Like Father ..... Like Son

In Genesis chapters 20 and 26 some very remarkable things take place.

Chapter 20 finds Abraham lying about his wife Sarah.

Telling Abimelech that she is not his wife but his sister.

And he did this mostly to protect HIMSELF.

Isaac was not born yet.  He did not hear his father tell this lie.

(Which in reality is a half truth....which makes it a half lie ? ? )  lol

Chapter 26 finds Isaac telling the same lie to a different Abimelech.

The same old sin of deception raises its ugly head....just like it did in his father's life.

Isaac put Rebekah's purity on the line....for ......  HIMSELF!

Both of these men had an ungodly ruler rebuke them for their deception.

That must have really hurt!

To think that these Abimelech's or ungodly rulers had higher standards

then these men whom God had spoken with....is hard to understand.

In God's soverignity, neither Sarah nor Rebecah was harmed.

That is a true blessing and encouragement to me.  

Our purity matters to Him.  He is pleased and honored by our purity.

Even though the 'protectors' in these women's lives made some horrible mistakes,

God's protection was there....guarding....keeping.....preserving!

I read a little commentary that was encouraging to me about these chapters.

Because, I too, am a sinner, and my children watch......and perhaps follow in my footsteps.

"Our children walk in our footsteps.  They must come to a personal relationship with the Savior,

 the LORD Jesus Christ.  Our children must begin at the point we did.  

Then they must be allowed to make mistakes as we did

 in order that they may come to a more mature faith 

and trust in the God who has called them.

We prefer that our kids not make the same mistakes we did. 

But Isaac did walk in a path nearly identical to that of his father. 

 Let 's be willing to allow our children to fail and to grow in the way God has purposed.  

Much as we would prefer it otherwise, our children cannot begin 

to relate to God on the level of our walk.  

They must start at the beginning.

  

We can best help our children by making certain that our footsteps 

are such that we would want our children to walk in them.  

If our children's lives are to mirror our own,

 what an awesome responsibility we have as parents to walk

 a path of obedience and submission to the will and ways of our God."

--B. Deffinbaugh

How are your "footsteps" today?