Theological Commentary: Click Here
Role models
are a powerful thing. We learn from the
people around us. We pick things
up. Our behaviors usually rise and fall
with the company we keep. Want to be a
person who makes good decisions? Hang
around people whose expectations involve making good decisions. Want to be a person who is always in
trouble? Hang around people who are
consistently finding ways to get in trouble.
If we read
through the story of Isaac, this comes through crystal clear. The most obvious way we see this is that
Isaac models the sins of his father, Abraham.
When there is a famine in the land, Isaac turns to Egypt as Abraham had
done. When Isaac leaves his home, he
tries to convince people that his wife is really his sister. These are the tactics that Abraham did. There can be little wonder that Isaac
imitates his father.
However,
this imitation is not all bad, either.
Does not Isaac prosper in a foreign land as Abraham did? Does not Isaac find a way to live peaceably with
his neighbors as Abraham did? Does not
Isaac dig wells and tend for those under his care as Abraham does? Isaac learns many good patterns of behavior
from his father, too.
I think this
is a great lesson as we explore the witness of humanity as told to us in the
book of Genesis. We imitate the role
models around us. We learn from the
people that we value. If we pick good
role models, we’ll pick up mostly good things.
Naturally, we will always be influenced by the sinfulness of
others. So we do need to be
careful. But for the most part, when we
surround ourselves with good godly role models we will learn good godly things.
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