Written by: John & Sue Ritter

Genesis 19 v 30-32
Lot was afraid to continue living in Zoar, so he and his two daughters went to live in the mountains in a cave. One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old. Everywhere on the earth women and men marry, but there are no men around here for us to marry. Let’s get our father drunk and have sexual relations with him. We can use him to have children and continue our family.”

Notes
Wow, bad idea! The operative word here is ‘use’. There is nothing worse than feeling ‘used’ – whatever the situation . In this instance Lots’ past was filled with selfishness and had landed him and his daughters in hiding. Their conversations must have been full of “If you hadn’t done that……” “If only this had happened…..” “This is all your fault…..” and finally “Look what you made me do!” 

In these kind of circumstances you can keep on digging and watch the hole get deeper – or you can stand up to the situation you find yourself in. 
Being a Christian is all about admitting, owning up and facing the consequences. You already know that in your heart you will feel a thousand times better for it. Use this passage of scripture as a warning for your own life. The truth will always set you free.

Genesis 19 v 33-38
That night the two girls got their father drunk, and the older daughter went and had sexual relations with him. But Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I had sexual relations with my father. Let’s get him drunk again tonight so you can go and have sexual relations with him, too. In this way we can use our father to have children to continue our family.” So that night they got their father drunk again, and the younger daughter went and had sexual relations with him. Again, Lot did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of all the Moabite people who are still living today. The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. He is the father of all the Ammonite people who are still living today.

Notes
When everything around you is in a total mess, it’s so easy to go into hiding. At the time it probably seems like a really good idea – but it’s the worst thing you can do. Think about it……Lot and his daughters found themselves hiding in the dark in a cave. Lot was afraid and natural instincts made him flee for cover. But once you are hidden and in the dark, then even baser instincts are going to start appearing.

The day after September 11th was a day when an awful lot of people (including us) went into hiding. We didn’t particularly feel confident to wander around the streets of London, stay in a high-rise hotel or get on a plane. But it didn’t help. Sooner or later you had to get your life back together and face it. Nothing good or positive came from shunning away.
Maybe you’ve had your own private disaster day. You closed the doors and hid. What happened next? You cried for a while, maybe thought of drinking, maybe taking some pills, maybe you even planned your revenge. 

The Bible says that man likes darkness more than light, because his deeds are evil. 
Step out of the darkness, make for that light. Live again.

Genesis 20 v 1-7
Abraham left Hebron and traveled to southern Canaan where he stayed awhile between Kadesh and Shur. When he moved to Gerar, he told people that his wife Sarah was his sister. Abimelech king of Gerar heard this, so he sent some servants to take her. But one night God spoke to Abimelech in a dream and said, “You will die. The woman you took is married.”
But Abimelech had not gone near Sarah, so he said, “Lord, would you destroy an innocent nation? Abraham himself told me, ‘This woman is my sister,’ and she also said, ‘He is my brother.’ I am innocent. I did not know I was doing anything wrong.”
Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know you did not realize what you were doing. So I did not allow you to sin against me and touch her. Give Abraham his wife back. He is a prophet. He will pray for you, and you will not die. But if you do not give Sarah back, you and all your family will surely die.”

Notes 
Somewhere along the line this bible passage makes you feel a little bit better about yourself, because the ‘Good Guy’ messes up. One of the bibles’ most celebrated prophets, Abraham, is put in a position where he wants to protect his wife, and in doing so he finds himself lying through his back teeth. He was in a very awkward position. There must have been times when your friend has asked you to cover for him. Or that time when you agreed that ‘you were round his house, and he was round yours…….’ If anybody asked. 
Doing the right thing, will never actually involve lying. It’s a bad move and you know that it’s going to end in tears, even when your motives are honourable. 

In the case of Abimelech, he was using the ‘I didn’t know what I was doing – I didn’t know anything was wrong’ ploy. Ok, but the thing is, once you do know, you stop! 
God listens to those who admit honest mistakes. Admitting and putting things right is the only way forward. 
Your move………..

Genesis 20 v 8-13
So early the next morning, Abimelech called all his officers and told them everything that had happened in the dream. They were very afraid. Then Abimelech called Abraham to him and said, “What have you done to us? What wrong did I do against you? Why did you bring this trouble to my kingdom? You should not have done these things to me. What were you thinking that caused you to do this?”
Then Abraham answered, “I thought no one in this place respected God and that someone would kill me to get Sarah. And it is true that she is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but she is not the daughter of my mother. When God told me to leave my father’s house and wander in many different places, I told Sarah, ‘You must do a special favor for me. Everywhere we go tell people I am your brother.’ ”

Notes
Mr Cole was a great junior teacher. He had an irritating way of being right most of the time. One lesson all his pupils learned was this. Whenever you said to him “I’m sorry Sir, I thought……” He would never let you finish, he would always butt in with “Ah, but you didn’t think, did you?”

