Genesis 26:26

Genesis 26:26 says, Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.  Abimelech and some of his friends came to see Isaac.  Since there had been problems between Isaac's servants and the servants of the people already there, Isaac may have thought there would be trouble.  Whether Isaac did or not, we should never let preconceptions control our interactions with other people.  Verse twenty-seven states, And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?   As just stated, Isaac seemed to think that Abimelech and his friends were there to continue to give him problems.  At least Isaac took the time to talk to them.  Sometimes, we might solve what we see as potential problems with other people if we simply talk to them.  Even when we know that we are where God wants us to be, we don't need to act hateful or resentful towards other people, even if they have caused us problems in the past.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;  Abimelech and his friends said that they saw that the LORD was with Isaac.  Though they did not accept the LORD, or God as we would say, as their God, they did recognize His work in Isaac's life.  Even if people around us do not acknowledge God personally, they should at least be able to see His work in our lives, if we are followers of Christ.  Abimelech and his friends wanted to make a covenant with Isaac, not because of who Isaac was himself, but because of Isaac's relationship to God.  Verse twenty-nine adds, That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.  I guess we would call this a non-aggression treaty.  Abimelelech said that his friends and he had done Isaac no harm, and they wanted to agree that neither Isaac nor they would cause the other harm.  We should always attempt to live at peace with people of the world, and we should never approach them with a desire to cause them harm.  Verse thirty declares,  And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. Then verse thirty-one adds, And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.  Isaac prepared a feast for them, and the next morning Abimelech and his friends departed in peace.  When possible, it is always better for us to live in a peaceful relationship with the lost of the world, especially if they come to us seeking that peaceful relationship.  Verse thirty-two states, And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.  Islam's servants came that day and told him they had found water in the well they were digging.  As He will with us if we put our faith in Him, God had met Isaac's need.  Verse thirty-three declares, And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.  Isaac named the well Sheba, and the city became known as Beersheba, and it remained so far years.  God did not just temporarily provide for Isaac's needs, nor does He for us today.  God will always provide for our needs if we are following Christ faithfully.  Verse thirty-four states, And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:  Esau married a woman who was not of the same faith as he should have done.  Again, just because Esau was the son of Isaac and Rebekah did not mean that he had a personal relationship with God, though I not saying that he definitely didn't. Sometimes, his actions did show that he didn't seem to consider God's direction for his life.  Verse thirty-five declares, Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.  Esau's choice for a wife brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Genesis 26:12

Genesis 26:12 says, Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.  When  Isaac sowed his crops that year, he received a hundred fold return, and God blessed him.  It would seem that the LORD blessing Isaac was a separate issue than his bountiful harvest.  I don't believe that we should always equate material success with whether God is blessing us or not.  I believe that God blessed Isaac spiritually because of his obedience, as God will bless us.  Verse thirteen states, And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:  Then verse fourteen adds, For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.  I do believe that Isaac's material success, which was great, was because of his obedience to God.  If we are materially successful today, we need to make sure that we are obedient to God first and always.  We cannot allow material wealth to become the most important indicator of God's blessing.  The Philistines became jealous of Isaac, not because of Isaac's relationship to God, but because of his great wealth. Verse fifteen declares, For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.  This was done out of spite for Isaac because of his great success and their lack of it.  We should not be surprised if people around us attempt to tear down or hinder our success, especially if we are openly professing our relationship with God.  Verse sixteen says, And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.  Abimelech asked Isaac to leave, because Isaac was becoming too powerful.  Verse seventeen states, And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.  Isaac left where he was and went to the valley of Gerar to live.  As long as we know that we are still being obedient to God, sometimes it may be better to simply remove ourselves from a potential conflict than to stay and fight.  Verse eighteen declares, And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.  Isaac dug the wells that Abraham had dug and the Philistines had stopped up once again.  Sometimes, the people who do not believe in God may destroy what our ancestors have built for God, but we should never just abandon what they have done.  We may have to rebuild at times.  Verse nineteen adds, And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.  Just because the Philistines had stopped the well up didn't mean that there wasn't water there.  Even if people attempt to hinder our work for God today, they will never stop the flow of living water in us, as long as we remain faithful to God.  Verse twenty declares, And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.  Even though Isaac's servants had dug the wells again, the people of Gerar attempted to claim it.  We should not be surprised if those around us attempt to claim what have accomplished materially by following God's guidance as their own.  Verse twenty-one adds,  And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.   Isaac had the same problem with the second well.  Verse twenty-two declares, And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.  Isaac moved to another location and had a third well dug, and this time no one tried to claim it.  Isaac chose to find a place of peace instead of fighting for the wells.  Though we must never compromise our faith in God, at times we may be better off to simply remove ourselves from a potential fight, especially over the material things of the world.  Verse twenty-three states, And he went up from thence to Beersheba.  Then verse twenty-four adds, And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.  God appeared to Isaac that night and reassured him that he had no reason to be afraid because God was with him.  We have no reason to be afraid of the people of the world today, because God is with us if we are followers of Christ.  Verse twenty-five declares, And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.  Isaac built an altar and worshipped God, and his servants dug another well.  We must never forget that God is with us, and because of this fact, we should continually praise to Him.

