The Go Back Temptation!

Listen to this blog.

One day, Abraham called in his most trusted servant and said to him, “Solemnly promise me in the name of the Lord, who rules heaven and earth, that you won’t choose a wife for my son Isaac from the people here in the land of Canaan.

Instead, go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for him from among my relatives.”

But the servant asked, “What if the young woman I choose refuses to leave home and come here with me? Should I send Isaac there to look for a wife?”

“No!” Abraham answered. “Don’t ever do that, no matter what. The Lord who rules heaven brought me here from the land where I was born and promised that he would give this land to my descendants forever. When you go back there, the Lord will send his angel ahead of you to help you find a wife for my son.

Genesis 24:2-7

It seems that Abraham was afraid that if Isaac went back to the land where Abraham came from to look for a wife, he would abandon the land of Canaan and stay there. When things got tough for the Children of Israel in the wilderness they were tempted to go back to Egypt. And Jesus Himself was tempted by Satan to abandon His mission and let me go to Hell!

Whatever it is that God has called you to do in this life will meet the same temptation. Satan says, "Give up, go back, it won't work, forget about it," and anything else that can lure you back to where you were before you heard God's calling.

It often is a good thing to remember where you were when God called you to be His. But it is tragic to leave the path of discipleship and go back to live in that place. The temptation for Isaac would have been a young woman who didn't want to leave her family to go to Canaan. That's why Abraham sent his servant to bring the young woman to Isaac.

The short lesson in these verses is simple. Don't go back to the place where you were before you met Jesus to find something you need. Trust Jesus to provide your needs where you are as you walk with Him. Keep your eyes on the mission to which He has called you and believe that whatever it is that you need you will find on that path!