Like Father Like Son

Whether we like it or not, we often carry many of the same attributes and characteristics of our parents.

This includes habits, mannerisms, expressions, humor, etc.

My brother was in town this weekend and while he was here, I noticed something interesting. Every time he cleared his throat, he sounded just like my dad did when he cleared his throat.

This might seem like an on the surface coincidence, but we really do pick up many of our parents characteristics.

Which leads me to say to parents… never forget the influence you have on your kids!

Yes, some things are inherited genetically, but others are given through your interactions and home life. No matter what age your kids might be, you are still a major influence on them.

This evening, we get a look into the life of Isaac. Both his father and mother are gone and he is facing a major problem: famine has once again hit the land.

Now, when the Bible indicates that famine has come, this was not a good thing to have to walk through.

In our day, there has been talk of recession, inflation, unemployment, etc. It seems the level of severity for any of these topics depends on which news agency you choose to listen to. Some say it’s here, others say it’s non-existent. But when the Bible says famine had come… it truly was a time of desperation!

Famine is… food shortage. There is little to no food to be found.

Genesis 26 begins by informing the reader that another famine had hit the land.

Genesis 26:1 NIV

1 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.

So… this is a new season of famine. Isaac is faced with a decision of what to do with his family. He decides to go to the king of the Philistines and this decision was guided by the instruction of the Lord.

Genesis 26:2–6 NIV

2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 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. 4 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, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

So what is it that we see God do here?

God gives direction regarding how Isaac should journey through this season of famine.

God restates the promise he had given to Abraham.

God even gave the reason or the way through which the promise would come about - through obedience.

God stated that Abraham obeyed the Lord. He did everything God required of Him.

God saw and accepted Abraham as a model of the kind of obedience that proves a person’s true faith in God. Abraham had made a sincere effort to live by God’s laws and commands. Because of this, God blessed him. Isaac had to follow Abraham’s example of faith and obedience to have a relationship with God and to receive the promise.

Obeying the Lord would keep Isaac aligned with the promise God had given.

But there is something else within this passage that stands out to me and if you read too fast, you might just miss it. For me, they are some of the most meaningful words and they are found in verse 3. “I will be with you and will bless you.”

Remember what kind of season they are in… famine had hit the land.

I don’t know if there is anything more stressful than trying to make sure your family has all they need.

We are blessed! We live in a land that is plentiful and abundant. Yes, we have fallen on hard times and walked through tough seasons, but I don’t recall ever walking through true famine.

The promise is good! The instruction was timely! But the assurance… the assurance would make all the difference.

What I mean by that is this: No matter where I go or what the Lord calls me to do, so long as I know that He is with me, that is all that I need to know.

How comforting it must have been for Isaac to hear those words!

I WILL be with you.

I WILL bless you.

Abraham’s obedience to the Lord kept his family aligned with the promise God had given him. Abraham was gone… so it was now time for Isaac to stand in the promise given by the Lord.

Would Isaac continue as his father did… or would he do things according to his own understanding?

Now that is the question of the ages! When we send our children off, will they go as they were instructed or will they venture on their own understanding?

The greatest gift we can give our children is the gift of faith… the gift of believing in God. You cannot force faith on another, it must be a personal choice. But we can lead our kids to know God, to be in church, to be active in His mission. We can teach them the Word and help them to know the commands of Jesus.

We haven’t been promised lands or nations or territories or anything like that. In Christ, we have been promised life more abundantly or life to the full! What greater promise could we possibly lead our children to?

So as we look through Genesis 26… will Isaac pick up the mantel and continue on OR will he choose to do things his own way?

Well, we are going to see Isaac act much like… his father! And it begins with an all too familiar action on Isaac’s part.

She is my Sister...

Genesis 26:7–11 NIV

7 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.” 8 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. 9 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.” 10 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.” 11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

Not only was there a famine of food going on here… but also a famine of truth! Isaac had pulled the same stunt that his father did… TWICE! AND… he did it for the same exact reason.

Just like his dad, Abraham, Isaac told the people of the land that his wife… was his sister. He did this OUT OF FEAR. He was afraid he might lose his life if someone desired to take his wife from him.

In this story, the truth comes out in a different way. For Abraham, God intervened by revealing the truth to the authority of the land. In this case, Isaac is seen caressing his wife in a way that revealed the truth.

