Genesis 26:1-35

Last week in Genesis 25, was the death of Abraham, the genealogy of Ishmael and his 12 sons, proving that God fulfills His promises. Then we followed Isaac and Rebekah and found Rebekah was barren.

What are the odds that Sarah and Rebekah would both be barren? There’s a reason for trials. Don’t be surprised if the Lord lets you go thru a trial for an extended period of time. How long was Sarah barren? 25 years. How about Rebekah? 20 years. What did Isaac do during those 20 years? He prayed for his wife. That’s a spiritual leader of his family for sure.

When she did get pregnant, she feels something is wrong with her. Gen 25:23

Genesis 25:23 NKJV

23 And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.”

She gave birth to twins, Hairy and Heel Catcher, but there were 2 nations struggling within her. One nation of the flesh, one nation of the spirit. We connected that feeling inside us about our sin nature, and the spirit warring inside us. Sometimes we wonder what’s going on…That which we feed is what gets stronger. Do we feed our sin nature, and give into our lusts? Or do we feed the spirit and stomp out our sin?

We also learned that Jacob’s name also means “deceiver.” Esau was a man’s man, Esau was a mama’s boy. One day, while Esau was out hunting, he came back and Jacob made some of his famous bean stew. Esau might have been a man’s man, but he was also a drama queen. He came in and put on a scene, he’s going to die, so Jacob goes for the throat. He wanted Esau’s birthright, and he said “sell it to me.” Esau, not really knowing what he was doing, gave it up, and since he gave it up, he made himself hate it.

The lesson there, is there is a deceiver that wants your soul. That deceiver is the god of this world, and he wants so much to break us. He uses little decisions to break us. We, so easily give up our forward movement in our spiritual life for the lusts of this world. Something to feed our senses instead of feeding our common sense. Those little decisions we make show us where our allegiance lies. Sanctification is a process, it takes time. Abraham, it took 25 years. For Isaac, it took 20 until Isaac could be the man the Lord needed him to be.

Life is one day at a time. Put the past behind you, live for the next step, learn from your mistakes and don’t look back. Make less and less mistakes, and learn from the mistakes of others. Jacob has a rough start o life. The type of man I’d like to take out to the woodshed. I don’t like deceitful people…Was Jacob done with this kind of behavior? Let’s start Genesis 26 and see what the Bible has to say.

Genesis 26:1–5 NKJV

1 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. 2 Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

What did his father Abraham do when there was a famine in the land when he entered the Promised Land? He ran to Egypt. If Isaac were my son today, I’d give him a thumbs up, maybe even a gold star.

Here is this man Abimelech again. Is this the same Abimelech that Abraham met? Because, remember, Abimelech is a title, not a name. We don’t know for sure, but it could be, and we’ll see why in a few more verses.

The Lord appeared to Jacob there and gave him some advice, specifically telling him DON’T GO TO EGYPT. Don’t do what your dad did…that didn’t end well. Isaac never left the promised land all the days of his life. And God would bless him. What does it say about Abraham, though? Genesis 26:5 “5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.””

Did Abraham do that? Not to begin with. Abraham needed time to develop. This is exactly why the Bible says don’t raise up pastors and leaders too soon. Leaders of any kind aren’t born. Most of them are made in the crucible of the Lord’s workshop. They are melted, hammered, chiseled, sanded, polished, until they’re finally something that’s useable.

Abraham was made by the Lord. Let Him make you. It’s hard. Don’t lose hope, He’s working, just keep asking yourself, what do you need to change? I am who I am can never be your answer.

So, does Isaac listen to the Lord? Let’s see

Genesis 26:6–9 NKJV

6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. 7 And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” 8 Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’ ”

Like father, like son…I can’t see Abraham telling Isaac this is a good idea. Fear is a powerful emotion. It captures us so quickly. The Lord just told Isaac don’t leave the land, and He would bless him because of his father. What does he have to fear? The Lord just told him He would take care of him, didn’t he? In so many words He says, “Don’t do what your dad did.” And what does he do?

How many of us can relate? You pray about a situation, start seeing the Lord move in good ways, and at the slightest bit of resistance. Just a little bit of adversity, and we run IMMEDIATELY in fear.

Right after the Lord showed himself to Isaac, he immediately thinks to save his own skin. He didn’t give up his wife, like Abraham did…so he had a half-win, I guess, we can give him that. How long did this ruse go on? A good, long while right? The Word says there was a long time that had passed.

Is there a difference in the type of man Isaac is compared to Abraham? What kind of a man was Abraham? He was a fighter. He trained his me to protect, for war. He went with them to get Lot and his family back from the kings of the east when they decimated the 5 kingdoms of the south, close to Abraham.

Believe me, I have issues with Abraham giving his wife up 2x. Any man who doesn’t stand up for his wife and family is not a man to me.

Isaac does it too, and remember what we heard about Esau and Jacob. Esau was a hunter, Jacob was a mama’s boy…What was Isaac’s brother Ishmael described as?

Genesis 21:20 NKJV

20 So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

Ishmael was the man’s man of the family. Isaac had a 100 year old dad when he was born. How much can you teach at that age? He still had many other kids too…but your fighting days are over by then. You’re all wisdom at that point.

