Genesis 26
LORD renews Abrahamic covenant with Isaacverses 1-5
And there was a famine in the land
beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham
And Isaac went to Abimelech – king of the Philistines – to Gerar
and the LORD appeared to him – and said
Go not down into Egypt dwell in the land which
I shall tell you of sojourn in this land
and I will be with you and will bless you
for to you and to your seed
I will give all these countries and I will perform the oath which
I swore unto Abraham your father
I will make your seed to multiply as the STARS of heaven
and will give unto your seed all these countries
and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed
BECAUSE that Abraham OBEYED MY voice
and kept MY charge
commandments – statutes and MY laws
Isaac lies about his relationship with Rebekahverses 6-11
And Isaac dwelt in Gerar – and the men of the place asked him of his wife
and he said – She is my sister – FOR he feared to say
She is my wife – lest – said he
the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah
BECAUSE she was FAIR to look upon
And it came to pass – when he had been there a long time that Abimelech
king of the Philistines looked out at a window – and saw
and behold – Isaac was sporting Rebekah his wife
And Abimelech called Isaac – and said
BEHOLD of a surety she is your wife – and how said you
She is my sister?
And Isaac said to him
BECAUSE I said Lest I die for her
And Abimelech said – What is this you have done unto us?
one of the people might lightly have lain with your wife
and you should have brought guiltiness upon us
And Abimelech charged all his people saying
He that touch this man or his wife shall surely be put to death
Isaac’s wealth grows and the Philistines become jealousverses 12-16
THEN Isaac sowed in that land – and received in the same year
an hundredfold – and the LORD blessed him
And the man waxed great – and went forward
and grew until he became very great – for he had possession of
flocks – herds – great store of servants
and the Philistines ENVIED him
FOR all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the
days of Abraham his father – the Philistines had stopped them
and filled them with earth
And Abimelech said to Isaac
Go from us – FOR you are much mightier than we
Continued dispute over wellsverses 17-22
And Isaac departed from there
and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar – and dwelt there
And Isaac digged again the wells of water
which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father
FOR the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham
and he called their names after the names by which
his father had called them
And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley
and found there a well of springing water
And the herdsmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdsmen saying
The water is ours – and he called the name of the well Esek
BECAUSE they strove with him
And they digged another well – and strove for that also
and he called the name of it Sitnah
And he removed from there – and digged another well
and for that they strove not
and he called the name of it Rehoboth – and he said
For now the LORD has made room for us
and we shall be fruitful in the land
LORD appears to Isaac in Beershebaverses 23-25
And he went up from there to Beer-sheba
and the LORD appeared to him the same night – and said
I am the God of Abraham your father
fear not – for I am with you – and will bless you
and multiply your seed for
MY servant Abraham’s sake
And he build an ALTAR there
and called upon the name of the LORD
and pitched his tent there
and there Isaac’s servants digged a well
Abimelech wants covenant with Isaacverses 26-33
THEN Abimelech went to him from Gerar and Ahuzzath
one of his friends and Phicol – the chief captain of his army
And Isaac said to them – Wherefore come you to me
seeing you hate me – and have sent me away from you?
And they said – We saw certainly that the LORD was with you
and we said – Let there be now an oath between us
even between us and you
and let us make a covenant with you
that you will do us no harm – as we have not touched you
and as we have done unto you nothing but good
and have sent you away in peace
you are now the blessed of the LORD
And he made them a FEAST – and they did eat and drink
and they rose up betimes [early] in the morning
and swore one to another – and Isaac sent them away
and they departed from his in peace
And it came to pass the same day – that Isaac’s servants came
and told him concerning the well which they had digged
and said to him – We have found water
And he called it Shebah
therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba to this day
Esau marries two Hittite wivesverses 34-35
And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith
the daughter of Beeri the Hittite
and Basemath – the daughter of Elon the Hittite
which were a grief of mind to
Isaac and to Rebekah
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. (8085 “obeyed” [shama] means hear, understand, diligently, discern, perceive, to hear with attention or interest, to consent, to agree, or to grant request)
DEVOTION: The LORD is restating the covenant HE made with Abraham. HE gives Isaac the reason HE is restating HIS covenant with him. It was plain and simple. When God spoke Abraham listened.
It was not just God speaking and Abraham walking away with no understanding about what God expected of him. Abraham heard and understood what God expected and did it. He didn’t try to rewrite the rules God had laid down for him he just did them.
