We finally have a chapter that focuses solely on Isaac. This devotional reading looks at his move to Gerar when a famine occurred.
Nuggets
- A severe famine in Canaan necessitated that Isaac leave to find food.
- Abraham had lived Gerar before, but Isaac hadn’t.
- No, this is not the same Abimelech from Abraham’s time.
- Jehovah stopped Isaac from going to Egypt.
- Since it was the first – and only – direct communication that we know about, God reconfirmed the covenant promises He made to Abraham.
- Jehovah reiterated that all nations will be blessed through Isaac’s descendants.
This chapter is out of place. There is no way that Isaac is going to pass off Rebekah as his sister if they have two kids — especially if they are at least 15.
Not happening.
But we can still learn from it even if time jumped.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Isaac the Patriarch series
Another Famine
“A severe famine now struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham’s time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived” (Gen. 26: 1 NLT)
A severe famine in Canaan necessitated that Isaac leave to find food.
What? Have we gotten stuck in a time loop? Haven’t we heard this story before.
Well, yes, we have; but no, we haven’t.
Back in Genesis 20, Abraham moved to Gerar. We aren’t told why he moved. Being a nomad, he probably moved to find better pastureland.
Back in Genesis 12, Abraham moved to Egypt. That one was because of a famine.
Neither move turned out well — and for the same reason Isaac’s didn’t.
Famine
Let’s focus on the famine a second. Dykes had a great description of the land. He wrote, “Another characteristic which qualified Palestine to be a training ground for the Hebrews was this: that it combined to an unusual degree high agricultural fertility with exposure to sudden and severe disasters.”
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That sounds like the possibility of a famine is very real.
Gerar
Abraham had lived Gerar before, but Isaac hadn’t.
Well, maybe. Maybe not. We figured when Abraham’s fiasco happened with his Abimelech that Sarah was just about to or just had become pregnant.
We are only told of Isaac living two places before this. He was born in Hebron. When he became an adult, he moved to Beer-lahai-roi.
Abimelech
No, this is not the same Abimelech from Abraham’s time.
Same title, different person. Remember, Abimelech wasn’t only a name. It was also a title that meant my father is king. So, we take it that this Abimelech’s father the king died making him, the prince, king.
God’s Promise to Isaac
“The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions’” (Gen. 26: 2-5 NLT)
Jehovah stopped Isaac from going to Egypt.
It sounds like Isaac was headed to Egypt. I can see two reasons for doing that. He would have been following in Abraham’s footsteps. He may have been trying to get as far away from the famine as he could, and he knew it was a bad one. It was “… as had happened before in Abraham’s time …” (Gen. 26: 1 NLT).
Bradford said that the route Isaac took would have been a well-established trade route connecting Canaan to Egypt. This would have taken them through Philistine land.
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Going to Gerar would have been logical – especially if that was where a major trade route could be caught. Since it was where the king lived, it would be a safe bet that the cities had food stored there, as most of the taxes were probably paid in grain or produce.
The Lord Appeared
The Hebrew word used, va-yerah, is the verb translated appeared. This means it is not simply physical vision alone but an encounter with God. They interacted together.
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Yeah, don’t we wish we had a relationship with Jehovan like that?
God directed Isaac. This is the first — and only — time we read of God communicating directly with Isaac.
- Isaac prayed to Jehovah for a child, and He answered his prayer – we just aren’t told this was done verbally (Gen. 25: 21).
- When Jehovah identified two sons in Rebekah’s womb, He was talking to her, not Isaac (Gen. 25: 23).
Jehovah instructed Isaac to live as a foreigner in the land. I take that to read, “Don’t get comfortable — this is temporary.”
Think about that. Isaac is probably seeing the situation deteriorating in Beer-lahai-roi. If he was planning on keeping going south, it would be logical to think the famine wasn’t getting better.
And here is Jehovah saying, “Stop forward movement. Plant yourself here.”
Bradford was right. This was Isaac’s time of testing.
Is Isaac going to follow Jehovah’s direction, or is he going to make the decision on his own?
But look at the map again. It wasn’t that far away.
Rebekah, maybe some of the livestock wranglers, and household servants were thinking Isaac had a screw loose for stopping so early.
Isaac passed the test.
But let’s chase a rabbit for a second. We aren’t told how old Isaac was when the trip occurred. We said it was probably pre-twins.
