The Life & Times of Isaac

Any middle children in the room? Middle children someone's have sense of being lost in the middle. Oldest children tend to get a certain amount of attention because they are the first. Youngest children tend to be noticed in a certain way because they are the youngest. And then there's the middle child.

I don't know if this is really a thing or not. But it seems to be the case with the patriarchs. "Patriarch" is a word we use use for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We know lots about Abraham. Jacob had some pretty interesting stories told about him.

But Isaac? Well, other than a few events here and there, today's chapter, chapter 26, is really the only extended place where we see Isaac active as a main character.

But in this chapter we're going to find that Isaac isn't really the main character after all, any more than Abraham before him or Jacob after Him. God is the main character of this story and it's God's blessings, God's promises, and God's initiative that shapes and directs Isaac's life.

Which means that Isaac's story matters, and has a lot to say to wandering pilgrims like you and I today.

A. Prologue: Famine & Philistia (v. 1)

The prologue or introduction to this chapter is in verse 1: “Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines” (Genesis 26:1).

In the Middle East, water was a big deal. Unlike the other super-powers in the ancient world, the land of Canaan had no consistent supply of water. Most of the land depended on the rain. And if there was no rain, you had to go find water.

It's no surprise then that the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were each shaped significantly by their need for water. In Genesis 12, Abraham is hit by a famine and goes to Egypt. Lot's choice of the Jordan valley—because of its water—let to all kinds of major events for the both of them.

Jacob will also head to Egypt because of a famine, which will lead to the 400 years of captivity. Water is a big deal.

And here is Isaac, faced with a famine—a lack of water. What's he going to do? He begins by relocating to Gerar, to the land of the Philistines where Abimelech is king. We might remember an Abimelech that Abraham interacted with, and it's probably not the same person—this is probably a title like "Pharaoh."

Gerar was close the coast and had more rain, so maybe this was a first attempt at getting access to more water. But it seems like Isaac doesn't plan to stay here long. He's on his way to Egypt, the land of the Nile, just like his dad.

B. Blessing & Conflict (v. 2-22)

1. Inheriting the Same Promises (vv. 2-6)

But God stops him. Verse 2: “And the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you’” (Genesis 26:2).

When we read the Bible we can imagine that this kind of event was an everyday occurrence. But how many times did God appear to Isaac? Twice. Most of his life he walked by faith, just like us.

But here, God appears to him to tell him not to go to Egypt. Egypt was a dangerous place. Abraham almost lost Sarah there. Jacob's descendants needed Moses to get them out. Who knows what God is sparing Isaac from.

But there's more here. Because the main reason God wants Isaac to stay in the land has to do with the promises given to Abraham which Isaac is the heir of. Verse 3:

“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws’” (Genesis 26:3–5).

These are the covenant promises given to Abraham. The three-fold promise of the land of Canaan, of offspring that couldn't be counted, and blessing flowing through His offspring to all the nations of the earth. God had promised all of these things to Abraham multiple times, and here he confirms to Isaac that he had inherited these promises.

Isaac's offspring will inherit this land, and will be multiplied like the stars. In Isaac's offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

But we can't forget the best part of these covenant promises, found in verse 3: "Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you." This is the highest gift of any God had given: His very presence with His people. If He was with them, then they could be assured of His blessing and could choose to stay in the land, famine or no famine.

Notice also the reason given for these promises. Verse 3 speaks of establishing "the oath that I swore to Abraham your father." In verse 5, Isaac is told the earth will be blessed through his offspring "because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."

There's a pretty clear implication there that Isaac would do well to do the same, walking in his dad's steps by also keeping Yahweh's instructions. Which at this point means, staying put in this land even though there's a famine and going to Egypt would make way more sense.

But at the same time, Isaac is pretty clearly told that these promises don't really depend on him all that much, if at all. Oaths were made and oaths will be kept for Abraham's sake, not his. That's very good news, but it's also very humbling. Isaac is a part of something a lot bigger than himself.

