Thursday, February 12, 2015

Genesis 20 -- Reliving Sin Again With Pleasure In Our Minds

Abraham for some reason chose to move to Gerar, which was the edge of Philistine territory.  The king of that area was Abimelech, who wasn’t a believer.  Once again Abraham let his fear lead him into sin.  He again feared the ruler might kill him to get his wife, so the old half-truth that she was his sister rather than his wife was trotted out again.  My commentary labeled it royal privilege that Abimelech chose to add Sarah to his harem, but I thought it was outright theft.  Left unsaid is why Abimelech would want a 90-year-old woman in his harem!

This sin cropped up again in Abraham’s life because “he had failed to judge this sin when they had dealt with it in Egypt.  They had admitted their sin to Pharaoh and confessed it to God, but the fact that it surfaced again indicates that they did not judge the sin and forsake it … People who remember their sins with pleasure and enjoy them again in their minds have never judged their sins or seen how sinful their sins really are,” my commentary said.

I hadn’t thought about that very much!  It’s like committing the sin all over again by reliving it in our minds, because after all, Jesus made it clear that it’s the thought that counts.  Remembering it isn’t not sinning just because we think we only sinned once with the original sin.  Instead, it’s sinning again because we didn’t judge it as sin and keep it out of our minds.  Jesus made it clear that it’s the thought that counts.

Once again I read, “God does not allow His children to sin successfully.  When we deliberately disobey God, we suffer both from the consequences of our sins and from the chastening hand of God, unless we repent and submit.  God in His grace will forgive our sins, but God in His sovereignty MUST allow sin to produce a sad harvest.”

Father, when I am tempted to relive old sins and enjoy them again in my mind, help me to understand deeply that I have not judged them as sin.  Stop me in mid-thought and lead me to judge them and never bring them to the forefront again.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

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