Sins of the Father
Sins of the Father: Learning from Abraham and Lot's Mistakes
God is far more patient than we'll ever understand, but He is also just. Sometimes we don't reap the consequences of our actions right away, but eventually our crops come in. The good news is that we can always pray for mercy and grace.
Two Fathers, Two Paths
In Genesis, we see two fathers who made poor choices that affected generations to come. Abraham, called by God to leave his homeland for the promised land, faced a famine and decided to go to Egypt without seeking God's guidance. During this detour, he and Sarah picked up a handmaid named Hagar.
Meanwhile, Lot, Abraham's nephew, made choices based on what looked good to his eyes rather than following God's direction. He "pitched his tent toward Sodom" - a city so wicked that God eventually destroyed it.
What Does the Bible Say About Generational Consequences?
Exodus 20:5 tells us that God visits "the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." When God says we "hate" Him, it doesn't mean we despise Him, but that we love Him less than we should.
Galatians 6:7 reminds us: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." This isn't just a principle - it's a spiritual law. When you put something in your life, whether wickedness or righteousness, you will reap accordingly.
How Did Lot's Poor Choices Affect His Family?
After fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot ended up living in a cave with his two daughters. His daughters, whose minds had been warped by the wicked culture of Sodom, devised a plan to get their father drunk and lie with him to preserve their family line. This resulted in the birth of Moab and Ben-Ammi, who became the fathers of the Moabites and Ammonites.
The sad reality is that Lot had been so worn down by the wickedness around him that he had "succumbed to the culture." His daughters' morality had been so distorted that their sinful plan made sense to them - it was all they knew.
How Does Satan Influence Our Cultural Conformity?
Satan is very effective at getting God's children to lay down their convictions and standards just to get along with society. He doesn't immediately tempt us with major sins - he eases us in gradually.
The more we compromise with culture, the more we eventually start to choose culture over Christ. What's particularly heartbreaking is that what we do in moderation, our children often do in abundance. The choices we make, even before having children, often play out in their lives.
What Can We Learn from Abraham's Mistake with Ishmael?
Abraham and Sarah grew impatient waiting for God's promised son. They decided to "help God out" by having Abraham father a child with Hagar, resulting in the birth of Ishmael. This wasn't God's plan - it was the product of impatience.
Years later, when Isaac (the son of promise) was born and growing up, Sarah demanded that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Surprisingly, God told Abraham to listen to Sarah, because "in Isaac shall thy seed be called."
This painful separation had far-reaching consequences. Ishmael, at 13 years old, was old enough to understand that his father was sending him away from the only home he'd ever known. Is it any wonder that the descendants of Ishmael are still in conflict with the descendants of Isaac today? This war in the Middle East will continue until the Prince of Peace ends it.
How Does This Story Relate to Our Spiritual Lives?
When we accept Christ as our Savior, our flesh (the old man) is like Ishmael. We've received the Son of Promise (Jesus), but our flesh still wants its own way. God wants us to abandon our old nature, to "cut it off" and have nothing to do with it.
From our fleshly perspective, this seems unfair. But from God's perspective, we were born in sin - we're not the promise of God, Jesus is. We don't deserve what Jesus does, nor can we do what Jesus did.
The amazing thing is that God promised to bless Ishmael simply because he was Abraham's son. Similarly, God will bless our flesh as long as it lives in subjection to His Son.
Why Do Christians Still Struggle with Sin?
After accepting Jesus as Savior, why do we still struggle with sin? Because our "Ishmael" (our flesh) wants what it feels it has a right to. This war inside us - fighting every day between right and wrong - continues because our flesh still wants everything it has always wanted.
But victory is still an option. Something inside us is still singing, "Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever," even in our darkest times.
How Can We Achieve Victory Over Sin?
Your "Ishmael" has to go. We're not supposed to be who we want to be or act how we want to act - we're supposed to be like Jesus. Our flesh must come into subjection to the Word and Spirit of God.
Romans 6:4 says, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." This means we walk in Christ and allow Christ to walk in us as our flesh comes in subjection to His Word and Spirit.
Life Application
There's nothing God loves more than to see us walking in victory. Just as parents delight in seeing their children accomplish something they've been teaching them, God gets great joy when we don't make as big a mess, when we get into His Word, and when we keep our focus on Him.
Ask yourself these questions this week:
The struggle is real because our flesh doesn't want to die. But through Christ, we can have victory. We must daily mortify the deeds of the flesh according to God's Word and allow God's Spirit to resurrect His Son in us, the Son of Promise. Only then can we experience the peace, joy, and love that come only from the Spirit.
God is far more patient than we'll ever understand, but He is also just. Sometimes we don't reap the consequences of our actions right away, but eventually our crops come in. The good news is that we can always pray for mercy and grace.