He's the promised child, but the promises are not about him. They don't end with him. They will flow through him to those who come after, and they will do so not because of anything he's done but because of the faithfulness of God to Abraham.

And the good news is that Isaac responds to the Lord, believes these promises, and proves His belief by obedience. Verse 6: “So Isaac settled in Gerar” (Genesis 26:6). Against the evidence, against the common sense, he believes that God will provide for him and he stays put.

2. Repeating the Same Sins (vv. 7-11)

But sadly, Isaac's streak of faith-filled obedience doesn't last very long. God has repeated Abraham's promises to him, but before long, Isaac is repeating some of his father's sins. Look at how this happens in verse 7:

“When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, ‘She is my sister,’ for he feared to say, ‘My wife,’ thinking, ‘lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,’ because she was attractive in appearance” (Genesis 26:7).

Rebekah was beautiful. We know this from when we were introduced to her in chapter 24. And here that same observation is repeated. The underlying Hebrew word here used in both places טוֹב, a basic word for "good." Rebekah was good in appearance—in other words, she was good looking, or beautiful. Which is how most other translations render this word.

And we should notice here that the Bible is not ashamed or embarrassed to identify beauty when it exists. The Bible doesn't describe every woman as beautiful—in fact it doesn't describe many women's appearance at all—but pointing out beauty like this.

That being said, I do struggle with the ESV's translation of "attractive," because instead of being an objective word about someone's appearance, the word "attractive" describes the subjective experience of being attracted to someone's beauty.

And that's something we need to be careful about. Christians, especially married Christians, should be able to recognize beauty in other people without needing to be attracted to it or desiring it for ourselves.

I've heard some Christian men talk as if being faithful to their wife means pretending that every other woman in the world either doesn't exist or is ugly. As if their wife is the only good-looking woman God ever created. And that's ridiculous. If we are to treat one another as brothers and sisters, brothers and sisters should have no problem recognizing beauty in one another, and doing so in purity without desiring that beauty for ourselves.

But that's not how our world thinks. That's not how the Philistines thought. Isaac knew that they would find Rebekah attractive—in other words, they would see her beauty, be drawn to her beauty, want her beauty for themselves, and some of them might actually take her for themselves.

What's he going to do? Well, he pulls an old trick out of the family hat, and tells people that she's his sister. Just like Abraham did, twice with Pharaoh and with another Abimelech.

Apparently Isaac didn't pick up on the fact that this didn't work out all that well for Abraham. Apparently Isaac is willing for Rebekah to be taken from him, which is what happened with his mom when his dad told this same lie. He's just looking out for himself here.

And what's worse, look at what God just told him: "I'll be with you and bless you and your offspring will occupy these lands." One moment he's displaying great faith by choosing to stay in the land, and the next moment his faith has taken a nose-dive and he's telling lies to protect himself because he's not convinced God is up to the task.

In other words, Isaac is just like us. And eventually he gets caught. Verse 8 says, “When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife” (Genesis 26:8).

There's a few things we learn here. First, Isaac's ruse went on for some time. Second, he had moved right in to the royal capital and was living right next to the king. Third, this part of the story must have taken place before Jacob and Esau were born, otherwise it would have been obvious that Rebekah was a mom.

And fourth, we learn something about appropriate behaviour between men and women. The ESV says that Isaac was "laughing" with Rebekah. The Hebrew word here is related to "laughing," which is related to Isaac's name, which means "he laughs." But the word has a sense that goes beyond just the act of laughing. It refers to a playful and even sensual interaction between the two of them.

That's why several translations render this as "Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah." Maybe he was tickling her or touching her in some affectionate way. The King James says he was "sporting with his wife," and lets just say if this was a sport, it would have been touch football.

And Abimelech sees them, not lying together, but just enjoying each other in an intimate way, and thinks, "Oh look, those two must be dating."

