S) "6 So Isaac lived in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, 'She is my sister,' for he was afraid to say, 'my wife,' thinking, 'the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is beautiful.'"
Genesis 26:6-7 (NASB)
O) If this verse sounds familiar, it literally is. This is the exact same mistake that Isaac's father made, years earlier, twice! The part that's very interesting to me, though, is that the two times Abraham did it in the Bible, happened before Isaac was even born! So, we have one of two things going on, I think.
1. Abraham did it after Isaac's birth also, and it just wasn't recorded.
2. The rest of Abraham's marriage was a poor example and it indirectly shaped Isaac's viewpoint toward making the same exact mistake.
Between the two, I'd say the second is actually the more likely. There were other hints that Abraham wasn't the best husband, but possibly more important, is that the first two examples of Abraham's error were recorded, so why would any others be excluded? Also, it's not like we can't all find examples of the same things happening in relationships we all know, or even live ourselves.
A) My parents split when I was 10, so obviously my father left something to be desired as an example of a righteous husband. Having said that, my memories of him, specifically as a husband, are pretty vague at best. I have plenty of memories of him as a father, that shape my own goals of fatherhood (whether things I want to do, or want to avoid). But, in terms of how he behaved as a husband, I can't exactly say I learned from him, one way or the other. Having said that, early in my relationship with my wife, I already experienced some pretty terrible behavior in myself through other relationships that, as I had begun to learn, were exactly the same behaviors my dad had toward my mom! So, from almost the onset of my relationship with Kristin, even before we were engaged to be married, I had to have some moments of honesty and tell her how some of my tendencies were toward being a total jerk-face, and that she needed to call me out on it, as I would sometimes actually be oblivious to my own folly. Thankfully, despite her non-confrontational personality, she's also not one to let me be stupid. Even more thankfully, as I turned toward God, and submitted to His will for my life more fully and in every area of my life, He started to change my natural tendencies. Although I can sometimes revert back to idiocy, it is now my goal to give all 3 of my kids the best possible example of biblical marriage. I want them to pick up as few bad examples, even if they're subtle, as possible. It's not just for my sake, or Kristin's sake, that my marriage should be healthy. It's also for the sake of my kids.
1. Abraham did it after Isaac's birth also, and it just wasn't recorded.
2. The rest of Abraham's marriage was a poor example and it indirectly shaped Isaac's viewpoint toward making the same exact mistake.
Between the two, I'd say the second is actually the more likely. There were other hints that Abraham wasn't the best husband, but possibly more important, is that the first two examples of Abraham's error were recorded, so why would any others be excluded? Also, it's not like we can't all find examples of the same things happening in relationships we all know, or even live ourselves.
A) My parents split when I was 10, so obviously my father left something to be desired as an example of a righteous husband. Having said that, my memories of him, specifically as a husband, are pretty vague at best. I have plenty of memories of him as a father, that shape my own goals of fatherhood (whether things I want to do, or want to avoid). But, in terms of how he behaved as a husband, I can't exactly say I learned from him, one way or the other. Having said that, early in my relationship with my wife, I already experienced some pretty terrible behavior in myself through other relationships that, as I had begun to learn, were exactly the same behaviors my dad had toward my mom! So, from almost the onset of my relationship with Kristin, even before we were engaged to be married, I had to have some moments of honesty and tell her how some of my tendencies were toward being a total jerk-face, and that she needed to call me out on it, as I would sometimes actually be oblivious to my own folly. Thankfully, despite her non-confrontational personality, she's also not one to let me be stupid. Even more thankfully, as I turned toward God, and submitted to His will for my life more fully and in every area of my life, He started to change my natural tendencies. Although I can sometimes revert back to idiocy, it is now my goal to give all 3 of my kids the best possible example of biblical marriage. I want them to pick up as few bad examples, even if they're subtle, as possible. It's not just for my sake, or Kristin's sake, that my marriage should be healthy. It's also for the sake of my kids.
P) Father, thank You for all of the grace and mercy You have placed into my marriage. Please let it continue to grow as a healthy example of how You intend a marriage to be. Please let my kids see every example of righteous sacrifice, love, submission, leadership, grace, and mercy in our marriage. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.
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