Like Father, Like Son

Like Father, Like Son

Genesis 26:7 – Later on, the men of that place asked about his wife, so he replied, “She’s my sister,” because he was afraid to call her “my wife.” He kept thinking,”..otherwise, the men around here will kill me on account of Rebekah, since she’s very beautiful.”

I have kids of my own and it is fascinating to watch them make some of the same decisions that I made when I was their age – along with the same mistakes. Isaac was following in the same footsteps of his father, Abraham, in thinking that his life would be spared if he referred to his wife as his sister.

In Isaac’s case, however, Rebekah was not even a half-sister as Sarah was to Abraham. Isaac and Rebekah were cousins and did not share a biological parent. Despite the fact that Isaac did the same thing his father did, God did the same thing too and protected Rebekah.

That is tremendous comfort to me. My Savior, Jesus, who has forgiven me of my sins has also offered forgiveness to my children for their sins and will renew his promises to them the same as He has done to me in His Word.

Read what God said to Isaac during a time of famine in Genesis 26:3 – Remain in this land, and I’ll be with and bless you by giving all these lands to you and to your descendants in fulfillment of my solemn promise that I made to your father Abraham. 4 – I’ll cause you to have as many descendants as the stars of the heavens, and I’ll certainly give all these lands to your descendants. Later on, through you descendants all the nations of the earth will bless one another.

Verse 5 – I’m going to do this because Abraham did what I told him to do. He kept my instructions, commands, statutes, and laws.”

Today, famines, along with pestilence and earthquakes are among the signs Jesus told us to pay attention to in looking forward to His return: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows – Matthew 24:7, 8.

Jesus will return and will fulfill the promises he made to Abraham and Isaac. Let this time of pandemic and unrest be an encouragement to all of us that it is during these hard times that God renews his promises to us, just like He did to Isaac and to Abraham. Let’s read them often and not be overwhelmed with fear.

Jesus says in Luke 21:26 – People will faint from fear and apprehension because of the things that are to come on the inhabited world, because the powers of heaven will be shaken. 27 – Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.

Verse 28 – “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is approaching.”

I may be like my father and my children may be like me and make similar decisions good and bad, but praise God Jesus is just like His Father and loves us just the same. Today, let’s lift up our heads out of our circumstances and fears as we look to Jesus for deliverance.