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Genesis study & commentary

Genesis 26

By Doug Ford
Isaac goes to Gerar because of famine.

Genesis 26:1

Famines weren't all that unusual in the promised land; they could become very severe.  We're told the Promised Land was once again struck with Famine.  Isaac went to Gerar, apparently to find food, and it appears he was on his way to Egypt.  This story has enough 'like father, like son' in it to cause the Moses to note that this isn't the same famine as Abraham.  He distinguishes it as an event in Isaac's life.  Abimelek could be a name, or a title (like Caesar) derived from a family name.

 

For Isaac, this is one of those significant events in life that everyone finds themselves sin.  They rarely look at it as some faith building exercise or an opportunity to grow in the Lord.  We simply want to survive it the best form we can.  Looking from the outside in, we know God is sovereign and His perfect will is being done.  We don't know God's purpose in the famine, but we can know He either made it happen or allowed it to happen.  The automatic response to famine was to head to Egypt, near the fertile land of the Nile where food could be found.  Isaac's initial inclination was to respond to the famine as all the Canaanites did; pack a bag and head to Egypt.

 

What would your initial inclination be?  How do you respond to other difficult situations in your life?  Does your response look like that of the world?    

 

Gerar means pilgrimage or battle.  Isaac is in the midst of a battle, in his pilgrimage in this world.  The flesh said run to Egypt and find food.  The spirit said trust the Lord.  The path the man of faith is called to walk is a narrow and sometimes lonely way.  It's less traveled, often leaving us to wonder if we've errored in our judgment; after all, everyone else ran to Egypt!

 

Genesis 26:2-5

Yahweh appeared to Isaac.  We aren't told how this might have happened.  The Lord commanded him to not run to Egypt, but to in fact live where God told him to live.  The covenant promises are linked to the land.  Imagine possessing this amazing promise regarding the land, yet feeling you had to run to another to survive. 

 

The Lord God confirmed the covenant He made with Abraham that would extend to his descendants.  The covenant is spoken to Isaac, offering:

  • Numerous descendants (great blessing)
  • The Land
  • By His offspring, the nations would be blessed

This happened because Abraham obeyed the Lord, all that He required or asked.  We see the promises come forth from obedience.

 

Imagine Isaac's response to hearing from God.  It was just like his father had heard – except for a couple of caveats. 

  1. He was not to go to Egypt
  2. He was to stay in this land for a while

Making important decisions is not easy when the flesh is crying out. Egypt was a sure thing, water for his flocks, food for his family.  God told him to stay in Gerar and He would bless him.  This was to stay in a foreign land as a sojourner.  All his eyes could see was reliance on these Philistines and their king.  Deciding to stay there seemed as though he was at their mercy.  However, God assured him that He was with Him, even there, in Gerar. 

 

He could listen to God and stay where there was a famine and be hungry or go to Egypt and get food.  God is asking him to go against the flesh, not to decide based on his growling stomach but to decide based on the promises from Him.  God asked him to have faith.  This was to learn the reality of God's presence, no matter where he was, not matter the circumstance.  It was the same lesson his father had to learn.  It's a lesson we all have to learn.  Faith was not new to Isaac, remember he was the young man that got on the altar and allowed Abraham to bind him.  He laid there when Abraham raised the knife.  He seemed to be raised in faith, but that was faith in the shadow of his father.  He was the father now, the possessor of the covenant promise, his life and decisions needed to reflect the presence of God.

 

Genesis 26:6-7

Isaac stayed in Gerar, but we see this 'like father, like son' technique of dealing with his fear.  On one hand we see him trust God and stay, not going to Egypt.  He shows faith and obedience.  Then, he feels his wife has caught the attention of other men.  He believes they'll kill him and take her for their own; where if he were the brother, they would negotiate her marriage through him.  He believed God could save him from famine but not the men of Gerar. 