Right? Not right. The ancient world, even the pagan Philistines, understood that there are certain activities that are only appropriate between a married man and woman, and "caressing" is one of them. Paul told Timothy to treat "younger women as sisters, in all purity" (1 Tim 5:1) and it doesn't say, "unless you're dating."

Abimelech, this pagan Philistine king, sees them caressing, fooling around, knows they are married, and sadly puts many dating Christian couples to shame with his clear moral vision.

But let's flip it around: married couples in this room, if someone were to look out a window and see the two of thinking you were alone, would they know you're married? Husbands and wives, when's the last time you've "sported" with one another? If the fun has drained out of your marriage, what steps will you take to bring it back?

But back to Issac, who has some 'splainin' to do. “So," verse 9, "Abimelech called Isaac and said, ‘Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, "She is my sister"?' Isaac said to him, ‘Because I thought, "Lest I die because of her."'"

In other words, "I was thinking of myself and my own safety because I thought you'd want her so bad you'd be willing to kill me." That's quite an insult to the people he was living among. And listen to how Abimelech flips the tables calls him out in verse 10: “Abimelech said, ‘What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us’” (Genesis 26:10).

Isaac was afraid of the Philistines doing something to him, but instead he's done something to them. They Philistines knew better than to mess around with a married woman, but they wouldn't have been so careful with an unmarried woman—which, for the record, is not okay. These are pagans with messed-up morals.

But there's enough moral sense that if they had taken advantage of Rebekah, they would have brought guilt on themselves, and Abimelech says that would have been Isaac's fault for deceiving them.

“So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, ‘Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death’” (Genesis 26:11).

3. Experiencing the Same Conflict (vv. 12-22)

And this confrontation with Abimelech sets up a season of conflict between Isaac and the Philistines that we read about in verses 12-22. It starts with Isaac experiencing some of the blessing God promised.

“And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants” (Genesis 26:12–14).

God is keeping His promises. And just note—all of this wealth is very likely a big part of the inheritance that Jacob will want to take from Esau. This is what was on the line in last week's episode.

But what happens as Isaac experiences God's blessing? End of verse 13: "the Philistines envied him."

Then in verse 15 we get this little comment about wells that Abraham had dug being filled up with dirt by the Philistines. Without wells, nomadic peoples like Abraham and Isaac couldn't use that area. So the fact that they filled in those wells with dirt was a big sign that they didn't want his kind around there.

And then, in verse 16, the final blow is Abimelech telling Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we."

Abimelech sends Isaac away. Isaac, one man, has grown too mighty for the Philistines. Either they see him as a real threat, or this is just their envy talking, but the message is clear: there ain't room for both of us in this town. So he gets the boot.

Isaac leaves, but he doesn't go far. Verse 17 says that he settles in the Valley of Gerar, which was technically leaving the city but really only a few kilometres away. This is like kicking someone out of Nipawin so they settle in Codette. Maybe Isaac wants to keep access to the fields he had planted, but he's not trying to put too much distance between him and the people who want him gone.

And because of that, the conflict continues. Remember those wells were so necessary to life in that part of the world, the wells that Abraham's servants had dug, that the Philistines had filled in with dirt again—which they would have done specifically to keep nomads like Isaac from using this area?

He digs them up again. Isaac does not seem to get the message that he's not wanted here. And from verses 18-22, we hear this ongoing conflict between Isaac's servants and the herdsman of Gerar, squabbling over which well belonged to who.

Abraham had some tension with these same people over a single well (Gen 21:25), but now Isaac and the men of Gerar fight over two. Which might not seem like a big deal to us, but this was back before modern digging equipment. Making a well was a big deal. This was huge to have to start over twice.

Finally, in verse 22, "he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, ‘For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land’” (Genesis 26:22).

