Read Genesis 26
Isaac and Abimelek
1 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”
8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”
Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”
10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”
11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”
12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.
16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”
17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.
19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”
23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”
25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.
26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?”
28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”
30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.
32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.
Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing
34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Go Deeper
This chapter in Genesis might sound familiar. Much of the life of Isaac parallels the life of his father Abraham. There is the promise repeated, a mistake duplicated, and God’s faithfulness continued. The chapter begins telling us that “there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines in Gerar.” We see God appear to Isaac, which is the first recorded time God speaks to Isaac, and He tells him not to go to Egypt and to stay in the land. God also assured him that just like his father Abraham, he will continue to be blessed because of God’s covenant. As a reminder, God promised Abraham back in Genesis 12 land (the Promised Land), seed (a family more numerous than the stars in the sky), and blessing (all nations of the earth will be blessed through his family). Isaac would be the second father of this promise, and he settled in Gerar.
Like Abraham, Isaac messes up and is caught lying to King Abimelech. Isaac tries to pass off his wife Rebekah as his sister out of fear, and that does not last for long. God preserves and ultimately blesses Isaac to the point where his crops flourished. Isaac becomes very wealthy, just as Abraham was. However, the Philistines envied him for his prosperity, so Abimelech sent him away because Isaac was too powerful for them. Isaac departs and it says he “reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham” (v. 18). Isaac called them the same names that his father Abraham called them. There is a conflict over these wells, and some significance to what the wells were named. The Lord appeared to Issac again to repeat His covenant to Abraham.
There is another exchange between Isaac and King Abimelech. Originally, Abimelech felt threatened by Isaac’s growing wealth and influence. When asked why they chose to come find him after originally sending him away, their answer tells us a lot about Isaac: “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you” (v. 28). God’s hand on Isaac’s life was so evident that even a pagan king wanted to align himself with Isaac’s God. The world around us is looking for hope, and God’s desire is that all people of every nation would come to know Him. Like Isaac, may it be obvious to others that the Lord is with us. Let it be obvious to others who our lives belong to. Would it be obvious to others by the way we go about our lives, engage with those around us, and live as people of hope.
Questions
- What similarities are there between the life of Abraham and Isaac?
- What evidence was there of God’s hand on Isaac?
- How can you live in a way that the people around you clearly see that the Lord is with you?
By the Way
Verse 28 is reminiscent to something the Apostle Paul said about how Christians should live in his letter to the Philippians:
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
Philippians 1:27
Conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News of Jesus lets us bring light into a world of darkness!
7 thoughts on “Genesis 26”
Believing vs unbelieving
What can I get out of this or how can I get out of this.
We are constantly growing due to temptations within us or trials around us. God wants to bring out the best in us and satan wants to bring out the worst. Isaac faced his fathers temptaions. We can not run from the trials of this world because there is a lesson from God within. If we lean not in our own understanding but acknowledge God, He will direct out path. Romans 5:3-4 … tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance, character… Like with timing of the chapter yesterday, waiting for God, listening to God, OBEDIENCE to God, He will provide. Isaac obeyed, he hiccuped along the way, BUT GOD still provided and showed up. God chooses people to do great tasks that we are confounded by, why him. Like Saul of Tarsus. God’s thoughts are far above our thoughts and His ways past finding out. It is GRACE.
God thank You for me being obedient. Thank You that I can renew my mind to Your word. Thank You for helping me to change my thoughts to Your thoughts. God help me to lean on Your understanding and acknowledge You in alll the minutes of this day. Thank You for the waiting, that I can continue to pray, discuss with You and to be at peace with my waiting. God Your thoughts are above my thoughts and Your grace is suffecient. God I give You praise for all the minutes of today, that I can glorify You.God thank You for me being obedient in these minutes today in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 “and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed“
Please Lord, in this time of escalating conflict in the Middle East, remember this promise! Let it be so! Amen!
Let us not lose sight of the choices we are making today are writing our future legacies. Blessing flows through keeping God’s commands, decrees and instruction. No earthly wealth or fame can compare with leaving a legacy of faith and obedience for generations to come.
Ella, I always look for your comment after my reading. I love your input and love for God! <3
Sometimes god calls us to stay in certian places. I love how Issac was focused on god and his relationship with him. He was doing many things with the lord and the promise to his family. Others have their opinions and were jealous but he wasn’t trying to please anyone.
I saw something talking about how the universe is constantly expanding. And someone brought up a “what if”, that what if Godis showing his promise to Abraham. He said his offsprings would be equal to the number of stars, and as we keep growing, the stars God showed him keep growing. Just thought that was cool lol.
This highlights God’s graciousness and fulfillment of His promises. Oftentimes when we are faced with adverse circumstances, so we must try and believe in doing good as God will show kindness to those who believe in Him.
Humble hearts and obedience.