Genesis 26:1-11 - Isaac's Journey and God's Covenant - The Mysteries of God's Word

How would you react if the promises made thousands of years ago still carried profound implications for your life today? Join us as we explore Genesis 26 on "Mysteries of God's Word," focusing on the intriguing life of Isaac during a time of great famine. Witness Isaac's journey to Gerar and his pivotal interactions with Abimelech, the king of the Philistines. We delve into God's direct appearances to Isaac, reaffirming the Abrahamic covenant, and explore the timeless promises that transcend generations—promises of protection, blessings, land inheritance, and the blessing of all nations through his lineage.

We'll also reflect on the spiritual significance of these promises for believers today, drawing connections to New Testament scriptures like Romans 4:13 and 4:16. These passages highlight the importance of faith and grace in understanding God's covenant. By examining how these ancient promises are fulfilled through Jesus Christ, we offer insights into the broader narrative of faith that spans from the patriarchs to present-day believers. Tune in for a rich discussion that ties ancient scripture to contemporary faith, providing a deep understanding of the continuity of God's promises and their impact on our lives today.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:14

Welcome to the Mysteries of God's Word. Today we're in Genesis, chapter 26, and we're going to examine some of the life of Isaac, beginning 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, and the Lord appeared to him and said Do not go down to Egypt, dwell in the land of which I shall tell you, sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give these lands and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham, your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the heaven and I will give your offspring all of 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. In these first five verses we see that there is again a famine in the land. Now, this is the second major famine that we see during the time of the patriarchs. This time, isaac is the patriarch of the family and, like his father, abraham, he's forced to move towards the city to escape the effects of this famine. So Isaac heads to Gerar, to Abimelech. When Isaac was a young boy, abraham had made a treaty with Abimelech over a well near Beersheba. Isaac would have remembered how his father had had a relationship with Abimelech. And now Isaac heads towards Gerar during this desperate time. If this is the same man, Abimelech, he would now be much older, reigning as a seasoned king.

Speaker 1: 2:32

In verse 2, we see that the Lord appeared to Isaac. This is a physical manifestation and appearing as a man to Isaac. As we've mentioned before, we've seen at different times early on in earth's history, in the first 2,000 years, that God does this. He shows up in person to speak with men, and we see it throughout the lives of the patriarchs Abraham, isaac and Jacob as well. So the Lord appears to Isaac and he tells Isaac Do not go down to Egypt, but dwell in the land in which I will tell you. The Lord is letting Isaac know that Egypt is not the place he wants him to be, but he wants him to stay here in the land of Gerar.

Speaker 1: 3:22

And in the next two verses God reaffirms the eternal promise that he had given to Abraham, what we know as the Abrahamic covenant, the four primary promises that God swore to Abraham and now reaffirms with Isaac is that God will protect and bless Isaac as he obeys him. This is an eternal promise given to all who walk faithfully, believing in the Messiah. As Jesus himself said, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this, my father is glorified. That you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. The second promise is that God will give Isaac's offspring all of these lands and while there's a temporary giving of this land to Israel and God's children of faith in Israel, israel and God's children of faith in Israel. This is an eternal promise of an eternal promised land. It also refers to the millennial kingdom that will be ruled by Jesus Christ in the promised land.

Speaker 1: 4:39

Romans 4.13 reads, for the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be the heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. The third promise God reaffirms with Isaac is that he will multiply his offspring as numerous as the stars of the heavens and again, as this was temporarily seen through, the physical descendants of Abraham known as Israel. This is not speaking of physical Israel. The offsprings described here, being as numerous as the stars of the heavens, are speaking of people of faith, all believers from all time. Romans 4.16 says that's why it depends on faith in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all of his offspring, not to the adherent of the law, but also to the one who shares in the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. And the final promise that God reaffirms with Isaac is that in his offspring, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. This specific promise is a promise that the Messiah will come through his lineage. Galatians 3.16 reads Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring it doesn't say to his offsprings referring to many, but to one and to your offspring, who is Christ, but to one and to your offspring, who is Christ. Through Abraham's offspring, the earth shall be blessed. And now it's reaffirmed with Isaac Through Isaac's offspring, the earth shall be blessed. So Isaac settled in Gerar. Now Gerar is a town that's located in the western Negev, between Gaza and Beersheba. It's about 10 miles south of Gaza and about 15 miles northwest of Beersheba, and this notation that Isaac is settling in Gerar is teaching us that Isaac is taking up residence in the town of Gerar, while certainly his campsite with the herds and flocks must be outside of town because of the famine. Isaac is settling in the city of Gerar or the town of Gerar so that he can get his water and supplies from the town.

Speaker 1: 7:28

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 this place should kill me because of Rebecca, because she was attractive in appearance. When he'd been there a long time, abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebecca, his wife. So Abimelech called Isaac and said Behold, she is your wife. How could you say she is my sister? Isaac, said to him Because I thought lest I die because of her. Abimelech said what is this you have done to us? One of the people might have easily lain with your wife and you would have brought guilt upon us. So Abimelech warned all of the people, saying Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

Speaker 1: 8:34

In these three verses we see that Isaac, like his father Abraham before him, lived in fear that another man might try and kill him because of the beauty of his wife. And Isaac uses the same lie that his father did in an attempt to keep men from scheming against him, he told other men that Rebekah was his sister. But when the king of the Philistines, abimelech, one day was looking out of his window, he saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah. Now, the Hebrew word for laughing here implies that he was caressing Rebekah affectionately. When Moses wrote this, he intentionally chose this word to create a wordplay on Isaac's name of laughter. It was to show us that anyone who was watching Isaac with Rebekah would know that they were married.

Speaker 1: 9:34

And Abimelech probably already has some suspicions, because this isn't Abimelech's first rodeo, so to speak. Abraham had done this with his wife Sarai many years before, and during that time Abimelech had taken Sarah to be part of his harem and the Lord had warned Abimelech in a dream that if he touched Sarah he would die. Therefore, the king knows that the God of Abraham will destroy his people if anyone touches their wife. So now Abimelech is seeing Isaac doing the same thing his father did, and he confronts him before this goes bad for the whole nation. And he confronts him before this goes bad for the whole nation and in a very similar fashion to how Abimelech warned the people with regards to Abraham's wife Sarah, now he does for Rebekah. Abimelech imposes the death penalty on anyone who would harm or touch Rebekah inappropriately. God will use this to create a hedge of protection around Isaac and Rebecca during these first few years of the famine. We're going to finish here today. Join me next week as we see. The Lord bless Isaac in all that he does.