Lesson 57

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Bible Study 1 - Genesis 26

Series # 5: FAMILY – FOOLISHNESS - FAITHFULNESS

Lesson 57: Genesis 26.1-35 GOD USES ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO OBEY HIM.

Genesis 26:1-35 (KJV) “1. 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. 2. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 3. 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; 4. 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; 5. Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. 6. And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: 7. 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. 8. 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. 9. 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. 10. 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. 11. And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death. 12. Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. 13. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: 14. For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. 15. 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. 16. And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. 17. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18. 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. 19. And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. 20. 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. 21. And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. 22. 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. 23. And he went up from thence to Beersheba. 24. 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. 25. 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. 26. Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army. 27. And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? 28. 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; 29. 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. 30. And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. 31. 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. 32. 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. 33. And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day. 34. 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: 35. Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever felt that God couldn’t use you to serve Him because you were just too ordinary? I remember when I first went to Fruitland Bible College I was flabbergasted when I came before such talented and learned men of God. I would sit and listen to them teach and preach the Word of God and think, “There is no way this old country boy will ever meet those standards or be used by God the way these men are being used.” I remember after I was called to pastor my first pastorate and the church sent me to a Southern Baptist Convention. I saw, met, and heard men speak and preach like I had never heard before and I remember thinking to myself, “Boy, you are way out of your league here. These are the greatest men of God I have ever seen.” I couldn’t help but wonder how in the world these men ever got to the point where God could use them in such an important and a powerful ministry in addition to some of them pastoring their one congregations. Never once was there anyone like myself at the podium preaching or speaking. Everyone seemed like they were the cream of the crop. I felt like I needed to tuck my tail between my legs and make my way back to North Carolina and thank God that my church members loved me and had not heard and seen what what I experienced. I always spoke about how wonderful it was but for many years I felt inadequate to say the least.

INTERPRETATION

One of the reasons I like the story of Isaac and one reason the story of Isaac is in the Bible is to show us how God can use an ordinary person who has no bells and whistles. Isaac was just the ordinary son of a famous father, but on the other hand he was a famous son of an ordinary father – of a famous son. The late Alexander McLaren once began a sermon on Isaac by noting, “The salient (or most important) feature of Isaac’s life is that it has no salient features.” (Expositions of Holy Scripture [Baker], 1:202.)

Although Isaac lived longer than Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, his life is pretty much covered in this one chapter and the most exciting feature is some squabbles over some wells. You might say that Isaac was the Calvin Coolidge of his day. As some of you history buffs may know, “Silent Cal” was not noted for much other than being quiet and sleeping eleven hours a day. When someone reported to Dorothy Parker the news that “Silent Cal” had died, she replied, “How can they tell?”

Isaac was the kind of person that one would consider a little “blah.” You never find in him the kind of boldness like you see in his father Abraham, who would made a daring raid against the kings of the east. He was not the kind of fellow within whom you would find a shrewd personality like that found in his son Jacob. He was not overly gifted when it came to leadership as was his grandson Joseph. Nevertheless, it was within God’s will and purpose to use Isaac to work out His covenant promises. The life of Isaac shows us all that there’s hope in the Lord for all us ordinary people!

When Moses wrote Genesis 26 it was mainly to show the nation Israel how God was faithfully working out His covenant promises. Abraham’s son Isaac seemed to always be lagged behind God, while his son Jacob often seemed to try to run ahead of God. However, regardless of the slothfulness and even his sin, God blessed him because of the covenant God had made with Abraham. God’s covenant blessings to Abraham carried on over Abraham’s descendants, so they would be blessed because of their relationship to him. However, just as it was with Isaac, they also had to grow in faith and obedience. Because they were God’s blessed people, they were to become a blessing to others.

That really hits home with us as a Christian church today. The Lord Jesus Christ has promised that He will build His church. I don’t have to remind you of how slow we are or how sinful we are, but nevertheless, in spite of our slowness and even sin God has blessed us and will use us to fulfill His purpose of blessing all nations through Christ. The reason is because of our relationship to the Father through the Son. However, before that can happen we need to grow in faith and obedience just as Isaac and the rest of the descendents. Therefore, the emphasis of the chapter is on God’s working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him.

