Haven’t I read this somewhere before? That may be the question you asked yourself when reading Genesis 20. Actually you did read a very similar story in chapter 12. Early in his walk of faith Abraham resorts to lying to save his own skin. Now, having walked with the Lord for almost a quarter of a century, Abraham falls into the same sin of deception. Sadly though some sins evaporate quickly when we meet the Lord; others continue to rear their ugly head for years. You might rush to the Patriarch’s defense by asserting that he told half the truth (v. 12) but while it was a “half-truth” it was a whole lie! Let’s face it: Abraham was a liar and he produced a string of liars. God visits the sins of the fathers on the third and fourth generations (Ex. 20: 5) and so Isaac would repeat his father’s sin (26: 7 – 11) and Jacob’s name actually means something like “swindler.” Whatever parents do in moderation is often done in excess by their children!
Perhaps you are saying, “That’s fatalism!” You wonder can sin cycles can ever be broken. Indeed they can! You need read no further in your Bible than Genesis for proof. The first generation (Abraham), the second generation (Isaac) and the third generation (Jacob) were definitely deceivers as were some of Jacob’s children in the fourth generation (chap. 34) but Joseph also a member of that fourth generation was flawless. He was a man of absolute integrity on every front. God can and does break painful and perverse cycles in every family and set His people free. None of us need be bound to the past of held captive by our father’s sin. As long as we have a Heavenly Father Who loves us even when we sin we can grow to be more like Him than the earthly fathers who disappointed us with their deception or other sins.
Perhaps you have been living a lie, pretending to be a follower of Christ when in truth you have never genuinely been saved. Why not bow your head at the end of this first week of Bible readings and surrender your life to Christ? If you just asked the Lord to enter your life and save you don’t waste any time. Share your decision with God’s people in His church today!