Isaac's Blessing

Introduction

The Setting

Now as we read this short passage, it should sound very familiar to us. In fact, the passage begins by telling us that there was a famine in the land, and that this famine was a different famine than the one that happened in the days of Abraham. Again, there are a lot of things that can contribute to a famine. Lack of rain and pests are two, but also if a lot of crops were destroyed in a war this would also cause a famine. The cause is unclear. What is clear is that this is a new famine, and that is important because what you are going to hear from more liberal teachers, people who don’t teach that the bible is the inerrant word of God, is that this part of the book of Genesis was written by another author who simply copied the story of Abraham and carried it over into the story of Isaac. However, there is no evidence, either in the text or from history, that this is written by a different author. On top of that, the author is very aware of the similarities between this story and the story of Abraham and he goes out of his way to clarify that. The similarities should cause us to compare and contrast this story from the stories of Abraham that we are already familiar with.

The passage that the author is probably referring to here is Genesis 12:10

English Standard Version Chapter 12

10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

In our text there is both a mention of famine and a mention of egypt. Abraham had been in the land of Caanan, went south through the Negev, and down to Egypt. Canaan was a land full of tribal warfare and Egypt was this solid Kingdom, and so it became a sort of safehaven in times of difficulty. Jacob will one day send his sons to Egypt during a famine to seek out food. This Kingdom was not as affected by famine. They had the ability to store up food. They weren’t as effected by tribal warfare which could cause a lot of famine and so on.

When we started looking at the life of Abraham, we saw that when Abraham came to the land God had promised him, a famine came to the land. Instead of staying where God had told him to go and trusting him to provide, he went to Egypt for help. Throughout Scripture, going to Egypt is going to be viewed in a negative light. Going to Egypt to escape a famine will be how Israel eventually finds themselves in slavery. In Numbers 14:3-4 Israel sinfully complains about God’s provision and the first thing they want to do is go back to Egypt. In Deuteronomy 17:16 when God gives commands to the future Kings of Israel he says,

“Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’”

Jeremiah warned the remnant in Judah after the exile in Jeremiah 42:18

Jeremiah 42:18 ESV

“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: As my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You shall become an execration, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. You shall see this place no more.

Going to Egypt for help is pictured in Scripture as turning away from God’s providence and turning to the power of the world at the price of becoming a slave to the world. When God describes himself or is described throughout the Torah and the Psalms, he is identified as the God who brought his people out of Egypt. When Abraham went to Egypt, he lied about his wife and got himself in a really sticky situation that God was gracious enough to get him out of. Going to Egypt for help is not a good thing.

Isaac and the Famine: Egypt is looking tempting

And yet this is the exact situation Isaac finds himself in. He is passing by the city of Gerar, where Abraham made a covenant with a Philistine named Abimelech. Since there was famine and Gerar is to the south, close to the Negev and on the way to Egypt, it is likely that this is the way Isaac was going. Chapter 26 is very much a ‘like father like son’ story. Everything from lying about his wife in verse 7, fighting over wells, and making a covenant with Abimelech and Phicol, Isaac is very much walking in the footsteps of his father Abraham, in both good ways and bad. So like his father before him, he is probably on his way to Egypt for help.

But here God appears to him, probably in a dream or vision of some kind, and tells him “do not go down to Egypt.” Just before he is about to cross the boarder out of the promised land because the famine is making the place uninhabitable, God says “stop!” “Dwell in the land which I shall tell you.” Again, this brings attention back to God’s words to his father Abraham in 12:1

English Standard Version Chapter 12

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

What is that land that God will show him? Verse 3: sojourn in this land I will be with you and bless you. While God’s call to Abraham was to go and see the land that he would show him, God’s call to Isaac is to stay and see the land that he would show him. Abraham was called to leave the world and enter into God’s promises, Isaac is called to stay in the place of God’s promises lest he leave to be with the world.

The Christian when the world is looking tempting

But if we look at verses 2 and 3 we may note two interesting contrasts. In verse 2 God is speaking about the future, “I shall tell you” and in verse 3 he speaks of the present location “in this land.” Also the word “dwell” and the word “sojourn.” The Hebrew word translated “dwell” is a general term for living somewhere, but the world translated “sojourn” means to specifically to stay somewhere for a while as a stranger or a visitor.

This is an important distinction to make because up to this point Abraham and his family have recieved very little of what God has promised. He was promised a kingdom, all the land of Canaan, and blessings to all the nations through him. At the moment he has one piece of land currently used as a graveyard for the family, and there’s Isaac the promised son. And the thing is when God’s promises seem a long time in coming, the security of the world starts to look very tempting. So God speaks of the present and the future to remind Isaac that the promises are still to come, but those promises can only be recieved by a faith that will cause him to stay in the land that will one day be his. It is a call for obedience now in the present because of the promises and plans of the future and that through it all God will be with him.