Genesis 26:1

Genesis 26:1 says, And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.  There was another famine in the land where Isaac lived, as there had been when Abraham was alive.  Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines for help.  We may at times face the same difficulties that our parents and grandparents faced, even if we are following God's will for our lives.  Verse two states, And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:  God instructed Isaac to not go to Egypt as Isaac had evidently thought to do.  We need to make sure that our plans are in accordance with God's will.  Verse three adds, Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;  God instructed Isaac to stay where he was, and assured Isaac that He would be with him.  Sometimes, when things get rough in life, if we believe that we are where God wants us to be, we just need to stay where we are.  God reassured Isaac and reaffirmed His promise to Abraham.  I believe that God will always reassure us when we are where He wants us to be.  This was the land that God had promised to Abraham.  Verse four continues,  And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;  This was a further reaffirmation of God's covenant with Abraham.  Through Abraham and his descendants, all nations would be blessed.  These were the people that God would work through in the world, culminating with Jesus Christ.  Then, God would work through those that put their faith in Christ.  Verse six concludes, Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.  Though Abraham was far from perfect, he did his best to follow God's calling.  God never failed in His part of the covenant, and He will never fail us today.  Verse six says, And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:  Then verse seven adds, And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.  History was repeating itself.  Like Abraham with Sarah, Isaac attempted to pass Rebekah off as his sister because he feared he would be killed if he said she was his wife.  In both cases, they ignored God's promise and attempted to find their own solution to what they saw as a problem.  We need to look to God for answer when we encounter a problem, whether real or imagined, and not look to our own abilities and understanding.  Verse eight declares, And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.  After Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech caught Isaac in his lie about Rebekah.  This was not the same Abimelech from Abraham's day.  We can be sure that our lies will be come out eventually, if not by anyone else, then certainly by God.  Verse nine states, And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.  Abimilech asked Isaac why he had lied and called Rebekah his sister, instead of telling the truth that she was his wife.  Isaac said because he feared for his life.  We cannot allow fear of what may happen to keep us from telling the truth about our relationship to others and especially not about our relationship with God.  Verse ten asks, And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.  Abimelech basically asked Isaac how he could have done something that would have led one of Abimelech's people to into a sin.  Hopefully, no one will ever need to ask us the same question of how we could lead them into sin.  Verse eleven says, And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.  Abimelech put an end to Isaac's fear, though Isaac shouldn't have been afraid to begin with.  Isaac had God's promise, and all he had to do was trust God.  We today have God's promise to us, and all we have to do is live by faith in God's promise.  We are God's forever through our faith in Christ.

