Genesis 26

CHAPTER 26THEME: God reaffirms His covenant to Isaac; Isaac misrepresents Rebekah; Isaac in Gerar; Isaac goes to Beer-shebaWhen I was a much younger preacher, this chapter did not seem to be very exciting. It is quite colorless and uninteresting, which is especially noticeable after we have studied a man like Abraham and an exciting man like Jacob who is to follow. This chapter is about Isaac. In fact, it is the only chapter that is really about Isaac, and it just isn’t very thrilling. All he does is dig wells. However, in later years I’ve come to examine these chapters and have found that God has a message for us in this also.

In fact, it is a very important message, and Paul stated it quite accurately: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom_15:4). This is a chapter that teaches patience, and some of us need thatcertainly I am in that category. Yet, we would not have you get the impression that patience is all that God wants of us. The Lord also had men like Abraham, like Jacob, and like David, men who were real go-getters and who were aggressive. God can use that also. But the life of Isaac has a great message for many of us. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2Ti_3:16-17).

With that in mind, let us come to this chapter. Isaac, the beloved son, has the covenant confirmed to him. Then we find him dropping into the same sin of unbelief as his father Abraham had done. Finally, we see him digging wells in the land of Gerar. This doesn’t seem to be very exciting but there is a message here for us; so let us not miss it.

Genesis 26:1

GOD REAFFIRMS HIS COVENANT TO ISAACThis is now the second famine that is mentioned. You remember the famine in the days of Abraham when Abraham and Lot took off for Egypt.

Genesis 26:2

Why did God say that to Isaac? Well, he had an example before him of his father who had run off down to the land of Egypt. This reveals the fact that “like father, like son,” sins are carried from father to son. You can talk about the generation gap all you want, but there is no generation gap of sin. It just flows right from one generation to the other. Generally, the son makes very much the same mistakes that the father did, unless something intervenes. So God gives definite instructions to Isaac at the time of famine. And He confirms the covenant which He had made with Abraham.

Genesis 26:3

God says to Isaac, “Don’t leave this land, don’t go down to Egypt. I want to confirm with you the covenant which I made with Abraham.” And He repeats the threefold promise: (1) the land"I will give unto thy seed all these countries"; (2) the nation"I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven"; (3) the blessing"and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."

Genesis 26:5

At this point God had not yet given the Mosaic Law; Abraham was not under the Mosaic system. However, the important thing is that, when God told Abraham something, he believed God and acted upon it. He demonstrated his faith by action. We have too many folk today who complain of a lack of reality in their Christian lives. A lady came in to talk to me some time ago who said that she believed but that she just couldn’t be sure and that she didn’t feel anything. Such uncertainty! I didn’t have to talk to her long to find out that there was no action in her life. She was just sitting in the corner, twiddling her thumbs, saying, “I believe,” and then expecting some great something to take place. That just doesn’t happen.

When you believe God, you act upon His promises. If you would call me right now to tell me that there is a certain amount of money in a bank in downtown Los Angeles and that you have put it in there for me and I should go down to get it, do you think I would just sit right here the rest of the day? My friend, if you know me, you would know that by the time you hung up the telephone I would have my hat on my head and I’d be going down there. Faith is what you act on. Faith is something that you step out on. Abraham believed God, and God counted it to him for righteousness.

God is now telling Isaac that He wants him to be that same kind of man.

Genesis 26:6

ISAAC MISREPRESENTS REBEKAHGerar is to the south. Abraham and Isaac both lived in the southern part of that land. Actually, Abraham had come into the land up north to Shechem, but he ended up living down in the southern part at Hebron, the “place of communion.”

Genesis 26:7

Isaac is repeating the sin of his father. God had warned him not to go to Egypt; so he didn’t go there but went to Gerar instead. In Gerar he must have seen the men casting glances toward Rebekah; so he says to her, “You tell them that you’re my sister, not my wife.” The difference between Abraham and Isaac is that Abraham told half a lie and Isaac told a whole lie. The one he is telling was cut out of the whole cloth.

Genesis 26:8

I guess they were laughing and playing together.

Genesis 26:9

Isaac had put these people in danger of committing a sin. Then Abimelech went on to say

Genesis 26:11

Abimelech became a very good friend of Isaac’s. Isaac had the respect of the community just as Abraham had had. Both of them were outstanding men. I mention that here because from the rest of the chapter we might not get the impression that Isaac is an outstanding man.