The word also seems to convey the fact that he listened with interest in what God was trying to teach him. He wanted to learn from the LORD.
This is what should happen when godly parents try to train their children in what is right and wrong in the sight of the LORD and in their sight. If the children listen with interest and consent to what their parents are teaching them things will go well in the home. If they listen without interest and just do as they please there will be problems in the home.
God has a desire for Christian’s homes to be different from the other homes around them. There should be a sense of the presence of the LORD in that home. HE doesn’t want there to be fighting and strife in the home of those who are HIS followers. HE wants all decisions to be made with HIM in mind by both the parents and the children. That is the ideal home.
Our human nature gets in the way of having harmony in the home like the LORD would like. When our human sinful nature gets in the way there needs to be apologies from both the parents and the children.
The goal of every Christian home should be parents and children looking to the LORD for guidance in all they do. Prayer and a time of family devotions will help this to come true especially if the father of the home is leading them.
Fathers take the lead in bring your families closer to the LORD through prayer and a time of family devotions each day or as often as possible in a given week.
CHALLENGE: Set this as a goal for your family. Devotions with your wife are important to each night. BE the spiritual leader in your home.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. (6711 “sporting” [tsachaq] means caress, fondle, or engage in foreplay)
DEVOTION: In marriage there are two area that cause concern for every married couple: sexual relations and money. There are so many couples who can’t handle their relationship because of poor training while they were young or poor examples of what marriage is all about from the adults around them. We have so many people complaining about marriage instead of working at their marriage.
Here we have a couple who love each other but also are willing to disobey the LORD in their relationship. Isaac was following his family history. His father told people that his wife was his sister. That was closer to the truth than Isaac’s actions. Rebekah was really his first cousin. She was not his sister. Sarah was at least Abraham’s half-sister.
He was afraid that the Philistines would kill him for his wife, and told her to say she was his sister. Like father like son. We find in Scripture that the sin of the father visits the children to the third and fourth generation. The besetting sin of the family was not telling the truth. Every family has a besetting sin. Every person has a besetting sin.
We have to pray for the LORD to give us victory over our besetting sin. Isaac should have trusted the LORD to protect him. Abraham should have trusted the LORD to protect him. We should trust the LORD to protect us.
It is hard. Satan knows this and so uses it against us. One of the truths of the Scripture is that our sins will be found out. Isaac was not acting as if Rebekah was his sister.
He was doing things that only a husband and wife are supposed to do. Abimelech saw them and confronted him. The unsaved know what the proper and improper treatment of a woman is. They knew that only a wife was to be caressed by her husband.
In our society it is common for marriages to break up even among Christians. This is wrong. Husbands are commanded by God to love their wives. Wives are commanded to honor their husbands. There is to intimacy in our marriages. There is to be endurance in our marriages. Once we make a commitment to marriage we should work with all our heart to keep the marriage alive. There are times that we need to pray harder than others. If more Christians would honor the LORD with their marriage, the world might look at Christianity different. That would honor the LORD. That would bring glory to the LORD. Let’s put it into practice.
CHALLENGE: God doesn’t want us to endure marriage but to enjoy marriage. There are good times and bad times in every marriage. But the final outcome should be one of encouragement of each other in the LORD. If this is not happening – enter the prayer closet!!!
: 11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death. (5060 “touches” [naga’] means to make physical contact with, to touch violently, strike, to afflict, or smite)
DEVOTION: Here is an issue that needs to be taught young. Is there any crime that deserves the death penalty? Today we have many people who are young going around killing people they don’t like. It is more than just teasing those who we don’t understand or like.
We live in a culture that has no rules. The media seems to think that capital punishment just comes from the Bible and it shouldn’t be practiced today. This is a false belief.
Here we have a pagan king who believes that anyone who touches another man’s wife should be put to death. God has established rules in the conscience of even unsaved individuals to have them know what is right and wrong.
Those things that are wrong need some type of punishment. When the crime is serious enough there should be a serious punishment. It is not letting people sit in jail for long periods of time to cause more problems in the jails. It is a quick and certain punishment that will cause others to think before they commit it.
This pagan king wanted a quick punishment for the crime. God in the Old Testament had a quick and certain punishment for some crimes. We need to know the difference between crimes but also have the correct punishment to fit the crime.
It all starts in the home. There needs to be consequences to improper actions in the home. It starts with the parents training their children to do what is right around the house before they go into society.