Abraham was in much the same position here. He had his own ideas about the people around him. He thought that they didn’t respect God. Maybe, in his mind they didn’t look right, or act right. He made a judgement about other people – and it was the wrong one. 
John has been questioned in a department store because his credit card had Rev. John Ritter on it, and the manager thought he’d stolen it! I often have my hair dyed bright red, and people are always trying to convert me!

Ah well, at least it was not so different all those thousands of years ago!

We have to realise that people don’t have to conform to our idea of Christianity. It is not our place to dismiss them. God alone judges people – we are not God. 
Thank heavens for that!

Genesis 20 v 14-17
Then Abimelech gave Abraham some sheep, cattle, and male and female slaves. He also gave Sarah, Abraham’s wife, back to him and said, “Look around you at my land. You may live anywhere you want.”
Abimelech said to Sarah, “I gave your brother Abraham twenty-five pounds of silver to make up for any wrong that people may think about you. I want everyone to know that you are innocent.”
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his servant girls so they could have children. 

Notes
Don’t you feel bad when you misjudge someone? In this passage, Abraham thought that Abimelech was a Godless sort of bloke, and in thinking that, had already judged him to be not worth the effort. 

And then, Abimelech turns round and show Abraham all sorts of kindness and generosity. Gifts of silver and promises of land, apologies to his wife.- if you ever watch Ally McBeal on tv, then this is usually the moment when the animators shrink her to the size of someones’ shoe. – Surely how Abraham must have felt. 

We had a situation when we were moving house, and we were both getting irritated by the delays of vans and furniture. We were trying to move out, a new woman was trying to move in. Our van was late, and she suggested that we use hers. We swallowed hard and took her up on the offer and then when we grudgingly thanked her, she turned and smiled and said “Ah well, God’s good isn’t he?” That should have been our line!! 

Once Abraham realised his mistake, he did something positive about it. He prayed for Abimelech, and God immediately sorted things out. He healed Abimelechs’ family and restored them.

Prayer changes things. 
Why don’t we do it more often?

Genesis 21 v 1-7
The LORD cared for Sarah as he had said and did for her what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Everything happened at the time God had said it would. Abraham named his son Isaac, the son Sarah gave birth to. He circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old as God had commanded.
Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born. And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. No one thought that I would be able to have Abraham’s child, but even though Abraham is old I have given him a son.”

Notes 
A great story of God doing the impossible – and making someone laugh into the bargain! It must have been difficult for Abraham and Sarah to wait so long for a promise, especially one as important as this. It’s bad enough when you are three years old and are waiting for Christmas or a birthday.

It doesn’t matter how many times you ask, the answer is always “In a little while”.
When there is a car ride involved in the story of a Simpsons cartoon, Bart and Lisa sit in the back saying “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” until Marge and Homer are going ballistic. 

But there is time involved. If the journey is three hours, then that’s how long it’s going to take. If Christmas is six months away, it’s going to be a long wait. 

God has a timetable and we have to keep to His schedule. In this instance, Abraham was a hundred years old before the birth of Isaac – but the timing was still perfect. It wasn’t luck or a happy coincidence that Isaac was born. No, he came as a result of God’s promise. God specialises in the impossible, He can do what nature can’t. Gods’ schedule is a whole different ball game. But it’s perfect, and always on time.

So wait. Keep faithful. Pray. And who knows, when God answers that prayer for you – it might even make you laugh! 

Genesis 21 v 8-10
Isaac grew, and when he became old enough to eat food, Abraham gave a great feast. But Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac. (Ishmael was the son of Abraham by Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian slave.) So Sarah said to Abraham, “Throw out this slave woman and her son. Her son should not inherit anything; my son Isaac should receive it all.”

Notes 
Ishmael was 14 years older than Isaac. Was he a bully? We don’t know. Was he jealous of Isaac…..probably. Maybe he felt like a second class citizen - his father was Abraham, but his mother wasn’t the loved and adored Sarah - Ishmael had Abraham as his dad for fourteen years before Isaac came along and took the glory. 

This scenario happens time and again in our lives today, and there are only two ways to play it. Either you accept it, or you don’t. We can see by the result of this passage of scripture that to kick out against your problem is not a good idea. It ended in Ishmael and his mother being cast out.

On the other hand, if you accept yourself for what you are, and start appreciating the place that you are in, there is no need for heartache. Ishmael and Isaac could have been friends, they could have leaned on each other, but instead Ishmael pulled his half-brother down, and in doing so lost a potential good friend. 

Perhaps today would be a good day for you to take a close look at the people around you. How do you treat them? How would you like them to treat you? 

You can’t choose your family…….but you can make it better.


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes