Beginnings - Studies in Genesis
Like Father, Like Son
Genesis 26:1-33
April 27, 2014
Genesis 26:1–33 — 1 NOW there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the
days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the LORD appeared to him
and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 “Sojourn in this land and I will be
with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the
oath which I swore to your father Abraham. 4 “And I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and
will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
5 because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.” 6 So
Isaac lived in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was
afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking, “the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is
beautiful.” 8 And it came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines
looked out through a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 Then Abimelech
called Isaac and said, “Behold, certainly she is your wife! How then did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac
said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” 10 And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done
to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11
So Abimelech charged all the people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”
12 Now Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, 13
and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy; 14 for he had
possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 Now all the wells
which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them
with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.” 17 And Isaac
departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there. 18 Then Isaac dug again the wells of
water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the
death of Abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac’s
servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with
the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with
him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it Sitnah. 22 And he moved
away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said,
“At last the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” 23 Then he went up from there to
Beersheba. 24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said,“I am the God of your father Abraham;
Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant
Abraham.” 25 So he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there; and
there Isaac’s servants dug a well. 26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with his adviser Ahuzzath, and
Phicol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me,
and have sent me away from you?” 28 And they said, “We see plainly that the LORD has been with you; so we
said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, even between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29
that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good, and have
sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.’” 30 Then he made them a feast, and they ate
and drank. 31 And in the morning they arose early and exchanged oaths; then Isaac sent them away and they
departed from him in peace. 32 Now it came about on the same day, that Isaac’s servants came in and told
him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it Shibah;
therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
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Passage (key words & connecting words)
26.1
A. W. Tozer describes how we ought to think about the fact that God is all-present (omnipresent), that he is
everywhere:
We should never think of God as being spatially near or remote, for He is not here or there but carries here
and there in His heart. Space is not infinite, as some have thought; only God is infinite and in His infinitude He
swallows up all space. “ ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ saith the Lord.” He fills heaven and earth as the ocean
fills the bucket that is submerged in it, and as the ocean surrounds the bucket so does God the universe He
fills. “The heaven of heavens cannot contain thee.” God is not contained: He contains.
The mind-stretching reality is that if the hundred thousand million galaxies that form the ever-expanding
universe were compressed in a bucket, that bucket would be as awash and fully saturated with God’s
presence as it would if lowered into the sea. God surrounds and fills the universe with the sea of his presence.
Tozer’s explanation quoted one of the two great Old Testament passages on God’s presence: “Am I a God at
hand, declares the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see
him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:23, 24). The other
grand text is the lyrical expression of David in Psalm 139:
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me. (vv. 7–10)
All of God was present wherever David would go, not merely some aspect of God. God is present with his
whole being everywhere. A classic expression of God’s all-presence is: God does not have any size or spatial
dimension and is present at every part of space with his whole being, and yet God acts differently in different
places. In respect to his people, while all of God is spatially present everywhere, he is specially present with his
children. Indeed, he is with them and in them (cf. John 17:20, 21; 2 Corinthians 5:17). He is specially present
with his people to protect and to bless them. David wrote:
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
Most of the time when the Bible speaks about God’s presence, it refers to his presence to bless. The truth for
believers is: All of God is always with us in every place and at all times to protect us and bless us. And when
taken to heart this truth is elevating and life-altering. John Wesley, whose life and ministry so affected the
church in Britain and America, died after calling out, “The best of all is, God is with us. The best of all is, God is
with us.”
I have said all this because the life of Isaac, as it is presented in the brief compass of Genesis 26, had to do
with his learning that God was present with him. We see this in three parallel declarations of God’s presence
at the beginning, middle, and end of the account. The first was future: “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with
you” (v. 3). The second was present: “Fear not, for I am with you” (v. 24). And the third was past, as the pagan
king Abimelech observed, “We plainly see that the Lord has been with you” (v. 28). How Isaac related to and
appropriated the reality of God’s presence had everything to do with how he lived. And so it is with us.
Hughes
Griffith Thomas characterized him as “the ordinary son of a great father and the ordinary father of a great son.”
This is an episode for all fathers and all children. To fathers it says: what you do will almost inevitably affect
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your children, for good or for ill. So follow closely after the Lord. To children it says: do not follow in the
footsteps of your father when he is wrong, but only as he follows Jesus. Be helped by a good example, but
learn that it is ultimately to your Father in heaven that you are responsible.
At this point we find God appearing to Isaac as he had to Abraham on eight separate occasions (Gen. 12:1, 7;
13:14; 15:1; 17:1; 18:1; 21:12; 22:1). To Isaac he appears only twice, here in verse 2 and later in verse 24. But
this is most significant. God did not say, as we might, were we in his place, “Hasn’t Isaac learned anything from
Abraham’s experience? He should have. If he hasn’t, I’ll just not have anything to do with him. I’m tired of
these Jewish patriarchs rushing off to Egypt at the first sign of famine, when I’ve indicated quite clearly that I
want them to remain in the land.” God showed no impatience whatever. Instead, he appeared to Isaac,
instructing him to stay in the land and promising him a blessing.
In Genesis 26:2–5, he has received a reiteration of the Abrahamic covenant. So far as we know, it was the first
time in Isaac’s entire life that God had spoken to him directly. On the basis of that experience, he should have
been floating on cloud nine. But immediately after this, while he is in Gerar, we find him repeating the sin of
Abraham—lying about his wife for his own self-protection.
Boice
“In the short span of one chapter, the writer shows how the whole of the life of Isaac was a rehearsal of that
which happened to Abraham. Thus the lesson that is conveyed is that God’s faithfulness in the past can be
counted on in the present and the future. What he has done for the fathers, he will also do for the sons.”
“The chapter before us is full of illustrations of how difficulties should and should not be met.”
Constable
The scene progresses from precarious existence to security and riches, moving from famine (26:1) to a well of
plenty (26:33, “We’ve found water!”), from fear of violence by the men of Gerar (26:6–7) to a pact with them
(26:28–31), and from conflict and confrontation to peace (26:31).
The details of this narrative further affirm the transfer of divine blessing to Isaac and his line. Striking
repetitions from the narrative of Abraham punctuate this scene—famine, sister-wife motif, wealth and
quarrels, separation, altars and calling on the name of “the Lord.” The Lord appears to both Abraham and
Isaac through theophany and in a divine monologue promises to bless them, featuring gifts of offspring and
land. To both patriarchs, he promises to make them a great nation through whom nations will be blessed. God
conditions the blessings on the patriarchs’ obedience. When they obey, he repeats the blessing
unconditionally. Isaac reopens his father’s wells and gives them the same names, which the narrator highlights
in the naming of Beersheba. With these repetitions the narrator asserts that Isaac has more than fully
inherited the blessings of his father.
this account of Isaac’s dealings with the Philistines portrays Isaac as very much walking in his father’s footsteps.
He receives similar promises, faces similar tests, fails similarly, but eventually triumphs in like fashion. Indeed,
in certain respects he is given more in the promises and achieves more. He is promised ‘all these lands’ and by
the end of the story he is securely settled in Beersheba and has a treaty with the Philistines in which they
acknowledge his superiority.
Abraham
A 12:1–3 Receives God’s call and promise
B 12:10–20 Wife-sister deception episode
C 13:1–12 Quarrel with Lot’s men; Abraham takes lesser land
D 15:1–21 Divine reassurance and a sacrifice
E 21:22–24 Treaty with Abimelech at Beersheba
Isaac
A′ 26:2–6 Receives same call and promise from God
B′ 26:7–11 Wife-sister deception episode
C′ 26:14–22 Quarrel with Abimelech’s men and other local men; Isaac moves rather than fight
D′ 26:23–25 Divine reassurance and a sacrifice
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E′ 26:26–33 Treaty with Abimelech at Beersheba
All this confirms that Isaac’s God is the God of Abraham (26:24).
Two key expressions—“blessing” (26:3, 12, 24, 29) and “Abraham his father” or its equivalent (26:3, 5, 15, 18,
24)—point to the scene’s theme. Isaac inherits his father’s divine blessing.
God’s obvious blessings to Isaac in this scene illustrate the protection and prosperity entailed in the
inheritance of blessing. The twins’ conflict is over this. In addition, the faith of this younger Isaac is to be
contrasted with his factious family (Gen. 27). Here is a peace-loving man, mostly blessed without deception
and conflict. If Isaac could gain so much without deception, so could Rebekah and Jacob have attained the
same without resorting to deceit or alienating Esau.
Waltke
What the two boys vie for in the two bouts over the elder son’s birthright (25:29–34) and blessing (27:1–40) is
the subject of chap. 26, namely, the inheritance of the land (cp. 27:28, 39). Possession of the land is the
promise that is in jeopardy in the Jacob narrative as a whole. Jacob’s exile and return to the land provide the
thematic and structural symmetry of the entire narrative (see “Structure” above). Jacob must flee the land to
escape the wrath of his brother, and he returns after twenty years in Paddan Aram to make his claim on the
land that the Lord has promised him (28:13–14; 30:25; 31:3, 13; 32:9–10[10–11]). In chap. 26 Isaac remains in
the land, obeying the Lord’s command even as his father did many years before (12:4); but in Abraham’s case,
the Lord directed him to depart his homeland for Canaan, whereas Isaac’s directive is to remain in the land.
Verses 1–11 introduce the events that recount Isaac’s struggle to remain in the land despite opposition from
the Philistines, ending in a peaceful coexistence (vv. 12–33).
The author makes the point that for better or worse Isaac is following in his father’s footsteps. The common
route to Egypt took a traveler through the Philistine plain (Exod 13:17), where in our passage the Lord
intercepts the emigrant at Gerar.
Obeying the exhortations (vv. 2–3a) is assumed by the promises that follow (vv. 3b–4). This pattern of
command and promise imitates the call of Abraham at Haran and his test at Moriah (12:1–3; 22:2, 16–18).
Although Abraham appears to be “all in all” for the realization of the promises, Isaac too must do his part,
responding dutifully to the command set before him. As the theology of our passage shows throughout, the
divine purpose of the call assumes human responsibility and accountability in an obedient response.
Mathews
This story concerns Isaac’s deception of Abimelech. It rehearses first how Abraham was obedient in the faith
to preserve and pass down the promise and then reports how God preserved the promise by his intervention
in the life of Abimelech.
As an interlude, Genesis 26 has another point to make—that the blessing of Abraham had indeed passed to
Isaac (and so Jacob could obtain that for which he struggled).
The original blessing theme is explicitly resumed in chapter 26. Here Yahweh appears, commands, and
promises, as he had to Abraham (26:2–5; cf. 12:1–3). Although Isaac made mistakes very like his father’s
(26:6–11; cf. 12:10–20; 20:1–18), he also received blessings very like his father’s (26:12–14, cf. 13:1–4). He was
involved in strife like his father (26:15–22; cf. 13:5–13; 21:25–32), but he was reassured by Yahweh and he
worshipped like his father (26:23–25; cf. 13:14–18; 21:33) and was acknowledged by the nations like his father
(26:26–33; cf. 14:19–20; 21:22–24). Indeed, it is explicitly because Yahweh committed himself to Abraham,
because Abraham obeyed him, and as the God of Abraham, that Yahweh appears to Isaac (26:3, 5, 24).
Nevertheless, there is one distinctive motif characteristic of the Isaac narrative, the promise “I will be with you”
(26:3) or “I am with you” (26:24). It reappears in the form of Abimelek’s acknowledgment of Isaac, “Yahweh is
with you” (26:28), as it had featured in Abimelek’s acknowledgment of Abraham (21:22). It reappears in the
Jacob material in the chapters that follow (28:15, 20; 31:3, 5, 42; 35:3), and constitutes the distinctive aspect
to the promise and experience of Yahweh’s blessing as this is portrayed in the Isaac narrative. [“Patriarchs,” pp.
17–18]
The story in the first half of Genesis 26 parallels the stories in 12:10–20 and 20:1–18 (see the earlier
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discussions for the parallels). But in this account the event occurs in the land of Gerar in the lifetime of Isaac
and his wife. Moreover, in this account the king does not take the beautiful woman, and the source of
discovery is not divine. The marriage was thus kept intact from the threat of intermarriage with a pagan king.
These narratives were written down to show how Israel came into existence and why. Accordingly, they stress
the divine creation and election as well as supernatural preservation of the family. All this material was
didactic,-Israel could compare the points of these stories with the clear teachings of the law to confirm the
lessons. In fact, the emphasis on the law in this unit is rather pronounced.
the central point of the story concerned the development of the promise, the continuation of the blessing. In
Genesis 26, Abraham was gone! He was dead! What would happen to the promised blessings? The promise in
fact continued after his death to his son. Genesis 26 convincingly reveals that the promises extended to Isaac.
Even though he failed as his father failed, the Lord preserved him and blessed him.
But the promises did not come without responsibility. The corresponding theological lesson in this section
thus concerns obedience. Abraham is held up to Isaac (and to the reader) as the epitome of obedience to the
laws of God. His faith in God’s promises not only engendered unparalleled obedience but cast out fear.
Conversely, where faith is weak, people cower in fear and often endanger the work of God. Here is where
Isaac comes in. This narrative teaches Israel—and us—to be strong in the faith in order to live in obedience to
God’s laws rather than act shamefully out of fear.
The structure of this story is somewhat similar to the preceding sister stories. The narrative transition is found
in verse 1, which reports a famine in the land and alludes to the famine in the days of Abraham (the writer was
thus aware of the previous incident). The second section of the passage records a theophany and so is without
parallel in the previous stories (vv. 2–5). In this theophany the Lord instructed Isaac on his course of action and
then related the promised blessings to him. Verse 6 reports how Isaac complied with the instructions.