If it were pre-twins, that means Abraham was still alive. If Jacob was cooking because mourning practices said Rebekah couldn’t, this was at a minimum 15 years before Abraham’s death.
We aren’t told that Abraham moved with Isaac.
The Covenant Renewed
Since it was the first – and only – direct communication that we know about, God reconfirmed the covenant promises He made to Abraham.
If the was the very first time Jehovah talked to Isaac, he may have been wondering about his role in the covenant. We know Jehovah can speak to more than one person at a time, but I doubt the covenant would have officially transferred yet.
Even if Jehovah would have conversed with Isaac prior to this, that doesn’t mean he didn’t question Jehovah’s continued presence. We said that was what Abraham’s problem was at the beginning of Genesis 15.
We sure do that. How many times have we asked, “Hey, God. Where are you?”
Let’s head at this from a covenant perspective. Land had long been a part of the covenant.
But we aren’t told that Isaac had any more land than Abraham did. We know Abraham would have had the burial cave because Rebekah arrived on the scene after Sarah’s death.
What better time for Jehovah to appear than when Isaac was fixing to leave the Promised Land? And He stopped him from leaving it.
Nations of the Earth Will be Blessed
Jehovah reiterated that all nations will be blessed through Isaac’s descendants.
Something Bradford said got me digging. He said the Hebrew actually says will bless themselves.
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Wait! What?!?!?!
There is no way that we can save ourselves – which is what blessed means. So, what is this talking about?
This is like the word trust. We’ve talked before that where our versions use the word faith, the Hebrew versions use the word trust. That means belief alone isn’t what is being discussed. It is the belief that triggers an action – obedience.
This is something similar. It does say all nations will bless themselves. What that means is that the through you makes them the standard.
- “And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me” (Gen. 22: 18 NLT emphasis added).
- “I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” (Gen. 26: 4 NLT emphasis added).
- “Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions — to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants” (Gen. 28: 14 NLT emphasis added).
Look what Paul said about this. We talked about how the Jews thought salvation came through Abraham instead of Yeshua. Paul said, “Nope.”
- “The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God” (Gal. 3: 7 NLT).
- “So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith” (Gal. 3: 9 NLT).
Making the Connections #1
Abraham and Isaac have a covenant with Jehovah. Wouldn’t that mean trials like this famine wouldn’t happen?
No, that would mean Jehovah was after a prosperity gospel.
I have to process what Robertson said. He started by equating our lives with Canaan. Here’s what I think in Elaine-speak with Elaine-opinion mixed in.
- We have access to the covenant promises.
- The idea that the covenant promises creates a utopia is fabricated.
- That begs the question as to the validity of the promises.
- Jehovah created the expectation of happiness.
- But happiness does not always come from utopian experiences.
- We learn more going through trials – such as perseverance and contentment.
- The happiness stems from what Robertson called “… the habit of soul-communion with God.”
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Doesn’t it feel like we have famines in our lives? Don’t those trials of famines lead to blessings?
Making the Connections #2
Okay, the famines happened to test both men. Both started for Egypt.
Jehovah told Isaac to stop. He let Abraham go.
Why?
Robertson thought this was because, though they were father and son, they had different characters and circumstances.
Look what Robertson said – and he added Jacob into the description. He wrote,
“It is almost certain that Abraham, being a wise man and a man of faith, was permitted by God to judge for himself, and that Isaac was required to turn back that he might learn the duty of trust; and that Jacob was commanded to go forth in order to cure his love of the world, and to teach him that life is but a pilgrimage. Hence we arrive at a doctrine: duties vary according to differences of character.”
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Doesn’t it feel like we have famines in our lives? Don’t those trials of famines lead to blessings?
We say that we are given differing abilities. That means we have different needs for testings.
Making the Connections #3
Why was Jehovah doing this? Simple.
“I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions’” (Gen. 26: 5 NLT).
Nope. It had nothing to do with Isaac. Instead, “Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands” (Deut. 7: 9 NLT emphasis added).
How Do We Apply This?
- Recognize that – even in times of trials – Jehovah provides comfort.
- Recognize that duty is prescribed differently among His children.
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Father God. Thank You that You made a way for us to be blessed through Abraham and Isaac. May we learn from their obedience to see how we are to live for You. Help us to seek the happiness only found in You. Amen.
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