Genesis 25:24

Genesis 25:24 says, And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.  Rebekah had twins.  Even though she had been told that she would have two babies, she could only be certain after the fact.  Before stethoscopes and ultrasound, women were often surprised, not just by the gender of their baby, but also by the fact that they were having more than one child.  Verse twenty-five states, And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.  The first born had red hair and was named Esau.  By the fact that he was the first born, if only by minutes, Esau would have the blessings of the birth right.  We see this in royal families today.  Verse twenty-six adds, And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.  The second born was holding the heel of Esau, and was named Jacob.  Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.  As with Abraham, God did not immediately begin to fulfill His promise to make Abraham the father of a great nation.  We need to realize that when God makes a promise that we can be assured that it will happen, no matter how long we may have to wait on it coming true.  This is especially true of the second coming of Christ.  This promise was made to the first disciples, but it is still just as certain today, whether it happens in our lifetime or in the distant future.  Verse twenty-seven says, And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.  Esau and Jacob, though twins, were far from identical.  We are told that  Esau was a cunning hunter, and Jacob was a plain man living in tents, which I would assume means that he liked being inside more than hunting.  Verse twenty-eight proclaims, And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.  Isaac loved Esau more, because Esau brought him venison to eat, but Rebekah loved Jacob more.  Matthew Henry says Rebekah feeling this way was because of God's promise that the older would serve the younger child.  Verse twenty-nine says, And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:  One day, Esau came in from hunting and Jacob had some pottage ready to eat.  This was not a feast, but was simply food for nourishment.  Verse thirty adds, And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.  Esau made a reasonable request.  He asked Jacob his brother for some food.  If someone comes to us today, especially a fellow believer, we should be willing to help them if we can.  Verse thirty-one declares, And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.  Instead of feeding Esau simply because it would have been the right thing to do, Jacob asked Esau to sell him his birth right.  We today should never attempt to take advantage of those who come to us for help.  Verse thirty-two states, And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?  Esau was more concerned with food right then than his benefits from the birth right in the future.  We should never allow physical or material things to come between us and our birth right as followers of Christ. Verse thirty-three adds, And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.  Jacob secured Esau's promise that he would sell Jacob his birth right for a bowl of porridge.  Too often, followers of Christ sell out their faith for some material thing.  I don't believe this means they lose their salvation, but they lose their joy of that salvation.  Verse thirty-four concludes, Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.  The deal was completed and Esau went on his way, having not valued or despising his birth right.  We, as followers of Christ, should never despise our birth right that we have through our faith in Christ.

Genesis 25:12

Genesis 25:12 says, Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:  We sometimes forget that Ishmael was also the father of many people or nations.  God had made a promise to Hagar, and He kept it.  Verse thirteen states, And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,  Verse fourteen continues, And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,  And verse fifteen concludes, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:  Ishmael was also the father of twelve groups of people or nations.  Just because God choses to work through one person or group of people doesn't mean that others a automatically doomed because of where they were born or what group of people they were born into.  What made Abraham and his descendants through Sarah special was not a fact of physical birth, but was the fact of a covenant relationship with God.  As followers of Christ, the same is true of us today.  Verse sixteen says, These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.  Ishmael's sons prospered in the world.  Verse seventeen declares, And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.  Matthew Henry says that it does not say that Ishmael was full of years, so he may have died unexpectedly though he had lived a long life.  We are not guaranteed that we will live a long life, but we need to make each day and year count for God's purpose in our lives to the best of our ability.  Verse eighteen concludes, And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.  The descendants of Ishmael covered a lot of territory.  Verse nineteen declares, And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac:  Now we are given the descendants of Isaac, actually beginning with Isaac himself.  Isaac was the son of promise to Abraham and Sarah.  Verse twenty states, And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.  Isaac was forty years old when Rebekah and he were married.  We are not told how old Rebekah was.  Verse twenty-one declares, And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.  Just like Abraham and Sarah, Rebekah and Isaac had difficulty in conceiving a child, though God had told Abraham that through Isaac he would be the father of a great nation.  Just because God makes a promise to our parents does not mean that everything will be easy for us.  Isaac asked God to give them a child.  He had to have that personal relationship with God and recognize God as being the One Who blessed them with a child.  We must have that personal relationship with God to claim His blessings and cannot be saved by our parents relationship to God.  God answered Isaac's prayer.  Verse twenty-two states, And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.  Rebekah was evidently having a difficult pregnancy, and she asked the LORD why this was true.  If we have difficulties in life as followers of Christ, we may wonder why.  The best thing to do is not to doubt God, but to go to Him with our concerns.  Verse twenty-three declares, And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.  God told Rebekah that she was going to have twins, and that the older of the twins would serve the younger.  This was not the normal case, but we need to remember that God is not limited by tradition or man made laws.