The rest of the section is a narrative about Isaac’s deception and the discovery. Isaac’s plan of deception is
narrated in verse 7, and the truth is discovered in verses 8–10. Much like the preceding stories on this theme,
the dénouement works through a dialogue of accusation and self-defense. Finally, there is a warning given to
the people of Gerar (v. 11) that serves to remind the reader of the law that preserves the marriage.
CPT---When God prevented Isaac from leaving the land promised to Abraham, his obedient father, God
renewed the covenant with him but then had to protect Rebekah from Abimelech when Isaac lied about her.
The obedience of the faithful brings blessings to those who follow in the faith (1-6)
God requires obedience (1-3a)
The additional explanation that this famine was beside that earlier famine in the lifetime of Abraham not only
attests to the existence of the two events but invites comparison between Abraham and Isaac. In the earlier
account Abraham went down to Egypt to sojourn, only to endanger his wife through fearful deception. At this
time the Lord appeared to Isaac to prohibit his going down to Egypt (ʾaltērēd miṣrāyemâ; cf. wayyēred ʾabrām
miṣraymâ in 12:10). Rather, Isaac was to sojourn (gûr) in the land (cf. lāgûr in 12:10). In this instruction there
seems to be a word play on the place name Gerar (gerārâ in v. 1) with the verb “sojourn” (gûr). More
important, though, there is an allusion to the initial call of Abraham in the words “in the land which I shall tell
you [bāʾ āreṣ ʾăšer ʾōmar ʾēleykā].” Such an allusion would encourage Isaac’s faith in following the Lord’s
instructions.
This appearing and these words form a parallel with Genesis 12. At the beginning of the Abraham stories the
Lord appeared to Abram with instructions and promises pertaining to the land and the seed. The Lord also
makes such an appearance to Isaac at the beginning of this chapter. The parallels reinforce the point of the
continuation of God’s program to this second generation.
Ross
26.3
Since Egypt is the traditional source of food, it takes faith to remain in Gerar.
Waltke
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“Stay in this land” is the third and final exhortation. The nuance of permanency made implicit by the word
“live” (v. 2c) may be further reinforced by the contrasting term “stay” (gûr). The word gûr (“to sojourn,
inhabit”) is a favorite term in Genesis, specifying the alien status of the patriarchs as foreigners (cf. 35:27;
37:1; Exod 6:4). Its appearance here is another echo of Abraham’s visits to Egypt (12:10) and Gerar (20:1). In
this case the “land” refers to the region of Gerar. Since Gerar marked the southern boundary of Canaan
(10:19), the location provided a telling place of decision when Isaac obeyed the Lord’s directive. By chapter’s
end Isaac returns to Beersheba, the chief abode of the patriarchs in the Negev (v. 23; 22:19; 28:10; 46:1, 5).
The Lord repeats the essential patriarchal promises, establishing protection and prosperity for Isaac.
Mathews
Obedience brings blessings (3b-6)
Here the promises first made to Abraham were reiterated to Isaac, promises of the land and of numerous
descendants. Several advances, however, can be seen here. First, these promises would be fulfilled because of
the covenant made with Abraham. In other words, the fulfillment was guaranteed because the Lord swore to
do it. Any contingency-based obedience would refer to participation in the promises, not the fulfillment itself.
Second, the promise of the land was broadened to the plural—”all these lands” (hāʾ ărāṣōt) would be given to
Isaac and his descendants. This phrase probably referred to territory possessed by other tribes living in the
Promised Land, since in this chapter Isaac was dealing with the Philistines in Gerar. Third, the promises now
included the presence of the Lord. As mentioned above, this promise remained with the family through the
time of Isaac and Jacob. And it became particularly significant in the revelation of the Lord to Moses (Exod.
3:12).
Ross
26.5
Isaac became the spiritual beneficiary of a godly parent, but he had the opportunity to increase God’s blessing
on him through his own obedience to God.
In choosing Abraham and not Moses, the author shows that ‘keeping the law’ means ‘believing in God,’ just as
Abraham believed God and was counted righteous (Gen 15:6). In effect the author of the Pentateuch says, ‘Be
like Abraham. Live a life of faith and it can be said that you are keeping the law.’”
Constable
The many synonyms for law connote Abraham’s comprehensive obedience to God’s rule over him. The
narrator means either the teachings of piety and ethics known by the patriarchs prior to Moses or more
probably the whole law of Moses. Genesis is part of the Pentateuch and should be interpreted within that
context. In Deut. 11:1 the same list of terms refers to the whole law of Moses. The text shows that the person
of faith does not live by law but keeps the law (see Gen. 15:6; 22:1–19; Heb. 11:8–19).
Waltke
The basis of the promise is in verse 5: “because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my
commandments, my statutes, and my laws [ʿēqeb ʾăšeršāmaʿ ʾabrāhām beqōlî wayyišmōr mišmartî miṣwōtay
ḥuqqôtay wetôrōtāy].” The allusion must be to Genesis 22, specifically verse 18 (“because you have obeyed
my voice”), but probably encompasses more generally the life of obedience Abraham led. The terminology
used to describe his obedience is striking—the words are legal designations from the law and presuppose a
knowledge of Deuteronomy. The use of these words to describe Abraham’s obedience has led some to explain
that Abraham obeyed the entire law before it was given (see Kiddushin 4:14 in the Mishnah [“We find that
Abraham our father had fulfilled the whole Law before it was given”]) and others to conclude that “this can
have been pronounced and written only in a period when Israel’s relationship to God was centered on its
obedience to the law; that would be the post-Deuteronomic period, as the language of v. 5 clearly shows”
(Westermann, Genesis, vol. 2, pp. 424–25). Perhaps the simplest explanation is that the lawgiver himself
elaborated on the simple report that Abraham obeyed the Lord, by using a variety of legal terms with which
the readers would be familiar. By offering this interpretive paraphrase of the tradition, he raised Abraham as
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the model of obedience to the law, as if to say that, had Abraham had the laws, statutes, and commandments,
he would have obeyed them.
At any rate, the point of the speech is clear: Isaac and his family enjoyed the blessing of God because Abraham
was obedient; therefore, Isaac and his family should obey what God instructed in order that they might enjoy
further blessings from the Lord that would in turn be passed on to the next generation.
Ross
26.7
The blessings of God should (but often do not) engender obedience to the faith (7-11)
These verses record how Isaac deceived and was rebuked by a pagan king who knew that the penalty for
adultery would be death. Such a legal note would remind Israel of the importance of preserving marriage for
future generations, for if that mainstay went, society would soon deteriorate (indeed, if Isaac’s marriage broke
up, there would be no society of God’s chosen ones).
Deception endangers the blessing (7)
The deception of Isaac followed the pattern of the deception of Abraham, showing that the scheme was
retained by the son: the wife was very beautiful, the man feared for his life, and the plan was to identify her as
the sister. Whereas in Abraham’s deception that identification was partially true, in Isaac’s it was not.
It is surprising that fear motivated Isaac’s plan. One would think that the recent theophany with its
instructions for obedience and its promise of blessing as well as the divine presence would have engendered
courage in the patriarch, but ironically it did not. When faced with a possible life-threatening situation, Isaac
fell back on the plan to deceive the men of Gerar about his wife. Although he did not lose his wife to a royal
harem, the lie made her available to others.
Ross
26.8
How sad that the world should see in Christians the same duplicity and failures it sees in itself. Jesus wants the
world to see our “good deeds” and thus praise our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).
Boice
caressing [meṣaḥēq]. The Hebrew word is a variant form of the verb “to laugh” (ṣāḥaq). The same variant is
translated “mocking” in 21:9. This play on Isaac’s name may function to highlight the conflicts and triumphs of
his life. Sarah “laughed” (ṣāḥaq—tiṣḥāq) in unbelief at the announcement of Isaac’s birth (18:12–15) and then
in joy at his birth (21:6). Ishmael “played in jest” when Isaac was weaned (21:9), and now Isaac “plays in joy”
with his wife.
Waltke
Unlike the former occasions, the king did not abduct Rebekah. The possibility, however, of a Gerarite
abducting her was enough to worry the king, who took steps to ensure that neither she nor her husband was
aggrieved. Since no abduction had occurred, the discovery of the ruse was slow in coming (v. 8). No divine
revelation by plague (12:17–18) or dream (20:3) alerted the king; rather it was by his chance observation of
Isaac exhibiting physical affection toward his wife: “Isaac caressing …” (yiṣḥāq mĕṣaḥēq). “Caressing” (NIV,
HCSB, NASB93) translates mĕṣaḥēq, a wordplay with the name yiṣḥāq, “Isaac” (cf. 21:6, 9), meaning “Isaak was
Isaaking.” The term is used of toying with someone (Judg 16:25) or revelry (Exod 32:6). The term also has
sexual connotations when Potiphar’s wife charges Joseph with degrading her by sexual advances (39:14, 17).
The narrative spares us the details of what precisely the king observed that was unbefitting a brother’s
behavior toward his sister. On the basis of 39:14, 17, the conduct probably was sexual in nature, perhaps what
we moderns call “foreplay,” but to what scope the passage conceals.
Mathews
Detection of the deception ends the threat to the blessings (8-11)
In this story the detection comes by the observation of the king, not by divine intervention. He observed Isaac
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“playing” with his wife in a way that signified she was not his sister. In reporting this observation the writer
used a significant word play on the name of Isaac: “and Isaac was playing [wehinnēh yiṣḥāq meṣaḥēq].” The
participle is etymologically related to the name Isaac and forms an interpretation on the nature of the
patriarch. This participle was used earlier in the story of Ishmael’s mocking play with Isaac; it would be difficult
to ignore the meaning of the participle in that passage when studying this one. The choice of the word is
significant. On one level it simply reports that he was playing with his wife, but on another level there is an
implication that his lapse of faith in deceiving the men of Gerar made a mockery of the great promise
embodied in his name. In fact, Isaac had made a mockery of Abimelech and his men by the deception. He
should have taken the covenant promises seriously, but he failed and was discovered. His “playing” thus not
only betrayed his claim to be her brother, it revealed that he had acted in bad faith with the men of Gerar.
Abimelech’s rebuke, then, provided the moral teaching on the matter. He appraised Isaac of the danger that
he almost put Gerar in: “You might have brought guiltiness [ʾāšām] upon us” (v. 10). If someone had taken the
woman for a wife, then guilt would have been brought on the nation, and reparation would have been
required insofar as it was possible. The law of Israel fully developed the teachings on guilt and the guilt
offering (ʾāšām) in Leviticus 5. The warning to Israel in this narrative is that deception may give occasion for sin
to others, making them guilty before God.
Ross
26.10
Jesus is the One Man who assumed the guilt for all of us.
Abimelech’s question, “What have you done to us?” recalls the response of Pharaoh to Abraham’s deception
(12:18) and reaches back to the Garden when the Lord interrogated the woman (3:13). Abimelech marveled
that no offense had occurred since it would have been an easy matter (kimʿaṭ, lit., “like a little”; NIV “might
well”) for someone to do.99 The consequent “guilt” (ʾāšām) Abimelech dreaded (v. 10b) was actually the
penalty that such guilt would warrant against the nation (e.g., Lev 5:6; cp. Ezra 9:13). For the repugnance of
this offense in the eyes of society, see “great guilt” (lit., “great sin”) at comments on 20:9.
Mathews
26.11
Recognizing the seriousness of the matter, Abimelech instituted a protective law for Isaac and his wife.
Through this law God protected the marriage of Isaac from the people of Gerar, and from Isaac himself. The
wording of the penalty for violation recalls the warning of the Lord in the garden: “He shall surely be put to
death [môt yûmāt].” Here, as well as in Israel, the warnings of the law kept the marriage safe.
In the story we learn that Isaac, like Abraham, received the great promises and the instruction for obedience,
but in fear he deceived the men of Gerar and in effect made a mockery of his faith. In playing with Rebekah he
was detected (his nature was uncovered as well), and he was rebuked by a king with a sense of morality and
justice.
CPS---A mature faith in God’s promises engenders a fearless walk with him, but cowering in fear endangers the
blessing and makes a mockery of faith.
Faith boldly faces danger, but fear is a mockery of faith. The one who truly believes God’s promises of his
presence and of his blessing will obey his statutes, precepts, and laws. But when the servant of God falters in
faith and jeopardizes the promise, God must intervene to preserve his plan. Here, the preservation of the
family came through the exigency of a pagan king who also feared what might happen to his people if they
became guilty of an offense such as adultery.
Believers today also have a sure covenant that is based on the obedience of one man, but their enjoyment of
the blessings of that covenant requires obedience to the Word of the Lord. Sin, such as deception, can tarnish
the reputation of the household of faith and endanger the promised blessings. The expositor could very well
use the same subject matter for a sample of how deception can endanger the blessing, for the sanctity of the
8
marriage is also linked to enjoyment of blessings in the new covenant. Any deceptive practices by believers,
however, could have far-reaching effects that might endanger their participation in God’s blessings.
Ross
26.12
The passage describes the migratory movements of Isaac’s family in stages from Gerar, to the valley of Gerar,
and continuing inland to Beersheba. The discovery and naming of wells that occupy the narrative interest
serve to show the connection of Isaac with his father Abraham, evidence the blessing of God, and establish the
patriarch’s place as the legitimate heir. The second naming of the site Beersheba confirms that he walked in
the steps of Abraham, who initially had named the town by its well (21:31).