 

This is the response and thinking of a man who just experienced a visitation from God.  The Lord appeared to him and spoke, giving promises and direction.  The Lord promised to be with him.  Yet, already he has seeming forgot the reality of the presence of God in his life.  

 

The situation is different from that of Abraham. 

  • First, Sarah was actually Abraham's half-sister; not to justify what he did at all. 
    • With Isaac, Rebekah is his cousin. 
  • Sarah was also abducted by Abimelech.  
    • Rebekah was never pursued by Abimelech or the men of Gerar. 
  • Sarah had not had children yet.  Ishmael had been born to Hagar but the covenant promise was at risk when Abraham allowed Sarah to be taken by Abimelech.
    • Rebekah had already had Jacob and Esau.  Isaac's 'sister' had kids.  The covenant promise was ready to be passed to Jacob.

Did Isaac learn this from his father?  Did he see it happen or simply hear of it?

 

Note: see Romans 2:24 – the name of God blasphemed among the gentiles because of you.

 

Genesis 26:8-11

Isaac lived there a long time.  The implication is the lie remained intact.  However, there is no statute of limitation on a lie.  The truth will always win out.  Abimelech looked out his window one day and saw Isaac with his wife.  The NIV says they were caressing.  The word means they were flirting, amorous.  The word is a word play on the name Isaac, meaning laughter.  Abimelech knew immediately this wasn't the playful laughter of a brother and sister.

 

It's a sad day when the world has to remind the children of God to act like their Father.  This Philistine king scolded Isaac, expecting him to be more like his Father in heaven.  Though, we see that the king had some moral foundation, he was worried about bringing guilt on himself by defiling Isaac's wife.  There was a fear and respect of Isaac, Rebekah and maybe the God they worshiped.

 

Abimelech acted with integrity.  He respected Isaac and what he represented, in spite of the way he acted.  Isaac lacked respect for the king and assumed the worst about him and his people.  Abimelech's instruction to the people about not harming Isaac or Rebekah further proved the integrity and morality.  Abimelech may have also harbored a degree of fear of Isaac because of his great wealth, the reputation of Abraham and the reputation of God.

 

Note: The reputation of Isaac's heavenly Father and earthly father was weighty enough to overcome the sin of Isaac. 

 

Genesis 26:12-16

God blesses whom he chooses to bless and He chose to bless Isaac.  When you walk with God you realize you are blessed just to be called a child of God. 

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1)

 

What manner of love is this when Isaac tells a whopper of a lie and is corrected by a godless king and still is blessed beyond measure? 

 

Some are rich, some poor; some live in shacks, some in mansions; some live in health and others are racked with pain, disease and sickness.  Some of us are overweight because we have more than our share to eat; others struggle to get nourishment each day.  And in all those circumstance, we can be a child of God and be blessed.

 

God chose to bless Isaac with a large crop from his fields along with flocks, herds and servants.  Because of these blessings the Philistines became envious or fearful.  They stopped up the wells that Abraham had dug.  Having good wells was a big a deal.  Imagine digging a well back in those days.  This was hard and dangerous work.  When someone came along and plugged your well it was an act of terrorism or violence.  This kind of thing could easily lead to war.  This was the Philistines way of telling Isaac that he wasn't welcome any longer.  They didn't want the competition.   I suspect there was the underlying knowledge of the presence of God in the life of Isaac.  Unbelievers shy away from that presence, keeping distance, not exactly sure why, but realizing the discomfort goes away when that person is gone.

 

Genesis 26:17-22

Isaac moved to the valley of Gerar instead of taking the plugged wells personally and starting a conflict.  This is the same place where Abraham camped for a time.  He is looking like his father here.  The 'valley' is actually a wadi (dry river bed) that serves to collect water when the rainy season.  The water table would be higher there.  Isaac dug the wells again as a matter of fact, not as defiance against the Philistines.  See Gen 21:25-34.  There had been a covenant regarding the wells.  Abraham called the place Beersheba, 'the well of oath' or the 'well of seven'.  The covenant was cut over 7 ewe lambs. 