The situation that Isaac is in here is not all that different from the situation that modern Christians, or Christians from any era of history, find themselves in. in the OT, Egypt represents the powers of this world. The great kingdoms, advances, and works of human hands set up in rebellion against the King of glory. It is the worldly system of thinking and represents the things the worldly go to for protection and provision. Now obviously God often uses things in the world providentially for the good of his people, just as he used Joseph in Egypt for the good of his people . However, even in that situation the glory is given to God, and not to Egypt, as it was God’s revelation to Joseph that saved even that pagan land.

Unfortunately, many Christians today think that to be a witness to the world means to look as much like the world as possible. We aren’t called to go around dressed weirdly or something superficial to separate us from the world, but we are called to be not of the world even as we are in it. But many evangelicals are convinced that in order to be salt and light in the world, we need to be imperceptibly different from the world. I remember once hearing a pastor teaching a course on evangelism boast that his friend from the gym didn’t know he was a Christian for three years of their relationship. He said it as if this were the goal, that we should look as much like the world as possible.

This is patently the opposite of what Scripture tells us. Israel was called to be a visibly separate and holy people. Not in artificial or surface ways, you don’t have to go around with a tshirt that says “I’m a Christian!” But Your lifestyle, beliefs, words, and practices will scream there is something different in your nature. Add to that the evangelistic nature of our call.

In the same vain, there is a temptation to go to the world rather than Scripture for truth. Again, through general revelation there is truth to be found in the world. If you want to know about human anatomy, don’t go primarily to the Bible, that’s not why it was written. But when it comes to things that really matter, things concerning eternity, human nature, religion, meaning and purpose, understanding the world around us, where we came from and where we are going, there is no where to go but Scripture.

Scripture is the inerrant word of God, it’s never wrong. We cannot go to the world for a second opinion when we aren’t satisfied with the Bible’s answer. Nor can we try to take the Bible and squeeze what it says into what the world is more comfortable with. When it comes to issues of morality, ethics, or justice we cannot go to the world and jump on whatever bandwagon it’s currently riding. Scripture is our rule for how life should be lived as well as how we must be saved, and a synergism between the world and the Scriptures is not acceptable to God.

Turning to Egypt for us is turning to the world for answers that the Bible gives us, turning to the world to fix our problems before approaching God on our knees, turning to the world for spiritual guidance of any kind at all. We are called to the God’s people and the people of the book, the revelation of God.

The Promise Established

But why? Why must we entrust our beliefs and way of life to a book thousands of years old? Why shouldn’t we keep up with the changing times, acknowledging the Bible as a book with many good principles but ultimately should be submitted to the updating ways of the current age? After all, how are we to expect the world to come to know Christ if we stick to an archaic standard of morality that will do more to drive people from Christ than to him? To answer these common accusations, let us look the reasons why Isaac is urged to stay away from Egypt.

Stay away from Egypt and see your offspring bless the world

Turn back to verse 3 of our text and you will see that attached to the command to stay in the land of Canaan and sojourn there is the promise that God will bless him. He will bless him and he will give his descendants the land that he is currently only a stranger in. Then he says that he will establish the oath that he swore to Abraham. Establish means here that he will finally bring a full fruition to that promise. Up to this point Abraham and Isaac have only seen bits and shadows of the promise, but here God reminds Isaac that through his descendants he will see the promises fulfilled in due time.

Again, the words that God uses are almost identical to what we have already seen in the story of Abraham. He will multiply his offspring like the stars of heaven, given them all the promised land, and finally that through them all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.

More and more it becomes clear how God expects Isaac to live in light of the promises. Many Christians have adopted the idea that in order to reach the World we need to become as much like the world as possible. What this shows us is that the way God has ordained his people to reach the World is to create in them distinctions that are visible and clearly points to his own divine character. We are normal people in a sense, we look very much like those around us and we have normal jobs and families. We live in the same neighborhoods go to the same grocery stores and do many other things.

In the midst of these similarities, the differences stand out enough to make it plain that we are not of this world but as another. There are three ways that Isaac is called to show these differences:

1st living a life according to God’s rule. Like Abraham his father, he is obligated to obey the word of God whatever it says. Often Isaacs fails to do this, as we saw when we looked at Jacob and Esau and how Isaac favored Esau despite the prophecy that Jacob would be the one to inherit the promises. Nevertheless to this he was called, as one who does not live by the standards that others in the world live by. He has a different master and obeys a different call. This does not mean he doesn’t recognize human authority, authority is delegated by God as we’re told in Romans 13. But at the end of the day his ultimate submission is to God and he won’t submit or go down a road that is contrary to what God has commanded. In this case, God has commanded him to stay in the land of Canaan even though all the other nomadic peoples will probably heading to Egypt. He is under an authority that the pagans around him don’t recognize and because of that his actions are unmistakably different from theirs.