Mathews
This section continues the preceding unit; the two passages have common characters (Isaac and Abimelech), a
common place (Gerar), and a common theme (the blessing of the Lord on Isaac). In the last narrative the
blessing of the Lord was promised to Isaac as it had been to his father Abraham; in this passage the blessing of
the Lord was extended to Isaac as it had been to Abraham, for here Isaac received water in the wilderness
from the wells that Abraham had dug—much to the envy of the men of Gerar—and reestablished Beersheba
as the place of blessing.
The movement of chapter 26 compresses the sojourn of Isaac into a brief account. But even in brevity, it spans
a movement from famine (v. 1) to water in Beersheba (vv. 32–33). At the beginning, the life of this son of
promise is precarious. At the end, Isaac is safely settled and richly blessed. And Isaac knows, as the narrative
announces, that “every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above …” (James 1:17). Like his father,
Isaac calls on the name of and relies only on Yahweh (v. 28). Yahweh is one who is known in the blessing of
sowing (v. 12), in the prosperity of flocks and herds (v. 16), in war and in peace (v. 27). In a quite understated
way, this narrative uses the formula of promise (vv. 3–4, 24) to announce the goodness of a blessed world.
The narrative provides a theological nuance different from that of the father before or the son after. The Isaac
narrative invites reflection on a world teeming with generously given life. The abundant life is recognized as
blessing to those who will receive and share it. The chapter presents a world-view in which affirmation of the
world and gratitude to God are held integrally together [Genesis, pp. 225–26]
The passage recounts how Isaac sojourned in the land with both divinely given prosperity and Philistine
opposition, the latter being caused in part by the former. The point of the narrative is that, no matter where
Isaac was forced to dig, and no matter how often the Philistines stopped up his wells, he found water in the
wilderness—because God was with him.
The confirmation of the blessing to Isaac is certainly the central topic here. All the blessings—the crops, the
possessions, the servants, and especially the water from the wells—confirmed that Isaac was the true
recipient of the Abrahamic blessings. Any exposition of this section must recall the original blessings and
compare the events here with the events in the life of Abraham.
A related theological theme introduced in this chapter is the reason for the blessing, so clearly recognized by
Abimelech: “We have surely seen that the Lord is with you” (5:28). The blessing was thus evidence of God’s
presence.
This narrative also restates the idea of living in peace with other nations (see Deut. 20:10). Here Isaac made a
treaty to live in peace with the Philistines because these Philistines recognized the blessing of the Lord on him
and wished to live in harmony with him.
An introduction to this itinerary asserts that the blessing of the Lord rested with Isaac (vv. 12–16). But this
introduction also lays the foundation for the power struggle between Abimelech and Isaac. There then follows
a series of well-diggings and namings (vv. 17–22), in which the namings reflected the conflicts as well as the
final resolution. The last section records the events at Beersheba: the theophany (vv. 23–25a), the digging of a
well (v. 25b), the treaty with Abimelech (vv. 26–31), and the completion of the well at Beersheba (vv. 32–33).
The contents of the unit are thus rather diverse, but they have the common theme of digging wells and
9
resolving the conflict with Abimelech.
CPT---The Lord confirmed his promise to bless Abraham’s seed by providing crops, flocks, servants, and
especially water in the wilderness wells that Isaac dug, in spite of the unjust opposition from Gerar, ultimately
enabling him to dwell in peace in Beersheba.
The blessings of God may excite envy and opposition from the world (12-22)
God may richly bless his people (12-14a)
The first part of this passage describes God’s abundant blessing on Isaac—the text explains: “and the Lord
blessed him [waybārăkēhû YHWH].” This explanation sets the tone for the entire section; its affirmation is
finally recognized by the king of Gerar: “You are now blessed of the Lord [ʾattâ ʿattâ berûk YHWH, in v. 29].”
Ross
26.13
Two aspects made the bumper crop remarkable: first, the return was a hundred times the seed invested, and
it occurred immediately the first year. The bounty proved that the Lord had “blessed” Isaac (v. 12; cf. 24:1, 35;
25:11; 39:5), indicating the first step toward the fulfillment of the promises revealed in vv. 3–4. So as to
highlight the enrichment Isaac received, the passage amplifies his increasing wealth by repeating the word
group g–d–l (3x), meaning “to become great, grow,” and by the intensifying modifiers “continued” (hālôk) and
“very” (mĕʾōd). That the mighty Philistines became envious further heightens the immense wealth that the
passage depicts. “Envied” translates the term qānāʾ that also describes the animosity Jacob’s sons exhibited
toward their brother Joseph (37:11; cf. 30:1).
Mathews
A literal reading of the text shows the repetition of the word “great” (root gādal): “And the man became great
[wayyigdal], and he continually became greater [wayyēlek hālôk wegādēl], until he became very great [ʿad kîgādal meʾôd].” This greatness is then explained by the subsequent verse, which enumerates his possessions—
flocks, herds, and servants—and by the statement of the king that Isaac had become mightier [kî-ʿāṣamtā
mimmennû) than they (v. 16). The text thus gives a picture of a man growing wealthier and more powerful all
the time because God was blessing him.
The expositor must be careful in applying a passage such as this one. A narrative report that God blessed
someone in a certain way is no guarantee that he will do so for all. In fact, wisdom literature later dealt with
the problem of why the righteous at times suffer and face poverty and famine. Narrative literature allows us
to say that, since God prospered Isaac, he is able to do it. For this reason I have worded the point to say that
God may richly bless his people.
Ross
26.14
The world may envy the blessing (14b-22)
This section begins with the report that the Philistines envied Isaac and then incorporates five scenes of welldigging, the first four of which are followed by opposition. A study of the word for “envy” is in order in this
exposition. The verb qānāʾ describes intense jealousy, an impassioned zeal, that leads to some action. The
same word can mean “to be jealous” or “zealous,” the difference being one of motivation: envy is selfish but
zeal (such as zeal for the Lord and his cause) is unselfish. The simple point in this passage is that the Philistines
strongly desired what Isaac had and attempted through conflict to obtain it.
Ross
26.15
Now that Abraham is gone, the Philistines effectively negate their nonaggression pact (see 21:23). They may
fear God, but they lack genuine faith.
Waltke
10
The action of the Philistines threatened Isaac’s herds by cutting off treasured water resources (v. 15; cp. 2 Kgs
3:25). The three most common means of obtaining water involved springs, wells, and cisterns. In arid
conditions probably the digging of dry riverbeds to capture the remaining water level was the first means of
establishing a well. The second earliest well in Israel was found in the Beersheba region (fourth millennium),
including in the area signs of early irrigation and water storage. Cisterns usually involved lining the chamber
hewn from natural rock with plaster, catching and retaining rainfall; otherwise, an excavated pit was lined with
layered rocks and plaster. That they destroyed “all” of the wells indicates the intensity of their ire. Twice the
name “Abraham” as the father of Isaac appears (v. 15; also v. 18), hinting at the parallel between the two men
but also showing that the son had valid claim to the water (21:25–30).
Mathews
The first scene is the conflict over the wells that Abraham had dug (vv. 15–16). We are led to believe that, in
an attempt to hinder the prosperity of Isaac, the Philistines had caved in these wells and hindered Isaac’s
access to the water. The scene concludes with Abimelech’s expulsion of Isaac with words that are similar to
the Egyptians in Exodus: “for you are mightier than we” (ʿāṣamtā mimmennû; cf. ʿāṣûm mimmennû in Exod.
1:9).
Ross
26.17
The second scene records how Isaac dug the wells of Abraham in Gerar and renamed them with the names
that Abraham had given them (vv. 17–18). The opposition in this scene is again the stopping of the wells by
the Philistines. They apparently thought that, once Abraham had passed off the scene, their treaty with him
ended and that his son should not get the wells.
Ross
26.18
Wells were given names to establish proprietary rights. By giving them the same names as his father had, Isaac
aims to make his ownership incontestable. This underscores the injustice (see 21:23–33) but also
commemorates God’s provision and protection.
Waltke
26.19
The third scene continues the strife over wells (vv. 19–20). This controversy is marked out with an
etymological word play: he called the name of the well Esek (ʿēśeq) because they strove with him (hitʿaśśeqû).
The idea of contention is conveyed by the verb ʿāśaq in the causal clause as well as by the verb rîb in the main
clause.
Ross
26.21
The fourth scene reports the strife over another well (v. 21). Here they strove (rîb) over another well and so
named it Sitnah (śiṭnâ). This name is to be related to the verb śāṭan, “to oppose” (cf. śāṭān “adversary”). No
causal clause is given for the name, but its significance can be clearly seen in the passage.
Ross
26.22
Now the Lord has given us room. Space is part of God’s blessing. God’s protection of Isaac resembles his
rewards to Abraham during the controversy with Lot (13:1–12).
Waltke
Isaac’s generosity toward the Philistines is reminiscent of his father’s benevolence toward Lot (13:8–9). The
11
sign that he had relocated sufficiently far enough was the absence of any challenge to the discovery of a new
well. He named the well “Rehoboth,” meaning “wide, broad, spacious” (cf. 10:11; 36:37; 1 Chr 1:48),
commemorating the Lord’s provision for his growing wealth (cf. 2 Sam 22:20//Ps 18:19[20]; Ps 31:8[9]). His
explanation for the name involves the root term rāḥab, “to make spacious” (hiph., causative).
Mathews
The fifth scene draws the conflict to a close (v. 22). Isaac moved farther away and dug another well; since he
received no opposition over it, he named it Rehoboth (reḥōbôt), saying, “For now the Lord has made room
[hirḥîb] for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” The name is cognate with the verb in the causal clause,
forming the etymological word play. The name means “room” or “open place”; the meaning is enhanced by
the plural.
By reporting the constant provision of water, the narrative thus emphasizes the intervention of the Lord in
accordance with the promises of the covenant. The naming signified that the Lord had ended with conflict,
and now they would be “fruitful in the land” (ûpārînû bāʾāreṣ).
Ross
26.23
Here the blessing includes protection (26:8–9, 11, 31), enjoyment of his wife (26:8, 11), yield of a hundredfold
(26:12–13), herds and servants (26:14), water supply (26:17–22, 32), space (26:22), and triumph over his
enemies (26:26–31).
my servant. See 18:3. The title “servant of the Lord” is a very high accolade, reserved for such as Moses (Deut.
34:5), Joshua (Josh. 24:29), Caleb (Num. 14:24), David (2 Sam. 7:8), and the anonymous Suffering Servant (Isa.
42:1; 49:3; 50:10; 52:13).
Waltke
After Isaac had returned to the land and the Lord had blessed him with great wealth, this promise of
expanding population is the appropriate concluding word, completing the triad of promises (land, offspring,
and blessing). The legacy of the promises received by Isaac is “for the sake of my servant Abraham” (cp.
“David,” 1 Kgs 11:32; 2 Kgs 20:6). That the blessing was achieved vicariously by the merit of Abraham
misunderstands the point of this attribution. The efficacy of the blessing did not rely on the merit of Abraham
but rather was on account of the divine commitment made to Abraham and his descendants. The honored
title “my servant” occurs also for the distinguished leaders of Israel in the desert, Moses (Num 12:7, 8; Josh 1:2,
7; 2 Kgs 21:8; Mal 4:4), Caleb (Num 14:24), and Joshua by the variant “the servant of the Lord” (Josh 24:29).
Three actions by Isaac show his determination to remain in the land and the object of God’s favor. He first
erected an altar of worship, which passed on the tradition and worship of his father (12:7, 8; 13:4, 18; 22:9).
Second, “pitching his tent” meant he established his residence in the vicinity (cf. 12:8; 33:19; 35:21; Judg 4:11).
Third, his servants sought water for his new habitation, digging a well.
Mathews
The confident faith of God's people will triumpy over worldy antagonism (23-33)
Once the conflict over the wells had ended and it was obvious that Isaac would prosper in everything that he
did, Abimelech sought a treaty with him in order that they might live in peace together. This final section
shows how the people of God, avoiding the hostilities of the world and enjoying God’s blessing, can realize an
end to such antagonism.
God's people have the word of promise (23-25)
At Beersheba, the ancient home of Abraham, the Lord appeared (wayyērāʾ) to Isaac and reiterated the
promises. But this time the theme of the Lord’s presence predominates: “Fear not, I am with you, and I will
bless you.” Once again the blessing was linked to Abraham (baʿăbûrʾabrāhām ʿabdî “for the sake of my servant
Abraham”; cf. 26:3–5).
Isaac’s response to this reassurance parallels Abraham’s faith activities—he made an altar and made
proclamation of the Lord (for wayyiqrāʾ bešēm YHWH, see the discussion in Gen. 12:8). With the promise of
12
blessing now restated, Isaac also settled in and dug another well.
Ross
26.26
God's presence may be acknowledged by the world (26-31)
The second part of this section shows how Abimelech and his men came to make a treaty with Isaac. The
whole enterprise surprised the patriarch, for he had thought that they hated him [śenēʾtem ʾōtî, in v. 27). They
claimed, however, that they had done nothing but good for Isaac (an ironic use of ṭôb in v. 29, for ṭôb is one of
the major themes of Genesis). Their hostility and opposition was winked at in their pressing for the peace
treaty, because, at the heart of the matter, they recognized that God was blessing him.
Ross
26.28
It became self-evident (“saw clearly,” v. 28) to the Philistines that their attempts at hindering Isaac’s rise were
futile, for they opposed a power greater than Isaac alone. Their cause was at crosspurposes with divine favor.
