The Family Feud Begins

Friday 1-6-17, Boring, Oregon

Today we read Gen 15 – 17, Luke 6 

S = Scripture  O = Observation  A = Application  P = Prayer  SOAP for the soul.

S. Gen 16:2 Sarai said to Abram. "Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed.

Vs 4-6 So Abram slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress Sarai with contempt. Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault! Now this servant of mine is pregnant, and she despises me, though I myself gave her the privilege of sleeping with you. The LORD will make you pay for doing this to me!" Abram replied, "Since she is your servant, you may deal with her as you see fit." NLT

O. Both Sarai and Abram should have realized that this action was destined to bring major trouble into their lives. Abram had a promise from God, but he panicked when he thought that God’s timing was off. Sarai should have known that any wife who sends her husband off to sleep with another woman is asking for problems. So, Abram gets ahead of God’s plan and a son is born, a son that will in time become several nations… all of which will hate and will want to destroy Abraham’s legitimate son and all his descendants, the Jews.

A. It’s probably not the first family feud and certainly not the last. Like the famous Hatfields and McCoys, hatred is passed down from parents to children and in time they don’t even remember why they hate each other. When parents fight with one another, their children often carry bickering and even violence to many future generations. May the Lord help us to be aware that we are planting a seed in little hearts that may eventually affect hundreds, even thousands.

P. Lord God, once again I am made to recognize that each of Your actors on the stage of Your Bible are there to serve as my mentors. You do not hide the failures of Your heroes. I watch them stumble and fall, and, if I take notice, I can avoid many of Satan’s traps. Amen.

Ralph