Women who Sin and the Men who Set'em Up
Posted by
Pastor Coon
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From the Pulpit
Hold on! Before you get mad at my title read a little more of this posting.
As I was reading in Genesis today I happened across the story of Abram & Saria's (aka Abraham & Sarah) escape form the famine into Egypt (Genesis 12). You know the story as they approach Egypt Abram tells Sarai that she is to tell anyone they meet that she is his sister not his wife, otherwise the Egyptians will kill him to take her. Further in today's selected passages I read the story of Hagar (aka Sarah's servant) and how Sarai told Abram to bear a child through Hagar with Sarai's permission and insistence (Genesis 16). As I pondered these passages and took notes [note - these are important elements of Bible study...reading the Word is really just a minimum. A Christian should not just read the Word even if you are doing it under some timeline, i.e. in a year, a half year, etc. A Christian is better served to take their time and really study the Word as the read (II Tim. 2:15). Don't fret, this does not have to be a tedious process or consume much more time than plain Bible reading.] as I try to do when I do my daily devotions/Bible study, I was amazed at the common factors in these stories and then a profound thought from the Holy Spirit hit me. Sarah's sin seems to coincide with Eve's sin. "Huh?" you may be asking yourself, "How did you connect those two thoughts and different stories?" Well....
Let's look at Eve in the garden hanging out with the man of her life, her sweetie, her boopsy, whatever... But there they are when suddenly the serpent that they knew and were familiar with [note - we gather from their lack of reaction to his presence or his ability to speak...which is another sermon altogether.] comes along and raises questions about what God said...or should I say what God told Adam. So Adam is there (Gen 3:6) to hear the conversation, to see his wife's reaction, and to taste of the fruit, yet he fails to warn her, to correct her misquote of what God said to him, or to take a stand for right, even if it meant losing his helpmate. I believe that Adam allowed Eve to be in compromising situation that caused her to question God, then willingly partook of the sin with her, and finally he blamed her for the whole thing. I feel this all came about from Adam's initial sin, I feel that Adam loved Eve so much and enjoyed her companionship so much that this caused him to add to God's commandment (Gen 2:16-17). There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with being more strict than God but if it causes you to sacrifice honesty for a "higher good" then you are wrong period. I believe that Eve thought that God did say not to touch the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge because that is what her loving, caring mate told her....you know the leader of the home, spiritual guide to the family. See Adam set her up for failure (i.e. to sin, to believe a lie) and then later blamed God for giving her to him. We also often overlook the fact that Adam was there "with her" and willingly took of the fruit from her and did eat. What does this have to do with Sarah?
Back to were we started...we see that in Genesis 12 that Abram wasn't told by God to flee the land and go to Egypt, but he did. And apparently there was a reputation of the Egyptians to kill men and take their wives, or at least Abram had that impression. So for the "greater good" Abram set his wife up for failure (i.e. to sin, to lie) and ended up hurting his family, their bond, and their testimony. A few chapters later, we see Sarah giving Abram her Egyptian handmaid...wait was she a 'product' from their trip down to Egypt (I might add, outside of God's will). If Hagar is a handmaid (slave) that they purchased/received while on their trip in Egypt then this sin of lying by Abraham and Sarah is just continually snow-balling out of control. Because as you read through this story about Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and their children, we see how things get ugly and people get mean-spirited all because of Abraham's lies and then is willingness to sin with his wife.
Adam should have stopped his wife from questioning God or at the very least not eaten of the fruit himself...but he failed and blamed. Abraham should not have given in to Sarah's disturbing wishes for a son by committing adultery with another woman, Abraham should have trusted in God to provide a son; he knew God was going to do it. If these men would have stood up and done what was right the first time think of the heartache that would have been avoided. Adam don't add to God's commandments! Adam warn your wife about sinning and questioning God! Adam don't willing go along and partake in the sin! Adam don't blame God or anyone else! Abraham don't run away; trust in God! Abraham don't ruin the bond between you and your wife by having her commit sin for a supposedly 'higher cause'! Abraham don't put yourself in a situation that you will come to regret later in life! Abraham don't willingly violate God's directions to make your wife happy!
Ok, so this wasn't probably what you thought it was going to be (or may be you did get it right...good for you!) but Christian men, sadly all of this applies to us more than we admit or realize. Our wife and children sin of their own free will but are we setting them up for failure? We need to stay strong in the Lord and develop this in our wife and children! We have no one to blame but ourselves and with a little bit of courage we could save ourselves a whole load of heartache. God give us good men, strong and mighty in the power of the Lord! God bless you!