Mathews
“We have surely seen that the Lord is with you” in verse 28 is the climax of the message of the passage, for
Isaac’s enemies now had to acknowledge that this prosperity came from God. In spite of their efforts to hinder
his prosperity, they had to admit that Isaac was blessed of the Lord (berûk YHWH, in v. 29). They simply could
not hinder the blessing of God (cf. Exod. 1).
Ross
26.31
cf. Proverbs 16:7
Typical of ancient treaties, a shared meal by the two participants, even between superior and inferior parties,
confirmed a pact (v. 30; cp. 31:46, 54; Exod 24:11; Deut 26:17). Isaac provided the covenant meal as the host,
exhibiting his good will (e.g., 18:5; 19:3; 24:31, 54) and also perhaps his superiority (cp. 2 Sam 3:20). The
members of the pact the next morning formally subscribed to a mutually sworn oath (cf. 21:31; 31:52–53),
and the Philistines left “in peace” (v. 31; cp. 2 Sam 3:21). That the same description of their amicable
departure (“sent,” šālaḥ) already appeared in their disputed treatment of Isaac (vv. 27, 29) reinforces the
passage’s report of the new arrangement.
Mathews
Isaac thus entered into a covenant of peace with them, and they departed in peace (šālôm). Here is an early
example of how the Lord makes one’s enemies to be at peace with him (Prov. 16:7).
Ross
26.32
Today God’s presence in the lives of believers cannot be determined materially as it was with the patriarchs in
the old economy, but by more profound, searching means. God’s presence will be seen by unbelievers as we
Christians navigate the ups and downs of life. I witnessed an entire nursing staff and several doctors seeing
this as they observed the conduct of a godly couple throughout the illness and death of their infant son. I
heard the attending physician voice the admiration of all, which was confirmed by their attendance at the
memorial service. God was seen to be with the grieving couple. What is it that people see when they put us
and our families under the microscope?
An astonishing poem by Hildebert, the twelfth-century Archbishop of Tours, rhythmically chants about God’s
omnipresence.
First and Last of faith’s receiving,
Source and sea of man’s believing,
13
God, whose might is all potential,
God, whose truth is truth’s essential,
Good supreme in thy subsisting,
Good in all thy seen existing;
Over all things, all things under,
Touching all, from all asunder;
Centre thou, but not intruded,
Compassing, and yet included;
Over all, and not ascending,
Under all, but not depending;
Over all the world ordaining,
Under all, the world sustaining;
All without, in all surrounding,
All within, in grace abounding;
Inmost, yet not comprehended,
Outer still, and not extended;
Over, yet on nothing founded,
Under, but by space unbounded;
Omnipresent, yet indwelling.…
In the light of these dazzling realities, I must ask you three questions regarding future, present, and past. Do
you believe that God will be with you? Do you believe that he will be with you in what you are facing this week,
this month, this year? Do you believe that God is with you—spatially, specially, right now in your hurt, in your
adversity? And do you believe that God has been with you all of these years in the ups and downs?
And more, do you believe it with all your soul, all your heart, all your being? Then do not fear.
Follow him with all your heart. And drink deeply from the wells of salvation.
Hughes
What is it taking God to get you home? You may have run from him and been blessed even in your
disobedience, as many of God’s children have been. But God has troubled your path. Has it been by envy? The
Philistines envied Isaac. Has it been by strife and contention? The herdsmen of Gerar oppressed the patriarch.
Has it been by sickness? By grief? Has it been by pain? These are from God. They are his messengers.
Let sorrow do its work,
Send grief and pain;
Sweet are thy messengers,
Sweet their refrain,
When they can sing with me,
More love, O Christ, to thee,
More love to thee,
More love to thee!
Grief is a blessed thing if it is used by God to bring us to Beersheba, where we can again worship him and
receive the fullness of his blessing.
Boice
God’s people must maintain confident trust in God’s promise of His presence and provision in spite of the envy
and hostility of unbelievers that His blessing sometimes provokes.
Constable
This scene makes conscious links with God’s promises to Abraham and Abraham’s faith and obedience. God
states clearly that Isaac’s blessings are a result of Abraham keeping God’s commands, decrees, and laws.
Abraham is a type of Christ, who by his obedience fulfils the righteous requirements of the law and secures its
blessings for his seed.
14
Just as God unconditionally obligated himself to bless Abraham after he had proved himself a faithful
covenant partner, now he conditions his blessing on Isaac on the son’s obedience (26:2–4). Isaac proves
himself a faithful covenant partner by staying in the land during famine (26:6). God rewards him by granting
him an unconditional covenant to bless him (26:24).
Faith manifests itself in many ways. Abraham displays his faith by obeying God’s rule. The narrator describes
Abraham’s faith in the comprehensive terms of his keeping the entire law (26:5). Isaac manifests his faith by
his willingness to accept “stones” (i.e., famine) in God’s will rather than search for bread outside of God’s will.
His greater son manifests his faith in both ways (see Matt. 4:3–4).
Neither patriarch is perfect. Isaac shares some of his father’s weaknesses, but like his father he does not allow
his failures permanently to damage his faith. The bearers of Christ’s kingdom are sometimes strong and
sometimes weak. The faithful celebrate God’s grace and are not overcome with self-guilt or destroyed by selfcontempt.
Isaac receives God’s blessings, but, as the next chapter will reveal, blessing is not enough. Isaac will not remain
obedient to God’s plans, and the cost to his family will be great.
Waltke
The discovery of a well on “that day” (v. 32) presents another indication of the Lord’s grace extended to Isaac.
The passage implies that the new well was not a coincidence but a signal of the Lord’s blessing. The man could
now rest comfortably in the land, knowing that his neighbors had been pacified and that provisions abounded.
Mathews
God's people continue to enjoy His blessing (32-33)
On the same day, the servants of Isaac struck water in the well they had been digging. Isaac named it Shebah
(šibʿâ) because of the treaty they had made at the well, much after the manner of the earlier treaty Abraham
had made when he had settled at the place. The text has already indicated in verse 18 that he customarily
named the wells with the names his father had used. It therefore comes as no surprise that, when he made a
treaty at Beersheba with the king of Gerar as his father had done, he renamed the place to commemorate that
event.
The similarities between Genesis 26 and Genesis 21 show a deliberate attempt by the writer to parallel Isaac
and Abraham. It would be surprising if Abimelech and Phicol were the same individuals that were there
earlier; the names may have been titles or commonly used names. Most modern scholarship sees these names
as evidence that one story got told twice, but other solutions are possible. Besides, given the life expectancy
of people at this time, is it impossible that Abimelech and Phicol were in Gerar for a span of seventy-five
years? However the apparent tensions between the stories are explained, their parallel elements demonstrate
that the blessing had passed to Isaac, the son of Abraham, because the Lord was with him.
Because the Lord was with Isaac and blessed him, the blessing would thrive, no matter how much opposition
came. The more the Philistines attempted to seize the water, the more water Isaac’s servants found. In the
final analysis these people, and other nations at other times, had to acknowledge that God’s hand was on the
seed of Abraham. The only recourse for the Philistines was to seek peace and share the blessing. Thus it was
with Isaac, and thus it would be with the nation of Israel when they were obedient worshipers enjoying God’s
blessing, and thus it is with God’s people of all ages.
CPS--- In spite of the envy and hostility from the world over the Lord’s blessing, the people of God must
maintain their confident trust in the Lord’s promise of his presence and his provision.
In this passage Isaac never wavered in his confident trust. He quietly and resolutely went about his business of
obtaining water for his flocks and his crops, and God abundantly blessed him. Moreover, when he received the
word of reassurance from the Lord, he made proclamation of the Lord through worship. By his living in God’s
provision and by his proclamation in worship, he left no doubt that God was with him. The people surrounding
him could only acknowledge this presence and seek peaceful relations.
The blessings that Isaac received were material, but they were proof of the spiritual heritage he had received
from his father. In the New Testament also, believers often enjoy God’s blessings. It is their responsibility to
15
live in the expectation of divine provision for the needs of this life and, when enjoying them, to proclaim the
divine presence. If opposition should come, believers can take the lead from the example of Isaac on how to
live in peace with all people. If believers were truly confident that God would supply all their needs no matter
what hostility they faced from the world, their proclamation of the faith would be far more substantive and
convincing.
Ross
Driscoll
Now as we launch in, today you’re gonna learn a lot about a gentleman named Isaac. His dad was
Abraham. His mom was Sarah. We spent many, many weeks learning about them. He is their son. He was
married at about the age of 40 to his wife, Rebekah, who we will meet today. He gave birth to his twin sons,
Jacob and Esau, when he was about 60. We’ll learn more about those boys next week. God today is going to
open up this man’s life, and he’s going to give us snapshots of three aspects of his life. We’re gonna see his
faith. We’re gonna see his finances, and we’re gonna see his family, and in doing this God is trying to teach us
vicariously through the life of another believer, and this should be a clue to us that God likes for us to learn
through the lives of other people. That’s why paying attention to the lives of those we know is very important.
That’s why reading history and biography is also very, very important, and as we study Scripture today it is in
large part a historical biography, one of the biggest glimpses we get into the life of Isaac, and we’re going to
learn, again, about his faith and his family and his finances, both the good and the bad.
So we’ll jump right in. Genesis 26:1, “Now there was a famine in the land”—this sets the stage. We would
call this a recession, an economic downturn. This is where Alan Greenspan gets on CNN and looks very dour.
They call it a famine. In our day this means that jobs are scarce, that the cost of living is high, that inflation is
not good, that unemployment is not good, that the breadlines and the soup kitchens are very busy, and that
people are in financial trouble. It’s a time of stress and grief. How many of you, “Oh, yeah, that’s my life.”
That’s what we’re talking about, and this is how many of you feel today because you live in Seattle, and I have
good news for you. We’re number one. Forbes magazine says that we are the most overpriced city in America,
congratulations. That means you will get jacked financially here more likely than anywhere in the country. So
you’re number one, congratulations. They call it a famine; we call it Seattle. It’s an economic tough time,
right? It’s an economic difficulty. We’re not pulling out of the recession as quickly as we would’ve hoped, and
as soon as we do you can guarantee they’ll tax us and make sure we still struggle. That is in Hebrew called a
famine. That’s what that means, financial hardship, times are tough.
“Besides the earlier famine of Abraham’s time,”—his daddy lived through a famine as well, and now he is
living through a famine—“and Isaac went to Abimelech,”—just like his daddy. Abraham had went to
Abimelech. This probably a different man—same last name—it’s a family name, kind of like Kennedy. It’s a
family name that everyone knows—“king of the Philistines in Gerar.” So Isaac now is a man. His dad is gone.
Like his dad he is in the middle of a famine. He’s gotta go to the king. He’s gotta figure out, “What am I gonna
do? How am I gonna feed my family, pay my bills, take care of those that I love? How am I gonna make it
through this financial hardship?” “The Lord appeared to Isaac”—just like he did his daddy—“and said, ‘Do not
go down to Egypt;’—don’t do that. His daddy did that, picked up a girlfriend, led to all kinds of trouble. So he
tells him don’t go to Egypt. Instead—“ ‘live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and
I will be with you and will bless you.’ ” Two great promises, God says, “I’ll be with you, and I’ll bless you.
“ ‘For to you and your descendants I give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father
Abraham.’ ” Here’s what he’s telling him. “Don’t’ leave the place that is hard. See, the place that he’s living—
economic downturn, famine, financial hardship, high cost of living, times are tough. Down in Egypt there’s
plenty of food. It’s not so hard, better job market, better upward mobility, better investment opportunity, and
the question is, “Well, where should I live? Should I pack up my family and go to Egypt?” How many of you this
is an issue? Rodney Stark, a sociologist at the U-Dub says that the average person in Seattle has lived three
places in the last ten years. A lot of people come and go and move. Homeownership in Seattle is generally
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lower than it is nationally. Only about 52 percent of Seattleites own the home that they live in.
That’s because people are coming and going a lot, why? Well, part of it is it’s a hard place economically to
get traction. So people come here for school. They come here for a few years, but once they get married, or
they want to have kids, they look at relocating out of Seattle for the same reasons that this man is looking at
relocating out of the place that God has placed him because somewhere else has lower cost of living, better
job opportunity, better cost of living, better upward mobility and market share, and he’s looking at it on paper
saying, “Well, I know God told me to live here, but financially, it makes a lot more sense to relocate, to move
here.”
And the point here is this. Be very careful that when you decide where you will live that your decisions are
not exclusively made by what appears to be financial prudence on paper. Just because someplace has a lower
cost of living or a lower unemployment rate or a higher ability for you to make a buck, don’t necessarily just
assume, “That’s the place for me.” Okay? I’m not saying it’s a sin to move. I’m not saying that at all, but what
you need to do is you need to hear from God in the same way that Isaac heard from God. God said, “Stay in
the place where it’s financially hard. It’s tough to raise a family, and making ends meet right now is a real
struggle.” But God called him to be there. God called him to be there, why? Well, because there’s apparently a
need there for a believing family. There’s a need for ministry. There’s an enormous opportunity just like there
is here in Seattle, the least churched city in the United States of America, least churched region in United
States of America.
When they took a poll they had people across the country fill in the blank, “Are you Catholic, Muslim,
Jewish, Protestant, naked-crazy hippie; what are you? Just fill in your blank and that’s what you are.” And in
the northwest the most common box that people checked was “none”—not N-U-N, N-O-N-E, none. (Laughter)
And so the average person in Seattle their religion is nothing. There’s no religion. There is nothing there.
Nationally, today about half of Americans go to church. In Seattle, about a third of Seattleites go to church. We
live in what one book has called the “none zone” because the religious preference is none. When it comes to
what is the most popular religion, the “none” box gets checked the most frequently, two-thirds of the time.
