Selflessness in Marriage: Insights from Genesis

How can the story of Abraham and Sarah help you avoid critical mistakes in your marriage? Uncover the cautionary tales woven into their lives, as we dissect the selfish actions that led to painful consequences. This episode promises to shed light on how self-centeredness can jeopardize a relationship, offering valuable lessons gleaned from Abraham's repeated missteps. From selfish acts of self-preservation to inadvertently putting Sarah in compromising situations, their narrative serves as a timeless lesson on the importance of prioritizing your partner's well-being.

Join us as we emphasize the significance of maintaining the same level of care and attention in marriage as during courtship. Through a close examination of Genesis, we highlight the necessity of meeting your spouse's needs and fostering a selfless, supportive relationship. Reflect on your own marriage, challenge existing habits, and commit to being a better partner. This episode is a call to action for anyone striving to build a strong, loving marriage that does not revolve solely around individual desires.

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Transcript

W. Austin Gardner: 0:01

I'd like to take just a few minutes to talk to you about some marriage mistakes that we see in the life of Abraham and Sarah. Over the years, as I taught marriage conferences, I just studied each couple in the Bible and said let me find the positives and let me find the mistakes. So here is one about mistakes. You know, in Genesis 11, 29, abraham and Nahor took them wives, and Abraham's wife was Sarai and she was barren and she had no child. It says to us and the first mistake I just want to bring to your attention as I look at their lives, is when you are being selfish and self-centered, thinking everything should revolve around you, you're making a massive marriage mistake. And young men do that and old men do that, and young women do that and old women do that. I think it's pretty obvious in the life of Abraham that he did that because in Genesis, chapter 12, in verse 11, he said to his wife I don't want him to hurt me, and so when we get there, I want you to tell them you're my sister and that way they won't hurt me. He told her in chapter 12, just in chapter 12, verse 11, you're a pretty woman to look at, and when the Egyptians see you, they'll think you're my wife and they'll want to kill me, but they'll save you. So I'm asking you, please, to tell them that you're my sister, that things would go well with me and I'd be able to stay alive and I'd be able to live because you're saying such nice things. And when they get to the egyptian seer and they said that she's very fair, very pretty, very beautiful and, uh, they bragged on her and the, the. She was taken with the, along with the other women, into Pharaoh's house and Pharaoh began to treat Abraham very well because he had his wife. And it was the Lord who plagued Pharaoh because of Sarai, abram's wife, and he figured out that God didn't want him messing with Abram's wife. And so he calls Abram in and says what in the world have you done? And Abram responds and says well, she is my sister, she's. You know, we're half brother and sister. So I didn't totally lie to you, I just kind of half lied to protect myself. And so she he literally is like let them take you, let them marry you, let them have relations with you, let them do whatever they want, just don't hurt me, let me take care of me. That's in Genesis, chapter 12 and verse 11, and he gets in trouble for it. Even a pagan calls his hand at it and calls his hand at it. And we go eight more chapters in and in Genesis, chapter 20 and verse two, abram said to Sarah, said of Sarah she's my sister, and Abimelech, king of Jerah, sent and took her, so he took her into his house In 2011,.

W. Austin Gardner: 3:02

Abram said he's getting fussed at again. He said I thought sure, the fear of God's not in this place and they will slay me. For my wife's sake, I'd rather them kill my wife. I'd rather them take my wife, rape my wife, do whatever they want. So I said she's my sister, because really she is, you know. He said she's the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother. And he tells the same thing. He is only thinking of himself. Now I think about how it works in marriage and how, you know, when we're dating, we're so keen on being sure to meet the needs and expectations of our to-be spouse, but once we're married, it's almost like you owe me for us to be in this marriage and you owe me and you ought to be doing this stuff for me, and so I would just challenge you with we don't want to let things revolve around us Learn to love your spouse and work towards being a good husband or wife.