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Changing Our Reputation (Genesis 21:22-34)

July 19, 2021 | by: Gregg Hunter | 0 comments

Posted in: Genesis 21

God chooses us to bear His name. Unfortunately, Christians as a whole are not the greatest name bearers. While many Christians have done great things, it is a sad reality that many people look at us and think poorly of God. The church has a reputation for greed, self-righteousness, gossip, and self-centeredness that influences many people’s beliefs about God. What’s more, as individuals, we all have our own sins that taint other people’s perceptions of our Lord.

As Christians, we readily admit that we are not perfect. We confess that we too are just sinners saved by grace. But, if we are to be Christ’s ambassadors on this earth, then we must also strive to imitate Christ to the world. We must quickly repent when we do sin, and strive to earn a reputation as someone who does right. If you haven’t done this so far in your life, then the good news is that you can still change. It is never too late to change your reputation, as Abraham demonstrates in today’s Scripture reading.

 

Please read Genesis 21:22-24.

Why did Abimelech ask Abraham to swear that he would not deal falsely with him? Because Abraham had a bad reputation of dealing falsely with kings! In chapter 12, Abraham had lied to Pharaoh about his wife, and then in chapter 20, Abraham did the very same thing to another king. Apparently, these stories about Abraham had made their way to the ears of the king that Abraham was now living near.

“Abimelech” was a term indicating a dynastic ruler, and not a proper name, so the individual in this passage is probably different from the one in chapter 20. This means that Abraham is now being confronted on his reputation for being a deceiver whose lies end up harming the local king. Abraham promises that he will change his ways, but, when you have a bad reputation, its hard to change it in just a day.

 

Please read the rest of the chapter (Genesis 21:25-34).

It appears that the king is completely unaware of that about which Abraham is speaking. It’s only natural for him to assume that Abraham is lying, just like Abraham lied to so many other kings. So Abraham goes above and beyond in an attempt to prove his sincerity. The king accepts his offer and makes a covenant with Abraham regarding the matter. This sparks a change in Abraham’s reputation, which causes him to worship the Lord, and gives him the freedom to remain in this neighborhood for “many days.”

What good news this is for those of us who have tarnished our reputation. We all sin. But when you repeatedly commit the same sin, your reputation takes a hit. You are no longer identified as someone who commits a sin. Instead, you may find yourself identified by that sin: he’s not someone who struggles with alcohol, he’s an alcoholic; she’s not someone who gossips, she is a gossip; he doesn’t occasionally tell lies, he’s a liar; she’s a thief; he’s an adulterer; she’s unreliable; he’s lazy. You get the point. Maybe you’ve been labelled like this. Maybe you have a reputation that isn’t the greatest.

The good news is that, like Abraham, you can change your reputation. It will be hard. You may have to go above and beyond to prove that you are no longer that addict, but it is possible. Through Christ, all things are possible. Jesus can change you inside and out, and He wants to change you so that you can be used by Him for His glory. If you devote yourself to serving Christ, then He will change you from the inside out, and He will use you to show the world how Christ can change the worst sinners into godly saints, just like He did with Abraham.

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