We live in that kind of place. Spiritually, there’s not a lot of believers. Financially, it’s very expensive. It’s hard
to get traction. It’s hard to get financial freedom and independence and mobility. So some people think, “Well,
it’s spiritually hard, financially hard; I’m gone.”
But the question is what does God say? He will call some of you to go elsewhere. Praise be to God, no
problem with that, but before you make these enormous life decisions you’ve gotta do like Isaac, and you
gotta pray it through and hear from God and say, “God, where do you want me? Where do you want me?”
Not just where does it make financial sense, but ministry wise, where would be the place for me to put down
roots and be for a while; where would that be? And God tells them this, “I’ll be with you, and I’ll bless you. If
you remain in the place that is spiritually and financially hard, I will be with you, and I will bless you.” And the
point here is this. It’s better to be in a hard place with the presence and blessing of God than an easy place,
disobedient, without God’s presence or blessing. If you’re in God’s will, he’ll take care of you. If you’re out of
God’s will, you may be on your own. So what looks like a good opportunity may end up being a disastrous
mistake.
So Isaac, he’s a believer. He’s thinking all of this through. “Okay, I’d like to, perhaps, move here. It’s better
financially, but God says he’ll bless me and be with me. I’ll stay in the hard place.” That’s gonna be a good
move on his behalf in an act of obedience. God further states, “I will make your descendants as numerous as
the stars in the sky”—right? You’re gonna have kids and grandkids and the whole nation’s gonna come from
you. Ultimately, Jesus will come—“and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.” Here’s the
point. “I want you to stay here. Have kids. Have grandkids. Multiply, increase. I’m going to bless you and your
family—you’re believers—and then you will be the means by which blessing goes out to other people. So I
want to bless you to bless others.” This is how God works. This is how God works. You say, “Well, there’s not a
lot of believers here.” Well then, birth some, and then have them share good news, and then they’ll see
converts. “Well, there’s not a lot of financial traction here.” Well, let’s get going on that. Let’s claim some real
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estate. Let’s start some businesses. Let’s get things moving.
A lot of times Christians want to move to an area that has a lot of good churches and a lot of good
businesses, and everything is nice and beautiful, but where they’re most needed is places where times are
hard, not a lot of churches, not a lot of financial mobility. That’s a good place for God’s people to begin to be
blessed by God so that the blessing then can be shared with others. That’s God’s plan for this family. And he
didn’t know that as a Christian when you get blessed it’s for the purpose of blessing others. If you get money,
it’s to help care for other people. If you get wisdom, it’s to help instruct other people. If you get energy, it’s to
help serve other people. As God blesses us, we bless others. That’s why we’re here. We love this city. We want
to bless this city. We want to serve this city. We want to help the city be a place that is financially and
spiritually further along than when we first came, but it may take multiple generations to do that. Maybe our
kids and our grandkids and our great grandkids that are all working on this great city, and that’s what he’s
telling Isaac.
“You, your kids, your grandkids are gonna be blessed to be a blessing. We have a long-term ministry here,
and it started with your daddy, Abraham. He obeyed me, kept my requirements, my commandments, my
decrees and my law. Your dad was living in Babylon. I moved him here. I gave him you. Now I’m gonna give
you kids and them kids, and this is gonna be multiple generations of ministry to one city and one area and one
people, and from there it will expand as well into other nations.” It’s gotten all the way to us today. That’s how
successful this plan of God has been. And so sometimes we come into it just look at something saying, “Well,
where can I make the most money?” And God’s saying, “There’s a lot more going on here. There’s ministry
and legacy, and there’s the development of a whole culture that loves me so that other people would be
invited to love me. First you need to pray it through and hear from me before you choose where you will live
and where you will work.” This all is very important to the Lord.
It goes on then, “So Isaac stayed in Gerar.” He obeys God, good Christian guy. God says, “Stay, it’s gonna
be hard, but trust me.” “Okay, God, I trust you. I’m staying.” Doesn’t sin like his dad and go to Egypt. “When
the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, ‘She is my sister,’—does this sound familiar?
(Laughter) His old man did this twice. His crazy old man gave away his mom, Sarah, twice. He says, “Oh, my
sister.” So, you know, he is a believer, and he didn’t go to Egypt like his dad, but he is gonna lie about his wife
like his dad did. Now, some of you need to look at your mom or your dad and say, “Okay, where are their sins,
and how am I repeating their sins?” (Laughter) And some of you laugh. You go, “Oh, my gosh, it’s obviously
now that you point it out.” I know. (Laughter) That’s why you gotta—but sometimes we overlook the obvious.
How many of you now, you’re getting older, and you’re saying the things your parents said, and as you’re
saying it you’re going, “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard, and I know that.” But somehow monkey see,
monkey do; I’m the monkey. You know, you gotta pay attention and say, “Okay, if their sinning or my parents
have this habit of sin, my dad pimps out my mom a lot. I need to write that down somewhere and not do that.”
(Laughter) He says, “She’s my sister” because he was afraid to say, “She’s my wife.” He’s a coward. Is
cowardice a sin? Yes. Some dude’s, “Are you sure?” Positive, it’s a sin (Laughter) because faith has confidence,
and unbelief has cowardice. You’re not supposed to be a coward. You’re supposed to be a man of God. “Hello.
This is my wife. If you’d like to kill me, I work for God. Didn’t you see Sodom and Gomorrah? He’ll get you.”
(Laughter) You come in with a little confidence. He doesn’t have that. He thought the men of this place might
kill me on account of Rebekah ‘cause she’s so hot. Okay, you know, some guys say, “I wish I had a hot wife.”
Well, if you’re a coward, it’s not gonna be a lot of help for you. You’re gonna give her away anyway. (Laughter)
But he falls into his dad’s sin. You say, “Oh, man.” He did. Now he’s gonna learn from it. God’s gonna be
patient and work with him, you know, but this becomes a problem in the family. Does he love his wife? Yeah,
remember when they got married? It says that he met Rebekah, and he loved her, but it looks like he’s
exposing her to harm. He doesn’t necessarily give her away like his dad gave away his mom. He didn’t go quite
that far, but he did expose her to potential harm, but does he love her? Yes. He’s just evil and sins against her.
He’s a Christian husband, that’s all. (Laughter) How many of you ladies, you go, “Man, my husband’s a
meathead. He does and says dumb things.” He still loves you. He’s just evil and stupid, that’s all. (Laughter)
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He’s a Christian husband. It’s Biblical. This is what we do. We say and do stupid things to the women we love.
That’s how you know we love you. (Laughter) So how many men do you go, “Yeah, that’s right. That’s true.”
We’re just evil and stupid. It doesn’t mean we don’t love you. We do. We’re just evil and stupid.
So he sins against his wife. He succeeded not going to Egypt, but he failed in being a coward and not
protecting his wife. “When the men of that place asked him about his wife”—there, this is what I’m looking for.
“When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and
saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.” (Laughter) [Kissing noises] You know, he’s looking down, “What kind of
crazy Kentucky family is this?” (Laughter)
Response: Yee-haw.
Yeah, “So Abimelech”—(Laughter)—I’m hopped up on cold medicine too. (Laughter) “So Abimelech
summoned Isaac and said, ‘She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?’ Isaac answered him,
‘Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.’ ” “She’s so hot you’ll kill me, so I lied.” So
“Abimelech said, ‘What is this you have done to us?’—corporate guilt, not just individualistic. He’s got a good
understanding of sin. “ ‘One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought
guilt upon us.’ So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: ‘Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall
surely be put to death.’ ” Now here, is Abimelech a believer or an unbeliever? Unbeliever, is he moral or
immoral? Moral, so you have the moral unbeliever.
Isaac, believer or unbeliever? Believer, is he moral or immoral? Immoral, so you got the immoral believer
getting rebuked by the moral unbeliever, very complicated and confusing. Now just because someone’s not a
Christian doesn’t mean they’re wrong. The point is this. Christians aren’t always right, and non-Christians
aren’t always wrong. Christians aren’t always good, and non-Christians aren’t always bad. It doesn’t mean they
love God. That they’re going to heaven. That all their sins are forgiven, but sometimes the unbelievers are
more moral than the believers. People always say, “Well, you Christians are a bunch of hypocrites.” Yeah, we
know (Laughter), but thanks for reminding us, you know? Don’t think that just because you’re the Christian
you’re the good guy. We do this thing. I get a white hat; I’m a Christian. You get a black hat; you’re a nonChristian. I’m a good guy; you’re a bad guy. Well, here the unbeliever is the good guy, and the believer is the
bad guy, and the unbelieving, good guy is chewing out, rebuking the believing, immoral, Godless man. Okay?
Some people say, “Oh, I can’t listen to my boss. I can’t listen to my parents. I can’t listen to my coach, my
professor because they’re not even believers.” Well, it’s not whether or not they’re a believer or an unbeliever.
The question is are they right or wrong? If they’re right, then listen. That rebuke might be well deserved. I’ve
told you this story before. A couple of years ago I was feeling really, really sick all the time. I went into an
unbelieving doctor with no bedside manner. He said, “You eat bad. You’re fat. That’s why you feel bad.” And
then he walked out of the room. (Laughter) No, literally. I mean, didn’t hold me, nothing. (Laughter) I mean,
just no love from this guy at all, and I was like, “Okay, so I’m fat, and I eat junk food so I feel bad.” Yeah, those
are the points. Okay. And he was an unbeliever, and I couldn’t—well, you don’t love Jesus, so “pft” on you,
you know, I’m fat, but I’ll be fat in heaven. You’ll be skinny in hell.
You know, I can’t do that. (Laughter) He was right. He was totally right. I eat bad. I feel bad. I’m fat, and
some of you are saying, “You’re still fat.” Well, imagine what I looked like before I dropped all that weight. I
mean, it was true. I was fairly wide, you know? No need to be, right? I don’t lift things. I don’t work outside. I
read for a living. You know, I don’t need a lot of girth for that. So he rebuked me, and you know what; he was
right. He was right. I was being the believer who was acting in an ungodly way, gluttony. He is the unbeliever
who points it out but was telling the truth. Sometimes we need to accept the stinging rebuke of an unbeliever
‘cause they’re right.
And here that’s exactly what happens. This brings humility. You know what’s interesting, if you don’t learn
humility, you learn humiliation. That’s what Isaac gets, right? He’s learning humiliation here. He succeeded not
going to Egypt, obeying God, but he disobeyed God. Now he’s gotta take a rebuke from an unbeliever, and it’s
totally true. The story continues, “Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold,
because the Lord blessed him.” Here is the hundredfold blessing. This is the televangelist’s life verse right here.
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“Then man became rich,” and you all go [Applause]—“Rich, we vote yes. Yes. I’ve never memorized a verse,
but this’ll be my first”—“and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.” Whoo, bling from
the king; we got a verse. (Laughter)
Okay, so now we gotta talk about money. Now we gotta talk about money, all right? We dealt with his
family a little bit. We’ve dealt with his faith a little bit. Now we gotta deal with his finances a little bit.
Somebody says, “Don’t talk about money.” It’s because you don’t have any. That’s why we need to talk about
it. Jesus talked about money about 25 percent of the time. So we’re gonna talk about money. Now, every
freakish nut job I’ve ever heard on television pulls this verse out. “If you give a buck, you’ll get a hundred
bucks. It’s the hundredfold blessing.” Even unbelievers at home are going, “I got a buck.” You know, like, you
know, (Laughter), “That’s a great deal.” Wouldn’t it be great if your real estate went up a hundredfold or your
stocks went up a hundredfold, or your retirement account got traction and went up a hundredfold? Yeah,
that’d be great.
We gotta talk about this though. This is not a get rich quick scheme. There are two basic extremes
regarding money. Prosperity theology is one. You guys heard prosperity theology? If you love Jesus, you’ll be
rich. Usually the guy’s got a hanky. He’s sweating a lot and just talking all kind of nonsense, and something
about sewing a seed, sewing it—nobody knows what that means. What that means is write another check.
Write another check. Write another check. And usually that guy’s sweating and running around and collecting
all kinds of money, and he’s got rims on his car, and you know, just that guy. That’s prosperity theology. The
more you love God, the richer you’ll be. See Isaac, a hundredfold blessing. If you loved Jesus more, you’d be
rich. That’s prosperity theology. It tends to flourish in the suburbs and places where there are poor people
playing the lotto and praying a lot; that’s where it tends to flourish.
The opposite is a poverty theology. Poverty theology is very Seattle. “I’m naked. I live in a tent in the park,
and I won’t ride a bike ‘cause I’ll run over a bug, and that’s murder.” (Laughter) “When I need to log on to the
internet I go to the library ‘cause I don’t buy a computer ‘cause that takes electricity, and electricity ruins the
world.” (Laughter) “I don’t bathe, and I don’t shave, and I drink herbal tea.” (Laughter) “Man.” (Laughter)
Right, this is sorta the faux-hippy utopia, right? It’s just—that’s Seattle, man; that’s totally Seattle, okay? And
so we have this prosperity theology in Seattle. We have this poverty theology. If you’re poor, you’re close to
God. Especially if you smoke a little weed, you’re really close to God. (Laughter)
And, see, what happens is it’s like this group is all, “We hate the man. We’re down with the man. We don’t
like the man. We despise the man.” And this guy is like, “I’m the man.” You know, and these guys—(Laughter)
these guys go at it, and we had a whole generation go from hippy to yuppy, right? They made this like, “We
hate the man. We hate the man. We can be the man. Oh, yeah. Okay, cool.” (Laughter) “We’ll shave and go to
work and get a minivan. Yeah, we’ll be the man.” (Laughter) And so there’s these two extremes, right? The
rich and the poor and the poverty theology and the prosperity theology—now, Mars Hill, be honest, are we
more inclined toward a prosperity or a poverty theology? Total poverty theology ‘cause you’re all broke.
(Laughter) Oh, broke people are holy, why? ‘Cause I’m broke. (Laughter)
So we’ll talk about this, and I gotta lay it out for you. Now the little graph isn’t in your Bible. I made that up,
but I’ll explain it to you. (Laughter) There’s two kind of rich people, two kind of poor people. Two are good;
two are bad. The first we’ll talk about, a category one, is rich people who are also righteous. Is Isaac rich and
righteous? Yes, he loves God. God just says, “You’re loaded.” (Laughter) In Hebrew, that’s what he said, and—
(Laughter) and he’s righteous, okay? Here’s how you know you’re righteous, two things. How do you get your
money? How do you get your money, and then once you get it, how do you spend it? That determines how
you’re righteous, okay? If you get your money through ripping people off and stealing and doing crooked
things, that’s not righteous. If you get your money, and you don’t invest it wisely, spend it wisely, tithe it, save
it, then you’re not righteous.
Here’s my recommendation. Live off of 70 percent of your income. Tithe 10 percent. Save 10 percent.
Invest 10 percent. Live off of 70 percent. The problem with most people they live off of, like, 127 percent of
their income. (Laughter) “I can’t make ends meet.” Well, that’s ‘cause you don’t spend wisely. You don’t invest
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wisely. You don’t save wisely. You don’t tithe wisely. You don’t. There’s not righteousness. There are righteous
rich people. Are there some righteous rich people in the world? Totally, are there some righteous rich people
in Seattle? Yes, are there some righteous rich people in Mars Hill? Yes, yes, people who God has just blessed
them. Their company took off. Their real estate went nuts. They bought in low on stock, and it went through
the roof. God totally blessed them. They know it. They’re rich. How they got their money was through honest
work and investment. How they spend their money is prudent and Biblical. There’s nothing wrong with being
righteous and rich. Can you think of anybody else in the Bible who was righteous and rich? Abraham, his
daddy was. Job started righteous and rich, and then was righteous and poor, and then became righteous and
rich again. Jesus was laid in the tomb of a man named Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man. Jesus resurrected in
the tomb of a righteous and rich man. There’s nothing wrong with being righteous and rich. How you get your
money. How you spend it. That’s the issue.
There are other people who are rich, but they’re not righteous. They’re unrighteous rich. They get their
money through crooked business dealings and ripping people off and just doing deplorable things, and then
when they get their money they don’t tithe. They don’t invest. They don’t spend wisely. They don’t save wisely.
They just blow their money on things that are not necessary. This is where you see that sometimes celebrities
and stars and athletes file for bankruptcy, though they made enormous amounts of money, because they
were unrighteous in the stewardship of their finances. They lived way beyond their means. They spent when it
was unnecessary.
So here’s the deal. Don’t worry about being rich; worry about being righteous. Don’t worry about being
poor; worry about being righteous. It’s not about rich and poor. America is broken down in rich and poor.
America fights between rich and poor. It’s not between rich and poor. The issue is righteous or unrighteous. In
Seattle people think, “Oh, we gotta tax the rich guys. We gotta get the rich guys.” Well, what if they’re
righteous? What if they worked hard? They invested wisely. They saved prudently. They spent frugally. We
punish them, why? What wrong have they done? Nothing. Some of you are going to be very rich. Praise God.
Be righteous. Be a blessing to others, not just a consumer of the blessing that God would give you. Some of
you are gonna have phenomenally successful companies. Some of you are going to employ lots of people.
Great, be righteous. Treat your employees good. Treat your customers good. Take good care of those around
you. As God blesses you bless others. Just be righteous.
Some of you are thinking, “Well, I don’t know if I should do this investment. I don’t know if I should pursue
this financial income. I don’t know if I should take a chance and start this company. I don’t know if I want to be
rich. I’m a Christian. I love Jesus.” Well, if God should choose to bless you just be righteous with your finances
and praise be to God. We don’t, however, believe that everyone who’s rich is righteous. We don’t believe that
the rich are closer to God.
On the other side, there are two kinds of poor people. There are righteous poor. There are people—they
love God. They work hard. They don’t have much. We have brothers and sisters around the world today, they
love Jesus, and they’re starving to death. They’re homeless. The economy has fallen out. The place they live is
war torn. Famine has come. Calamity has come. They’re in a hard time in a hard place. They’re poor, but
they’re righteous. They love the Lord, and they don’t have any means. This is how I grew up. This is how I grew
up. I grew up righteous poor. I grew up in South Seattle down in Seatac. My dad was a union drywaller, hung
sheet rock for over 20 years till he broke his back. My mom stayed home to raise five kids. We did not have
much. We were poor, especially when work would get lean, and my dad wouldn’t get full time hours. It was
real lean and real tight, but my parents were righteous.
My dad worked hard for his money. My parents were very frugal with their spending. They didn’t waste
money. We were poor. We were a poor family, a working class, poor family, but you know what; it was a
righteous family. The way my parents got money and the way they spent money was righteous. They were
very generous to those in need. I still remember my dad, even when we didn’t have extra money or food, him
taking care of other families. There’s nothing wrong with being poor as long as you’re righteous. Then you
have dignity, right? Some of you are working class poor. Some of you don’t have much money. You don’t make
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much money. Unless God should do a miracle, you probably never will have much money, but you can still
have righteousness. The way you get your money, the way you spend your money can be very righteous, and
you can have your dignity. See, it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor. It matters if you’re righteous or
unrighteous.
The other category—can you think of anybody else who was righteous poor? Jesus Christ, homeless guy,
God, righteous? Yeah, poor? Yeah, didn’t have a place to lay his head, depended on the provision of others for
food and shelter. It’s not unprecedented, and it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love you. The Father loved the
Son. He loves you too. But there is another kind of poor that is a bad kind of poor, and I think particularly in
our city this is often overlooked. There is a belief by many that all poor people are righteous, and that poor
people are closer to God, and everybody who’s poor is poor because the man holds them back; the man keeps
them down. That’s not true. Some people are poor because they’re unrighteous.
The neighborhood I grew up in was behind a Déjà vu strip club. There was a 7-11 there. This was my first
job. Not the typical training ground for a pastor, and at that 7-11 I needed a job so I lied about my age. I was
15, and I falsified my birth certificate. I was not a believer. I could grow a beard, like, from age four, and my
voice dropped when I was, like, six, so I could get away with it. I’m like a Chia Pet. I can grow a beard in, like,
15 minutes. (Laughter) And so I got this beard. I falsify my birth certificate. I go in; I lie about my age. The next
thing you know I’m a clerk at a 7-11 selling lotto tickets and beer and cigarettes to adults at age 15, driving my
own car to work too—whole other story (Laughter), and surrounding that area was a number of apartment
complexes, and everybody would come into the 7-11 to buy things, and I’m working there, and what I noticed
was it was surrounded with poor people, but there were two kinds of poor people.
There were what I would consider righteous poor. These were, often times, first generation immigrants,
people that were new to the United States of America. They were just learning the culture, just learning the
language. Some were fleeing religious persecution or political persecution in their home country. They had
just arrived here in the country, and they were trying to get a job, trying to get acclimated, trying to get
traction for their family. Many of them were Christians that were fleeing religious persecution. Many of them
loved the Lord, worked hard, but they were very, very, very poor, and what I noticed was those families, it
didn’t take long, and they moved because they would work hard. They would spend wisely. They would act
righteously. They didn’t blow their money. They’d save up to buy a house. The family would pool their
resources, start to buy other houses. They would take care of each other, and what I saw was righteous people
who started poor, but if they kept that kind of attitude it wouldn’t be many generations, and they wouldn’t be
poor anymore.
What I also saw in that store was unrighteous poor. As soon as the welfare checks and the food stamps
would hit the mailbox, in they would come. They’d hand me a bill of food stamps, and they’d want me to give
them cash back, which is against the law, because with cash then they could buy cigarettes and 40 ounces of
beer, and they could buy rubbing alcohol to go home and clean their needles before they started doing drugs
and freebasing. Every time that the welfare checks hit the store we would run out of 40 ouncers. We would
run out of rubbing alcohol because everybody would go home and get drunk and get high. That’s unrighteous
poor. That’s unrighteous poor.
And to say, “We need to punish the righteous rich to feed the addictions of the unrighteous poor,” I don’t
believe that. I believe that’s very Godless. Punish the guy who’s working hard and smart to feed the guy who’s
getting high. That’s wrong. That’s wrong. But if you don’t understand that it’s not about rich and poor; it’s
about righteous and unrighteous, you’ll fall into the same trap. Poor people are not closer to God than rich
people. It all depends on your relationship with God, and poverty and riches has very little to do with it.
Righteousness and unrighteousness is what counts. We live in a city that automatically assumes poor people
are righteous. I’m telling you; as a guy who grew up poor in a poor area, that’s not true. There are righteous
poor. There are unrighteous poor.
As now a pastor of a large church, I know lots of people who are righteous and rich. I also know some
people who are rich, and they’re unrighteous. And I’m just begging you, as a church, get your head around
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money, and don’t say, “Oh, rich/poor, those are the categories.” No, righteous/unrighteous, those are the
categories. Those are the categories. And don’t start out saying, “Well, I’m gonna be poor ‘cause that’ll make
me righteous.” No, it may make you unrighteous. You may be just lazy or foolish, but assume, “I need to work
hard. I need to invest wisely. I need to tithe. I need to save. I need to live within my means. I need to be a
person who conducts myself righteously, and if God should bless me, then praise be to God, and if not, it
doesn’t matter; I’m still righteous.”
So many people get hung up on the money. I wish that most people were as concerned about their
righteousness as they are their income. Isaac is a righteous man. He’s also a rich man, but the riches are just
God’s grace to a righteous man. Does this make sense practically? I know it’s basic. My fear is if I don’t give
you some context for this, we read this, and everybody walks out with prosperity theology. Godly people are
rich. That’s not the case. There’s examples throughout Scripture for all of these kinds of people. Mars Hill, I
want you in category one or three, righteous rich or righteous poor. That’s where we want to be. That’s where
we want to be.
“He also had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.” How many of you
think, “Man, if I could just get rich, that’d be great. All my problems would go away.” No, you just get different
problems. Rich people have problems. Poor people don’t have certain problems. Like, no one breaks into your
house to steal your bus pass, right? (Laughter) But they will break into your garage and steal your car, you
know? If you have, like, a black and white 13 inch TV, it’ll be there. (Laughter) You could leave it out front. Put
a sign on it, “Free.” It’ll still be there. You get a plasma screen. Your neighbor walks by, sees it, it could be gone.
As soon as you become rich all of a sudden you got whole other series of problems. Gotta get a gun and a dog,
and you gotta get an alarm system, and you gotta protect your junk, and you gotta figure out how to beat the
tax man. You know, it’s just all this stuff.
It gets more complicated, and here’s what happens. As soon as God blesses him, other people envy him.
How many of you have experienced this? “I got engaged.” “Oh, well good for you.” (Laughter) “We’re
pregnant.” “We’re not.” “Well, I’m sorry,” you know? “I got a job. I got a job. I got a job.” “Well, I don’t have a
job, and you’re making me feel bad.” We’re like, “Okay, great.” We’re supposed to rejoice with those who
rejoice, but sometimes when God blesses one person somebody else gets covetous, what James calls bitter
envy and selfish ambition. “Oh, great, you’re blessed. I’m not. God loves you. He must hate me.” (Laughter)
“Apparently, yes, that’s the point, yes.” But how many of you have had this? Something good happens. You
get married. You get a baby. You get a job. You buy a house, you know? Something good happens, and other
people are jealous, envious. They can’t celebrate with you. They can’t be happy for you. Some of you think,
“Man, if I just hit it big then I’d be happy.” No, ‘cause some people would turn.
“So all the wells that his father’s servant had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped
up, filling them with dirt.” That’s pretty mean. Do you need a well? What come out of the well? Water and you
need water to drink and breathe. That’s sorta the beginning of all other things. Water and air, they’re sorta
neck and neck in so far as significance. You need them both. You need it to feed your crops, feed your family.
You need it to feed your animals. You need your water. Everything grows around the well. The well is literally
the center of your collective life, and what they do, they go around to all his wells, “Oh, rich dude, we’ll show
him, fill them up with dirt.” This is the equivalent of your business goes good. You franchise it, and they burn
them down. They take away your livelihood, your income.
The question now is God has blessed him, but he has a whole other series of problems. Some of you, you
understand this. “I’m making money, and I’m getting killed on taxes. I got a whole other set of issues. My
employees are stealing from me. My competitors are undermining me. Man, now that I’ve made a buck, it’s
really getting hard to keep that buck.” How will Isaac respond? This is the question. His faith is being tested. It
was tested with his family. Here it’s being tested with his finances. What will he do?
“Then Abimelech said to Isaac, ‘Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.’ ” You’re doing
too good, leave. Would you leave? Business is booming. It’s your land. You inherited it from your daddy. It’s
your wells. God’s just blessed you a hundredfold. Would you leave? Would you say, “Tough, you take it up
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with God.” Here’s what he does. “Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and
settled there.” He says, “Okay. If you guys are all jealous and bitter and petty, if God blessed me there, God
could bless me here. Fine, I’ll move.” That’s a pretty gracious man, isn’t it?
See, he knows that his God is a God of grace, and he wants to show grace to those who are watching.