The Bible teaches that parents should spank their children if there is something done that deserves a spanking. To try to talk children out of doing something with no punishment is foolishness.
CHALLENGE: If children are not trained to honor the LORD and HIS commandments in the home there is usually no hope for society.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
:24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.(3372 “fear” [yareʾ] means 1 to fear, revere, be afraid. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to fear, be afraid. 1a2 to stand in awe of, be awed. 1a3 to fear, reverence, honour, respect. 1b (Niphal). 1b1 to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared. 1b2 to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe. 1b3 to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe. 1c (Piel) to make afraid, terrify. 2 (TWOT) to shoot, pour. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: When was the last time that you really felt afraid of something? When I was a child, I was afraid of many things, and yet with time and maturity, I have lost my fear of a great many of them. Yet to this day my wife remains afraid of any kind of spider! I am more likely to be afraid that I will be late to something.
There are two different ideas connected with fear. The first is that of reverential awe before someone who is so much greater than us that he deserves our fear. If the president enters our room, we would all rise out of respect for him and the office. This is the same kind of fear that the Bible talks about that we should have toward God. His glory is a manifestation of His essence, and every time that people in the Bible were allowed to see God at work, they humbly bowed before Him.
The other kind of meaning of fear is that of being afraid or scared. We might react to seeing God with fear only because we are scared about someone else finding out about our sins and our weaknesses. In this case, we are afraid (rightly so!) of God’s just punishment of our sins. Yet God’s gracious response to Abraham as He appeared to him in a dream was to immediately tell him not to fear. This was like God’s gracious response to many others, especially in the person of Jesus when they knew Him for who He really was. So, God has ordained that when we approach Him in reverence and awe, He will forgive us our sins and allow us not to stand afraid of the punishment for our sins which we would otherwise rightly deserve.
CHALLENGE: Which concept of God do you have? Is it someone whom you rightly respect and hold in awe, or is it someone you are afraid of who will be standing in judgment of you? Discuss this with someone who knows you best today. (MW)
: 35 Which were a grief of mind to Isaac and to Rebekah. (4786 “grief” [morah] means bitterness, a continuing bitter feeling or situation as a state or time in life, sadness of spirit, affliction, or the state of misery and mental distress and anguish)
DEVOTION: Isaac and Rebekah had two children. Isaac was married to a relative of Rebekah who believed in the LORD. Esau was married to two women from the nation of the Philistines who were idol worshipers.
This fact grieved the heart of both parents because they had one child serving the LORD and one child following idol worshipers.
Today we have many Christian parents who have watched their children marry individuals who don’t love the LORD. It is hard on the parents who have tried to raise their children to honor the LORD.
Some of them have sent their children to Christian schools all their life to have them pick someone who doesn’t love the LORD. They have tried to live their lives in a way that is pleasing to the LORD but the children have seen something that made them not want to obey their parents.
Again, there is a sin nature in all of us that has a tendency to walk away from the LORD rather than toward the LORD. If we as parents are not consistent in our spiritual life the children will know it. They will see if it is fake or real.
Our testimony with our children has to be one that they can see that Christ is real in our lives. They should not expect parents to be perfect but should see them confess their sins and ask forgiveness if they have gone too far in their discipline of their children.
God wants parents to try with all they can to raise their children to marry believers rather than those who don’t love the LORD. I have witnessed many discouraged parents who have tried to raise their children in church and with Christian principles and still they have turned away from the LORD.
