Just Like His Dad

Genesis 26:1-11

“And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.” (Genesis 26:1)

Famine had forced Abraham to Egypt soon after he went to Canaan. Abraham had later made his home base among the philistines at Beersheba, but Isaac made Lahairoi his home base. Almost ninety years later, famine again forced a relocation and Isaac mover back to Gerar. While many would like to believe serving God ensures we will avoid problems, the scripture tells us that God allows both good and bad to come to everyone in Matthew 5:45, stating, “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” We are repeatedly told we will have problems in the world. Isaac was no exception. He went back to Gerar.

“And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Genesis 26:2-5)

Abraham had gone to Egypt to escape the famine the first time. God specifically instructed Isaac not to go to Egypt. In stead he promised that if Isaac would stay in the land and trust God, he’d bless him and fulfill all his promises to Abraham. The promises had been made to Abraham because he obeyed God, and did what God told him to do. This is not a contradiction of the statement in Genesis 15:6. “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Instead, it demonstrates the teaching in James 2:21-24. “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” Real living faith will produce action. Faith that doesn’t result in action is dead and thus powerless.

“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.” (Genesis 26:6-7)

Almost seventy years after Abraham had gone to Gerar, and ninety years after going to Egypt, and assuming the people were wicked and would kill him for his wife, had lied and said she was his sister, Isaac did exactly the same thing, for exactly the same reasons. Children copy and adopt the habits and attitudes of those they admire and associate with, and Isaac responded exactly like his father.

“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.” (Genesis 26:8)

Clearly, the philistine men were less of a threat than Isaac imagine. It only reveals again how easy it is to make false assumptions about people. They had been in Gerar for a long time before anyone suspected the truth, which only came out when Abimelech looked out his window and saw them making out. It was not behavior one would expect between siblings.

“And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.” (Genesis 26:9)

When confronted with his lie, and asked how he could have made such a claim. Isaac used the same excuse as his father had, except he couldn’t claim that she was his half sister. It is hard to realize how closely our children may follow the example we set. The attitude was learned, not inherited.

“And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us. And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” (Genesis 26:10-11)

Isaac had told the lie solely to protect himself, with no thought of injuring anyone else, yet as Abimelech pointed out, it left and opportunity for someone to sin through ignorance. Believing she was unmarried, one of the Philistine men might well have taken Rebekah to be his wife, and brought judgment on the entire nation for condoning the adultery. The lies we tell in an effort to keep from hurting feelings or for self protection often expose others to temptation.

Leviticus 18 stresses that as Abimelech implied, like murder, sexual sin, if ignored, defiles a nation and brings God’s judgment on it. The New Testament does not authorize Christians to judge the world, but it does demand that they separate themselves from those who will not forsake their sin. To forgive those who repent is required, but tolerance is unacceptable, when overt sin is involved.