Scripture: Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
So Isaac settled in Gerar. When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife. So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.'” Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”
And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.) And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”
Genesis 26:1-16 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Esau comes into camp exhausted and famished from an unsuccessful hunt. Smelling Isaac’s aromatic red stew, Esau clamors for a bowl. Wily Jacob bargains for Esau’s birthright in return. Impetuous Esau reasons that his birthright is useless if he dies of hunger and agrees. So, Jacob seals the deal by insisting that Esau swear to him the transfer of his birthright. Only then does Jacob give Esau the lentil stew and bread, which Esau promptly consumes and then parts company. Thus, as Moses emphasizes, Esau showed contempt toward his birthright.
Today’s reading addresses Yahweh’s covenant ratification with Isaac. The impetus is a famine. Whereas Abraham resettled in Egypt during his famine (12:10), Isaac traveled to Gerar in Philistia under Abimelech’s care. Upon arrival, the Lord appears to Isaac. He commands Isaac to stay away from Egypt and sojourn only in Canaan under his care, promising blessings (the Promised Land occupied by his many heirs) per the oath made to Abraham. Moreover, God will bless all nations through Isaac’s offspring because Abraham kept his commandments.
So Isaac obeys and settles in Gerar, where Abimelech’s men take notice of Rebekah’s beauty. Fearing they would kill him, Isaac twists the truth and presents Rebekah as his sister (whereas she is his cousin). On one occasion, Abimelech spots Isaac laughing with Rebekah and deduces she is his wife. So Abimelech summons Isaac and confronts him for this deception that could have brought guilt to one of his men and then warns all the people that he will execute anyone who touches Rebekah.
Under the Lord’s blessings, Isaac reaps a hundredfold from the land. He becomes wealthy with many flocks and servants—stirring animosity with the Philistines, who retaliate by stopping up his wells. Finally, Abimelech asks him to move on, for Isaac has become the mightiest in their land.
Takeaway: In these verses, Moses intentionally draws parallels and contrasts between Isaac and his father, Abraham. Like his father, Isaac is motivated to relocate because of a famine. Also, both compromise their wives, presenting them as sisters for fear that Abimelech’s men would otherwise kill them (20:1-11; vv.7-11 above). And both are permitted to stay in the land where they increase in wealth (20:14-16; vv.12-15). Lastly, as both gained wealth, Abimelech’s men retaliated and filled their wells with earth (21:25; v.15 above). They differ regarding where each sojourned to find relief from the famine. Abraham traveled south to Egypt (12:10), while Isaac traveled west (staying within the western border of the Promised Land).
Moses also notes that Abraham kept all of Yahweh’s commandments and laws (v.5). This is remarkable, given that God issued all his commandments and laws through Moses four hundred years later. Still, this is not an anachronism (as would otherwise pertain to possessing the written law) because Abraham discerned and obeyed God’s laws directly. For example, in Chapter 14, when he rescued Lot, Abraham applied principles outlined in Deuteronomy 20 regarding warring against foreigners and how to treat nearby nations.
The point? Our patriarch Abraham modeled having the law written on his heart, foreshadowing Moses informing the second generation of Israelites entering the Promised Land that God would circumcise their hearts so that they would love the Lord with all their hearts and souls and live (Deuteronomy 30:6). Later, Jeremiah would pronounce a similar prophecy, saying that a day of a New Covenant is coming when God will write the law on his covenant people’s hearts, sparking their obedience to God and his forgiveness of their sins (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Our takeaway? That day has come in Christ. We, too, possess a written law (our Gospels), but the Father and Son’s commands dive deeper into our hearts, where we earnestly desire to follow them because we love our Creator and our Savior and want to please them. Moreover, we possess the Holy Spirit, who helps us understand and recall God’s laws when needed. Indeed, having the laws written on hearts is critical to avoiding generational sin, as Isaac’s story warns us.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who sacrificed his life to reconcile us to you and circumcise our hearts so that we might obey your and his commands. We also thank you for your Holy Spirit, who reinforces and recalls your laws in our minds when needed. Still, we are prone to harden our hearts as our fallen world beats us down. So please help us grow in our love and affection for you and your Son, so we might delight in doing your will. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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