Genesis 26:7 "And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon. "
"Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." That is true in world history, civilizations, and the Christian life. Famine shapes the faith and actions of many people in the book of Genesis. When you come to Genesis 26, it is almost like reading a copy of an earlier story. "And there was a famine in the land...." Do you remember what happened earlier? Abraham went to a foreign land and lied about his wife (twice!). (See Genesis 12 and 20.)
So what does Isaac do in this situation? "And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister...." What in the world?! How could Isaac fall into the same trap? This is almost like déjà vu!
It is a wise thing to learn from the mistakes of good people without following their mistakes. Good people make mistakes, but good people trust God and grow out of their mistakes. Only a fool would look at a great person and copy everything that person has done.
Today, you have a choice. You can let your past shape your faith or shame your future. Abraham was a great man of faith who grew from his mistakes. Isaac failed to learn the lesson in chapter 26, but he later grew out of his failure. Don't be a Christian who just makes mistakes; be a Christian who makes something of mistakes.
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