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Don't take him back there!

Abraham has his son Isaac, who was the promised one. He was to be Abraham's heir and the one through whom the blessing would come. Having been a miracle child himself, he had a slight problem. He was now in his early forties and still single. If he didn't find a wife the Abrahamic covenant would never be fulfilled and Jesus would not be born. 

It was a crucial moment when Abraham called his servant to swear that he would find a woman for his boy. The oath was binding only if and when the discovered bride came back to Abraham's tent. If she didn't, the deal was off. 

We know that she did come back and ended up having twins, Esau and Jacob. However, there is a couple of verses that drew my attention to an important principle for us to think about. Look at 24:6 and 8, 

Genesis 24:6 "Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there."

Why was Abraham so emphatic about not taking Isaac back to see the land of his dad's roots? Abraham knew that if Isaac had returned that the draw of that land would probably be too strong for his son to resist. Even though Isaac was 42 years old at the time, Abraham didn't want to risk losing his son to old and pagan ways. So, he sent Eliezer to fetch the bride. 

Lesson for you and me. Don't trust your kids to make good decisions when appealing sin is in front of their eyes. These days, giving a child or teen a cell phone is so dangerous that it is not worth the risk. Their eyes will be attracted to things that should never entre anyone's eyes. Keep your kids from being the dark side as long as you can. They'll be on their own soon enough. 

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