An order of protection is given and it’s all we hear of the situation.

When I see this pop up yet again, it leads me to the conclusion that fear… was a very controlling emotion in Abraham’s bloodline.

Fear is a hard emotion for anyone to overcome, but for this family, it caused them to become deceitful to the point of lying about who they were married to!

In their minds, they had somehow come to a conclusion that this was the best route to go…

Fear has a way of doing that to us - convincing us to go a way we know we should not go. It justifies action we would otherwise NEVER consider.

I don’t know of anyone here tonight that has ever introduced their wife to someone as their sister. However… I would just about bet that there are some of us who have made decisions in the face of fear that were not the best decisions to make.

Fear is a very convincing emotion. It is based off life experiences and it can cause our thinking to become irrational and erratic.

The feeling itself is something we will all face… WHAT WE DO IN RESPONSE WILL REVEAL HOW MUCH CONTROL IT HAS ON US.

Isaac… caved. I’m sure he heard the stories. And when he faced a similar situation, he did what dad would have done. Ouch.

Isaac turned to deception instead of full disclosure.

I truly believe this story is given to show us just how much of an impact we make in the lives of our children.

This goes for good and… not so good things.

IF we find ourselves in a situation when we mess up… we need to make it right with our kids. What I mean is we need to point out the errors while using the Bible as our guide.

Culturally what Isaac did was understandable but biblically it was no good. We cannot base our actions off what the world might do, we must live by the Word.

If there ever comes a day that we find ourselves in the wrong, take time to explain it to your kids. Teach them WHAT SHOULD HAVE happened.

Not only will it help to guide them but it also places your heart in check.

God wants us to know that the next generation is watching… just like what was said this weekend.

We need to teach them how to break free from fear and walk by faith. We need to teach them that God is with them and He will bless them.

Isaac Builds an Altar...

The story in Genesis 26 continues by giving details of what takes place with Isaac throughout the famine.

Isaac becomes wealthy and powerful… in a time when food and supplies were scarce. GOD CAN MOVE IN INCREDIBLE WAYS.

Aren't you glad that God is not limited to our surrounding circumstances, but instead He can do immeasurably more than we can ever ask or imagine?

Isaac obtains so much wealth that he is sent away.

Genesis 26:16 NIV

16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”

The locals are becoming a bit uneasy with the situation so he is forced elsewhere. In his journey, he does something a bit strange to determine where to stop and call home.

Isaac digs wells.

Anytime a well is contested, he moved on. If thee was anyone who said, “this water is ours” Isaac did not stay.

We finally see him land in a place where it seems there is no dispute over the well.

Genesis 26:22–25 NIV

22 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.” 23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 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.” 25 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.

When Isaac found the place they were supposed to be… what did he do? He built an altar. He gave honor to God. He called on His name.

We saw Abraham do this… now we see Isaac do this. Isaac… was an altar builder just like his dad.

In life, we aim to build a lot of things.

Our careers, our family, our finances, our future, our legacy, etc. We work hard at being successful in these areas with hopes to have something to pass on to our kids.

The greatest thing we could teach our kids is to be altar builders.

The altar looks different today than it used to. In the OT, the altar was the place of sacrifice… the place where our sins are atoned for.

Today, that price has been paid. Jesus laid down His life for our sins. So what significance does the altar have for us? It is the place we lay our lives down for Jesus.

It is STILL a place of sacrifice. It is STILL a place of offering. It is STILL a place of worship. God is worthy of it all. Will we pass down its importance to our kids?

Closing

Genesis 26 is an unusual chapter but it serves an important purpose.

We have a legacy to pass down. We have a generation to teach. We have a responsibility to lead them and to instruct them in the ways of the Lord.

If we believe in the promises of God for our lives, then we must teach the next generation to also trust in His promises.

God IS with us. God IS blessing us. We need to remain in His presence and blessing. We need to operate in His presence and blessing. And we need the next generation to know what it means to be in His presence and blessing.

The world is not going to teach these things to our kids.

The world is not going to tell your kids to choose faith over fear or obedience over self. There is only one source these truths. Give your kids the Word. Live the Word in your home and daily lives.

Pray for the next generation. They face challenges I never thought they’d face. But so long as they know God, they know hope.