Like Father Like Son

Genesis 26:1-25

Theme: The influence we leave shapes the lives that follow Thesis: Everyone leaves a legacy — of faith or of fear. What are we passing on to the next generation?

Introduction

There’s a saying we all know well: "Like father, like son." How many of you have seen dads and their sons or daughters for that matter and we see so many semblances? Sometimes it makes us smile-their mannerisms, the same laugh, the same walk or gate, the same habits. But sometimes… it makes us pause — the same struggles or the same sin patterns.

When we look at Isaac, the son of Abraham, we don’t just see a man living his own life — we see someone living in the shadows and in the shine of his father. We see some of the same deficits and we see some of the same delights manifested in Isaac.

In Genesis 26, Isaac makes a startlingly familiar mistake. He tells Abimelech that Rebekah is his sister — the very same lie his father Abraham told about Sarah to Pharaoh in Genesis 12 and to Abimelech before him in Genesis 20.

The question we must as about Isaac is what caused him to do it? Was it fear? Was it habit? Was it inherited? Whatever the reason, Isaac repeated the same sin. Why? Because influence is powerful. Sometimes what we model — whether good or bad — gets picked up more than what we might say, in other words more than the messages we convey.

“Don’t do what I do, do what I say” doesn’t work.

But thankfully, Isaac also inherited something far more powerful from his father, a deep abiding faith. He was the same Isaac who once walked alongside Abraham up Mt. Moriah — not knowing what was ahead, but trusting the God of his father. He saw firsthand the moment God provided a ram in the thicket, a substitute sacrifice that pointed forward to a deeper truth: God always keeps His promises.

That day, Isaac learned more than the cost of obedience — he learned the faithfulness of God, the goodness of God-His bountiful provision.

So on this Father’s Day, we honor dads — but we also speak to every heart in the room. Because you don’t have to be a parent to be an influencer. We all shape someone’s story — for better or worse.

The question isn’t “Am I influencing someone?” The question is: “What kind of influence do I want to make?” “What kind of influence do I want to leave behind for the next generation?”

Let’s look at the life of Isaac and consider the kind of legacy we’re building — not just for our children, but for anyone following behind us.

Genesis 26:1-25

Genesis 26:1–25 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.” 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.’ ” 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. 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. 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.” 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.

A. Fear Compromised His Integrity Isaac lied about Rebekah being his sister, just as Abraham had done (cf. Gen. 12:10–20; 20:1–18). Application: Dads must model truth under pressure, because children often repeat what we excuse.

Prayer

Message

Point 1: Our Lives Leave Imprints — For Better or Worse

(Genesis 26:1–11)

Oh my goodness, we see all through the parchment of God’s word that Abraham’s life influenced Isaac in many ways. Isaac loved his wife Rebekah dearly as Abraham loved his wife dearly. Isaac, like Abraham learned a work ethich and God blessed his efforts as God blessed Abraham. Even though Isaac’s family and families to come could have lived off of Abraham’s inheritance, He chose to follow his father’s footsteps and apply himself.

The truth is dear brother and sister, if we are around someone any length of time we are leaving an impression of what we are all about, what we value, what we find important.

I remind you that Abraham was 100 years of age when he had Isaac. Abraham was wise in the Lord, but he had years of experience in his favor in being a good father. Abraham knew the importance of spending time with his son, teaching his son and instilling important traits that would be valuable to his future.

We note that God in both the Abrahamic covenant and here when the Lord appeared to Isaac, as God reiterated the Abrahamic covenant that God called them both to stay in the land.

Isaac walked in his father’s footsteps — even the flawed ones. Oh listen dear brother or sister influence is inevitable, whether good or bad.

A. Sinful Patterns Are Often Inherited

Abraham influenced both favorably, but also in negative fashion.

You may remember in Genesis 12:10–13 “10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.””

Isaac picked up on this past pattern from dad. Later in Genesis Chapter 20, we see this behavior repeated in Abraham. Oh listen, sin is easier each time we repeat the action. We become desensitized to our sin.

Genesis 20:1–2 “1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. 2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.”

Now let me clarify something here. Is the Abimelech mentioned in Abraham’s life in Genesis 20 the same Abimelech mentioned in today’s text involving Isaac? No, Abimelech is a title for a King.

Now Abraham did tell a half truth. Sarah was in fact his half sister and his wife.