When we don’t fully trust people, we rely on our own wisdom. That brings us lots of grief and pain. The easy button is to protect ourselves, which often leads to lies, which damage relationships. What does Abimelech say when he sees this behavior?

Genesis 26:10–14 NKJV

10 And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” 11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” 12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.

Again, I will say, my feelings are not OK with Isaac lying to save his own skin at the expense of his wife. I want punishment, I want retribution…but I’m not God. I want to teach the lesson NOW. The Lord is so much more gracious than i am. The Lord keeps His promises. He said He would bless Isaac, and that’s what He does.

The Lord punishes sin in His time, and according to His purposes. There is always the most powerful lesson in letting Him handle these situations. He used this blessing to allow the Philistines to smoke with anger too at Isaac, and it will speak about how Isaac handles conflict.

How do you feel when you see a selfish person, a liar and deceiver get blessed? We all watch them, don’t we? Every blessing, all of their wealth, all of their popularity, it consumes us, doesn’t it? What gets headlines? What is on your YouTube of Facebook feed? Those people…and we watch it. We consume it, and it consumes us. Why? We’re wanting to see the fall, right? The shoe to drop, or at least get hurled across the room at them and hit them square in the chops! The Philistines are burning with envy over Isaac, watching his every move. What will they see?

Genesis 26:15–18 NKJV

15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.” 17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.

Abraham was a man of great faith, Jacob would be known as a man who dwelt in tents. Isaac would be a man of wells. Why would you dig a well? In Bible times, you would dig a well where you are establishing a home. It would fortify a territory as your own. So, filling in those wells meant that the people were taking back the land that Abraham had claimed while living in the land.

The Philistines wanted their land back from Abraham. Abraham went away, and they knew that as long as these wells stood, they would be a reminder that someone else was in charge there, someone else had claim of that land.

What does the devil do in our lives? When we claim territory, he comes and scatters it, he fills it in with all sorts of junk, and muddies up the water. Then what does he do? He takes it over and sets up a stronghold

The less we tend those wells in our life, the harder it gets to keep it functioning properly. Like our children’s rooms. If they’d just keep it clean little by little, things would be OK. Right?

How do we tend to the wells in our lives? Thru the Word and thru fellowship. With that, we keep the waters clear. Spend time away, and it’s not just your Bible that collects dust, is it? That spring dries up in us too.

Genesis 26:19–22 NKJV

19 Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

Isaac was a pretty successful well digger, wasn’t he? Does anyone know how deep the wells in Israel need to be on average? 50’ deep. That’s a lot of work. I know nothing about digging wells. I thought to do some research on it but I ran out of time, so I’ll just stick to what I know best, and that’s teaching the Bible.

Esek means quarrel, Sitnah means enmity which is overtly hostile, showing hatred. Rehoboth means spacious. These herdsmen were lying to Isaac, AND stealing his wells! They first stole his father’s wells, now his new ones. His men dug them, and the Philistines sent a group of jerks to go and drive them out of the land, further into the heart of the desert.

What was driving Isaac? To Isaac, it was these men, his bad luck. I can’t catch a break here…Well, you told a pretty big whopper back in Gerar there Isaac. What else do you expect? Then you became the posterboy for the Old Farmer’s Almanac, what do you expect would happen?

What was driving Isaac? Where was it driving him? Let’s continue on:

Genesis 26:23–25 NKJV

23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

What happened in this place Beersheba in Genesis 21?

Genesis 21:32–33 NKJV

32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.

Abraham made a covenant with Abimelech at this place called Beersheba, which means “Well of the Oath.” It established that this was Abraham’s land. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree, which is a tree that takes many years to mature and was often planted at a homestead. It’s also a spiritual reminder to the Hebrew people of God’s sovereignty and provision.

What else happened here? In Genesis 22 when Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him to the Lord

Genesis 22:15–19 NKJV

15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

This is a familiar place to Isaac. What does Isaac do? Something different that he’s not done before? He builds an altar and called upon the Name of the Lord. When did his father do that? When Abram and Sarai came out of Egypt. It was a time of repentance and restoration for Abram. This would be a same time for Isaac.

What drove Isaac from Gerar to Beersheba? Was it these men? No, The Lord did…to remind him who God was and to return to worship. What is driving you right now? Is it struggles at work? Is it interpersonal conflicts? Your brothers and sisters fighting with you? Are you going to recognize that the circumstances of your life have pushed you to the brink of a decision? What must you do at that point? You must change.

The most hated phrase my dad ever said to me was “Did you learn anything?” With my kids, it’s going to be “What must you do to change?” The daggers that come out when I look at them and just say that one word “change.” Make a change and see what happens.

Some people may never even notice, but the Lord does, and like Isaac, who definitely didn’t deserve any blessings in my eyes, watch the Lord bless you. He can give so much, all he asks is that we stop acting like this world, and start acting like His kids. A light can do nothing but shine. It can’t do anything else but bring light. It’s on, or it’s off. Change. If you’re off, change, and watch what your light brings.