 

In those days, a well was a hole in the ground with steps descending to the water.  Digging a well was hard work.  When the servants dug the first well and got fresh water, the herdsmen argued with them claiming the water as their own.  This 'fresh' water was running water fed from an underground source.  This seems to be a supernatural source to provide this blessing to Isaac.  The Philistines attempt to steal the blessing.

  • The first well is named Esek, which means contention or argue.
  • The second well is called Sitnah, which means hatred or enmity.  The word is used elsewhere as a legal charge. 
  • The third well was not argued over.  The progression of 'contention' to 'enmity' leads one to believe the next would be worse.  (They might name the well headless!)  This well is called Rehoboth, meaning room enough.
    • About 20 miles from Beersheba (place of Abraham's well).

 

Genesis 26:23-25

It must have been some time later that Isaac went back to Beersheba.  The Lord appeared to him there and confirmed the Abrahamic covenant to him.  God told him he didn't have to live in fear of those who plug your wells and argue for possession of the ones you dig.  He didn't have to fear someone would steel his blessing, God had plenty.  The Lord promised He was with him.  What a great promise.  Isaac responded in the same way his father did.  He built an altar and worshiped the Lord, calling upon Him.  This was a realization and celebration of God's presence in his life.  This is where Abraham referred to Yahweh as the everlasting God.  He pitched his tent there and dug a well.  Why not, this was the place where God spoke to his father and blessed him and now the Lord had spoken to him and blessed him.  It seemed like a good place to hang around for a while.  He pitched his tent and planned on standing on the promises of God.

 

 

Genesis 26:26-29

Isaac felt threatened that Abimelech showed up with his army commander, who wouldn't.  He had just been pushed all around the country side because he wasn't welcome.  Now Abimelech showed up as his doorstep.  Isaac was leery of Abimelech (probably trying not to assume the worst as he had done last time) and Abimelech was nervous about Isaac.  He didn't want Isaac turning against him.  He has seen that Isaac is powerful and that God has blessed him.  The Lord had been faithful and blessed Isaac during the famine as he had promised as long as he stayed in the land.  Isaac continued to be blessed even though the herdsmen have given him fits.   

 

The king wanted a covenant of treaty between the two of them.  He wanted to make peace between them a matter of record and oath. 

 

Genesis 26:30-33

Isaac put on a feast for these visitors.  The next day, these guys cut a covenant of peace with each other.  Isaac had no more sent them on their way when God blessed Isaac again with water from the new well.  He called the well Shebah which means oath.  Beersheba is 'Well of Oath'.  This is the same place that his father made an oath with another Abimelech.  Abraham called the place Beersheba in chapter 21, verse 32.

 

Some scholars see the similarities between this chapter and chapter 21 when Abraham's encounter with Abimelech.  However, we could easily conclude the similarities show us the similarity of Abraham and Isaac, the covenant promise and the God they served.  It can simply be God showing us 'like father, like son.'

 

Isaac had to learn the same thing his father learned, as we have to learn.  To Isaac he said:

  • (V3) Stay and I will be with you – God was present in his future
  • (v24) Don't be afraid, I am with you – God was present in the 'here and now'.
  • (v28) the Lord was with you – the Lord God was visibly present in his past.

 

3     Commit your works to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be established. (Prov 16:3)

 

6     In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths. (Prov 3:6)

 

I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:20)

 

Genesis 26:34-35

We are told Esau was forty years old; this gives us a reference on the timeline for context of the story to come.  If Esau was 40 then Isaac is 100 years of age.  Esau took two Hittite women as wives.  He ignored the standard established by Abraham.  They were not to marry outside their own people.  This grieved Isaac and Rebekah terribly.  It showed that Esau was unfit to carry the covenant forward.  This, along with selling his birthright, show his total disregard for the covenant.  He's the same old Esau, responding to his baser instincts.

 

©2019 Doug Ford