Sin After Death

Author: Joseph

Date: April 15, 2018

Abraham had a second wife named Keturah after the death of Sarah. Abraham had many more children by this wife before he died. One of these sons is noteworthy – Midian. This son became a great problem for the people of Israel. The descendants of Midian, Midianites, led Israel into idolatry and caused God’s wrath to turn against them (Numbers 31:1-3, 9-16). Israel later had to kill off these people to put an end to their wickedness.

During the end of Abraham’s life, the descendants of Ishmael are also mentioned. Ishmael and his descendants, the Bible states, “settled in defiance of all his relatives.” Ishmael was never reconciled with Abraham or Isaac, even though he attended Abraham’s funeral. His growing resentment and hatred created nations that were opposed to Israel throughout the Bible and beyond.

Abraham is said to have “died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life.” Although he himself was satisfied, the consequences of his life decisions would have to be dealt with by those left after him. Abraham’s sin of trying to force God’s plan through Hagar bore him Ishmael and a multitude of defiant descendants. Abraham’s mistreatment of Keturah’s descendants – he had given them no inheritance and sent them away from Isaac – caused the later retaliation against Isaac’s descendants. Abraham may have died happy and satisfied, but the consequences of his sin still lived on and caused much suffering for his family.

One of the lies of sin is that sin only affects the one committing the act. People often are heard saying things such as “as long as I’m not hurting anyone else” or “it’s my life and I can do what I want.” In reality, these statements reveal a lack of wisdom. Sin affects the people around us and even people not yet born. This realization should cause us to question ourselves before we act out of selfishness and evil desire, knowing that the consequences are not soley ours to bear. Israel would have suffered much less from the surrounding nations if Abraham had made wiser decisions during his lifetime.

Do you falsely believe that your sins only affect you? Have you seen the consequences of other people’s sins affect other around them? It will do the same for you. Pray that God will forgive any careless behavior you have committed and ask Him for the wisdom to discern and reject the lies that tempt you to sin.

Bible Passage: Genesis 25:1-18

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB). www.lockman.org.

Photo Credit: Anja Osenberg from Pixabay.com.