GENESIS
July 1, 2017
By Pastor Kim Hickcox
(All Scripture taken from One New Man Bible unless otherwise noted)
As we should expect, the Lord protected Rebeccah and Isaac when they stayed in Gerar (and he lied) as He did Abraham and Sarah. In fact, this portion of Scripture ends with Abimelech’s declaration: “And Abimelech charged all his people saying, ‘Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.’” Genesis 26:11. Just a reminder that when we indeed do walk by faith and not by sight, as we are supposed to do, divine protection is there. And today we will see that provision is there too:
“Then Isaac sowed in the land, and in the same year reaped a hundredfold, and the LORD blessed him.” Genesis 26:12. Now please remember that we started with verse 1 telling us that “there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham.” So there was a famine and, despite everything that made sense, Isaac stayed in the famine-struck land. So how could Isaac plant a crop (famine meant bad or dry weather or insect infestation or Judgment had swept across the land, and mankind had no way to combat any of those phenomena’s – and never will be able to combat the third) “in the same year” and reaped one hundredfold when no one else could even get enough? Simple – “the LORD blessed him.”
But then, as today, the Lord’s blessing does not necessarily come without a jealous reaction from the world. “And the man became great and kept increasing until he became very great, 14for he owned flocks, herds, and had numerous servants, and the Philistines envied him. 15For all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them and filled them with earth. 16And Abimelech said to Isaac, ‘Go from us, for you are much greater then we.’17And Isaac left from there and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar and lived there.18And Isaac dug the wells of water again, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called them their names after the names by which his father had called them.” Genesis 26:13-18
Notice that their respect was for Abraham only, not his God nor his family or heirs, if so, they would not have filled up his wells after his death, as Isaac was still there. Abraham was/is God’s friend (Isaiah 41:8) but then, so are we; “No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life on behalf of his friends. 14You are My friends if you would do whatever I command you. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing: but I have called you friends, because everything which I have heard from My Father I made known to you.16You did not choose Me, but I chose you and I placed you so that you would go and you would bear fruit and your fruit would remain, so that whatever you would ask the Father in My Name He would do for you. 17I command you these things, so that you would love one another.” John 15:13-17
Is there any doubt that the devil is ruling the unsaved world when we see how quickly jealousy and coveting breeds hatred, when it could just as easily breed curiosity which would lead to people to the One True God?
Deception is a heart-wrenching thing because it makes someone truly believe something that just isn’t true! When I was working at a rehab facility for teenagers, I was passing through a room one afternoon and I heard one of my girls say, “I don’t believe I hell.” It made my heart ache! But all I could say was, “Well everyone who wakes up there believes in it.” That resulted in an instant change of subject.
She kept in touch for a while after she left, but I have no idea whether or not my comment made her think or change her heart. I haven’t heard from her in years, but I keep praying that I will be able to see her in heaven. You can’t argue away deception; it has to be prayed away. Only the Holy Spirit can pierce through that.
Back to Genesis: “And Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water. 20And the herdsmen of Gerar fought with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, ‘The water is ours.’ And he called that name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. 21And they dug another well and quarreled for that also…” Genesis 26:19-21. And on and on it goes.
Have you ever been in a stage of life where it seemed like no matter which way you turned you instantly hit a brick wall? Boy I have! I’ve never told anyone this, but when I first moved to Orlando, I spun down into such a depression that all I did was go to work, come home and eat all the sugar and chocolate I could get my hands on. I have never been suicidal, but in the back of my mind, knowing that diabetes ran in the family, I ate all the sweets I could thinking that if it took me out early – no big deal. (I still cringe when I hear the term death by chocolate, because for me, it could have been.)
I went to church every Sun and Wed, and was lifted up until about the time I got back home, then it was back. Then I went to a church conference with my ministry partner and told the Lord that if He didn’t do something soon – like now, I didn’t know how I was going to deal with life, because I was losing my will to do anything at all and could not continue like this – period. Needless to say, that conference was a life changer! And I have described myself during that time as being a hologram.
I imagine Isaac felt like that too. He had done what God told him to. He had even done what the heathen king had told him to do and still he was getting cheated out of everything he touched! Does it cancel what I said earlier about the Lord’s protection and provision? Absolutely not!
We are not promised a trouble-free life as soon as we believe. God does not save us so we can turn into entitled brats. He saves us for His glory. And what glorifies Him? The transformation of our lives and hearts. The faith we express when we DO have problems. David said, “Yea, when I am walking through the valley of the shadow of death, I will be awed by no evil, for You are with me…” in Psalm 23:4. So not only is death just a shadow for us now, but whenever we feel we are in the valley we are only walking through it. So don’t camp there! Keep walking! This is why He gave us:
John 16:32-33 “Behold, a time is coming and has come so that you would each be scattered back home for your own things so that you would leave Me alone: but I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33I have told these things to you so that you would have peace because of Me: in the world you have distress: but be of good courage, I have overcome the world.”