Genesis 25:1

Genesis 25:1 says, Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.  After Sarah died, and when he was now very old, Abraham got married again.  When a spouse dies, the surviving spouse is free to marry again, no matter their age.  Verse two states, And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.  Evidently Keturah was younger than Abraham, because she had six children with Abraham.  We often remember Ishmael and forget these other children, but they and their children were also descendants of Abraham, but they were not a part of God's promise to Abraham.  Only Isaac was the son of both Abraham and Sarah.  No matter who we may be related to, we can only become a child of God through our relationship with Christ.  The two verses give a partial genealogy of the children of Keturah.  Verse three says, And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.  Then verse four adds, And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children and grandchildren of Abraham and Keturah.  We are not told of any great nations that came from them.  Verse five declares, And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.  Though this would have been according to God's promise to Abraham,  I wonder how his other children felt.  I believe that when we do things that are not totally within God's will that there will be consequences.  Though Abraham was free to marry and have other children, at no point are we told that God blessed him in this.  We may at times do things that are legal in the eyes of the world but are not in accordance with God's calling in our life.  Verse six states,  But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.  This says that to the sons of the concubines, or those that Abraham was not married to, he gave gifts and sent them away.  Since we only know of Ishmael and the sons of Keturah, then I am not sure if Abraham considered Katurah's children to be the same as Ishmael.  Again, even though leaving everything to Isaac would have been according to God's plan, Abraham did have to decide what to do about his other children.  Sometimes if we do things that are outside of God's plan, we may have to deal with what results from our actions.  Verse seven proclaims, And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.  Abraham had lived many years after Sarah died.  Then verse eight adds, Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.  Abraham died as an old man full of years.  One thing we can be certain of, if Christ doesn't return first, is that we will die.  The question is how obedient will we be to God while we are living, no matter how long that may be.  Verse nine states, And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;  Isaac and Ishmael were still at least in the same area at this time, and they buried Abraham. The children of Keturah are not mentioned, though they were Abraham's sons.  Verse ten adds, The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.  Abraham was buried with Sarah.  Sarah was the mother of Isaac, the child of God's promise to Abraham.  God's promise had been to Abraham and Sarah.  We cannot change God's plan by attempting to do things our own way.  Verse eleven declares, And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.  God blessed Isaac.  I believe that God was also calling Abraham's other children to Him, but we are not told what happened to them.  Like Isaac, as followers of Christ, we are blessed, but that doesn't mean that God is not at work calling all the lost to Him.  Through Christ, salvation is available to all who will accept Him by faith.

Genesis 24:62

Genesis 24:62 says, And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.  Isaac had still been at work while the servant was away seeking a bride for him.  I assume he knew what was happening, but he really didn't have as much of a part in it as even Rebekah did.  There may be times in our lives when we don't seem to have much control over what is happening, but if so, we must simply put our faith in God and continue to follow His leadership in our life.  Verse sixty-three states, And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.  I am not sure what Isaac was meditating on, but I believe that he was taking some time alone to commune with God.  We need to take some time alone every day to spend communing with God.  We cannot successfully follow Christ without spending time every day in communion with Him.  Verse sixty-four declares, And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.  Rebekah looked up.  When we really want to see what God has in store for us, we must look up to Him.  Verse sixty-five adds, For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.  When Rebekah saw Isaac, she asked the servant who he was, and he told her that it was his master.  Rebekah the covered herself with a veil.  She was being modest before she met Isaac, the man she had already agreed to marry.  I believe that God expects us to be modest in our relationships with others, even if they are the person we intend to marry.  I know that the model today seems to be that two people meet, fall in what they call love, move in together, get engaged, maybe have a child or two, and then get married.  This is not God's plan.  Verse sixty-six states, And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.  Verse sixty-seven concludes, And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. They were now married, and Isaac loved Rebekah and was comforted..