EXPLANATION:

GOD USES ORDINARY PEOPLE

Isaac was an ordinary man with ordinary problems:

ORDINARY PEOPLE HAVE ORDINARY TRIALS.

We know Isaac had ordinary trials because verse 1 tells us that “And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham.” Critics argue that Genesis 26 is some editor’s confused combination of the stories about Abraham’s going down into Egypt during the famine or of his going to Abimelech referred to in Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 20:1-18). However, it appears to me that the text is careful to distinguish this situation from the earlier famine, and many details differ, so there’s no reason to doubt the historical accuracy of these events.

The interesting thing is to note that there was a famine in the Promised Land! There was a famine in the same land that God had promised to Abraham and his descendants and later described as a land flowing with milk and honey. We know that God could have easily supplied Isaac with plenty of food in spite of all the famine around him but He did not do that. There was God’s chosen man in the Promised Land in the midst of a famine suffering right along with all his pagan Canaanite neighbors.

That just goes to show us that trials are the ordinary occurrence for God’s people just like everyone else. There have always have been trials and they always will be, until Jesus returns. You will notice that Isaac did not question and ask, “God, why are you allowing this famine in the promised land?” Isaac did not get on his spiritual laurels and rebuke the famine in the name of the Lord. Obviously Isaac did not respond in the proper way, but this was not the first trial he had faced nor would it be the last trial of this sort to come on God’s people in the Promised Land.

There are some who have declared themselves to be so self-righteous and godly that they preach and teach that if you are obedient, if you have enough faith, and if you are where God wants you to be, you will not have trials and difficult times in your life. Well, I have got news anyone who preaches and teaches that heresy, from cover to cover the Bible proves differently. Trials are the normal experience of all of God’s people, even when they are obedient, faithful, believing, and right where God wants them to be. Somehow many have taken up the notion that if God has called us to a place or to a certain task or ministry, we won’t encounter any problems. Everything will be milk and honey. Everything is going to be all honey and no bee’s. Then, when the road gets rough, we begin to wonder what’s wrong and think “Maybe I’m not in God’s will.”

I read somewhere that the Former Supreme Court justice, Louis Brandeis, once said to his frustrated, impatient daughter, “My dear, if you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you.” Our Sovereign God has always used trials for His own divine purpose, even with His servants who are as close to being in the center of His will as possible, to drive us to greater dependence on Him more than anything else. If you question what I am telling you just read some of the missionary biographies and learn of the trials that these dear saints of God have endured for the kingdom of God. When you read about what Adoniram Judson, Hudson Taylor, and others have gone through, it helps put whatever your “famine in the land” may be in a little better perspective. Trials are the ordinary experience of God’s people.

ORDINARY PEOPLE HAVE ORDINARY FEARS.

It would be wonderful if we could read in this first verse, “There was a famine in the land, so Isaac sought the Lord.” However, that is not what happened at all because verse 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.” Not only did he go to Abimelech, the king o the Philistines, but he was not planning to stop there because he was heading toward Egypt when the Lord intercepted him at Gerar. Therefore, we see that Isaac was an ordinary person with ordinary fears, and ordinary people with ordinary fears usually panic. That is exactly what Isaac did.

To top it all off we also see Isaac’s fear when he pawns off his dear sweet sister, Rebekah in verse 7, following in the footsteps of his father. Why did Isaac do such a contemptible thing? Because he was afraid for his life. Then after a section of events which describes repeated quarrels about wells with the local shepherds, the Lord appeared to Isaac and said in verse 24, “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…” Friends, the Lord never says, “Do not fear unless somebody is afraid.” Isaac had a lot of fears but the Lord reassured Isaac of His promised presence.

Truthfully now, do you have any fears? If you say “no,” you’re like the guy in a kids Dr. Seuss book. He meets a pair of pants which walks around with no one inside them. He says, “I do not fear those pants with nobody inside them. I said and said and said those words. I said them, but I lied them.” We ought to take our fears to the Lord in prayer, and be open and truthful before God with our fears. The people God uses the most and tin he mightiest ways are ordinary people with ordinary fears.

ORDINARY PEOPLE HAVE ORDINARY SIN.

