“When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, ‘She is my sister,’ for he feared to say, ‘My wife,’ thinking, ‘lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,’ because she was attractive in appearance.” – Genesis 26:7
What a strange and shameful travel tactic Isaac learned from his father Abraham! What’s particularly striking about Isaac’s scheme is that God had JUST appeared to him a couple of verses earlier. God PROMISED He would bless Isaac if he went where He told him to go. Isaac went but he was still so fearful that he told the locals his wife was his sister. Just in case God wasn’t paying attention enough to bless them. Just in case the locals decided they wanted Rebekah for themselves. Because Isaac doubted God’s ability to bless and protect them, Isaac said his wife was single!
What was Isaac doing? Hedging his bets to protect himself from any bad consequences for obeying God. Isaac went where God told him but didn’t fully trust God’s promise of blessing. So he made some “arrangements” as a “just in case”. Isaac thought up a “clever” way to protect himself rather than trusting God to protect both his wife and himself. Isaac was what the book of James would call a “double-minded” man – believing God but also hedging your bets. Trusting God but only somewhat. Doing what God said to do but trying to manage any possible downsides to obedience. Have you ever hedged your bets like that?
Have you ever chosen to obey God and but also tried to insulate yourself from some of the risks of obedience? We often do. We obey the Bible, but only up to a point… We follow Jesus but also keep our earthly situation “managed”… We obey parts of Scripture but minimize the parts that might upset or offend friends, relatives, coworkers, or employers… We follow Jesus but only in a “proper balance” with our other priorities…. It’s easy to become double-minded like Isaac. Resist this temptation! When God says to do something, go all in. When Jesus says to follow Him somewhere uncomfortable or risky, don’t try to minimize that risk. Maximize your faith and trust instead. When you commit to the Lord, FULLY COMMIT! #FollowJesus