BBBI - 2018.06.13 - PM - Isaac's Legacy (Gen. 26:1-27:40)

We should never think of God as being spatially near or remote, for He is not here or there but carries here and there in His heart. Space is not infinite, as some have thought; only God is infinite and in His infinitude He swallows up all space. “ ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ saith the Lord.” He fills heaven and earth as the ocean fills the bucket that is submerged in it, and as the ocean surrounds the bucket so does God the universe He fills. “The heaven of heavens cannot contain thee.” God is not contained: He contains.1

The mind-stretching reality is that if the hundred thousand million galaxies that form the ever-expanding universe were compressed in a bucket, that bucket would be as awash and fully saturated with God’s presence as it would if lowered into the sea. God surrounds and fills the universe with the sea of his presence.

Tozer’s explanation quoted one of the two great Old Testament passages on God’s presence:

Jeremiah 23:23–24 KJV 1900

Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.

The other grand text is the lyrical expression of David in Psalm 139:

Psalm 139:7–10 KJV 1900

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.

All of God was present wherever David would go, not merely some aspect of God. God is present with his whole being everywhere. A classic expression of God’s all-presence is: God does not have any size or spatial dimension and is present at every part of space with his whole being, and yet God acts differently in different places.2 In respect to his people, while all of God is spatially present everywhere, he is specially present with his children. Indeed, he is with them and in them (cf. John 17:20, 21; 2 Corinthians 5:17). He is specially present with his people to protect and to bless them. David wrote:

Psalm 16:11 KJV 1900

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Most of the time when the Bible speaks about God’s presence, it refers to his presence to bless. The truth for believers is: All of God is always with us in every place and at all times to protect us and bless us. And when taken to heart this truth is elevating and life-altering. John Wesley, whose life and ministry so affected the church in Britain and America, died after calling out, “The best of all is, God is with us. The best of all is, God is with us.”3

I have said all this because the life of Isaac, as it is presented in the brief compass of Genesis 26, had to do with his learning that God was present with him. We see this in three parallel declarations of God’s presence at the beginning, middle, and end of the account. The first was future: “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you” (v. 3). The second was present: “Fear not, for I am with you” (v. 24). And the third was past, as the pagan king Abimelech observed, “We plainly see that the Lord has been with you” (v. 28). How Isaac related to and appropriated the reality of God’s presence had everything to do with how he lived. And so it is with us.

[1 A. W. Tozer, Born After Midnight (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1959), pp. 119, 120.

2 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), p. 173.

3 Herbert Lockyer, Last Words of Saints and Sinners (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 1969), p. 64.

R. Kent Hughes, Genesis: Beginning and Blessing, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), 339–340.]

I. Deception & Discord with the Philistines (Gen. 26:1-35)

A. Divine Intervention (Gen. 26:1-6)

Future - God Has Promised His Children His Presence (Gen. 26:3)

1. The Dearth (Gen. 26:1)

Genesis 26:1 KJV 1900

And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

God requires obedience

2. The Directions (Gen. 26:2-6)

Genesis 26:2–6 KJV 1900

And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

Obedience brings blessings

B. Deceiving Like Daddy Did (Gen. 26:7-11)

Dealing With Our Sin-Problem in Light of God's Presence

1. The Deception (Gen. 26:7)

Genesis 26:7 KJV 1900

And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

Threatening God's blessings

2. The Realization (Gen. 26:8)

Genesis 26:8 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

3. The Rebuke (Gen. 26:9-10)

Genesis 26:9–10 KJV 1900

And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her. And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

God's intervention for protecting His blessings

C. Digging Where Daddy Dug (Gen. 26:12-22)

Handling Our Personal & Interpersonal Conflicts in the Light of God's Presence

1. Isaac's Prosperity (Gen. 26:12-14)

Genesis 26:12–14 KJV 1900

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

God's blessing of water in the wilderness

The world envy's those whom God blesses and opposes the

2. Issac's Persecution (Gen. 26:15-22)

Genesis 26:15–22 KJV 1900

For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

D. Dwelling Where Daddy Dwelt (Gen. 26:23-35)

1. Isaac's Worship of Jehovah (Gen. 26:23-25)

Genesis 26:23 KJV 1900

And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba.

Present - God's Promises in Light of His Presence (Gen. 26:24)

Genesis 26:24 KJV 1900

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 26:25 KJV 1900

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.

2. Isaac's Witness to the World (Gen. 26:26-33)

Genesis 26:26–27 KJV 1900

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?

Past - God's Peace in Light of His Presence (Gen. 26:28)

Genesis 26:28–33 KJV 1900

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. 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. 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 Beer-sheba unto this day.

3. Isaac's Woes as a Father (Gen. 26:34-35)

Genesis 26:34–35 KJV 1900

And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

Handling Our Family-Problems in Light of God's Presence

II. Deception Amidst Blessings (Gen. 27:1-40)

A. Preparing Blessings for Esau (Gen. 27:1-4)

Genesis 27:1–4 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

Isaac Hatches a Plot to Circumvent God's Previously Revealed Will to Continue the Covenant Blessings through the Younger Son

B. Plundering Blessings from Esau (Gen. 27:5-29)

1. The Scheming Spouse (Gen. 27:5-13)

Genesis 27:5–13 KJV 1900

And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

2. Setting the Stage (Gen. 27:14-17)

Genesis 27:14–17 KJV 1900

And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

3. Swindling the Giver (Gen. 27:18-25)

Genesis 27:18–25 KJV 1900

And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.

4. Stealing the Blessing (Gen. 27:26-29)

Genesis 27:26–29 KJV 1900

And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed: Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, And the fatness of the earth, And plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, And nations bow down to thee: Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: Cursed be every one that curseth thee, And blessed be he that blesseth thee.

C. Perception of the Deception (Gen. 27:30-40)

1. Esau's Return (Gen. 27:30-31)

Genesis 27:30–31 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.

2. Esau's Realization (Gen. 27:32-33)

Genesis 27:32–33 KJV 1900

And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

3. Esau's Remorse (Gen. 27:34-38)

Genesis 27:34–38 KJV 1900

And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

4. Esau's Remainder (Gen. 27:39-40)

Genesis 27:39–40 KJV 1900

And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above; And by thy sword shalt thou live, And shalt serve thy brother; And it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, That thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

Conclusion:

Deal with the subtle deceptions that rob you and your family of God's fulness of His blessings. Live in the light, and show your children what it means to walk with God in the light.

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