Here’s the deal. He has to choose between his wealth and his witness. What does he choose? His witness—his
witness, this is a man of faith. When it comes down to making a buck or having people think well of God and
his grace, he chooses to lose money and preserve his witness. This is a man of faith. God blessed me here. If I
maintain my witness, my integrity, my righteousness, he could bless me here too. I’ll just trust him.” Again,
Isaac is not pursuing riches; he’s pursuing righteousness.
“Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham,”—these wells belonged to
him. They belonged to his dad. They were on his dad’s land, and his dad dug them. They’d filled them up. After
his dad dies, he’s just taking back property that’s rightfully his—“which the Philistines had stopped up after
Abraham died. He gave them the same names his father had given them.” This is property rights. “Isaac’s
servants dug up the well and discovered there a fresh well of water.” Apparently they were good wells.
Abraham died. A bunch of meatheads filled them up with dirt, and he goes there and re-digs out the wells. Is
this a lot of time, work and expense? Yeah. If you’re a business owner that’s like they burn down your business.
You go find another piece of real estate, and you rehab an old building, and you set it up for business again.
You’ve gone to a lot of work. This is a loss over in your profit and loss column. This is an expense. This is a lot
of work.
“But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen.” Now a whole other group of guys is jealous
and angry. Here’s what they say, “The water is ours!” Is it? Where did the water come from? The well that was
filled with dirt, did these guys dig out the well? These guys were apparently unrighteous poor. The well is
there to be dug. They didn’t dig it out. They waited for him to dig it out, and then they want the water. How
many of you work for this guy? (Laughter) You do all the work, and then I say, “It’s mine.” This is how some
people are. There’s this sense of entitlement. “I didn’t do anything, but I have a right to profit.” No, you don’t,
actually. Proverbs says if you don’t work, you don’t eat. It’s incentive. Here these guys could’ve dug out the
well. They could’ve gotten the water. It’s been like this for years. They never did anything.
How many of you, your company finally got going well, and then somebody sued you, tried to take your
rightfully earned money? All right, this is the guy who sits home all day, goes to the Bon, falls, hits his head and
says, “I’m getting a lawyer. The Bon’s mine. I get the Bon.” No, you don’t get the Bon. You get up, (Laughter)
but you don’t get the Bon. See, that’s the nature of an entitlement, litigious, unrighteous, poor society.
Somebody works hard, and then we take what they make. That’s the attitude of these guys.
“So he named the well Esek,”—which means dispute—“because they disputed with him. So then they dug
another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah”—opposition. It doesn’t matter
where he goes. Somebody’s trying to rip him off. Somebody is trying to take away his income and livelihood.
Someone is trying to undermine his business. How will he respond? How would you respond? Would you be
like, “Enough already, I’ve dug out enough wells. I’ve moved enough times. We’re already in the middle of a
famine. It’s an economic downturn. This is costing me a ton of money to get back on our feet. None of you has
any legal claim. If I took this to court I could totally defend myself. This is ridiculous. This is litigious. This is
unnecessary. I work for God. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Now would be a good time to back off.”
That’s where I’d go.
That’s not where he goes though ‘cause he’s more righteous than me. “He moved on from there,” right?
He starts in Belltown, moves to Bellview. Now he’s out in Duval. (Laughter) Right? The cost of real estate’s
definitely in decline—“and he dug another well, and no one quarreled over it.” Why? ‘Cause it’s in Duval.
Nobody cares. Nobody wants to be there. (Laughter) It’s like, “Oh, he’s in Duval. Well, he can have that one.
It’s Duval.” He goes to the undesirable place in faith that if God could bless him in a hot market, God could
bless him in a cold market. “He named it Rehoboth,”—which means room—“saying, ‘Now the Lord has given
us room and we will flourish in the land.’ ”
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“Fine, I’ll take whatever you’ll give me, and you’ll see. God will take care of his people. God will bless.” Is
this faith? This is total faith. Has he preserved his witness? Absolutely. It’s cost him wealth, but he’s preserved
his witness. “From there he went up to Beersheba. That night the Lord appeared to him”—God shows up
again and speaks to him—“and said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham.” Let me drill down on this for just
a minute. You men, you want God to be able to show up to your kids one day and say this same thing. “Hi, I’m
God.” “Which God?” “The God of your daddy.” “Oh, well, I know all about you. My dad told me all about you,
how you saved him and forgave him and sent Jesus for him and loved him and blessed him and provided for
him. I know all about you. My dad told me all about you.”
Today, how many people do you know that if God came to them he could actually say this? “I am the God
of your father, the God whom your father worshiped faithfully. That’s the God I am.” Not many people—not
many people could God say that to today. To Abraham, Isaac’s daddy, he couldn’t say that about Tara, Isaac’s
granddaddy because that man was an unbeliever. That’s why we don’t worship the god of Tara and Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob. We worship the god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because Tara, Isaac’s granddaddy,
Abraham’s daddy, was not a worshiper of God. He was an unbeliever. Numbers says he was an unbelieving
pagan man.
You men want to be part of a legacy. You want to worship God. You want your children to worship God.
You want your grandchildren to worship God, and should God speak to them, you want God to be able to say,
“I am the God of your dad. I’m the God of your granddad. I’m the God of your great granddad. That’s who I
am.” Man, I tell you what; Abraham’s dead and gone. The only time he gets mentioned here is by God. Isn’t
that beautiful? To remind the son that the relationship that God seeks with the son is like the relationship he
had with the father. Man, I love this. I pray when I’m dead and gone that my grandsons worship the same God,
Jesus, that I do, and if God should speak to them, that he could tell them, “I am the God of your grandpa. I am
the God of your great grandpa.” That’s what we all pray.
“Do not be afraid,”—does he have anything to be afraid of at this point? He’s relocated a few times. They
keep filling up his wells, the equivalent of burning down his business. It’s a famine. He’s blowing a ton of
startup capital to finally get a chunk of real estate and a well. There’s no guarantee that he won’t get further
litigation and opposition. Yeah, there’s a lot to be afraid of. Here’s what God says, “Don’t worry about it. Don’t
be afraid of anything.” See, all we’re supposed to fear is God, and that’s it. Previously he had feared being
harmed. God’s telling him, “If you’ve learned anything, learn not to fear anything but me.”
Here’s what God says, “I will bless you. I will increase”—he says, “I am with you,”—first thing, the presence
of God and the blessing of God. God says, “I’m with you, and I’ll bless you. I’ll increase your number of your
descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” “You’ll get kids, grandkids. I’m gonna take care of you, the
future, the generations, the extended family. I’ll take care of everybody. Don’t be afraid. Remember two
things, I’m here, and I’m good. I’m present, and I’ll bless.” Here’s the key. You may not be in the best place,
but if God is with you, and God is for you, you’re in the best place. It doesn’t matter necessarily what
everything looks like spiritually or financially. If you’re in the place God has called you, doing the things God
has asked you, having integrity like God requests of you, growing in faith and worship of God, God will be
present, and God will bless you. You will be okay. That’s what God is promising, and it’s a great comfort.
Here’s how Isaac responds. “He built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord”—love that.
Apparently there wasn’t a church there, so he builds one. There wasn’t a place to go worship, so he made one.
That’s why Isaac’s there. God wants to bless his people in front of the other people. He wants his people to
worship him so that the good news of God would spread out that there’s this loving, gracious God who knows
us and walks with us and cares for us and protects us and provides for us. So that, what? So that evangelism
could happen. So that other people could hear about God, so what does Isaac do? He’s got a lot of things to do.
He still doesn’t have a fully functioning well. He still doesn’t have a permanent, settled piece of real estate. He
doesn’t have all of his business in order, but before he gets to all of his business he takes time to worship God.
He sings, prays, has church, teaches his family.
Guys, it is so important that you don’t worship God just after he has provided, but you worship him before
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he shows up because that is the essence of faith. Some people say, “I have a hard time worshipping because
with my family or my finances or my faith, it’s not a good season. It’s a hard time. God hasn’t straightened
everything out. Why should I worship God?” You worship God by faith until you see him show up by sight.
That is true worship. Worship is claiming the goodness of the character and the trustworthiness of the
promises of God until he shows up, and our Bible is filled with promises. That God loves us. That he won’t
leave us. That he won’t forsake us. That somehow before it’s all said and done he will work out everything for
good. That one day, even if it’s in the life to come, we will be restored to perfect health. We will have restored
relationships that are strained. That things will be corrected.
And we worship God by faith, until what? Until we see it. That’s why we’re here today. This is our little
altar. This is where we come to worship God in faith, not because everything is the way that we wish that it
were; sin has come into the world, but because we believe that God is not done, and that God is good, and
that we need to be connected to God, and that righteousness is more important than riches, and that witness
is more important than wealth, and so we set aside time for work. We set aside time for income, for what? For
worship and witness, for honoring God and letting others see that he’s worth our time, that he is, in fact, our
highest priority, and before we tend to anything else, even something as urgent as drinking water, worship
comes first.
This is what he does. “There he pitched his tent,”—settles down—“and there his servants dug a well.”
We’ve worshipped. Now we go to work. We spent our time with God. Our minds are straight. Our hearts are
clear. Now we’re ready to work, dig the well. See, at this point he doesn’t even know if he’s gonna have
drinking water, but he knows that God’s good. “Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with
Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. Isaac asked them, ‘Why have you come
to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?’ ” “What are you doing here? Every time I see you
guys you stop up one of my wells and cut into my bottom line and be really mean to me, so why are you here?”
“They answered, ‘We saw clearly that’—what?—‘the Lord was with you.’ ” You know, friends, maybe this
is what it’s all about. Maybe the whole thing isn’t about Isaac. Maybe it’s about Abimelech. Maybe God’s not
punishing Isaac. Maybe he’s growing him in character and maturity, but maybe it’s primarily so that his
witness would go forth for Abimelech. Maybe a lot of the hard times in your life right now aren’t God
punishing you, aren’t God opposing you, aren’t God trying to harm you; it’s God trying to refine your character
in a public way so that you will worship and trust him because lots of other people are watching. Friends,
family, coworkers, they’re watching. They want to say, “Is he gonna be hostile? Is he gonna cuss us out? Is he
gonna declare war? Is he gonna turn is back on God?” No, he keeps loving, forgiving, being gracious, just like
the God he proclaims. He still loves that God. He still worships that God. You can’t stop that guy, and God
keeps blessing him. Maybe this God is real. Maybe this is a God we need to know. That’s what it’s about. So
many people are about riches and not righteousness. They’re about wealth and not witness. He’s about
righteousness and witness. He wants to walk with God, and he wants others to be encouraged to walk with
God too.
So often times we hit this hard points tested with our faith or our family or our finances. We stop
worshipping. That’s when we need to worship most fervently, why? Because it renews our heart, and it’s a
witness to others that we trust God until he shows up, not just because he does. I love this about Isaac. He’s
suffered tremendous loss. In the middle of it all the unbeliever comes and says, “God is with you. We all see it.
We all see it.” “So he says, ‘There should be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. ‘Let’s us
make a treaty with you.” Let’s sign a contract. Isn’t it interesting, once somebody does know that you love God,
God loves you, that God’s blessing you, all of a sudden they want a contract, and here’s what they want the
contract to say, “That you will not do us any harm.” Okay? “Let’s right this down. You be nice to us, okay? Now
that you’re getting powerful, and rich, and prominent”—could Isaac at this point leverage this deal, say, “Oh,
yeah, I’m powerful, rich and prominent. God loves me. I want my land back. I want my wells back. I want a
public apology.”
He could leverage this. He doesn’t. He lets it all go. He’s demonstrating, “My God is a God of grace. I have
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everything I have by the grace of God. It doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to God, and if you’ve stolen it,
you’ve stolen it from God. That’s between you and God.” He’s pursing righteousness, not just riches, witness,
not just wealth. Here’s what he says, “We want a contract with you that you won’t do us no harm, just as we
did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace.” That’s a bit of an overstatement,
isn’t it? (Laughter) The guy keeps getting his wells filled up with dirt, and he keeps getting run out of town.
Isn’t it interesting though, if you would be struggling, people kick you when you’re down. You finally get on
your feet. Things are going pretty well. Then everybody wants to be your friend, and they all say, “Hey, buddy.”
You’re like, “Buddy? I don’t remember that.” “And now you are blessed by the Lord.” That’s true. They see it.
How is Isaac gonna respond? How many of you, you would just rub their face in it? How many of you
would at least demand an apology and all of your lost money back? Here’s what he does. “Isaac then made a
feast for them.” Oh, man, that’s convicting. Isaac said, “You can be my friends. I forgive you. I love you. I
understand who God is, and I understand what God does. I have sinned against God. He has forgiven me and
blessed me. You have sinned against me. I will forgive you and bless you. God has made me a friend though I
was his enemy. You will now be made my friend though you were my enemy.” He’s just showing the gospel.
He’s just showing the love and the grace and the mercy of God. That’s all he’s doing. His witness is intact.
Forgives the debt, forgives the theft of land, lets it all go because what he’s worried about is the salvation of
these people, not just his income.
“Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and
they left him in peace. That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug.” See, they
were still working on the well when he said, “We’re at peace. I don’t want my well back. I don’t want my
money back. I don’t want my land back. I forgive you.” He still didn’t know if he was gonna have water in his
well. He could still dehydrate. He could still starve to death, but here’s what he said, “God, you’ll take care of
us.” This is faith. “They said, ‘We’ve found water!’ ” God showed up. God blessed us. After we trusted him he
showed up. “He called it Shibah,”—which means oath—“and to this day the name of the town has been
Beersheba”—which means well of the oath.
