Have you ever marvelled at the many similarities between parents and their children? It's amazing that not just their looks but particular characteristics of their personality and various mannerisms can be almost mirrored in a person's offspring. Genetics of course plays a large part in this but then there are patterns of behaviour that also seem to be repeated due to the younger generation having observed or heard about their parent's past. Perhaps this is what comes into play in today's reading, as a very familiar situation is played out.
"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. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 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. 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, because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions."
So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 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." 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. 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." 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." So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: "Anyone who harms this man or his wife shall surely be put to death." Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 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. Then Abimelek said to Isaac, "Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us." So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. 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. Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 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. Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 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." From there he went up to Beersheba. 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." 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.
Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?" 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 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." Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully. That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, "We've found water!" He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba."
Genesis 26:1-33 NIV
Such a familiar series of events plays out in this passage. There's a famine in the land once more but the Lord appears and stops Isaac and his family from going to Egypt. Isaac is also told that the Lord will be with him and if he stays in the land for a while, he will be blessed. The covenant made with his father Abraham is reaffirmed and the Lord reminds Isaac of his father's obedience and faithfulness which must have been a great encouragement at this time.
However, when fears arise, the similarities between Isaac and his father are startling as we see how he calls Rebekah his sister in order to protect himself. He did stay in the land as God requested him but when faced with concerns for his safety, Isaac seemed to forget what God had promised! Whatever the reason, Isaac is found out to be lying just as Abraham was. He is rebuked by the king but God was merciful and had the king protect him. Isaac went on to become prosperous despite the fact he had initially done the wrong thing. Our God is full of grace!
Isaac went back to the same wells his father used, a wonderful picture of how the generations to come can benefit from our hard work both physically and spiritually. Isaac's success and wealth led to jealousy among the Philistines, so they sabotaged his wells and asked him to move on. A great deal of faith, work and commitment went into reestablishing his father's old wells. It must have felt good to Isaac to be following in his father's footsteps and after another move and a further dispute, God blessed him greatly with a flowing supply of water and appeared before Isaac to bless and encourage him. We can always be sure that God is there for us in all the ups and downs of our journey. He is our flowing source of Living Water and We can be sure there will be encouragement and blessings at just the right time!
It must have been a surprise to Isaac to receive a visit from the king and his advisor at this stage when he had moved on as requested! It's interesting that they could see that the Lord had been with Isaac so they were keen to make a peace treaty with him. This made me wonder, can others see that the Lord is at work in my life? Can unbelievers tell there is something different about me?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
It is such an encouragement to see the many ways that You were with Isaac during the famine, guiding and protecting him. Thank You that we can always rely on You to walk with us all the way, no matter what our circumstances may be. Lord You are so patient, even when we choose to do our own thing out of fear. Thank You for the heritage of Your wonderful promises which are still being passed onto people today. Thank You for the constant supply of Living Water through Your Spirit! May we walk in Your footsteps and be an outstanding example to all those around us.
In Jesus' Name and for Your glory,
Amen.
"For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."
Psalms 36:9 NLT
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Light and Life for Today
SpiritualA daily devotional for your time alone with God. In an increasingly dark world, more than ever, we need to look beyond what we can see, past our present circumstances. In order to see the light and experience life as our Heavenly Father intended, I...
