24 That very night God appeared to him and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father; don’t fear a thing because I’m with you. I’ll bless you and make your children flourish because of Abraham my servant. 25 Isaac built an altar there and prayed, calling on God by name. He pitched his tent and his servants started digging another well. 26-27 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his advisor and Phicol the head of his troops. Isaac asked them, “Why did you come to me? You hate me; you threw me out of your country.” 28-29 They said, “We’ve realized that God is on your side. We’d like to make a deal between us—a covenant that we maintain friendly relations. We haven’t bothered you in the past; we treated you kindly and let you leave us in peace. So—God’s blessing be with you!” 30-31 Isaac laid out a feast and they ate and drank together. Early in the morning they exchanged oaths. Then Isaac said good-bye and they parted as friends.
32-33 Later that same day, Isaac’s servants came to him with news about the well they had been digging, “We’ve struck water!” Isaac named the well Sheba (Oath), and that’s the name of the city, Beersheba (Oath-Well), to this day.
While Isaac is certainly a part of the first family of the faithful, we receive far less information about him than we do about the others—Abraham, Jacob and Joseph. Moreover, much of what we do learn about Isaac as an adult is negative and sad:
• In Genesis 25, that he noticeably favored one son—Esau—over the other.
• In Genesis 26, we see him lying out of fear and exposing his wife to potential danger.
• In Genesis 27, we will see him, in his advanced years, being taken advantage of by his wife and his son.
Genesis 26 is the only chapter devoted exclusively to Isaac. In it is both good and bad. Isaac’s life is summed up in the events described, all of which have a striking parallel in the life of his father Abraham. These similarities are key to rightly understanding and applying this passage to our own lives.
24 That very night God appeared to him and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father; don’t fear a thing because I’m with you. I’ll bless you and make your children flourish because of Abraham my servant.
We are told, in verses 19-23, that, in the valley of Gerar Isaac dug a well that produced water that originated from a spring—running water, not simply water that was contained. The Philistine herdsmen disputed with the herdsmen of Isaac over it, so Isaac moved on. Another well was dug, and there was yet another dispute. Finally, a well was dug that brought about no opposition, because of the distance Isaac had traveled from the Philistines. This well was named “Rehoboth,” signifying the hope Isaac had that this was the place God had designated for him to stay.
Again, there is a parallel between Isaac’s life and that of his father, Abraham. Due to their prosperity Abraham and Isaac needed much room for their flocks and a source of water. Prosperity brought contention between Lot’s herdsmen and those of Abraham (Genesis 13:5ff.) just as it did between Isaac’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Gerar. Isaac, like his father, chose to keep the peace by giving preference to the other party.
In verses 23-25 a very strange thing happens. Up to this time Isaac’s decision as to where he should stay was based upon the finding of abundant water and the absence of hostilities. But now, having dug a well that was uncontested, we would have expected Isaac to dwell there. Instead, we are told that he moved on to Beersheba.
It implies that a significant change has occurred in Isaac’s thinking. Circumstances had previously shaped most of his decisions, but now something deeper and more noble seems to be giving direction in his life. Beersheba was the first place that Abraham had gone with Isaac after they came down from the “sacrifice” on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:19). Isaac, knowing that God had promised to give him the land promised to his father Abraham, had finally come to see that through all the opposition over the wells he had dug, God had been guiding him back to the land of promise, back to those places where Abraham had walked in fellowship with God. Isaac went up to Beersheba because he sensed, on a spiritual level, that this was where God wanted him to be. The decision was shown to be the right one, for God immediately spoke words of reassurance.
25 Isaac built an altar there and prayed, calling on God by name. He pitched his tent and his servants started digging another well.
Previously the key for Isaac for knowing the will of God had been circumstances—he stayed wherever he dug a well, found sufficient water, and was not opposed. Yet in this verse the sequence of events is reversed. First Isaac built an altar; then he worshipped, after which he pitched his tent. Finally, he dug a well.
*The place for God’s people is the place of God’s presence. The place of intimacy, worship, and communion with God is the place to abide. There we should dwell, and there we may be assured of God’s provision for our needs. Material needs are considered last, while spiritual needs are primary (Matthew 6:33). From this point on everything seems to take on a different hue.
26-27 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his advisor and Phicol the head of his troops. Isaac asked them, “Why did you come to me? You hate me; you threw me out of your country.” 28-29 They said, “We’ve realized that God is on your side. We’d like to make a deal between us—a covenant that we maintain friendly relations. We haven’t bothered you in the past; we treated you kindly and let you leave us in peace. So—God’s blessing be with you!” 30-31 Isaac laid out a feast and they ate and drank together. Early in the morning they exchanged oaths. Then Isaac said good-bye and they parted as friends.
When he was in very close contact with Abimelech and the Philistines (Genesis 26:1-16), God’s blessing on Isaac was present and clear. The response of the people of the land was envy and animosity. They asked Isaac to leave their country. But now, they come all this way simply to enter a treaty with Isaac.
Isaac’s conduct while with them was such that his testimony was far from sterling. He lied about his wife, passing her off as his sister. Nevertheless, Abimelech realized that the hand of God was upon Isaac and that a favorable relationship with him was highly desirable. The prosperity of a godly man can easily be seen to be the blessing of God. Now as opposed to previous times this is seen to be true of Isaac.
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