Numerous religious leaders throughout history have fallen into sins of immorality, and every time I hear of a pastor or spiritual leader caught in scandal, my first thought is always, “What could have happened?” Then, almost immediately, I’m tempted to say, “That could never happen to me.” But Paul warns us not to think that way. “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Given the right circumstances, any of us could stumble. It’s sobering to remember that sin is no respecter of titles or positions. I once read that if the right pressures and circumstances were in place, most people would have obeyed Hitler. That’s chilling—but it reminds us that we all share the same human frailty. When famine struck in Isaac’s time, he ran to Egypt for help, just as his father Abraham had done. Egypt seemed to be Israel’s go-to escape plan whenever things got tough. And sure enough, on his way there, Isaac stopped in Gerar, where, in a moment of fear, he pulled an Abraham classic—telling the locals that his wife Rebekah was his sister to save his own skin. Like father, like son.
But the family drama didn’t stop there. It seems eavesdropping was a favorite family pastime. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was known for listening in on her husband’s conversations—she even laughed when she overheard God’s promise of a son. Rebekah, apparently, inherited that same curious streak. In Genesis 27:5 we read, “Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau.” When she realized Isaac was about to bless Esau instead of her favorite, Jacob, she cooked up a plan faster than you can say “goat stew.” Her scheme worked, but at a great relational cost. Families are supposed to support each other, not deceive each other. Love—not lies—is the glue that’s meant to hold homes together. But it’s hard to love truthfully when deceit runs in the bloodline. Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel all learned manipulation and mistrust from their families. It was practically a family heirloom.
The pattern is clear—Isaac learned to lie from Abraham, and the women learned from their parents, too. It’s in the genes. Actually, it’s in our genes. We’re all children of Adam, carrying the same flawed DNA. Yet the beautiful truth is that God loves us anyway. Despite all the deception, fear, and moral failures, Hebrews 11:16 says that God “is not ashamed to be called their God.” What an astonishing statement! The same God who wasn’t ashamed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel isn’t ashamed of us either. We fail, we fall, we repeat family mistakes—but God’s grace remains steady. Even when our lives don’t live up to our sermons, He still calls us His own. Now that’s what I call comforting grace.