When I say that Isaac had ordinary sin I am not implying that it is all right to tolerate a little bit of sin in your life. Everyone of us should confess and forsake every sin we know of before God, repent of them, and ask for His forgiveness. However, we need to remember that the only people God uses for his greatest glory are those who are redeemed sinners. Sometimes the enemy will do his best to get us thinking that God can’t use us as long as we are such a mixed up bundle of good and evil. I mean, there we are one minute in church singing “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and the next minute a horrible thought pops into our minds, and we begin to think, “Maybe someday I’ll be holy like the preacher and then God can use me, but that day is a long way off.” [Yeah, right!]

Thank God He uses us while we’re growing, before we start thinking we have arrived! Look at the mixture of sin and obedience in Isaac’s life. He starts off for Egypt without consulting the Lord. The Lord graciously appears to him and tells him not to go any farther and Isaac obeys. The Lord even reaffirms the covenant which He had made with Abraham, and applies it to Isaac. However. the next thing Isaac does is to lie about Rebekah because he’s afraid he will get killed!

There’s a humorous word play in the Hebrew of verse 8, which says that the Philistine king saw Isaac “caressing his wife Rebekah.” The King James Version quaintly translates it, “sporting with his wife Rebekah.” The word comes from the same root word translated “Isaac,” which means “he laughs.” Here it clearly has a sexual connotation. Howard Hendricks said in a marriage class in seminary, “Whatever this sport was, it’s obvious that you don’t play it with your sister. And Isaac was a real pro at the sport—in fact, the sport was named after the guy!”

The nuance of the word “play,” is not that it was wrong for Isaac to be “sporting” with his wife, but rather that his faithless behavior made a mockery of the great promise of God embodied in his name. Abraham and Sarah’s laughter of doubt was changed to the laughter of faith as God fulfilled His promise in Isaac. Now Isaac was sporting his lack of faith in God’s protection before this pagan king.

Just like his father, Abraham, before him (who did it twice); Isaac lied about his wife to protect his own hide and was rebuked by a pagan king. Critics say that it’s the same story repeated with different names. However, you don’t need to look very far to see how true to life this is. Years ago I was going somewhere with our firstborn with me. I rounded a blind curve on the mountain road to almost rear end a car that had stopped in the road to admire the scenery. I hit the brakes and the horn and yelled, “You jerk!” From the seat next to me came a sweet little voice, imitating dad, “You jerk!” A knife went into my conscience! The sins of the fathers...!

Again, the point is not that we tolerate our sin, but rather that we not despair that God cannot use us because we wrestle with sin. The ordinary people God uses, are ordinary sinners just like you and me, but, as I’ll show in a moment, sinners who are working at obeying God.

ORDINARY PEOPLE HAVE ORDINARY HASSLES.

Isaac had ordinary hassles. The chapter shows the repeated hassles he had with neighboring shepherds over his wells. The Philistines had stopped up the wells which Abraham had dug. Isaac dug them out again. He dug some new wells, only to have the Philistines hassle him by claiming that the wells belonged to them.

Do you think Isaac ever wondered as he was covered with sweat and dirt from digging out one of these wells, “What does all this have to do with the purpose of God?” The purpose of God sounds so glorious, so spiritual! Nevertheless, Isaac spent his time hassling with neighbors and digging out wells they had stopped up. That doesn’t seem very glorious!

Do you know how God was using these hassles? Each one forced Isaac to move a bit closer to the Promised Land, until finally he was so close to Beersheba that he decided to move back there again. The same night he moved to Beersheba, in the land of promise, God appeared to him and reconfirmed the promises made to Abraham (26:24). If Isaac hadn’t had any hassles in Gerar, he probably would have been content to stay there all his life. God used the hassles to move him back where he was supposed to be.

Have you ever thought about why God allows hassles in your life? Maybe it’s a hassle with your car, or with the plumbing in your house, or a hassle at work. If you’ll submit to the Lord and be teachable, you’ll discover that He uses everyday hassles to move you closer to the place where He wants you, the place of His blessing. Isaac never built an altar until the Lord got him back to Beersheba. Nevertheless, when he got there, after all his hassles, he built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord (26:25).

