son, Jacob, lies to him. He steals Esau's blessing, runs away from Esau's rage and the family breaks up because of the deception and betrayal. Esau and Jacob reconcile years later, but so much is lost never to be recovered.
Then Jacob's sons deceive him. They tell him they found Joseph's torn, bloodied coat of many colors. A wild animal must have eaten him, when in fact they had sold him into slavery. Again, by the grace of God the family is later reunited and reconciled but so much is lost of life.
What are the lessons here for us? You could say it was grace that God gave Abraham and Isaac in a time of danger when they lied and seem to not have to pay for it. Perhaps that would be so, but look at the power of that sin that took its toll on later generations. We can look and see how playing loose with the truth will always come back on you. You cannot escape a lie.
I know it was God's grace that reconciled Jacob and Esau. I know it was grace that led Joseph to forgive, save and reconcile with his brothers. We must be careful not to presume upon grace when we have messed up and then don't see immediate negative consequences. We need to recognize grace when we see any reconciliation in broken relationships and broken families. We need to see the power of an unbroken generational sin and the power of God to reconcile and redeem. It still happens in our day and in our lives.
For the journey...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
When reading about Abraham it is not the lies that I really think about, it is patience about what God is going to do for you in His time. Which is a lesson that is hard to learn, and happens many times in one's life.
The other part about Abraham that I think about is the result of our actions. We may do something wrong today that can hurt someone or a group of people and the consequences can last for generations. Isn't Ishmael the father of the groups of people who have been against the Jews for all these years?
Then again there is the positive to our actions. Examples are Maria who came to know Christ and is an example of what we can do as a church. Who knows what this impact will be in the future.
Post a Comment