This causes much grief of mind. If you are a parent of a child or children who are not following the LORD after being raised to trust in the LORD don’t give up. Prayer is always the answer. Love them back to the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Sometimes it is with “tough” love that we can bring them back. Never stop praying for them to return to the LORD.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Isaac called on the name of the LORDverse 25
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Isaac built an altar to the LORDverse 25
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandmentsverse 5
Statutesverse 5
Lawsverse 5
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 2, 12, 22, 24, 25, 28, 29
LORD appeared to Isaacverses 2-5
Promised to be with Isaac
Promised to bless Isaac
Promised to give Isaac countries
Perform oath given to Abraham
Promised to make seed multiply as stars
All nations will be blessed by Isaac’s seed
Blessed Isaac
God of Abraham appeared to Isaacverse 24
Told Isaac to fear not
I am the God of Abraham your father
fear not
I am with you
I will bless you
I will multiply your seed
Reason: for MY servant Abraham’s sake
LORD was with Isaacverse 28
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Abrahamverses 1, 3, 5, 15, 24
Obeyed LORD’S voice
Kept LORD’s charge
Commandments
Statutes
Laws
Dug wells
Famine in the landverse 1
Isaacverses 1-33
Not go to Egypt
Dwelt in Gerar
Told Rebekah to say she is sister
LORD blessed
Well called Rehoboth
Made room & fruitful
Went to Beer-sheba
LORD appeared to him
LORD appeared to him
Promised to bless him for
Abraham’s sake
Built a altar
Called on the name of LORD
Dug a well in Beer-sheba
Abimelech knew he was blessed of LORD
Made feast for Abimelech and friends
Peace with Abimelech
New well called Shebah
Name of city: Beer-sheba
Abimelech – king of the Philistinesverses 1, 8-11, 26-31
Gerar
Saw Isaac sporting with wife
Called Isaac
Questioned Isaac regarding
Rebekah
Told his people not to touch Rebekah
Went to Gerar to meet with Isaac
With his friends and Phichol
Knew LORD was with Isaac
Wanted a covenant with Isaac
Egyptverse 2
Sporting: husband and wifeverse 8
Capital punishmentverse 11
Philistines envied Isaacverses 14-21
Stopped up wells
Herdsmen of Gerar: strive
Well called Esek
Well called Sitnah
Phichol he chief of Abimelech’s armyverse 26
Oath between saved and unsavedverse 28
Covenant between saved and unsavedverse 28
Swear an oathverse 31
Esau was forty years old verse 35
took wife Judith
daughter of Beeri the Hittite
took wife Bashemath
daughter of of Elon the Hittite
grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Isaac liedverse 7
Fearverse 7
Killverse 7
Lightly laid with a womanverse 10
Guiltiness verse 10
Touch another man’s wifeverse 11
Envyverse 14
Stopping the wellsverse 15
Strifeverses 20-22
Hateverse 27
Hurtverse 29
Grief of mindverse 35
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Promiseverse 2
Presence of the LORDverses 3, 24, 28
Blessverses 3, 12, 24, 29
Obeyverse 5
Fear notverse 24
Peaceverses 29, 31
Grief of mindverse 35
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Dieverses 9, 11
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QUOTES regarding passage
26:3 “Stay in this land” is the third and final exhortation. The nuance of permanency made implicit by the word “live” (v. 2c) may be further reinforced by the contrasting term “stay” (gûr). The word gûr (“to sojourn, inhabit”) is a favorite term in Genesis, specifying the alien status of the patriarchs as foreigners (cf. 35:27; 37:1; Exod 6:4). Its appearance here is another echo of Abraham’s visits to Egypt (12:10) and Gerar (20:1). In this case the “land” refers to the region of Gerar. Since Gerar marked the southern boundary of Canaan (10:19), the location provided a telling place of decision when Isaac obeyed the Lord’s directive. By chapter’s end Isaac returns to Beersheba, the chief abode of the patriarchs in the Negev (v. 23; 22:19; 28:10; 46:1, 5).
The Lord repeats the essential patriarchal promises, establishing protection and prosperity for Isaac. “I will be with you” expresses the inviolate divine presence (v. 3; 31:3; Exod 3:12; Josh 1:5; Judg 6:16; 1 Kgs 11:38). “[I] will bless you” repeats the promissory call in 12:2. In immediate proximity to this promise in 12:2 and 26:3 is reference to the resulting proliferation of the patriarch’s offspring. It will indeed require a prodigious nation to secure the extensive territories promised. There is no good reason for Isaac to remain in a barren land, excepting his adamant trust that God will sustain his family and possessions. Although the land is presently settled by foreign nations, the day will come when Isaac’s descendants will be its masters. The promise “for to you and your descendants I will give [nātan]” and its variations are formulaic in the divine promises (v. 3; cp. 13:15; 17:8; 28:4; 35:12), but this restatement places “to you and your descendants” prominently at the head of the clause.
“All these lands” (vv. 3–4) contrasts with the term “land” in the singular (vv. 1, 2, 3, 12, 22) that plays such an important topic in the chapter. “Lands” must include those areas possessed by any number of different neighboring groups. The language corresponds to the comprehensive description “all the land that you see” promised to Abraham during his strife with Lot (13:15). This allusion may be a subtle alert that Isaac’s wealth will result in strife with his neighboring host. Finally, mention of the sworn oath (haššĕbūʿâ ʾăšer nišbaʿtî) undertaken by God himself (v. 3b) hearkens back to 22:16 (nišbaʿtî, “I swear”).