THEREFORE, ISAAC HAD ORDINARY TRIALS, FEARS, SIN, AND HASSLES.

ORDINARY PEOPLE HAVE ORDINARY FAMILY PROBLEMS.

Isaac had ordinary family problems. The chapter ends by telling of Esau’s marriage to two pagan women who brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah (26:34-35). These verses are inserted here to tell us the bent of Esau’s life and to prepare us for the next chapter, where Isaac stubbornly persists in his desire to give his blessing to Esau. But there are years of heartache capsulated in the few words of verse 35. Here is the chief family on the face of the earth as far as God’s purpose went, and yet they had problems. They were far from being a model family.

Again, I’m not suggesting that it’s okay to shrug off your sin. If you are sinning toward your family, you need to deal with it. Nevertheless, I do want to encourage those whose homes are not perfect—and that’s all of us! Many come to church every Sunday with smiles on their faces and sorrow in their hearts. We see the smiles and assume that their homes must be perfect Christian homes. However, our home is hurting. Therefore, we mask our hurts and prevent the healing that could take place if we would learn to bear one another’s burdens in Christian love. The Lord shows us here that the patriarch Isaac had trials and fears and sin and hassles and family problems. Yet the Lord was pleased to use Isaac as he learned to obey the Lord.

GOD USES ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO OBEY HIM.

Isaac’s growth in obedience was slow, and it was never perfect. As an old man he was still partial to blessing Esau over Jacob, in spite of Esau’s godless ways. Nevertheless, in spite of his imperfection, you can see progress in obedience, and the Lord responded to it. When the Lord first appeared to Isaac to tell him not to go to Egypt, the Lord emphasized Abraham’s obedience (26:5). The next verse reports Isaac obedience. It wasn’t automatic. Remember, there was a famine. To obey, Isaac had to trust the Lord and change his plans. However, he did it. When the neighbors contended with Isaac, he didn’t fight for his rights. He sought peace by yielding his rights and moving on.

When Isaac finally moved back to Beersheba, where Abraham had lived, the Lord appeared to Isaac a second time, reconfirming His blessing and protection (26:24). The peace treaty with Abimelech and the news of water being discovered were two more evidences that Isaac was where God wanted him, in the place of obedience, where Abraham had obeyed the Lord. Beersheba means, “Well of the Covenant.” If you have been wandering from the Lord, come back to the place of obedience and the Lord will bless you and confirm His promises to you.

Maybe you’re wondering, “Why did God bless Isaac immediately after Isaac disobeyed God?” (26:12-13). There are two answers. First, it shows us that God’s covenant promises are based on grace, not on works. God wants us to obey Him, and He blesses those who obey. Nevertheless, at the same time, He wants us to remember that His sovereign purposes do not depend on our obedience, but rather, on His sovereign grace.

Second, while God blessed Isaac materially, that very blessing was also a source of chastening, because it made the Philistines envy Isaac and stop up his wells (26:14-15). This chastening served to move Isaac back toward Beersheba, where God wanted him. The main point is how God was sovereignly working to accomplish His purpose through this ordinary man, Isaac. If it had been up to Isaac, he would have been content to stay in the land of the Philistines. However, God graciously used the blessing as a chastening to move Isaac to the center of His will.

GOD USES ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO OBEY HIM TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSE.

God’s purpose is the theme of this chapter. He repeats it to Isaac in verses 3 & 4: “... I will be with you and bless you, and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” God’s purpose involves blessing His people and using them to bless others through the Seed of Abraham, the Savior. The wells which played such a central role in Isaac’s life were a tangible symbol of divine blessing. Abimelech, the foreign king, saw this evidence of God’s blessing in Isaac’s life, and sought peace with him so that he could share in those blessings. Therefore, this chapter shows God slowly but steadily working behind the scenes with this ordinary man who was the son of Abraham to bring about His plan of blessing the nations.

It was not an instant process. Frankly, I’m not sure how much Isaac understood concerning God’s plan for history. It would be more than 2,000 years before the Savior would be born as the descendant of Abraham. Nevertheless, through it all, God was steadily moving history forward according to His sovereign plan, using a bunch of ordinary people to bring it all about.

