Assumptions

How often do we make assumptions that turn out to be invalid. And how often does that process of assuming lead to pain.

Again, Abraham states to his neighbors that his wife is his sister. Although we find out that this is partly true, as they are half-brother and half-sister, the greater truth is that they are, indeed, married. That is the truth that Abimelech fears the most when it is revealed to him. When God tells Abimelech of the true relationship between Abraham and Sarah, Abimelech asks Abraham why he said such a thing.

Essentially, Abraham had assumed that he was living among godless people who would kill him and take Sarah. This assumption nearly cost Abimelech dearly. So, the process of assumption was a possible sin not only against his marriage, but also against an innocent man, Abimelech. Because of the lack of intent on Abimelech's part, and God's enduring protection of Abraham, God steps in to right a wrong before it occurs.

Sarah assumes that she will never be able to bear a child for Abraham, and so she introduces a complication into her own life by having her servant Hagar act as a surrogate. Out of this union comes Ishmael, and then there are further downstream consequences when Sarah banishes Hagar. As Hagar wanders aimlessly, putting Ishmael down to die, the tragedy of Sarah's assumption is almost finished, but again, God steps in to put right these consequences of inappropriate assumptions.

I am sure that Abraham assumed that God would want him to keep his son Isaac, but when God tells him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, one thing that Abraham does not do is protest. For Abraham, following the commands of the Lord puts aside all assumptions. The abandonment of assumptions, in favor of faith in God, is greatly rewarded. Not only does Abraham keep his son, but he is given the promise of an incredible heritage of faith.

Jesus warns against false prophets. In so doing, it seems He is making a backhanded warning against assumptions. Just because someone sounds good, and seems persuasive, and is speaking in Godly terms, one should not cavalierly assume that they are a "true" prophet. He asks the listener to judge the speaker. And He states that the false prophet is detectable by the way he acts, as you can identify a tree by its fruit. Blind, assumptive following is not espoused, for it will create the opportunity for pain and failure when the false prophets really turn out to be wolves who attack them. Instead, discernment and judgment must be applied to what one hears, in order to ascertain if the speaker is a "true" prophet. And in this case, judgment is based on the actions of the individual in question.

Assumptions always get one into trouble. Assessment of a person by judging how the person behaves, not what they say, seems to be an appropriate response. It's all too common in human behavior, especially behavior driven by fear, to rely on assumptions before all the facts are in place. And again, faith seems to be the answer to the question of decreasing one's assumptions.