Sermon Tone Analysis

Tuesday May 23, 2006

Genesis: Genesis 26:17-22-Isaac Triumphs in Conflict with Philistines

Lesson # 149

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 26:17.

As we have noted earlier in the study of Genesis 26, the Lord promised to be with Isaac and bless him.

In Genesis 26:7-11, we see the Lord fulfilled His promise to be with Isaac in that He protected Isaac from the Philistines.

In Genesis 26:12-16, we saw that the Lord blessed Isaac in that He prospered Isaac even in the midst of a famine, which led to the Philistines envying Isaac and finally deporting him from Gerar.

This deportation was unjust since there was an agreement between Abraham and Abimelech’s predecessor pertaining to the wells Abraham dug (See Genesis 21:22-33) but it was permitted by God to test Isaac’s faith.

God permits the believer to go through adversity and problems in order to test the believer as to whether or not he will trust Him in the adversity and problems and to demonstrate God’s protection and provision to the believer.

Jeremiah 20:12, “Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous, who see the mind and the heart.”

This evening we will see in Genesis 26:17-22, the problems with the Philistines persist as the Philistines block up the wells Abraham dug and dispute ownership of the new wells that Isaac’s servant’s dig.

Isaac’s problems were in reality, not with the Philistines but with Satan who is manipulating the Philistines to mistreat Isaac who is in a covenant relationship with God and in the line of Christ.

The apostle Paul taught the Ephesian believers that their problems in life are in reality with Satan and his angels and not human beings.

Ephesians 6:11, “I solemnly charge all of you to make it your top priority and clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that all of you might be able to habitually stand your ground against the stratagems of the devil.”

Ephesians 6:12, “because as far as all of you are concerned your combat is emphatically not against blood and flesh, i.e. humanity but rather against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers, which produce this present darkness, against the wicked spiritual forces residing in the heavenlies.”

Genesis 26:17, “And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there.”

“There” refers to the city of Gerar and “the valley of Gerar” was southeast of the urban limits of Gerar.

“Gerar” was near the coast about twelve miles south of Gaza and about fifty miles south of Hebron, in the land of the Philistines.

Isaac submits to the deportation without protest even though he could have demanded his rights under the covenant agreement that Abimelech’s predecessor had made with Abraham, which is recorded in Genesis 21:22-32.

In Genesis 26:17, the fact that Isaac patiently endures ill-treatment from the Philistines typifies the Lord Jesus Christ who did not insist upon His rights but rather silently and patiently suffered ill-treatment from sinners.

1 Peter 2:23, “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Isaac is undergoing “undeserved suffering,” which is designed by God to advance the believer to greater spiritual maturity and a deeper more intimate relationship with Himself.

“Undeserved suffering” is also designed by God to demonstrate God’s protection and provision to the believer and the sufficiency of God’s grace and His Word to deal with any and every adversity in life.

“Undeserved suffering” is designed by God to draw the believer closer to Himself and to test the believer as to whether or not they will trust Him in adversity.

There are three sources of suffering: (1) Satan: Cosmic system (2) Man: Old sin nature.

(3) God: Divine integrity.

There are three general categories of suffering: (1) Self-induced misery (negative): The believer makes bad decisions from negative volition to the Word of God, either failing to hear the Word or failing to apply it.

(2) Divine discipline (negative): God brings in suffering designed to get the believer back in fellowship with Him (Heb.

12:4-13).

(3) Suffering for blessing: God brings in suffering that is designed to bless the believer with a more intimate walk with Himself and to glorify Himself.

The believer is to rejoice when he undergoes underserved suffering to test his faith because it produces endurance.

James 1:2-3, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

It is through undeserved suffering that the believer is conformed to the image of Christ or attains faithful Christ-like character and identification with Christ experientially in His death and resurrection.

Philippians 3:10, “that I come to know Him experientially and the power from His resurrection and the participation in His sufferings by my becoming like Him with respect to His death.”

Philippians 3:11, “If somehow (by becoming like Him with respect to His death), I may attain to the exit-resurrection, namely, the one out from the (spiritually) dead ones.”

God also permits His children to undergo undeserved suffering in order to glorify Himself and to demonstrate that His grace is sufficient in any and every circumstance by manifesting His life and power in our human impotence.

2 Corinthians 12:9, “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The believer must persevere and endure undeserved suffering in order to receive the crown of life.

James 1:12, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Those who persevere and endure through underserved suffering will receive their eternal inheritance, which is to reign with Christ.

2 Timothy 2:12a, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him.”

Genesis 26:17, “And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there.”

Genesis 26:18, “Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them.”

Bob Deffinbaugh, “Digging a well was considered tantamount to a claim of ownership of the land on which it was located.

It enabled a man to dwell there and to sustain herds.