And
Romans 8:26-28 “And likewise also the Spirit helps us together with us in our weakness: for we do not know what we should pray according to what is needed, but the Spirit Himself intercedes with unutterable groanings: 27and the One Who searches our hearts knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because He intercedes with God on behalf of the saints. 28And we know that, for those who love God, He works all things for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
And
James/Jacob 1:2-5 “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when various trials light upon you, 3knowing that the proving of your faith produces endurance. 4And the endurance must attain its purpose, so that you would be mature and complete and not falling short in any way. 5But if any of you lacks wisdom, he must continually ask from God, the One Who gives generously, without reproaching, and it will be given to him.”
And
1st Corinthians 10:13 “A trail has not taken you except what is common to mankind: but God is faithful Who will not permit you to be tested beyond what you are able, and therefore He will then in the test make you to be able to patiently bear the way out.”
So we keep going; KNOWING that He is faithful and always with us because THIS is how we walk by faith and not by sight, which means: circumstances and feelings. We go by what we know, not by what we feel. We go by Truth! And Truth is not a what, but a Who! “I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life…” John 14:6. Therefore “If you would remain in My Word, you are truly My disciples 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31-32. Keep walking because with every step, more and more of the valley is behind you and your freedom gets closer and closer!
So back to wells, do you know how long it took to dig a well? Remember these were ancient times – no bulldozers, no water seeking technology (although I’m more than sure that the Lord led him to where he should dig). And this was the desert! A well was a literal matter of life and death.
But wells back then were not just holes you lowered a bucket down; it was WAY more work than that! Wells then had to be dug with a stairway to walk down with as big a vessel as one could carry – and you know how heavy water is – so as to make as few trips as possible because they were usually pretty deep. And they had to be about as big as a small lake, so until the diggers dug deep enough to touch the main source of the underground spring so as to start a small flood into the base of the well, they kept going!
It still fills me with awestruck wonder when I read about Rebeccah (chapter 24) making sure the 10 camels Abrahams’ servant came with had their fill before she even led him to her house. Camels can hold 1/3 of their body weight in water and they can weigh anywhere from 660# to 2,200#!! And you KNOW as they were loaded down they were not the tiny 660 pound camels! And she watered 10 of them! By herself!! Women must have been built like football players back then. Thank You Y’shua for faucets and pipes!
Anyway, it’s no wonder really, why wells were such a source of contention and commonly fought over. But still Isaac must have been at wit’s end (say nothing of his servants, who were doing the digging) by the time he got to the third [named] site, “And he left from there and dug another well and they did not argue for that: and he called its name Rehoboth, and he said, ‘For now the LORD has made room for us and we will be fruitful in the land.’ 23And he went up from there to Beer-Sheba.” (26:22-23) Hallelujah!!
So it seems his trial is over – but no. However, the Lord is always right on time: “And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, ‘I AM the God of Abraham your father. Do not be in awe! I AM with you and will bless you and multiply your seed for My servant Abraham’s sake.’ 25And he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there and Isaac’s servants dug a well there.” (26:24-25)
The ONM put certain things in bold print here for emphasis. I AM is God’s most serious, powerful, commanding name! He is more full of purpose than usual, if that’s possible, when He introduces Himself as I AM. It’s called Anokhi and should be a complete attention-getter!
So knowing that, Do not be in awe was a command! It can be translated more accurately as; Don’t you dare even think about being afraid! Because I AM with you! And in verses 26-33 we see why the pep talk.
“Then Abimelech, his friend Ahazzath, and Fikhol the chief captain of his army went to him from Gerar. 27And Isaac said to them, ‘Why did you come to me, seeing you hate me and have sent me away from you?’ 28And they said, ‘We saw that the LORD was certainly with you and we said, “Let there now be an oath between us, between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you 29so you will do us no hurt, as we have not touched you and as we have done to you nothing but good…”’” Now I just have to stop here and remind everyone that these nimrods, if you’ll pardon the expression, are lying through their teeth! Unless of course, you think it was good of them to have filled up all of his fathers’ wells and then steal back all the ones that he dug himself! “29b…and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.”’ 30And he made them a feast and they ate and drank. 31And they got up early in the morning and swore one to another, then Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32And it was the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said to him, ‘We have found water.’ 33And he called it Shilbah: therefore the name of the city is Beer-Sheba to this day.” Shilbah is a form of the word oath and seven, depending on the dialect. Therefore this well could have been named Oath due to the covenant that was struck the night before, or it could have been named Seven, as it was the seventh well that Isaac had dug or re-dug (so I have read).
So the Lord told Isaac not to be afraid because He was going to show him His favor once more (albeit tongue-in-cheek on the heathens' part) and had he freaked out it could have ended very badly.
Now the last two verses of this chapter catch us up with Esau. We haven’t heard much of the boys save for their birth and the birthright soup incident, but God’s Word gives us a little snippet, as chapter 27 is all about Isaac’s death, what happens leading up to it and 26:34-35 pretty much explain why.
“And Esau was forty years old when he took for wives Judith the daughter of Be’eri the Hittite, and Basemat the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35And they were a source of a bitter spirit for Isaac and Rebeccah.” So Esau was fraternizing with the heathens, which is why the Lord allowed chapter 27 to play out as it did, and why Jacob is the father of the Hebrews, God’s chosen, and Esau is not.
SHALOM!
By the way, how did last week go with meditating on a verse or two? Mine went very well, hope yours did too.
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