Never Do This Gen. 3:6 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Never force your husband to choose between you and God – Gen 3:6; 1 Tim 2:14 – Eve disobeyed the Lord and so she was going to die. Adam had to choose whether to go on with God without her, or to follow her disobedience. The outcome of his decision wasn’t going to be good either way. When you force a decision like this, your husband will have to disobey God to please you. Or, if he chooses to obey God, you could be “left out in the cold.”
For instance, God leads a man to this church. After a time, his wife says, “I’m never going back to that church.” Well, if he continues to obey God, he’ll be going to church without her. If he decides to look for another church, he will be out of the will of God. She forced the issue.
Never lead your family away from the promises and blessings of God – Gen 12:6-13 – Abram kept journeying south after God had promised to give his seed the land of Canaan. When the famine came, he just kept going south down into Egypt and away from God. So, he had to convince Sarai to lie for him to protect his life. In other words, he wasn’t in a place where he thought he could trust God to protect him. Sure enough, his wife ended up in Pharaoh’s house.
Of course, Abram could justify his decision because the outcome was so lucrative [Gen 12:16; 13:2]. He could have stayed in Canaan and barely gotten by or he could have chased wealth down in Egypt while putting his family in jeopardy. Do you realize that Abram and Sarai wouldn’t have had the means to make the choice they did in Gen 16:1-3 if they hadn’t made that trip down to Egypt [Gen 12:16]?
Look what happened to Elimelech when he lead his family out of Bethlehemjudah [the house of bread and praise] into Moab during a famine. He and both his sons died there [Ruth 1:3-5]. You say, “Yeah, but look how well things turned out for Ruth.” That happened only because her mother-in-law got back to the place of blessing and they both followed God. Under those conditions, God can make a winner out of any washout.
You better stay put when God has you in the place of his provision, blessing and protection. You have no idea the trouble that awaits you when you get out from under his “shadow.”
Never choose your fortune over your family – Gen 13:10-13 – Lot chose the plain of Jordan near Sodom and Gomorrah, despite knowing that “the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” He was a just and righteous man [2 Pet 2:6-9] who thought he could “dwell among them” without adversely affecting his life and his family. A preacher said, “Lot lost power gaining influence.” Another preacher said, “Lot gained fame with men and lost favor with God.”
By the time the Lord showed up to destroy Sodom, Lot “sat in the gate,” [Gen 19:1]. He was in a position of honor among these sinners [Prov 31:23]. When the men of the city came to his house to “know” the men who were staying with him [Gen 19:5], he called them “brethren,” [Gen 19:7]. And when they wouldn’t turn away, he offered them his virgin daughters to satiate their lusts [Gen 19:8]. His fortune was more important to him than his family. And sadly, by the time this sad story comes to a close, his married daughters are dead, his wife is dead, his virgin daughters commit incest with him and his fortune has gone up in smoke.
You better carefully consider every decision you make concerning your family. You better be absolutely certain that your motive is faithful and not just financial; that it’s familial and not just personal; that it’s godly and not worldly. We tell ourselves that we are going to provide our children with a “better life” which we hope to provide with money rather than faith. You don’t need nearly as much money as you do faith when it comes to rearing your children for the Lord [2 Tim 1:5].
We enroll our children in schools without considering what evils they may be exposed to that will challenge and undo all they have learned in the Bible. We enroll children in programs and sports activities that conflict with church meeting times and activities. We allow children to date those who have little to no concern for the things of God. And we let them start way too early, long before they have developed the foundation upon which to build a good marriage. And so forth. We think these things are good and acceptable without ever considering what God has to say about them.
Never do what you don’t want your children to do – Gen 20:1-2 – now look at Gen 26:1-7. God had promised Abraham that his seed, speaking of Isaac, would inherit all of the land. Isaac wasn’t born yet. Nevertheless, Abraham thought he and Sarah had to lie again about their marriage in order to protect his life. God had to intervene to keep Sarah from getting pregnant by Abimelech. Years later, when Isaac was moving away from a famine, God promised him that he and his seed would be blessed and that he and his seed would be given all these countries [Gen 26:3]. But rather than trust God’s promise, he took matters into his own hands and did exactly what his father had done. He lied about his wife [Gen 26:7]. Read Gen 26:8-10, as well. He thought his lie would protect him just like his father did.
Jacob deceived his father by goats skins and Esau’s clothing, and his own children deceived him by dipping Joseph’s coat in goats blood to pretend that he was dead. Your children learn from you.
Your children pick up on your faith and your priorities. They watch you. And they will do what they see, more than what you tell them to do. So, if you don’t want them to do something that you’re doing or thinking about doing, then quit it or don’t do it. And make it clear to them why you’ve made this decision.
Conclusion: we are all ultimately and individually responsible for our own decisions. However, these few guidelines will certainly make some of the choices simpler. As you read through the Bible, you will find other such guidelines and principles to help you make the right decisions for you and your family. Fid them and follow them.