Genesis 20:12–13 “12 But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”” Isaac told the same lie Abraham told — saying his wife was his sister.

What we do learn though is that sin can multiply in those that we influence.

Isaac told an all out lie.

Genesis 26:6–8 “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.”

Oh listen, your sins will find you out.

“Showing endearment”-kissing, smooching, but it was not an affection you show toward a sister.

Sin Multiplies

Furthermore, its very apparent from the account in Genesis 12 that our sin affects others as well.

Genesis 12:17–18 “17 But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?” We often excuse what we have seen modeled in our upbringing, but that does not erase the fact we must stop and confront it and change our ways for the next generation.

Genesis 26:9 “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.’ ””

Thankfully an outsider corrected Isaac and placed him on the right path.

Listen to me influencer. Listen to me of those that look up to you. Listen to me of those that are watching how you will respond?

Write this down:

Faith Steps can follow Failure Slips

There can be a great gain with a faith touch from the Lord and if we are not careful we can allow Satan to tempt us into a failure downturn.

Let me say that again, if we are not careful, we can enjoy a time of mountaintop faith and those within our touch see the hand of God on us (God is using us to draw them to Him) and if we are not careful, Satan will show his ugly head and we will have a failure (a sin tear down) that destroys our influence.

Ex: Abraham-Gen. 12:1-3, 7-Abraham experienced a theophany, the Lord appeared to him and he put feet to the promises of God. He was faithful in doing what God asked of him and in the next moments, just a few verses later, fear ruled him and he told a half truth about Sarah being his sister out of fear that the Egyptians would take his life. The Egyptians were pagan. Ask yourself this question. How would you imagine Abraham influenced those lost souls when he did not show trust in God to protect him?

Ex: Peter Matthew 26:33–35 “33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.”

What influence did Peter have on the disciples? Those same disciples were following him in just days to return to the old life of fishing. Do you think he taught an unyielding faith in Jesus?

Ex: Elijah-Mt Carmel & later the fear of Jezebel drove Elijah into a cave into a great state of fear and dread.

Influencers, we must be careful. People are watching you. There are people watching you that you are not even aware of. How we influence in those times of struggle, stress, and difficulty? Those times tell the real story. Others about us see those times as well.

Here is the good news Dad, here is the good news moms, here is the good news boss, here is the good news community leader, church leader, and mentor. God’s grace is greater than our failures. Our faith in the Lord will surpass our failures. Amen.

Let me say that if you are not a perfect parent, a perfect employer, or a perfect employee, or a perfect spouse, or a perfect person, join the crowd. God’s grace is greater than our failures.

B. God’s Grace Is Greater Than Our Failures

Abraham was not a perfect dad, but he served a perfect God.

Genesis 15:6 “6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

Abraham was not without his failures, but He had faith in the Lord to cover his flaws. Though both Abraham and Isaac stumbled, God preserved His promise.

Abraham trusted God and Isaac learned to trust God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Genesis 22-story of Abraham carrying Isaac to offer him as a sacrifice to the Lord.

Genesis 22:1–3 NKJV

1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

As much as Abraham loved Isaac and oh what a gift he was to a wife he loved dearly that so wanted a child. Isaac was the apple of his eye. God gave him this precious gift in his old age. Abraham’s love and trust of God was greater than the fear he had for Isaac’s life.

Listen to Abraham’s words in verse 8:

Genesis 22:8 “8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.”

Let me ask you an important question this morning. Regardless of the flaws you see in those you have influenced, and let’s all be honest this morning-do you see your sins in your children? We do. In God’s amazing grace do you trust that God will provide in faith-Yes, not in your failures-God can overcome our flaws and our failures by trusting in His provision, having faith in Him to cause those we influence to turn out for His glory. Amen? Your worst moment doesn’t have to be your legacy. God can redeem it.

Ask yourself this question. What habits, attitudes, or fears are we unconsciously passing down — to children, to coworkers, to younger believers? What legacy do we want to leave our next generation?

Point 2: Our Faith Can Be Imitated — If It’s Genuine

(Genesis 26:2–6, 12–14)

Isaac didn’t just repeat Abraham’s sins — he also followed his faith.