26:4–5 This second mention of numerous descendants and inherited lands (v. 4) not only emphasizes these two important promises, but also repeats the two essential factors that make a people a great nation, providing the platform for the realization of the third promise, a blessing for the nations. “I will increase” (rābâ; vv. 4, 24) is part of the standard promissory rhetoric (cf. 15:1; 17:2, 20; also 1:22, 28; 9:1, 7); coupled with the metaphor of innumerable “stars” (v. 4), the language plainly relives the Moriah incident (22:17a). Occupation of “all these lands” (v. 4b) is equivalent to the language “cities of their enemies” heard at Moriah (22:17a; cp. 24:60). The identity of the peoples who are in mind may be those already named in 15:18–21, where the similar language “to your descendants I give this land” (v. 18) introduces a catalog of nations. The nations that Israel will dispossess are typically named in structured ethnographic lists (e.g., Exod 13:5, 11; Deut 1:7; 11:24; Josh 3:10).
“Because Abraham obeyed my voice” (“obeyed me,” NIV, v. 5) is virtually identical to 22:18, pointing to the sacrifice of Isaac as the event foremost in mind. The remaining statutory language of the verse resonates with the covenant of circumcision that required specific statutory compliance (17:7, 9). The forensic terms amassed here regularly appear in Mosaic legislation. When occurring with the first person pronoun, that is, “my requirements” (v. 5), they often appear in the parenetic sections (e.g., Exod 16:28; Lev 22:9, 31; Deut 5:29; 11:1, 13). By employing covenant terminology, the author depicts the complete obedience of Abraham as the ideal for Israel in the land who must observe the provisions of the Sinaitic covenant (e.g., Lev 26:3; Deut 4:40; 30:16). (Mathews, K. A. (2005). Genesis 11:27–50:26 (Vol. 1B, pp. 404–405). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)
2–5 The Lord’s warning to Isaac that he should remain in the land became the occasion for a formal restatement of the blessing (v.2). In the face of the impending famine, the Lord promised to be with Isaac, to bless him, and to bring about all that had been promised to his father, Abraham. Essentially the same promise given to Abraham was given to Isaac. His seed would be great in number (cf. 12:2), the land would be his (12:7), and all the nations of the land would be blessed in him (12:3).
The Lord then added a remarkable note: Abraham “kept my requirements [mišmartî], my commands [miṣwōṯay], my decrees [ḥuqqôṯay] and my laws [weṯôrōṯāy]” (v.5). It is remarkable that this is precisely the way in which obedience to the Sinai covenant is expressed in Deuteronomy 11:1: “Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements [mišmartô], his decrees [ḥuqqōṯāyw], his laws [mišpāṭāyw] and his commands [miṣwōṯāyw].”
Did Abraham know the law? If so how? If not, what was the meaning of the Lord’s words? There is no indication in these narratives that Abraham had an actual copy of the laws of the Pentateuch or of any oral tradition. Thus it would seem unlikely that the writer would expect the reader to understand the Lord’s words in such a way. The solution, rather, lies in the writer’s portrayal of Abraham throughout the book. We have already seen that at several points in the narrative, Abraham acted in accordance with the law, particularly Deuteronomy; yet there has never been the assumption that he actually had a knowledge of the law itself. In chapter 14, when Abraham fought with the kings who were from a far country, his actions followed quite closely the stipulations of Deuteronomy 20. The same can be said in that same chapter regarding his treatment of the nations who were nearby (e.g., the king of Sodom). In his dealings with them he also followed the stipulation of Deuteronomy 20. He obeyed the law from the heart, much as the ideal picture given in Deuteronomy 30:6 would have it. Thus Abraham is an example of one who shows the law written on his heart (Jer 31:33). He is the writer’s ultimate example of true obedience to the law, the one about whom the Lord could say, “Abraham obeyed me” (v.5). Thus, by showing Abraham to be an example of “keeping the law,” the writer has shown the nature of the relationship between the law and faith. Abraham, a man who lived in faith, could be described as one who kept the law.