Today, we need to see ourselves in the stream of what God is doing in history. He has blessed us, not just so that we’ll be blessed, but so that we can become a blessing to others. We can’t bottle it up. He wants us, ordinary though we are, to be His channel for taking the message of the Savior to all nations. That sounds glorious, but all too often it involves hassles as mundane as digging wells and contending with aggressive people. God didn’t give the land to Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob in one magical swoop of His divine wand. Those to whom Moses was writing had to go through the battles of taking Canaan bit by bit.

In our lives we have to struggle inch by inch, hassle by hassle, in taking God’s message of salvation to those in our communities and in every part of the earth. Therefore you must remember to view the hassles of your life in light of God’s bigger plan for history. If you will obey Him, He will use those everyday problems that you, His ordinary child, go through, to accomplish His purpose of blessing all nations.

CONCLUSION

Dr. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Seminary in Texas is an extraordinary man who has had a worldwide impact for Christ. The beautiful thing is God used an ordinary man who obeyed Him to reach Dr. Hendricks. Howie was from a broken home, raised by his grandmother in Philadelphia. He often wandered from tavern to tavern, looking for his alcoholic grandfather. A man named Walt, who taught a Sunday School class, came upon young Howie and some other boys, and invited them to his Sunday School class. Howie didn’t know what Sunday School was, but since it sounded like school, he wasn’t in favor of it.

However, Walt took an interest in those boys, challenged them to a few games of marbles, beat them at it, and then taught them how to play better. Eventually, there were 13 boys off the streets of Philadelphia who attended Walt’s Sunday School class. Nine of them were from broken homes; five of them were spiritually uninformed and unsaved Roman Catholics.

Even though Walt never went beyond high school, 11 of those 13 boys went on to vocational Christian service, becoming pastors, missionaries, and seminary professors. God was accomplishing His purpose by using an ordinary man who obeyed Him.

God wants to use you like that. If you struggle with any kind of trials, fears, sins, hassles, family problems, or any other kind of problems you qualify, as long as you’re also growing in obedience. As God blesses you, commit yourself to be His channel of blessing to others.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Q. Where do you feel most inadequate as a Christian?

Q. How can God use you at the point of your inadequacy (2 Cor. 11:30)?

Q. Why does God’s blessing not necessarily mean a hassle-free life? Think of this in light of Gen. 26:12-21.

Q. What current hassles or problems in your life could God want to use to help accomplish His purpose through you?

Q. How can we achieve the proper balance between accepting our imperfections without excusing them?

A CONTINUING VIEW OF ISAAC IN THE FINAL VERSES

Genesis 26:12-25

THE REALITIES OF A PILGRIM’S LIFE

INTRODUCTION

The Patriarch Isaac was a man who lived in the shadows. If you think about it, he lived his live first under the shadow of his great father Abraham, and then he lived his live in the shadow of his great son Jacob. Abraham is the star of some 14 chapters of the book of Genesis and Jacob is the central figure of another 12 or so. However, Isaac is only featured in a handful of chapters. It is only here, in this 26th chapter of Genesis that we are allowed a glimpse into the life and work of this man.

Among the things we note about him is that he was a man of faith, v. 2-5. In fact, he is listed in Hebrews 11:20 among the great heroes of the faithful. We can also see here that he, like the rest of us, was far from perfect, v. 6-11, because he was guilty of committing some of the same sins that his father Abraham had committed. Another thing we notice about this man is the fact that he was a pilgrim. That is, he moved from place to place, like his father, not actually owning any of the land upon which he lived.

It is in his role as a pilgrim that Isaac pictures the child of God. If I may I remind you, the Bible teaches us very clearly that we are “strangers and pilgrims” in this world, 1 Pet. 2:11. The word “strangers” means “a stranger, a foreigner, one who lives in a place without the right of citizenship.” The word “pilgrim” means, “sojourning in a strange place; a metaphor for one who sojourns on earth.” In fact, the Bible tells us that every saved person is a citizen of heaven, Phil. 3:20, 1 Pet. 1:4-5.