As I was reading in Genesis today I happened across the story of Abram & Saria's (aka Abraham & Sarah) escape form the famine into Egypt (Genesis 12). You know the story as they approach Egypt Abram tells Sarai that she is to tell anyone they meet that she is his sister not his wife, otherwise the Egyptians will kill him to take her. Further in today's selected passages I read the story of Hagar (aka Sarah's servant) and how Sarai told Abram to bear a child through Hagar with Sarai's permission and insistence (Genesis 16). As I pondered these passages and took notes [note - these are important elements of Bible study...reading the Word is really just a minimum. A Christian should not just read the Word even if you are doing it under some timeline, i.e. in a year, a half year, etc. A Christian is better served to take their time and really study the Word as the read (II Tim. 2:15). Don't fret, this does not have to be a tedious process or consume much more time than plain Bible reading.] as I try to do when I do my daily devotions/Bible study, I was amazed at the common factors in these stories and then a profound thought from the Holy Spirit hit me. Sarah's sin seems to coincide with Eve's sin. "Huh?" you may be asking yourself, "How did you connect those two thoughts and different stories?" Well....
Let's look at Eve in the garden hanging out with the man of her life, her sweetie, her boopsy, whatever... But there they are when suddenly the serpent that they knew and were familiar with [note - we gather from their lack of reaction to his presence or his ability to speak...which is another sermon altogether.] comes along and raises questions about what God said...or should I say what God told Adam. So Adam is there (Gen 3:6) to hear the conversation, to see his wife's reaction, and to taste of the fruit, yet he fails to warn her, to correct her misquote of what God said to him, or to take a stand for right, even if it meant losing his helpmate. I believe that Adam allowed Eve to be in compromising situation that caused her to question God, then willingly partook of the sin with her, and finally he blamed her for the whole thing. I feel this all came about from Adam's initial sin, I feel that Adam loved Eve so much and enjoyed her companionship so much that this caused him to add to God's commandment (Gen 2:16-17). There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with being more strict than God but if it causes you to sacrifice honesty for a "higher good" then you are wrong period. I believe that Eve thought that God did say not to touch the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge because that is what her loving, caring mate told her....you know the leader of the home, spiritual guide to the family. See Adam set her up for failure (i.e. to sin, to believe a lie) and then later blamed God for giving her to him. We also often overlook the fact that Adam was there "with her" and willingly took of the fruit from her and did eat. What does this have to do with Sarah?
Back to were we started...we see that in Genesis 12 that Abram wasn't told by God to flee the land and go to Egypt, but he did. And apparently there was a reputation of the Egyptians to kill men and take their wives, or at least Abram had that impression. So for the "greater good" Abram set his wife up for failure (i.e. to sin, to lie) and ended up hurting his family, their bond, and their testimony. A few chapters later, we see Sarah giving Abram her Egyptian handmaid...wait was she a 'product' from their trip down to Egypt (I might add, outside of God's will). If Hagar is a handmaid (slave) that they purchased/received while on their trip in Egypt then this sin of lying by Abraham and Sarah is just continually snow-balling out of control. Because as you read through this story about Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and their children, we see how things get ugly and people get mean-spirited all because of Abraham's lies and then is willingness to sin with his wife.
Adam should have stopped his wife from questioning God or at the very least not eaten of the fruit himself...but he failed and blamed. Abraham should not have given in to Sarah's disturbing wishes for a son by committing adultery with another woman, Abraham should have trusted in God to provide a son; he knew God was going to do it. If these men would have stood up and done what was right the first time think of the heartache that would have been avoided. Adam don't add to God's commandments! Adam warn your wife about sinning and questioning God! Adam don't willing go along and partake in the sin! Adam don't blame God or anyone else! Abraham don't run away; trust in God! Abraham don't ruin the bond between you and your wife by having her commit sin for a supposedly 'higher cause'! Abraham don't put yourself in a situation that you will come to regret later in life! Abraham don't willingly violate God's directions to make your wife happy!
Ok, so this wasn't probably what you thought it was going to be (or may be you did get it right...good for you!) but Christian men, sadly all of this applies to us more than we admit or realize. Our wife and children sin of their own free will but are we setting them up for failure? We need to stay strong in the Lord and develop this in our wife and children! We have no one to blame but ourselves and with a little bit of courage we could save ourselves a whole load of heartache. God give us good men, strong and mighty in the power of the Lord! God bless you!
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