Two Fathers, Two Paths
In Genesis, we see two fathers who made poor choices that affected generations to come. Abraham, called by God to leave his homeland for the promised land, faced a famine and decided to go to Egypt without seeking God's guidance. During this detour, he and Sarah picked up a handmaid named Hagar.
Meanwhile, Lot, Abraham's nephew, made choices based on what looked good to his eyes rather than following God's direction. He "pitched his tent toward Sodom" - a city so wicked that God eventually destroyed it.
What Does the Bible Say About Generational Consequences?
Exodus 20:5 tells us that God visits "the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." When God says we "hate" Him, it doesn't mean we despise Him, but that we love Him less than we should.
Galatians 6:7 reminds us: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." This isn't just a principle - it's a spiritual law. When you put something in your life, whether wickedness or righteousness, you will reap accordingly.
How Did Lot's Poor Choices Affect His Family?
After fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot ended up living in a cave with his two daughters. His daughters, whose minds had been warped by the wicked culture of Sodom, devised a plan to get their father drunk and lie with him to preserve their family line. This resulted in the birth of Moab and Ben-Ammi, who became the fathers of the Moabites and Ammonites.
The sad reality is that Lot had been so worn down by the wickedness around him that he had "succumbed to the culture." His daughters' morality had been so distorted that their sinful plan made sense to them - it was all they knew.
How Does Satan Influence Our Cultural Conformity?
Satan is very effective at getting God's children to lay down their convictions and standards just to get along with society. He doesn't immediately tempt us with major sins - he eases us in gradually.
The more we compromise with culture, the more we eventually start to choose culture over Christ. What's particularly heartbreaking is that what we do in moderation, our children often do in abundance. The choices we make, even before having children, often play out in their lives.
What Can We Learn from Abraham's Mistake with Ishmael?
Abraham and Sarah grew impatient waiting for God's promised son. They decided to "help God out" by having Abraham father a child with Hagar, resulting in the birth of Ishmael. This wasn't God's plan - it was the product of impatience.
Years later, when Isaac (the son of promise) was born and growing up, Sarah demanded that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Surprisingly, God told Abraham to listen to Sarah, because "in Isaac shall thy seed be called."
This painful separation had far-reaching consequences. Ishmael, at 13 years old, was old enough to understand that his father was sending him away from the only home he'd ever known. Is it any wonder that the descendants of Ishmael are still in conflict with the descendants of Isaac today? This war in the Middle East will continue until the Prince of Peace ends it.
How Does This Story Relate to Our Spiritual Lives?
When we accept Christ as our Savior, our flesh (the old man) is like Ishmael. We've received the Son of Promise (Jesus), but our flesh still wants its own way. God wants us to abandon our old nature, to "cut it off" and have nothing to do with it.
From our fleshly perspective, this seems unfair. But from God's perspective, we were born in sin - we're not the promise of God, Jesus is. We don't deserve what Jesus does, nor can we do what Jesus did.
The amazing thing is that God promised to bless Ishmael simply because he was Abraham's son. Similarly, God will bless our flesh as long as it lives in subjection to His Son.
Why Do Christians Still Struggle with Sin?
After accepting Jesus as Savior, why do we still struggle with sin? Because our "Ishmael" (our flesh) wants what it feels it has a right to. This war inside us - fighting every day between right and wrong - continues because our flesh still wants everything it has always wanted.
But victory is still an option. Something inside us is still singing, "Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever," even in our darkest times.
How Can We Achieve Victory Over Sin?
Your "Ishmael" has to go. We're not supposed to be who we want to be or act how we want to act - we're supposed to be like Jesus. Our flesh must come into subjection to the Word and Spirit of God.
Romans 6:4 says, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." This means we walk in Christ and allow Christ to walk in us as our flesh comes in subjection to His Word and Spirit.
Life Application
There's nothing God loves more than to see us walking in victory. Just as parents delight in seeing their children accomplish something they've been teaching them, God gets great joy when we don't make as big a mess, when we get into His Word, and when we keep our focus on Him.
Ask yourself these questions this week:
- In what areas of my life am I allowing culture to wear down my convictions?
- What choices am I making today that could affect my children or future generations?
- Am I allowing my "Ishmael" (my flesh) to remain in control, or am I submitting to Christ daily?
- How can I practically "die to self" this week and allow God's Spirit to work through me?
The struggle is real because our flesh doesn't want to die. But through Christ, we can have victory. We must daily mortify the deeds of the flesh according to God's Word and allow God's Spirit to resurrect His Son in us, the Son of Promise. Only then can we experience the peace, joy, and love that come only from the Spirit.
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