A. Isaac Heard God’s Voice and Obeyed

Isaac like his father experienced a theophany, “the Lord appeared to him.” We do not know in what manner He appeared but we know that Isaac knew He had been addressed by God Himself. The same God, Yahweh, addressed Isaac’s dad and he saw how his father responded to the voice of God. Abraham had that influence.

In verses 2-5, we see the same covenant, the Abrahamic covenant promised to be continued in Isaac. “Sojourn in this land… I will be with you.” (v. 3) God doesn’t just work through perfect people — He works through perceptive hearts that are willing to listen to Him regardless of their inadequacies and trust Him for His guidance.

B. God Blessed His Obedience “He reaped a hundredfold… the Lord blessed him.” (v. 12)

Genesis 26:12 “12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him.”

What you plant in obedience today can bless others tomorrow.

Ill. Funeral-Brother Doyle Roberson.

Philippians 3:17 “17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.”

Oh dear influencer, we can not change yesterday, but we can be the type influencers that God would say “well done they good and faithful servant.” Oh dear friend, its not over until its over. What legacy do you want to leave?

Point 3: Our Worship Builds Wells That Others Will Drink From

(Genesis 26:18–25)

There is an important ending to this story. Because of Isaac’s actions, He lost credibility with Abimelech and due to the envy of the Philistines over Isaac’s success, they asked his people to leave. There is a beautiful theological picture painted in the story of the wells in verses 18-25.

A. He Reclaimed the Wells of His Father “He dug again the wells… and gave them the names his father had given them.” (v. 18)

Note that Isaac initially moved to the valley of Gerar and he went back on some wells that his father Abraham dug that the Philistines stopped up and he re-dug those wells to provide water for his flocks, his herds, his people and his family.

As he lost credibility, he thought for a moment those things his father and his heavenly Father had taught him.

Let’s assume you feel you have lost influence with someone who is on your mind right now. Consider this.

“Listen to me so and so and you fill in the name, I want you to know that I know you know me well. I have not been as vocal as I should be but I need to tell you something. I have not been a perfect dad, I have not been a perfect spouse, I am not been a perfect parent, I have not been a perfect employer or employee, and this list goes on. You know I am flawed and I have had my failures, but I serve a flawless, perfect God. In times of old I learned to trust in faith in the Lord and not in myself and I want you to know that the Lord saved me and He has covered every sin and failure I have ever made and He has made me anew in Him. I would like to invite you to love the same Lord that loves me regardless of my sin. And…He loves you and He wants a relationship with you.”

Esek-contention, dispute

Sitnah-accusation, enmity, hostility

Rehoboth-broad, open space

Let’s assume like the first and even the second well that Isaac dug (and those old wells of his dad that he dug up and received opposition from the Philistines) means that he went back on some of the great things his dad taught him, prayer, worship, reading God’s Word, giving an offering, a life of holiness and righteousness and at least for the moment, and it seemed He was not making an imprint. There was still push back.

But note a great blessing.

Genesis 26:22 “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.””

“We shall be fruitful in the land.” Oh dear brother or sister, you can’t change the past. You can’t control that your wells of old-going back to the old things you know to be true in walking with God will flourish-or will they? We do not know what is happening in the heart of another person, only God knows.

But in verse 22, we see that Isaac and his clan found a well that would be fruitful, the well is the living water that brings life. The well means the living water of Jesus that brings life-abundant life. Eternal change.

You ask the question “can I change the past, can I change my past? Can I truly influence in the manner that the Lord would have me with the mistakes I have made?

Genesis 26:26–28 “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,”

Oh listen dear soul, if you have the faith of a mustard seed, God can move the mountains of opposition about you. Amen.

B. He Built an Altar and Called on the Lord “He built an altar… and called on the name of the Lord.” (v. 25) We’re all digging spiritual wells. The question is: will they hold life-giving water?

Application: Our legacy is built not just in what we do publicly but in who we worship privately.

Closing Exhortation & Gospel Invitation

Isaac was deeply shaped by the faith — and the flaws — of his father. So are we. We all influence someone, and we all need the influence of a greater Father.

But there’s one Son who never sinned — who only did what His Father asked — Jesus Christ. He walked up His own Mt. Moriah, not with a ram in the thicket, but as the Lamb of God Himself, who died so that we might live.

Invitation Question: Whose influence are you following — and who’s following yours?

Gospel Bridge: Through Christ, we are no longer bound to the sin of our earthly past, but set free to walk in the footsteps of a perfect Father.