Here, I want to examine the life of Isaac the pilgrim. Because in his pilgrimage through the world, encounters many of the same problems and he experiences many of the same blessings that cross paths with us as we journey toward glory. Let’s take a few final minutes to examine the life of this man, and as we do, I just want to point out The Realities of a Pilgrim’s Life. There is help and hope in this passage today for everyone who is walking the pilgrim’s path!

VERSES 12-14a SHOWS US IT IS A LIFE OF GREAT PROVISIONS

NOTICE THE SIZE OF THE PROVISIONS

We are told that Isaac enjoyed a 10,000% return on his investment! What makes this all the more astounding is the fact that this occurred during a time of famine, v. 1. While everyone around him was going broke and starving to death, Isaac prospered. His crops flourished while the crops of others dried up. His flocks and herds grew while the flocks and herds of others starved and died of thirst. It seemed like Isaac had the golden touch.

NOTICE THE SOURCE OF THE PROVISIONS

Some may have called it good luck, others may have looked upon Isaac and wondered how he did it, but the fact of the matter is this: God was just blessing him! Isaac wasn’t a better farmer than the other farmers. He didn’t know more about botany, horticulture, or zoology than the other men around him. However, he did have an advantage; he knew God and that translated into blessings in his life when others were experiencing defeat! You see, when the famine arose, there was evidently a temptation within Isaac’s heart to flee to Egypt like Abraham had before him, v. 2. However, in obedience to the Lord’s command, he stayed where he was, in the midst of that famine, and God honored his obedience!

I would just like to point something out to every believer today: the very fact that you know God in a personal way places you in a position to enjoy His wonderful provisions in your life! You may look at your situation today and say, “It sure doesn’t look like I’m receiving a 10,000% return on my investment! I’m saved, following the Lord and trying to be obedient, but I’m just about flat broke and everything is falling apart in my life!” Friends, just because God isn’t paving your path with diamonds and giving you a new mode of transportation every year doesn’t mean that He isn’t blessing you!

Look at it this way: you may think life is hard, or even worse, than those around you who aren’t saved, but you have something they do not have! You have a personal relationship with the Lord God of Heaven! What does that give you?

The list is almost endless, but a few of the benefits are:

You have eternal salvation – you are never lost!
You have the presence of God in your life – you are never alone!
You have the power of God working in your life – you are never in a hopeless situation!
You have the promises of God active in your life – you are never without hope!
You have the Word of God to guide your life – you are never without direction!

The list could go on, but you think about it;

If you are saved and your neighbor is not, whose children have a better hope of heaven?
What kind of a value do you on place on that?
Would you rather have money or the Master?
If you have the Master, He will take care of all the real needs in your life anyway!

Isaac enjoyed the great blessings that he did because he was obedient to the command of God, v. 2-4. The same thing holds true for you and me. If we will put God where He belongs: first;

He will see to the rest of our lives, Matt. 6:33.
No one said this life would be easy, in fact the Bible teaches the opposite, but, those who walk with God know that He is in control!
There is the unseen hand of providence! What looks like the worst disaster you ever faced can be used of God to bring into your life some of the greatest blessings you have ever enjoyed, Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 4:17.)

VERSES 14B-22 SHOWS US IT IS A LIFE OF GREAT PROBLEMS

Even Isaac’s life wasn’t filled with all blessings and glories. He fought some real battles and so will you! Let’s look at a couple of the battles Isaac was required to fight.

IN VERSES 14b-16 HE FACED PROBLEMS WITH THE WORLD

The Bible tells us that the Philistines were jealous of Isaac. Why? Because they could see the hand of God on his life! He was prospering while they were struggling! Because they were jealous, they tried to make his life hard by plugging up the wells that had been dug by his father Abraham. Their king even kicked Isaac out of the country!

Just as it was with Isaac, the Lord’s pilgrims should never expect to be accepted and understood by the world. The fact of the matter is this: the Lord tells us clearly that those who live for Him will be persecuted as they pass through this world, 2 Tim. 3:12.

Of course, some of the same tactics the Philistines used against Isaac are still being employed against the people of God! They become jealous when they can’t explain or understand our peace and joy under trials. They do their best to rob us of the blessings we have as children of God when they see us walking by faith through this world. They will seek to stop up the wells from which we are drawing through discouragement, intimidation, and personal attacks. Yet, the Lord said it would be this way and He tells us to rejoice when this kind of situation arises in our lives, Matt. 5:10-12; 1 Pet. 4:12-16.