The view of faith and the law reflected in this narrative is the same as that in Deuteronomy 30:11–14, where Moses said, “What I am commanding you [hammiṣwāh hazzōʾṯ lit., ‘this command’] is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.… it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it [ûḇilḇāḇeḵā laʿaśōṯô].” It is also in keeping with the apostle Paul’s understanding of Deuteronomy 30 in Romans 10, where he writes that the “word” that Moses says is “in your heart” is “the word of faith we are proclaiming” (Rom 10:8). (Sailhamer, J. H. (1990). Genesis. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, pp. 186–187). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
True faith is always tested, either by temptations within us or trials around us (James 1:1–18), because a faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted. God tests us to bring out the best in us, but Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us. In one form or another, each new generation must experience the same tests as previous generations, if only to discover that the enemy doesn’t change and that human nature doesn’t improve. Abraham is mentioned eight times in this chapter, and you find the word “father” six times. Isaac was very much his father’s son. Abraham Lincoln was right: “We cannot escape history.”
The temptation to run (vv. 1–6). When Abraham arrived in Canaan, he found a famine in the land and faced his first serious test of faith (12:10–13:4). His solution was to abandon the place God had chosen for him, the place of obedience, and to run to Egypt, thus establishing a bad example for his descendants who were prone to imitate him. The safest place in the world is in the will of God, for the will of God will never lead us where His grace can’t provide for us. Unbelief asks, “How can I get out of this,” while faith asks, “What can I get out of this?”
When Isaac faced the problem of a famine, he decided to go to Gerar, the capital city of the Philistines, and get help from Abimelech. Isaac and Rebekah were probably living at Beer-lahai-roi at that time (25:11), which means they traveled about seventy-five miles northeast to get to Gerar. Even after arriving in Gerar, Isaac and Rebekah may have been tempted to go south to Egypt, though God had warned them not to consider that possibility.
God permitted Isaac to remain in Philistia and promised to bless him. God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be greatly multiplied and one day would possess all those lands. Thus Isaac had a right to be there as long as God approved. (See 12:2–3; 13:16; 15:5; 17:3–8; 22:15–18.) God blessed Isaac for Abraham’s sake (25:5; see also v. 24), just as He has blessed believers today for the sake of Jesus Christ.
We can never successfully run away from trials, because God sees to it that His children learn the lessons of faith regardless of where they go. We can never grow in faith by running from difficulty, because “tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character …” (Rom. 5:3–4, nkjv). Like David, we may wish we had “wings like a dove” so we could “fly away and be at rest” (Ps. 55:6, nkjv), but if we did, we’d always be doves when God wants us to “mount up with wings as eagles” (Isa. 40:31, kjv).
The temptation to lie (vv. 7–11). Isaac could flee from famine, but when he put himself into a situation that offered no escape, he had to turn to deception to protect himself. Abraham committed this same sin twice, once in Egypt (Gen. 12:14–20) and once in Philistia (chap. 20). Remember, faith is living without scheming; and telling lies seems to be one of humanity’s favorite ways to escape responsibility.
Isaac was asked about the woman who was with him and, like his father Abraham before him, he said she was his sister. But when Abimelech saw Isaac caressing Rebekah, he knew she was his wife.8 Why did Isaac lie? Because he was afraid his pagan host would kill him in order to obtain his beautiful wife. His lie was evidence of his unbelief; for if he had claimed the covenant promise when he prayed for children (25:21), why couldn’t he claim that same covenant promise to protect himself and his wife?
The English poet John Dryden wrote, “Truth is the foundation of all knowledge and the cement of all societies.” When people don’t keep their word, the foundations of society begin to shake and things start to fall apart. Happy homes, lasting friendships, thriving businesses, stable governments, and effective churches all depend on truth for their success. The American preacher Phillips Brooks said, “Truth is always strong, no matter how weak it looks; and falsehood is always weak, no matter how strong it looks.” Truth is cement; falsehood is whitewash.
