Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Now there was a famine in the land – besides the earlier famine of Abraham’s time – and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my decrees and my laws. So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.
– Genesis 26:1-7
Devotion
Isaac was truly part of God’s plan. His father, Abraham, modeled a great gift of faith in the one true God. Remember, God promised to create a great nation through him which would bless the world. This promise was passed on by Isaac to his twin sons.
Isaac had the patriarchal position in his family, but Rebekah seemed to have the power. It appears that Isaac found it easier to lie or compromise to avoid confrontations than to stand up to the truth. Isaac was clearly afraid that the men in Gerar would kill him so they could take his beautiful wife, Rebekah. Isaac lied by saying Rebekah was his sister. Where do you think he learned that trick? He may well have known that his father used the very same lie.
It is humbling to see how often are our actions are followed by those who are closest to us, especially our children. It is important that we, as parents, live rightly before God and set the proper example through His power.
The Big Question
Do you see patterns of generational sin in your family that seem almost impossible to overcome? How can we learn from these great patriarchal, yet flawed, people in the Bible that God is faithful, loves us and wants to bless us?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.