11 May Like Father, Like Son…
Phrase popular as old English proverb (1300’s) published in 1616
2 kinds of fathers – 1). Physical 2). Spiritual
Father Abraham
Genesis 12:11-17 When he [Abraham] was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house… But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
Father Abraham
Genesis 20:1-4, 15-16 Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”
Like Father, Like Son…
Genesis 26:6-9 Isaac settled in Gerar. 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. When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife. So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’”
Why are sons like Father’s?
- Genetically we inherit much from our father’s
- Naively we assume that adults know what they are doing & give us wisdom
- Practically we unconsciously adopt beliefs & behaviors from our father’s
- Generationally we are raised in an environment that is normal to us & reinforced by extended family
- Biologically trauma can be passed to generations & lay dormant until triggered
- Spiritually we can be battling the same demons & generational curses
- Covenentally we can be born into a believing family with the Spirit
Like Father, Like Son can be a good or a bad thing…
Discussion & Prayer
- What are some good things you picked up from your dad?
- What are some not so good things you picked up from your dad?
- How can we pray for you?