Looks like his life is great, isn’t it? Beautiful wife, nice piece of real estate, booming business, the presence
of God, the blessing of God, everything’s great. “His son Esau was forty years old, married Judith daughter of
Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and
Rebekah.” This is the last two verses of the chapter. His meathead son married two strippers and gave him an
ulcer, the end. (Laughter) How many of you go, “That’s a different ending.” I was expecting, “They live happily
ever after, drank a lot of water, the end.” (Laughter) Right? No, why? This really troubled me all week. It was a
great story, and then the son marries the two strippers and gives his dad an ulcer. This is the Christian life.
Amen? This is the Christian life. It’s not, “And then we conquered all our problems and got naked and just
swam in the well and ate the fruit.” (Laughter) It’s not like that. The test of his character regarding his finances
leads to a test of character regarding his wife, leads to more tests of character regarding his finances and his
faith, and then it comes back to where his character is again tested with his family.
How many of you keep thinking, “If I could just get through this one thing, then it would be smooth sailing
forever,” and you get there, you’re like, “Duh, there’s always something else. If it’s not the family, it’s the
finances. If I get the finances nailed down, then it’s the faith. Once I get the faith nailed down, then it’s the
family again, and it’s always something.” Welcome to the Christian life. There is no, “And they live happily ever
after,” until you die, and you go to heaven, and the curse is over, and the effects of sin are lifted. In the
meantime, God in his providence allows us to go through different circumstances and hardship and trial and
testing, why, ‘cause he hates us? No, ‘cause he’s growing in us faith, worship, so that we can have witness.
So that other people would be blessed and God blesses us, so that, what? So that it wouldn’t be a place
that is in financial ruin and spiritual darkness. That God could financially and spiritually begin to bless a people,
who bless a people so that there becomes this process of transformation to where it’s not just one family that
loves the Lord. It’s many families. It’s not just one family who’s righteous and rich. It’s many families that are
righteous and rich, and they can employ other people and take good care of their customers and allow other
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people to get traction so that, what? So that God’s blessing flows through his people to others.
Here’s my conclusion, if you had to look at your life today, where is your biggest test of character? Where
are those places right now you say, “Man, I wish I didn’t have to deal with this, wish I didn’t have to go
through this. I wish God would just take it away because it is just frustrating and hard.” Is it in regards to
family? Your parents driving you nuts? Your kids driving you nuts—aunts, uncles, cousins? You’re single? You
don’t have a family? You got a cat that’s driving you nuts? (Laughter) You wish you had a family to drive you
nuts? At least if I had a wife to drive me nuts it would be a wife and not a cat. It’s frustrating. How many of you
are there? Yeah, I’m frustrated with my family. Okay, God’s testing your character. God’s growing you. God’s
working through that. He brings everything into your life, not to crush you but to grow you. So you can have a
witness for others.
How many of you right now it’s your finances? “I’m broke. I got nothing. I’m unemployed. I’m
underemployed.” Well, keep digging your well. Keep sending out your resume. Keep working your plan.
Eventually you’ll hit water, but you gotta keep digging. A lot of people are like, “Jesus, bless me.” Jesus will tell
you, “Dig your well. Work your job. Put out your resume. Watch your spending.” How many of you right now
it’s finances? “If I just had more money, I’d be happier.” No, you’d just have different problems. How many of
you right now it’s faith? You’re having a hard time worshiping ‘cause life’s not as good as you were
anticipating. You feel disappointed. You’re not sure God’s a good God. You’re not sure God’s in charge. You’re
not sure that God’s for you and not against you. You’re not sure that God’s with you and not left you. You’re
not sure that God is a God who’s going to bless you. You’re getting envious and jealous of others. You can’t
rejoice with those who rejoice. Your faith is waning.
Okay, here’s where we always come to. We always come to this point in the service where we take the
story. We pull out the principles. We look at our life, and we ask two questions. Where have I sinned, and
where have I been blessed? Am I sinning in regards to my finances? Am I sinning in regards to my faith? Am I
sinning in regards to my family? Then I need to repent of that, and God’s grace through Jesus’ death, burial
and resurrection will do two things—forgive me and empower me to go live a new life as a new creation in
Christ. Also, where has God blessed me? Where should there be gratitude? In all of this do you have an
opportunity to be a good witness? Do you have an opportunity to live in righteousness? Do you have an
opportunity to be a blessing to others? Do you have an opportunity to worship God? How has God provided
with family, with finances, with faith? How has God already shown up? Thank him for the ways that he has
shown up, and worship him until he shows up in those other ways that are desperately needed.
We bring you to this point, and we call you to the Lord Jesus, and then we’re gonna respond in worship.
Some of you will worship today just thanking God for blessing. Some of you will worship God because others
can thank God for blessing, and you rejoice with them, not be envious and jealous like the Philistines, and
some of you today will worship God knowing that with family or faith or finances there are real needs, and
God will need to show up, but in worship you are thanking him in advance because you are banking on the
character of a good, sovereign God until it becomes sight. So when you’re ready you can partake of
communion which is remembering Jesus’ body and blood shed for our sin. If you’re not a Christian, you need
to ask Jesus to forgive your sin first and commit yourself to him before you partake, and then you’re welcome
to. We’re gonna give of our tithes and offerings. We’re gonna sing and worship, and we’re gonna leave here,
for what? For witness, the whole world is watching in a place that’s not unlike the place of Isaac, financially
hard, spiritually dark. God starts here because he wants to bless many. I’ll pray.
Father God, thanks for a chance to study together with your people. Thanks for the great insights from the
life of Isaac. God, I pray for those of us who are struggling tonight with faith. We have serious doubts about
who you are, what you can do. We’re having a hard time worshiping. We’re becoming envious and jealous.
We see you caring for others, and we feel like we’ve been neglected. That you’re not with us, and you’re not
for us. God, I pray that you would grow us in faith and that you would teach us good things through this. God,
for those who are struggling with family, the marriage is not what they anticipated. The children are not what
they anticipated. The parents are not what they needed. Maybe it’s like Esau, somebody’s gotten married to
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somebody that they shouldn’t have, and it’s just a source of much grief in the family.
God, I pray that through this though things may not change that we would change. That we would grow in
righteousness. That we would grow in worship. That we would grow in witness. And, God, for those who are
struggling in regards to finances, I pray, God, first of all, that they’d repent of any financial sin. If they’ve been
racking up debts, spending foolishly, wasting money, not working hard, God, I pray you would forgive them
and give them the kind of empowering grace to allow them to have their money redeemed as well as their
soul.
Structure the Passage (grammatical cues & content cues)
I. The Lord prevented Isaac from abandoning the land in the famine, by confirming to him the
covenant promises he had made with his father, Abraham (1–6).
A. Narrative introduction: When a famine began, Isaac left Canaan and went to Abimelech, king of
the Philistines, at Gerar (1).
B. Theophany: The Lord appeared to Isaac and commanded him not to leave Canaan, in order that
the Lord might confirm the covenant made with Abraham his father (2–5).
1. Instruction: The Lord commanded Isaac to stay in the land so that he might be with and
bless Isaac (2–3a).
2. Promise: The Lord reiterated the promises of the land and of descendants on the basis of
the obedience of Abraham (3b–5).
a. Blessing: The Lord promised to confirm the covenantal blessings of the land and
descendants (3b–4a).
b. Effect: The Lord affirmed that the blessing would go to the whole world through Isaac’s
descendants (4b).
c. Reason: The Lord based the fulfillment of the covenant promises on the obedience of
Abraham (5).
C. Isaac obeyed the Lord by remaining in Gerar (6).
II. After Isaac deceived the men of Gerar about his wife’s true identity, Abimelech discovered the
deceit, rebuked Isaac for putting his people in moral jeopardy, and forewarned his people not to
touch them (7–11).
A. The plot: Isaac hid the true identity of Rebekah by representing her as his sister because he
feared a personal attack (7).
B. The detection: After a long time Abimelech discovered the deceit when he saw Isaac engaging
in conjugal play with Rebekah (8).
C. The rebuke: Abimelech confronted Isaac and rebuked him for his deceit (9–10).
1. Abimelech confronted Isaac and expressed shock that he had hidden the truth so long (8a).
2. Isaac explained his action by relating his fear of being killed on account of Rebekah (9b).
3. Abimelech rebuked Isaac because his action could easily have allowed someone
inadvertently to bring guilt on the nation (10).
D. The resolution: Abimelech commanded his people not to harm Isaac or Rebekah, on the penalty
of death (11).
III. The Lord’s abundant blessing on Isaac brought opposition from the men of Gerar, hindering him
from living peacefully among the people of Gerar (12–16).
A. The Philistines envied Isaac because of the great prosperity that the Lord gave him (12–14).
B. The Philistines had stopped up all the wells that were dug in the days of Abraham (15).
C. The Philistines drove Isaac away because he was becoming mightier than they (16).
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IV. Isaac’s attempts to reclaim the wells of his father met strong opposition until he moved from the
Gerar river basin and dug an uncontested well (17–22).
A. Isaac attempted to settle in the Gerar valley but met with conflict over the water rights (17–21).
1. The wells in the basin of Gerar that had been stopped up by the Philistines were reopened
by Isaac, who gave them the names that Abraham had given them (17–18).
2. Two wells that Isaac dug were forfeited to the herdsmen of Gerar, who quarreled about the
ownership of the water (19–21).
a. Isaac named the first well Contention when he had to forfeit it to the men of Gerar (19–
20).
b. Isaac named the second well Hostility when a dispute forced him to relinquish that well
also (21).
B. After leaving the Gerar basin, Isaac opened an uncontested well and named it Room because
the Lord had given them a place (22).
V. Isaac’s faith in the Lord’s promise at Beersheba was confirmed by an oath of peace with his
enemies and the discovery of another well of water (23–33).
A. The Lord appeared to Isaac at Beersheba to renew the promise of blessing, prompting Isaac to
worship the Lord and make preparations to dwell there (23–25).
1. The Lord appeared to Isaac and reaffirmed his promise to bless him for the sake of his
father Abraham (23–24).
2. Isaac responded to the Lord’s appearance by worshiping him and by settling in Beersheba
(25).
B. The people of Gerar obtained an oath of peace from Isaac because they recognized that the
Lord was with him (26–31).
1. After seeing the blessing of the Lord on Isaac, Abimelech came to Beersheba to make an
alliance of peaceful relations (26–29).
2. Isaac and Abimelech made a peace covenant through a great feast and an exchange of
oaths (30–31).
C. When his servants found water that same day, Isaac named the well Oath—the event from
which the city of Beersheba in part derived its name (32–33).
Central Proposition of the Text---the single unit of thought that binds together and gives meaning to all the
particulars of a passage…always in the form of a full grammatical sentence stated in the past tense and
comes from the structure of the passage by putting the theme (what the author is talking about) and thrust
(what the author says about what he is talking about) in full-sentence form. It may be stated directly in the
text, indirectly in the text through repetition of key words or a dominant theme or image.
CPT--- (1-11) When God prevented Isaac from leaving the land promised to Abraham, his obedient father, God
renewed the covenant with him but then had to protect Rebekah from Abimelech when Isaac lied about her.
(12-33) The Lord confirmed his promise to bless Abraham’s seed by providing crops, flocks, servants, and
especially water in the wilderness wells that Isaac dug, in spite of the unjust opposition from Gerar, ultimately
enabling him to dwell in peace in Beersheba.
Purpose Bridge---on the basis of the CPT, what does this teach about God, fallen humanity, Jesus (focus on
then); what does God want my people to know, do (focus on now). This needs to match the purpose of the
passage and meet the needs of the audience.
God
Preserves & Blesses because He Promises
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Fulfills what He promises
May bless His people
Fallen Humanity
Envies and opposes the blessing of God
Jesus
Do
Be strong in the faith to live in obedience to God rather than act shamefully in fear
Preserve marriage
Don’t make a mockery of the Blessing
Live so the world acknowledges the presence of God in our lives
Live in God’s provisions & proclaim His goodness in worship (My God shall supply all your needs…)
Know
The blessing of Abraham had passed to Isaac & Jacob could obtain what he struggled for
The promise is developed and the blessing continues
This would be an encouragement to Israel to live in obedience to the Law
When the institution of marriage is decimated, society will soon deteriorate
Deception my lead others into sin and bring guilt before God
The Law kept the marriage safe
Faith boldly faces danger – Fear is a mockery of faith.
Sin tarnishes the household of faith.
The confident faith of God’s people will triumph over worldly antagonism
Feel
Central Proposition of the Sermon---the single unit of thought that binds together and gives meaning to all
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the particulars of the passage in a form that will communicate to my audience today by putting the theme
(what I’m talking about) and the thrust (what I’m saying about what I’m talking about) in full-sentence form.
CPS---
Structure the Sermon--Introduction
What will get their attention & introduce the theme?
Why is what the Bible says about this topic important?
What does my audience believe about this topic, value about this topic or how do they behave
in regards to this topic?
How is this relevant to today?
Where are we headed in the sermon?
What questions will my audience have about this theme?
What is the purpose of this message?
How do I get them into the text?
Main Body of the Sermon
State the Point (complete sentences that are present tense, application oriented and focused
on connecting them to the sermon title, CPT & CPS)
Anchor the point in the text (where in the text does this point come from)
Validate the point from the text (how does the text make this point)
Explain the point
Apply the point (how will my audience know when they have obeyed this)
Conclusion
What did I speak about?
What difference should it make?
What do I do with God’s claims in this sermon?
Inform the mind
Instruct the heart
Influence behavior towards godliness
Let’s talk about sibling rivalry…
1.
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