What events do you remember from the life of Isaac? We are studying the book of Genesis from the perspective of its original audience: the nation of Israel in Egypt as well as during their exodus, before they enter the promised land. What message would Genesis be for that generation? It would have been their “Bible.”
An outline of the biblical text:
“Abraham” is mentioned 133 times in Gen; 42 times in the rest of the OT. Jacob, 184 times in Gen; 169 in rest of the OT. Isaac, 81 times in Gen, thirty-two times in the rest of the Old Testament but only twice without the other two patriarchs (Amos 7:9, 16).
26:1-5 – Isaac goes to Gerar. Verse 3 gives us key words from God’s promise(s) to Abraham: Bless; Seed (“descendants”); Land; Oath (cf. “Swear” in verse 4). “I will be with you” is the first such promise in Gen. The reason for this blessing is Abraham’s obedience.
26:6-11 – Isaac lies about Rebekah, as Abraham did earlier. Rebekah was “beautiful” and “pleasing, beautiful” in “appearance.” Isaac was “caressing” (See other times when the verb is used: Gen 17:17; 18:12-13, 15; 19:14; 21:6, 9; 26:8; 39:14, 17) Rebekah, indicating to Abimelech that they were married.
26:12-17 – The blessings from God (vs 12) are evident in Isaac’s life. Verses 12-14 emphasize the wealth of Isaac. He worked, sowing and reaping one hundred fold, despite being in a famine (vs 1). Verse 13 includes three uses of the word for “big” or “great.” Verse 14 gets more specific with Isaac’s wealth: flocks, herds, and a large household. Verse 14b points out that Isaac’s wealth created envy among the Philistines.
26:18-22 – Isaac’s non-war with the Philistines. The Philistines had “stopped up” wells dug by Abraham (vs 15). Out of fear, Abimelech asks Issac to move his family (vs 16-17). The Philistines “quarreled” with the herdsmen of Isaac, at Esek. They “quarreled” over Sitnah. Finally, they dug the well Rehoboth and were free from quarrels. This provided “room” so they could be “fruitful” (פרה) in the land.
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26:23-25 – God appears a second time and reiterates His promise. Isaac builds an altar and digs a well, emphasizing the blessings he enjoys from God.
26:26-33 – A covenant between Abimelech and Isaac. Abimelech sees the Lord is with Isaac – vs 28. Abimelech acknowledges Isaac is “blessed of the Lord” – vs 29. Both times, Abimelech uses the name of God, Jehovah. The two make a covenant between their herdsmen – vs 31.
Insights of “The Unsung Patriarch” for the nation of Israel:
Isaac was included in the covenant God made with Abraham: Lev 26:42. We see the same type of emphasis on the growth of Israel even in Egypt in Exo 1:7. Two verbs specifically are found in this verse that reflect the life of Isaac in Gen 26: “fruitful” and “increased greatly. Kissling (255) finds in verse 2 an echo for the Israelite audience that they should not return to Egypt: Deut 17:16. God promised Israel that He would drive out the Canaanites until Israel became “fruitful” in the land: Exo 23:30; Lev 26:9. The story of Isaac yet again illustrates God blessing Abraham’s descendants in the eyes of others, just as He had promised Abraham.
Lessons for the present generation:
Isaac is mentioned 20 times in the NT but always in connection with the other two patriarchs. He is an “unsung hero.” It is not necessary to be well-known by men to be well-loved and used by God. God will bless those who are faithful to Him. In what ways does God bless you today? As a general rule, nonbelievers will think highly of Christians who walk with God in their daily lives: 1 Pet 2:12.