Genesis 26:12

ISAAC IN GERARGod is with him, you see. That is the blessing that God promised to these people from the day He called Abraham. It was an earthly blessing. Later on when God put them into that land, He told them He would bless them in their basket; that is, it would be filled with foodstuff. God made that promise good when they were walking in fellowship with Him. We must remember that He is not promising us that blessing. He has promised spiritual blessings to us. We are told that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings, and that is our portion today. But that blessing is on the same terms. It depends on our walk with God. If you will permit Him, He wants to bless you abundantly in your spiritual life. We find here that Isaac is greatly blessed

Genesis 26:13

Don’t miss the fact that Isaac is greatly blessed. His field brings forth an hundredfold! The impression some of us have is that Abraham was outstanding, and Jacob was also, but not Isaac. Let me say that Isaac is also outstanding. It is significant that the life of Isaac is tied in with that of Abraham. Isaac’s birth and his life are interwoven with Abraham’s experiences. Although Isaac was important when he was offered there upon the altar, again it was Abraham and Isaac together. Why should it be so presented? Well, we have already seen that all these things happened unto them for examples to us. It presents a wonderful picture of the intimacy between the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father.

Jesus said, “…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father …” (Joh_14:9). And in the high priestly prayer of Jesus, He said, “…I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (Joh_17:4). Also, He said, “…My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (Joh_5:17). Therefore, it is very proper that the story of Isaac and the story of Abraham be identified together. Now here in the chapter before us we see Isaac standing on his own two feet, and he doesn’t look too attractive. He exhibits a weakness and repeats the sin of Abraham. However, the Word of God makes it clear that Isaac was a very great man in that land

Genesis 26:14

The Philistines couldn’t stand to see all this prosperity

Genesis 26:15

Abraham had been digging wells in that land, and now his son comes along and the wells become his. But he would go out in the morning and find that the wells were all filled up. This was done by the Philistines and, by the way, this is the first mention of the enmity of the Philistines. This led to continual warfare later on in the days of David.

Genesis 26:16

Notice the importance of Isaac at this time.

Genesis 26:17

This man Abimelech said, “You are causing a great deal of difficulty now, and it would be better if you left.” He had great respect for Isaac, as you can see. Now this is a part of Isaac’s life that looks like weakness, but it is not. Notice that he returns back to the land where his father Abraham had been

Genesis 26:18

This reveals the struggle that was carried on. I feel that the water is a picture of the Word of God. We are to drink deeply of it. It is called the “water of the Word” and is for drinking purposes to slake our thirst, and it is also for washing. Jesus said that we are cleansed through the Word which He has spoken. Water is a very necessary item in life. You can’t have life without water. You can fly over the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and California and see plenty of arid land. Then all of a sudden you see an area of lush green and wonder what has happened down there. Water is the only explanation. And, my friend, water is the explanation for the differences between God’s children in any churchthe water of the Word of God. There is a great difference in the lives of believers who study God’s Word. And there will be a struggle. I think that you will always have to pay a price if you are really going to study the Word of God. The devil will permit you to do anything except get into the Word of God.

Genesis 26:21

Then he calls the well Rehoboth. It means “there is room for us.” Before that he would dig a well and they would take it away from him. He’d move up, dig another one, and they would take that away from him. He would just keep moving up. This certainly reveals that Isaac is a man of peace and a man of patience. David wouldn’t have done this, I can tell you that. Simon Peter wouldn’t have done that. And if you want to know the truth, Vernon McGee wouldn’t have done that. It is a real lesson for us here. This is especially applicable when we apply it to the study of the Word of God.

Genesis 26:23

ISAAC GOES TO BEER-SHEBAGod appears to him to comfort him. God appeared to all the patriarchs with the exception of Joseph. He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Genesis 26:25

He goes on again, digging wells. You can always put a well down next to Isaac. You can put an altar down next to Abraham, and you can put a tent down next to Jacob, as we shall see later on.

Genesis 26:26

Although Isaac almost seems weak in his dealing with the men of Gerar, the king of Gerar was so impressed that he followed Isaac to Beer-sheba in order to establish good relations. The influence of Isaac in that land was not that of a weak man.

Genesis 26:34

In the next chapter we will see Jacob in his true colors. Thereby hangs a tale.