So, when the world turns on you, don’t be surprised or don’t get upset. Instead, rejoice in the Lord. It will make them worse, but God will be honored and He will see you through!

VERSES 17-22 HE FACED PROBLEMS WITH HIS WELLS

We already know that the Philistines plugged up the wells of Abraham, but they even fought with Isaac over the new well he was digging in the wilderness. Why all this fascination with wells? There are several reasons. The primary one being the fact that men and animals must have water to survive. In that country, being semi-desert, water was as valuable as oil is today! In those days, all waste lands were called “God’s lands.” If any man could live in a desert place, provide for his family and flocks, and open a well, then that land was considered to be his land! In other words, a well was a statement of ownership! To fill in a well was an act of war! These Philistines hated Isaac so much that they declared war on him by trying to seize his lands and drive him away from that which was his! Notice the fights he had to undertake.

WE SEE IN VERSE 18 HE HAD TO CLEAN OUT THE OLD WELLS

Many years before, his father Abraham had passed through the land and he had dug some wells of water. He dug those wells to meet needs in his day and to pass them down to his son Isaac so that needs could be met in his days as well. The Philistines had come along and had plugged these wells to prevent Isaac from perusing them. Notice that the Philistines didn’t want them for themselves; they just didn’t want Isaac to have them. He had to take the time to reopen those wells!

These old wells speak to us of the spiritual resources that were uncovered and proclaimed by our spiritual fathers in days gone by. If we are not careful, the world will destroy everything that we have been given! Many of the wells from which our fathers drank have already been stopped! Think of it, there once was a day when God’s people drank deeply from the well of praise and worship! The world has stopped up that well by telling us that we should not be fanatics about Jesus. Our fathers opened for us the wells of Scripture, of salvation, of sanctification, of service, of the great fundamental doctrines of the faith! The world has come along a tried to stop them up. Liberalism has tried to change our beliefs! There is a need right now for God’s people to re-dig the wells that the world has tried to stop up! We must contend for the old but right ways. If we do not, the old ways will die when we do!

WE SEE IN VERSES 19-22 HE HAD TO CONTEND FOR THE NEW WELLS

As he moved along in his pilgrimage, Isaac was always in the business of digging new wells. Every time he opened a well, his enemies tried to take it away from him. The water from the old wells were cool and refreshing, but more water was needed now. Therefore, new wells were dug! Three of those wells are mentioned here by name:

Esek - This word means “Contention.”
Sitnah - This word means “strife or hatred.” It has the idea of “laying in wait to ensnare someone.” The name Satan comes from the same root word.
Rehoboth - This word means “a wide open place.” It was at Rehoboth that the Philistines finally left Isaac alone!

Everywhere the man went, he faced a fight! The Philistines tried to take that for which Isaac had labored. The same is true in the world today. Look at the world, and you will see that they have tried to take everything that belongs to the people of faith. They have high jacked Christmas and Easter. They even steal our language by talking about God, being born again, or all sorts of spiritual things. Nevertheless, we must contend for the faith, Jude 3. If we do not, then there will not be not faith to pass down to the next generation, 2 Tim. 2:2. “Commit thou” means “to set before, or to set a table.”

For Isaac, the pilgrimage here was one fight after another! I can guarantee you that your journey through this world will not come without a fight as well. However, take moment to look around at the children. Then think outside the walls of where you are about those who do not know the Lord Jesus. Remember, you are fighting for them! Every time we reopen a well the world has closed; every time we dig a new well for the needs of today; every time we defend the wells we have, we are serving the Lord, the lost and the little ones! It is a ministry that must be performed at all costs! If it isn’t soon, there will be nothing left to defend and nothing at all to pass down! We may have to fight for what our fathers believed and we may have to fight for what we believe, but the Lord watches over the whole matter and like he did for Isaac, He will make a place for us!)

WE SEE IN VERSES 23-25 IT IS A LIFE OF GREAT PRIVILEGES

Isaac enjoyed the Lord’s provisions in his life and he also experienced some problems as well. But, these last few verses in our text let us in on the fact that pilgrim life is also marked by its privileges.)

