Genesis 26:23-33
“And he went up from thence to Beersheba. And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.” (Genesis 26:23-24)
After spending some peaceful time in Rehoboth, Isaac returned to Abrahams home base of Beersheba. Immediately, the same night he moved there, God spoke to him. Isaac had gone to the Philistines because he felt it was a logical move due to the famine. While he was there God had forbidden him to go to Egypt. Isaac had then tried to protect himself by lying, rather than trusting God.
I am reminded of a little boy playing in his yard while his father works in the garden. As the boy moves away from his father, communication between them gradually diminishes. Unless the father sees something actively dangerous or wrong, he probably will not call out to the boy to interrupt his play. If the boy begins to play close to where his father is working, the father may start a conversation. Like Isaac, we often become so involved with our own activities we don’t realize we have moved out of conversation range and will only hear God if he yells to warn us of danger. If we drift too far, or get too involved, we may not hear him even then. When Isaac came back, God re-established the conversation.
“And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.” (Genesis 26:25)
When he again began to converse freely with the Lord, Isaac understood how much he had missed the communication with God and built an altar asnd called on the name of the Lord. He also determined to stay a while and began to put down some roots, digging a well.
“Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army. And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?” (Genesis 26:26-27)
From the description of his treatment of both Abraham and Isaac, Abimelech appears to have been a somewhat godly man. Isaac’s presence and growing influence had had detrimental implications for Abimelech and his people and Isaac had been asked to move away. Isaac was resentful and blamed the Philistines, not realizing the estrangement was the result of his own moving away from God. As I Corinthians 3:1-3 warns, conflict with other Christians is and indicator of an unspiritual state.
“And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.” (Genesis 26:28-29)
When Isaac began to walk with God again, cause of the conflict was removed, and the Philistines actively sought to re-establish friendly relations. As they pointed out, they had not done wrong to Isaac, nor him to them, but because of separation from God conflict had developed. Just as frustration in our marriage may lead to conflicts with others, the dissatisfaction with our relationship with God will interfere with our relationship to others. Conflicts with others will also affect our relationship with God, so Matthew 5:23-24 instruct us to correct those things as well.
“And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.” (Genesis 26:30-31)
With the conflict resolved, fellowship was restored, and they spent time together and separated in peace.
“And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water. And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.” (Genesis 26:32-33)
Isn’t it amazing how often when the relationship is restored, God blesses in physical ways as well? Just as Isaac built an altar in appreciation, God gave physical blessings to show his appreciation for the restored relationship. Communion with God was restored, personal conflicts ended, and physical blessings were experienced. Think of the immense pleasure that must have caused.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It seems strange that Isaac was the child of promise, a man likened to our Lord in some ways, and yet was a man who we know little of compared to Abraham and Jacob. Perhaps Isaac's life was a trifle more stable spiritually, or he was just a very mild man altogether. Do you think there is a reason Isaac has so little mentioned of him?
ReplyDeleteI suspect that Isaac had a very stable spiritual life with few major upheaval. Since he was not called on to make major moves like Abraham, and never went his own way like Jacob, there were not a lot of events to write about. He took what his father taught him seriously, and avoided most of the problems.
ReplyDelete