Genesis 26
I remember a story about a young woman hosting the family for Easter dinner. She cut the end off of the ham, put it in the pan to cook and filled the rest of the pan with vegetables. . When her mother arrived the young woman asked mom why it was necessary to cut off the end of the ham to cook it. Mom didn't know. When grandma showed up, they asked the same question and expected an incredible answer about flavor preservation or faster cooking or something. Instead, the answer was simply that they never had a pan big enough so they had to cut the ham to make it fit!!
I do things all the time that I have no reason to do; except that my father did them too. In this passage Isaac is settling in to the city of Gerah. While there the men of that placed asked about Rebekah. Isaac was afraid that the men would kill him to get to her (sound familiar?) because of her beauty. So, Isaac claimed her as her sister. It is the exact same thing that his father did. Twice. With his father though, his wife was taken into another mans bed and disease riddled the kingdom because of it. Both times happened before Isaac was even borne, yet he repeats the behavior.
Why can't we learn? Why are we shown that certain methods simply don't work but we still try to employ them? Why can we not just trust Him completely? Isaac was afraid that he would be killed but that was a ridiculous fear. In Psalms, God tells us that we can seek refuge in Him. To not worry about what might happen because the greatest protector in the universe is on your side. Can't we trust that?
This also reveals an interesting point about the devil and generations. How does Isaac just by chance use the same reasoning to claim that his wife is his sister? Satan knows our weaknesses and happily exploits them. Frequently, the sins and weaknesses of the father become the sins and weaknesses of the son especially when they have not been 'dealt' with. What weakness in your parents have not been dealt with? Does Satan continually push those same buttons? What undealt with things will you needlessly pass down?
I do things all the time that I have no reason to do; except that my father did them too. In this passage Isaac is settling in to the city of Gerah. While there the men of that placed asked about Rebekah. Isaac was afraid that the men would kill him to get to her (sound familiar?) because of her beauty. So, Isaac claimed her as her sister. It is the exact same thing that his father did. Twice. With his father though, his wife was taken into another mans bed and disease riddled the kingdom because of it. Both times happened before Isaac was even borne, yet he repeats the behavior.
Why can't we learn? Why are we shown that certain methods simply don't work but we still try to employ them? Why can we not just trust Him completely? Isaac was afraid that he would be killed but that was a ridiculous fear. In Psalms, God tells us that we can seek refuge in Him. To not worry about what might happen because the greatest protector in the universe is on your side. Can't we trust that?
This also reveals an interesting point about the devil and generations. How does Isaac just by chance use the same reasoning to claim that his wife is his sister? Satan knows our weaknesses and happily exploits them. Frequently, the sins and weaknesses of the father become the sins and weaknesses of the son especially when they have not been 'dealt' with. What weakness in your parents have not been dealt with? Does Satan continually push those same buttons? What undealt with things will you needlessly pass down?