The Lord has made room for us. What an ironic statement. God had promised Isaac that the whole land would one day belong to his descendants. But in the meantime he has to suffer the humiliation of being a wandering nomad, at the mercy of the permanent occupants of the land, kicked out of the city, fighting for survival, desperate just for some water he can have without conflict.

And finally he gets it. Finally, God makes some room for them in the land, and he has a hope of being fruitful—of experiencing more of the blessing promised to him.

C. Blessing & Reconciliation (vv. 23-33)

1. Repeating the Same Promises, Again (v. 24)

And its at this point that our passage enters a second major cycle that begins, like our chapter began, with Isaac relocating again. Verse 23 says that from there he went up to Beersheba, further inland, further away from Gerar.

We don't know the reasons for this move, but the important part is that here he is visited by the Lord for the second and, from what we know, final time in his life.

“And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, ‘I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake’” (Genesis 26:24).

God repeats the same promises to him—again. He will be blessed, he will have multiplied offspring, but best of all, Yahweh will be with Him.

The Lord is so kind to boost Isaac's faith like this, after everything that Isaac has gone through. Even if some of what he's just gone through was his own fault. Even if it was, God will be with Isaac and bless him, not for his own sake, but for Abraham's sake, as God reminds him at the end of verse 24.

2. Responding with Worship (v. 25)

This is now the second time God has appeared to Him and repeated these Abrahamic promises. How does Isaac respond this time? The first time, Isaac displayed a mix of both faith and faithlessness. This time, he responds with worship.

Verse 25: “So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there.”

He builds an altar to worship the Lord and offer sacrifice. He calls upon His name—in other words, He prays, asking God to keep the promises He's made.

Isaac engages with God in faithful worship, like his father Abraham did.

Also, at the end of the verse, we find out he plans to stay in this place a while. He pitches a tent, and his servants dig a well.

3. Reconciliation with the Philistines (vv. 26-33)

And then the Philistines come for him. Verse 26 tells us that Abimelech leaves Gerar to come and meet him, with both a top advisor and the commander of his army. This doesn't sound good. And in verse 27, Isaac asks the obvious: “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?”

That's blunt. But he could have kept going: "Also I lied to you about my wife because I didn't trust you, and after you sent me away I basically moved in next door, dug up all the wells you filled in to try and keep people like me away, and competed with your men for crucial resources."

But he saves that part and just focuses on Abimelech's offence of hating him and sending him away.

But listen to what happens next. Abimelech doesn't remind him of any of that. Verse 28: “They said, ‘We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord’” (Genesis 26:28–29).

They can see that Isaac is no ordinary man, not even an ordinary rich man. And they know why. This statement opens with "the Lord has been with you" and closes with "You are now the blessed of the Lord." And now they want to make a covenant with him, just like an the earlier Philistines made a covenant with Abraham.

That phrase in verse 29—"that you do us no harm"—suggests that they are concerned about Isaac. Earlier, they sent Isaac away when he grew too mighty for them. Now, even at a distance, they sound like they're worried about him, and they want to secure their safety with a nonaggression pact.

Just think about that. This group of people, operating as a small city-state, is feeling threatened by one man.

Is this not a fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham way back when He first called Him? "And I will make of you a great nation" (Gen 12:2). And here is Abraham's son, negotiating and making treaties with this Philistine king as a powerful partner who has the Philistine king worried for his safety.

Later on in Israel's history, God commanded them not to make treaties with the people of the land. But this order hasn't been given yet.

And so they cut a covenant together, making a feast, eating and drinking and exchanging oaths, which probably included slaughtering animals as a statement that they should be cut up like those animals if they ever hurt each other.

Look at how verse 31 finishes—"And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace." Isaac is doing the sending, and after all the strife, there is peace between these parties.

And as a beautiful poetic finish to this whole account, verse 32 tells us that this "same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, 'We have found water.'"

How perfect. Not just peace with the Philistines, but a new, secure source of water that ensures their safety and prosperity for a time. And Isaac names, or re-names this well Shibah, which means oath.