Rather than recognize this claim, the Philistines sought to wipe it out by fill¬ing up the wells dug by Abraham.

Their desire to overthrow all claim on their land was so intense that they would rather fill in a well, an asset of great value in such an arid land, than to allow this claim to remain unchallenged” (The Book of Genesis, page 190, Biblical Studies Press).

Bruce K. Waltke, “Wells were given names to establish proprietary rights.

By giving them the same names as his father had, Isaac aims to make his ownership incontestable.

This underscores the injustice (see 21:23-33) but also commemorates God’s provision and protection” (Genesis, A Commentary, page 370, Zondervan).

Genesis 26:19-20, “But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, ‘The water is ours!’

So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.”

In Genesis 26:19, the fact that Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found water indicates that this was an “additional” operation to the one that was centered upon reopening the wells Abraham dug.

“Esek” is the proper noun `eseq (qc#u@) (ay-sek), which means, “dispute” and was a memorial to the pettiness of the Philistines.

Genesis 26:21, “Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it Sitnah.”

“Sitnah” is the proper noun sitnah (hn*f+c!) (sit-naw), which means, “opposition” and was a memorial to the hostility of the Philistines towards Isaac’s servants.

The names of the first two wells reflect the conflict over the two wells.

This problem over the wells was serious for Isaac since in order to maintain his massive amounts of flocks and herds, he would need to have at his disposal large amounts of water.

To Isaac these wells were a necessity for survival.

So this problem with the wells was a great test of Isaac’s faith.

Notice, that Isaac never defends his rights to these wells, nor does he fight for them even though he had ample manpower at his command to destroy the Philistines.

Isaac is not a coward for not fighting but rather he is “magnanimous” and which behavior parallels Abraham’s towards his nephew Lot (See Genesis 13:1-12).

A believer who is “magnanimous” is generous in forgiving insults and injuries without being vindictive and becoming involved in petty resentfulness.

In Genesis 26:12-22, we see that Isaac is generous in forgiving the insult heaped upon him by the Philistines who did not have a right to these wells and yet Isaac is not pettily resentful or vindictive towards them but simply moves away.

Rather, Isaac insists upon maintaining a good relationship with the Philistines and is tolerant, patient and generous towards them.

A believer who is “magnanimous” is noble in character, loving justice but not insisting upon the letter of the law in order to preserve the spirit of the law and does not insist upon his own rights to the fullest but rectifies and redresses the injustices of justice.

Isaac does not insist upon his own rights to the land in order to preserve unity between himself and the Philistines.

The apostle Paul commanded the Philippian believers to be magnanimous.

Philippians 4:5, “Permit your magnanimity to become manifest to everyone.

The Lord’s return is immanent.”

Isaac’s magnanimity has produced peace between himself and the Philistines.

Isaac operated in faith and not by sight, trusting in the Lord, confident that the Lord would take care of him wherever he settled.

2 Corinthians 5:8, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

The conduct of Isaac towards the Philistines reveals the spiritual principle that those who walk by faith and trust in the Lord will be unselfish and will avoid strife and contention whereas those who do not walk by faith, and do not trust the Lord will be selfish and will be the cause of strife and contention.

Isaac’s magnanimity shamed the Philistines, which resulted in the Philistines seeking out a peace treaty with Isaac that is recorded in Genesis 26:26-32.

Isaac’s magnanimous conduct towards the Philistines demonstrated a spiritual principle taught by Paul in Romans 12:17-21, that the believer is to treat his enemies well and never repay evil with evil and is never to take out his own revenge but is to trust in the Lord to deal justly with his enemies.

Romans 12:17, “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.

Respect what is right in the sight of all men.”

Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

Romans 12:19, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,’ says the Lord.”

Romans 12:20, “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”

Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Genesis 26:22, “He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, ‘At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.’”

“Rehoboth” is the proper noun rechovoth (tw)bj)r+) (rekh-o-both), which means, “space.”

Bruce K. Waltke, “Probably this is the location Reheibeh, about 19 miles southwest of Beersheba.

Several large and ancient wells have been found in this area” (Genesis, A Commentary, page 370, Zondervan).

This location places the well a good thirty to thirty-five miles from Gerar, which would be sufficiently far from the Philistines’ economic or political interests.

The ruins of the well witness to a massive building project.

One of the troughs is cut in solid blocks of stone six feet by five feet and five feet high, so indications are that the well produced very large amounts of water, and that Isaac’s flocks were a great multitude.

The Lord rewards Isaac for his faith by giving plenty of water and space for his enormous flocks and herds.

Isaac has achieved a great spiritual triumph by enduring this undeserved suffering at the hands of the Philistines and the Lord has rewarded him.

The name of the three wells not only reflected Isaac’s conflict and struggle with the Philistines but also his triumph.

The fact that Isaac finally found space for his flocks and herds was another demonstration of God’s blessing.