WE SEE IN VERSE 24 THE PRIVILEGE OF ENJOYING GOD’S WORDS

The Lord appeared to Isaac and renewed His promises once again! (Note: There is no greater privilege than that of experiencing the Lord’s presence and hearing His voice. We have been given His Word to speak to our hearts, Psa. 119:105, but we have also been given His Spirit and He speaks to us as well, John 16:13. (Note: It was the voice of God that got the attention of Elijah - 1Kings 19:12. When He speaks, His sheep know Him, John 10:3-4.)

WE SEE IN VERSE 25 THE PRIVILEGE OF ENJOYING GOD’S WORSHIP

Isaac prepared an altar and went before his God in worship! This is a privilege enjoyed by those who know the Lord! What an honor it is to be able to enter into His presence to worship Him and to love Him, John 4:23-24, Heb. 4:16!

WE SEE IN VERSE 25 THE PRIVILEGE OF ENJOYING GOD’S WORLD

Isaac was able to pitch his tent in the place God had marked off for him and he dwelt there. He was enjoying the blessings of God even while journeying through an intimidating land. It is becoming increasingly clear that God’s true church is not wanted in this world. This is not our home and the inhabitants of this world do not like us being here. However, the Lord has a way of bringing His best into our lives as we journey along. While our hearts beat for Heaven, and our feet walk through this alien land, our Father attends our way with His blessings and He makes the pilgrimage glorious!

WE SEE INVERSE 25 THE PRIVILEGE OF ENJOYING GOD’S WATER

Isaac and his servants dug a final well and enjoyed the water that flowed from it. After all the work unstopping Abraham’s well and after all the fighting over the new wells, Isaac is given a well of water that is all his. God has a way of giving us exactly what we need just when we need it. As you pass through this world, look for you a well! The Lord said that when He save you, He placed a well within you, John 4:14. It is a spiritual well that will never run dry. Still, we need to find ourselves drinking from a spiritual well that never runs dry. Take the time, as you pass through this world, to avail yourself of the spiritual refreshment the Lord had placed within easy reach. I’m talking about the Word of God and prayer! Those two things will refresh the soul quicker than anything else, period! Are you drinking from the well?

IN FINAL CONCLUSION

Pilgrims keep marching! Pilgrims keep heading toward that city that captured the hearts of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. One day we will take the last wavering step down here and we will set foot on the secure and certain shores of home. Until then, Pilgrims just keep looking to Him for your provisions. Pilgrims keep trusting Him through all the problems. Pilgrims keep thanking Him for all the privileges you enjoy as His child. There may be days when the journey is rough, but there will never be a day when it isn’t worthwhile!

We are pilgrims, not settlers; this earth is our inn, not our home. So, let’s not settle down. Rather, let’s settle in because whether our journey in this life is long or short, it will be glorious if we journey with the Lord. Do you know Jesus? It will be a lot more difficult to make the journey of this life, and there will be no everlasting glorious destination afterwards without Him.

DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?

To find more help in receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please go to the Bible Study Title Page “ETERNAL LIFE.” Please send me an email and let me know about any decision for Christ you make so that I may pray for you. Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have as well. For those who are already Christians I invite you to also please let me know of any decisions you make in your Christian life for Jesus. Please send me your questions, comments, or responses and let me know if the Bible Studies are helping you. I really need to hear from you – so please send me a comment about the Bible Studies to:

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ALWAYS REMEMBER!

The support of your local Church ministry and the ministry of your Pastor should be the first priority of your Christian life and your service to the Lord. Be faithful to prayerfully prepare and attend Sunday School and Worship Service this Sunday and participate in worship as your Pastor preaches the Word. Do not forget to give the Lord at least your TITHE through your local church from your gross income – that is your first fruits. Any other other giving is an offering to a ministry unto the Lord. Honor the Lord in all you do and with all that you have. Always remember that everything you have and all you are belongs to the Lord. It is on loan to you – so manage it well! There will be an audit one day! Make sure the Books Balance!

All Bible Studies Are Prepared by Pastor Frank Denning And May Be Be Used By Permission.