When he found himself in difficulty, Isaac was tempted to run and to lie; and we face this same temptation today. Isaac succumbed to the temptation and was found out. It’s a sad day when unconverted people like Abimelech publicly expose God’s servants for telling lies. What an embarrassment to the cause of truth! (Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Be authentic (pp. 15–17). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
26:3–5 God confirmed the Abrahamic Covenant with Isaac, stressing the same 3 elements as before: land, seed, and blessing. He appended specific honorable mention of Abraham’s obedient response to all of God’s words. See notes on 12:1–3; 15:13–21; 17:2, 7, 8, 9. Although Abraham was commended for his deeds, the Abrahamic Covenant was an unconditional covenant grounded in God’s sovereign will (cf. Lv 26:44, 45). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ge 26:3–5). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 3. Sojourn in this land, &c.] The land of Canaan, where he now was; either in Gerar, which though in the land of the Philistines was a part of Canaan, the place of his present residence; or in any other part of it he should be directed to: however, by this it appears it was the pleasure of God that he should not go out of that land, and which Abraham his father was careful of, that he should not whilst he lived; see ch. 24:6, 8: and I will be with thee, and I will bless thee; with his presence; with protection from all enemies; with a supply of all the necessaries of life; and with all spiritual blessings, and with eternal life and happiness: for unto thee, and to thy seed, will I give these countries; inhabited at that time by the Philistines, Canaanites, and the several tribes of them: and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; concerning the promise of the Messiah from him and his seed, the gift of the land of Canaan to them, and the multiplication of them, ch. 22:16–18. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 179). London: Mathews and Leigh)
FROM MY READING:
ENTERING GOD’S KINGDOM
…not imputing their trespasses unto them….For he hath made him to be sin for us.
2 Corinthians 5:19,21
You cannot live in God’s kingdom unless you are a worthy citizen. How, then, can you enter? Christ is the answer. This is the Good News, that He bore our sins “in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). Here is the message: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them….For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:19,21). And thereby by dying on the cross, He has opened the gateway into the kingdom, and He says, “Today is the day of salvation–enter in.” “Come unto me, all ye that labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
“The time is fulfilled” (Mark 1:15). The time promised so long ago has arrived; the kingdom of God has drawn near, has come. He says, “I am the King; come unto Me just as you are.” Thank God you do not have to put yourself right first; you do not have to understand the profundity first; you do not have to set out on some great quest. You may have to die very soon, and your question is, “How can I stand before God? How can I know that I am going to heaven and eternal bliss?”
And this is the answer: “The time is fulfilled; the kingdom has come.” The King is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He loved you so much that He died for you and your sins, and all He says to you is, “Repent, think again, believe My message.” Repent and believe the gospel; acknowledge your folly and your sin, your shame, and your helplessness. Stop making inquiries; stop setting out with your great intellect to understand. Simply believe.
A Thought to Ponder: “I am the King; come unto Me just as you are.”
(From The Kingdom of God, pp. 23-24 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The original decree is found, and permission is given to complete the temple restoration.
INSIGHT
It is often darkest before the dawn. Just as it looks as if the work on the temple is going to be stopped, the Lord turns the situation around. Not only is permission given to complete the temple, but those who had tried to stop the work are required to finance the remainder of the restoration! Worrying does little to further the work of God; He is quite capable of accomplishing His work. Our work is trust, obedience, and faithfulness to our responsibilities.
(QuietWalk)
The Law of Liberty
“So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” (James 2:12)
On Independence Day, Americans should give thanks to the Author of liberty that we have been privileged to live in this “sweet land of liberty,” where we can worship God freely in accord with His Word. Liberty is not license, however, and the essence of the American system is liberty under law. Fundamentally, that law is “the law of nature and of nature’s God”—the natural laws of God’s world and the revealed laws of God’s Word. Within that framework we do have liberty—but not liberty to defy either the physical law of gravity or the spiritual “law of liberty.” The latter is formulated in Scripture and has been applied over the centuries, in the English common law and later in our system of constitutional law, both of which are based on Scripture.
Some today, seeking license rather than liberty, might recoil at the very idea of “the law of liberty,” calling it an oxymoron, or contradiction in terms. But Jesus said that only “the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), and “sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15), not freedom!
No one can be saved by the law, but those who are saved— by grace through faith in Christ—will love God’s law, for it is “holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12). We should say with the psalmist: “So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever. And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts” (Psalm 119:44-45).
There is, indeed, a law of liberty, and whoever will walk in real liberty will find it only in God’s law of life, through His revealed Word. For “whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:25). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
The men spent the rest of that day and Sunday morning brainstorming how the church could be more effective in accomplishing its purpose and mission. While they did not come up with a lot of answers, they did come away with three issues they needed to discuss further. First, they needed to develop a strategy for encouraging evangelism in the church. Second, they needed to be more proactive in discipling individuals in the church, especially those who had been longtime attendees. Third, they needed to provide training for the Sunday school teachers.
(p. 170, Developing Leaders for the Small Church
by Glenn C. Daman)
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