Genesis 26:26–33 NKJV

26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’ ” 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32 It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

Abimelech comes with Phicol, who was the same man who came with Abimelech when he came to meet Abraham. Does this mean these are the same two men? It might be. Remember when we talked just two chapters ago about the Lord repeating things. Abraham lied, blew his witness, but eventually thru the way Abimelech watched him grow, he proved the Lord was mighty with him.

These Philistines don’t believe in Abraham and Isaac’s God, but they recognize it. With Abram, we see this fool that hides behind his wife to save his own skin, then again with Isaac, his son, doing the same thing. In each instance, the men are driven from the land because of the shame they brought their name, driven to the same place, where the Lord shows up to them and they repent.

What is God saying here? He’s saying I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again…Give me a fool who will turn to me and repent, and watch what I do with that person. It’s God who makes someone great. He has so much more mercy than we have, and He is patient. He will make us wait to be made great.

Now, had Abimelech sent Isaac away in peace when he kicked him out of the land? No way, they pestered him all the way to Beersheba. But I don’t think Isaac would have learned any other way. How does Isaac respond? With anger in return? He’s gracious, making a feast for them and an agreement.

I ask you again, are you being driven somewhere? Recognize it and stop fighting. Those struggles and painful times in your life are preparing you for greatness. Not greatness in this world’s eyes, but to be used by the God of this universe as an example to the apple of His eye. Don’t forsake the Lord’s discipline. It’s perfect converting the soul. He can only use you when you’re repentant.

Let’s finish the last few verses of this chapter as we close

Genesis 26:34–35 NKJV

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

If Esau was 40 years old, that meant Isaac would be 100. Quick math, Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah, 20 years of barrenness, then another 40 gives us 100 years. This brooding man would become a grief to Isaac. That means they were bitter towards him because he took two wives.

I was listening to a message with my boys this week and I heard Pastor Ken Graves talking about God making man as his crowning achievement in the Garden of Eden. And he said, to help man, he had to split His image into two as the perfect compliment to each other, to be whole together.

He then painted the picture of the Lord, who we learn thru scripture to be described as the Lion, and the Lamb. And he said “Isn’t this the perfect picture of man and woman? A Lion, and a Lamb, when put together, are a perfect reflection of the Lord.”

This world drives our ladies to act like lions, because we men are perfectly comfortable acting the lamb. We’ve turned into a laughing stock, and we’re OK with it. You ask my wife now, she’s capable of being the lion, but she’s becoming more and more comfortable being the lamb. Why? Because I’m her lion.

I asked my boys, another story we heard by Ken Graves was a story about when his septic tank froze over. After thawing it out with a heater, he went to grab it and the heater fell in. He said, “That’s gone” and then he asked…what if that was your wife? What if that was your daughter?” I asked my boys, would you do it? Could you dive in? They went “Yes I would.” I said “no you wouldn’t, you can’t grab a cup out of the bottom of the sink to put it in the dishwasher with your whole hand!”

You ask people who know me closely, a phrase that will turn my head in your direction is “it is what it is.” You want to fight me, you use that describing a situation. It is what it is…well, if you were different, would it be what it is? Or would it be what it could have been? A quitter says “I can’t change anything now.” What is my response to those of you who have talked with me about that? What a cop-out!

What you’re really saying is “I’m not willing to do anything about it.” What if Jesus looked at the world and said “Well, it is what it is…they got themselves into this mess, they will have to get themselves out.” What did He say? He said I’m going to change the game! These people are HOPELESS, but they’re MY PEOPLE. So, I’m going to make a way for them where there seems to be no way to be made righteous, so they have a chance at spending eternity with Me.

2x we hear the same story with 2 different men. 2 of the men repeated over and over in the Bible. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I’ll tell you what people, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob started off poorly. Dishonorably. To most men these days, to most REAL MEN who protect their families and respect their wives…they weren’t even men to start with. They were old boys. How long did the Lord have to press on them before He could use them. 20+ years EACH. Wait to we get to what Jacob has to go thru. The Lord saw fit to show them mercy when we won’t show any. That should change your perspective on people.

The most depraved people can become a force for good. The blood of Christ rightly applied to a changed heart is MIGHTY. We have some fools in this room. I was one of them. Coming to the cross is earth shattering. It breaks you. Jesus looks at us and says “I knew you could do it.” Then he sets upon us a path of spiritual workouts that test us to our very core. He has to do heart surgery, and that’s where your brothers and sisters come in. Get to know the people around you. Lift them up in prayer. Meet with them and their families. Share your struggles with them. Bear the loads of life with them. Thru that fellowship the growth you will see will be immense.

The Lord said thru this passage - this is a familiar story for a reason. I have blessings for you. You are a child, stop thinking as a child. Be a man. Be a woman. Walk worthy. Grow up in your faith, in your walk, and let your light so shine among men. Isaac and Abraham had to be driven to the same place. What’s the difference? Abraham planted a tree of remembrance for years to come…Isaac built an altar and worshipped the Lord. Same place, a generation apart. The Lord uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Why would God use Abraham? Why would God bless Isaac? Why would God make Jacob mighty? To prove to us that thru Christ, the impossible is possible. We have all been impossible…What can He do with You, sold out for Him?