This chapter began with Isaac needing water, and going to the land of the Philistines. This section ends with Isaac finding water, as the Philistines go away from him. This is beautiful symmetry, and a beautiful testimony of God's faithful covenant-keeping steadfast love to Isaac.

D. Lessons for Pilgrims

1. The Ground of our Hope

And that's the big picture we should walk away from this chapter with. God, not Isaac, is the main character here. Isaac is merely the recipient of God's covenant blessings.

And Isaac receives these blessings not for his own sake, not because he's such a righteous person. But, as we've seen before, for the sake of Abraham his father.

Brothers and sisters, what can modern-day pilgrims like you and I take to heart from this? Is it not good for us to be reminded that the covenant blessings we enjoy, we enjoy not for our sake but for the sake of our faithful covenant head, Jesus Christ?

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world... to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood... in him we have obtained an inheritance... in him you also...were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:3-4, 6-7, 11, 13).

Those are some selections from Ephesians 1 which remind us that every blessing we enjoy in the New Covenant, all the blessings of being saved and sanctified and sealed, all of these blessings are in Christ.

Just as Isaac was blessed in Abraham, so we are blessed in Christ. Just because Isaac was blessed because Abraham obeyed God, so you and I are blessed because the man Jesus Christ obeyed the voice of His father and perfectly kept His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws.

Just as God treated Isaac well for the sake of his father Abraham, so God treats us well for the sake of our elder brother Christ.

Brothers and sisters, do you need to be reminded of this today? God does not treat you the way your bad behaviour calls for. And he doesn't even treat you the way your good behaviour calls for. He treats you the way that Jesus' behaviour calls for.

I grew up in a home that professed the gospel, but the practical environment of our home contained with a good amount of legalism, and my heart ran with it. We were told that we couldn't experience God's blessing if we weren't obeying him perfectly. And when something went wrong, I wondered, "who sinned? Was this my fault? Did I do something in the past couple of days that was wrong, and now we're not able to experience God's blessing and that's why we're at the side of the road with a flat tire?"

Maybe that's a way of thinking you're used to. And it's frankly superstitious. It has more in common with the animism and spiritism of tribal peoples than the religion of the Bible. People all around the world live in fear of the spirits, trying to appease them and earn their next blessing with their good behaviour.

We enjoy salvation and the ongoing blessings of our salvation not because of our obedience but because of the obedience of the man Jesus Christ. If that sounds new to you, that's just the gospel.

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith’” (Galatians 3:13–14).

Pray that God works that truth into your soul.

2. Learning to Respond in Faith

Now, does this mean that our obedience means nothing? If course not, just like Isaac's obedience meant something. But remember again—Isaac obeys because God has already promised to bless him for the sake of Abraham. His obedience is a response to grace, not a way to earn it.

“We obey not to get the Spirit, but because we already have it. We obey not to earn God's favour, but because we already have it. We obey not to earn blessings, but because we've already been blessed with every spiritual blessings.

And so, like Isaac, we respond in faith with obedience. And I want to suggest that getting this order makes us obey in bigger ways than we would otherwise. If you are just obeying to try and keep God off of your back for another day, that will lead to small, petty, measured obedience. But if we obey in response to God's extravagant steadfast love, because of what He's already done for us, we'll rise up and joyfully follow our Saviour wherever He calls us to go.

So let’s come to the table this morning and remember our Saviour’s steadfast love for us, his perfect life for us, his brutal death for our sins, his promise to return for us.

Let’s remember that we are blessed in such a Savior as this, for his sake not ours.

Isaac built an alter and killed animals in response to God's love. We come to the table and remember that Jesus was offered up for us as the perfect sacrifice.

His body and his blood call us back to the cross and to a love that we could never dream of.

Like Isaac, let’s call on the name of the Lord together, and trust in this God to do all that he’s promised.