Second, Isaac is called to live life under God’s care. Again, while it is not wrong to look to the things God has providentially provided for us in the world such as doctors, financial consultants, and other professionals and tools for help, ultimately we look to God for our help and provision. Since God has commanded Isaac to stay in the land that he was promised, Isaac can stay there knowing that God will provide. This is why Jesus commanded us in Matthew 6:25 to not be anxious about our life and what we will eat and drink or wear. In a worldly perspective, good things are there for those who will aggressively take them. the world is a place where people provide for themselves as best they can or rely on those they trust. Both of these approaches are very insecure and at any time all the world values can crumble to dust, but we do not ultimatelyrely on ourselves or others to provide for even our most basic needs. All good things come from the hand of God. The same God who clothes the grass of the field and feeds the birds of the air is the one who provides for all that we have. This shows itself in Isaac's Life by his obedience to stay out of Egypt even in a time where that would seem foolish to those in the world period for us, it is likewise to rely on God to provide for us and to seek a life free from anxiety and worry. The stories of men like George Mueller who always found God providing for his orphanage even when there was no food in the cupboards stand as a testimony to the attitude of Christian should have when relying on God. When we are seeking first the kingdom of heaven, that means seeking it even before seeking food and shelter. Now each Christian is called to have an occupation and work for a living, but any good things we receive even through that work is counted as a blessing of Grace from a gracious heavenly father.

Third, Isaac is called to live a life as a display of the Divine character. That is, he's not meant to hide his relationship with God from the world. As we keep reading the chapter we will see a conflict arise between Isaac and Abimelech, one that is ultimately resolved when Abimelech once again declares Isaac to be a more powerful force than he and the other Philistines because his God is with him. Perhaps when other Pagan nomads return from Egypt after the famine and saw Isaac’s flocks multiplied so greatly, they would consider the greatness of his God, one who provides more even than the great superpower of Egypt. Rather than looking as much like the world as possible, the contrast that Isaac's life provides is meant to focus on what is different and attract people by that difference.

Stay holy and see Christ and his people bless the world

How foolish it is to think that the best way to reach the world is to look just like it. We don't want to give the world more of what it already has . What it already has isn't good enough , and those whom the Spirit is leading to Christ aren't looking for more of the world. They are looking for the difference that heals, that satisfies, and that takes away sin. When people know that you are a Christian and they see you acting like a Christian, you'll be surprised how many people want to talk to you about it.

The truth is that the point of all of God’s promises is his own glory, and providentially that also works for our own good. One of the greatest ironies of life is that when we life for our own good we can’t get it, but when we live exclusively to honour God and show him to the world we will live our best life. Not necessarily rich or healthy or problem free, but satisfied and joyful and hopeful of the eternal life we have in Christ.

The ways that you are called to be separate from the world are not an enslavement, they are a liberty. Liberty from sin, liberty from your passions and lusts, liberty from a meaningless existence in the temporary joys of this temporary world. Unfortunately, many to take on the name “christian” want to be like the world because that is where they belong. They have no desire or need to be separate and holy. They want to live like the world and think like the world because they are of the world. It is important for us to examine ourselves and see whether this is true of us.

But when we walk in the light we have the confidence of fellowship with God and with others. The world still tugs at our hearts and we still fall into sin, but the call of Egypt is less powerful than the call of God. The the riches of God’s glorious promises are found when we sojourn as his people waiting for them to become reality. The Christian hears that call, and although our hearts at times stumble into Egypt our soul is fixed on the promised land.

The call for us today is to fix our eyes and point our feet in the direction of what is eternal. The struggle to go to Egypt is all to real. From our own fleshly desires to the expectations of society and even loved ones, there is a pull to go and enjoy the fruits of the Nile.

My hope for you, dear Christian, is to remember how glorious your inheritance in Christ is. You are the children of a Kingdom with more to offer than anything you can imagine in this world. The blessings that you will receive in this Kingdom are far beyond the treasures of this world, but those treasures are only for those who rest in the promises of God by faith. Are you willing to stay in the wilderness of a place between two worlds for the future joys of inheritance with Christ and the present comforts of knowing God in Christ.

And if you don’t know Christ, if you rely on the world which, like Egypt, offers all the world to you but always shortchanges you, may this text burden you to run from the folly of this world and run to Christ. In him alone all of the promises of God are made and fulfilled. Will you partake of those promises, or are you heading back to Egypt?