Simon Says

Well, a few months ago I began reading Genesis. Genesis has always been a book that has baffled me, with all of the begatting and stuff. I mean I understand creation and Adam and Eve and the serpent. But then you get to Cain and Abel, Noah and the Flood, the Tower of Babel and the scattering of the people. I'm finally though getting how all this ties into my life as a follower of Jesus, my personal relationship with Him.

I'm in Chapter 12, the beginning of the story of Abram (later to be Abraham). And as I read and re-read the chapter, I realized the beginning of a pattern that will plague the people of Israel for the rest of time. And ironically its a pattern that I go through in my life. It reminds me of the childhood game - Simon Says - you know the game. You are told to do something, but you can only do it if it is preceded with the phrase "Simon says". If that phrase is not attached, you can't do the action. If you do, then you lose the game. "Simon says jump up and down" and you are suppose to jump up and down. "Sit down" and you are not to sit down.

How does a child's game relate to the beginning of the story of Abram as told in Genesis 12? In verse 4 it reads, "So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran." Then you read further along and come to verse 10, "Now there was a famine in the land and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe." Can you see it? Can you see the missing words that make one action acceptable and the other not acceptable? The words that signify being obedient and not being obedient? Verse 4 shows an action that Abram had taken "as the Lord had told him". Contrast that to verse 10 when Abram also acts but with out the prescribed phrasing. In verse 4, Abram's walking in obedience to God's will, in verse 10 he's not - the Lord did not say. For his actions in verse 4, Abram was blessed. For his disobedience in verse 10, he was punished.

As I thought about Abram, I realized this was the same in my life. When I walk out in obedience to God's will, God blesses that walk and therefore I am blessed. When I do not walk out in obedience to God's will, that action is not blessed and I am called out about it. So why do I continue to ignore the fact that Simon didn't say, i.e. the Lord did not say? Am I doomed to repeat this cycle much the same as Abram and Israel had? I must focus on my relationship with Christ and stay in the word and stay faithful to communicating daily with my Lord through prayer. That is my only hope to break the cycle.

Will I be successful? More than likely not. Will my disobedience lead to God separating Himself from me? The answer is no and it is found further in Genesis 12. See, Abram disobeyed God by leaving the land that He had promised him and fleeing to Egypt with Sarai. And once Abram got into the land of the Pharaoh, he lied to Pharaoh about his and Sarai's relationship (ok, it was a half truth since Sarai was his half-sister - but a half truth still equates to a whole lie). And Pharaoh took Sarai as his wife while Abram was treated well and Pharaoh was generous beyond measure to Abram and Abram found a place of favor with Pharaoh. But since Pharaoh took Sarai to be his wife when she was already Abram's and God had a plan for Abram and Sarai and this situation seriously impeded His plan, He brought about serious diseases - but not against Abram - but against Pharaoh's household. And Pharaoh recognized the deception and told Abram to take his wife Sarai with all that he had and to leave Egypt. And so Abram returned with his wife and his possessions back to the land that God had promised him. God's plan restored.

God's plan is higher than anything that I can come up with. And I can run away from it and be disobedient, but God will have His plan fulfilled - the old adage "you can run but you can not hide". So the lesson, why run in the first place? When Simon (GOD) says - just do it!!