God’s Presence with Isaac

Genesis 26:1-35

In Genesis 25 we were introduced to Jacob and the attention of the narrative will more fully turn to him in Genesis 27. But here in Genesis 26 Moses interrupts Jacob’s story by giving us more information about Isaac, Jacob’s father. This is the only chapter in Genesis that focuses primarily on Isaac. While he has played a role in the chapters about Abraham, the focus of attention was not on him. Isaac will also figure in the chapters about Jacob, but again, the narrative largely turns its attention to Jacob, not Isaac. So most of what we know about Isaac comes from Genesis 26. Moses has given us the stories in Genesis 26 to make the connection between Abraham and Jacob. Isaac is that connection.

Robert Rayburn has pointed out that the biblical authors were highly skilled at using their narratives to not only teach history, but also theology (Rayburn). They use a number of literary methods to convey their point. One of those methods is chronological displacement, that is, when the author purposefully places an account out of chronological order. Most of the events of Genesis 26 seem to have taken place before the births of Rebekah’s twins and Esau selling his birthright to Jacob that we just saw in Genesis 25. If Isaac and Rebekah had already had their sons by this point, the fact that they were husband and wife would have been obvious. The reason for placing this out of order is to connect God’s covenant with Abraham to God’s covenant with Jacob or Israel. In Genesis 27 Jacob will deceive his father Isaac to receive the covenantal blessing. Isaac bestows this blessing because Genesis 26 shows that God had given the same covenant blessing of Abraham also to Isaac.

Another literary method that Moses uses in Genesis 26 is parallelism. This chapter is full of stories about Isaac that mimic Abraham’s story. In the providence of God many of the same things that happened to Abraham, also happened to Isaac. Some of this is probably to be expected since they were both nomadic herdsman by trade and were living as pilgrims in a land that other’s claimed. Famines, conflicts about water, and making treaties were predictable for men in their lifestyle. But Moses seemed to pick out exactly those facets of Isaac’s life that paralleled Abraham’s life.

Genesis 26 contains a number of striking parallels between Abraham and Isaac (Deron J. Biles).

Both Abraham and Isaac receive God’s promise of blessing (Gen 12:1-3; 26:1-5).
Both Abraham and Isaac experienced a famine (Gen. 12:10, 26:1).
Both Abraham and Isaac had wives who were described as “beautiful” (Gen. 12:11; 24:16; 26:7).
Both Abraham and Isaac were afraid they would be killed on account of their wife (Gen. 20:11; 26:7), so they lied to the king of Gerar (who is also named “Abimelech” in both accounts) claiming that their wives were their sisters (Gen. 20:2; 26:9).
Both Abraham and Isaac were rebuked by Abimelech for their deception (Gen. 20:9-10; 26:9-10). Death is decreed upon any man who would touch Sarah or Rebekah (by God in Gen. 20:7; by the king in Gen. 26:11).
Both Abraham and Isaac prospered in the land (Gen. 13:2; 26:12-14) and that prosperity brought conflict (Gen. 13:7; 26:14).
Both Abraham and Isaac had disputes with Abimelech over wells they dug. (Gen. 21:25; 26:15-20).
Both Abraham and Isaac built altars and called on the name of the LORD (Gen. 12:8; 21:33; 26:25).
Both Abraham and Isaac entered into a treaty with the king of Gerar at Beersheba (Gen. 21:32; 26:28).
For both Abraham and Isaac, the second born son was the child of promise (Gen. 21:12; 25:23).
For both Abraham and Isaac, their first born son married outside of their family (Gen. 21:21; Gen. 26:34-35).

The similarities between Abraham’s life and Isaac’s life go on and on. The point is that “Isaac was now standing in Abraham’s place.” (Rayburn). God arranged the life of both Abraham and Isaac to confirm that the covenant relationship with Abraham had been passed on to Isaac. The LORD was with Isaac in the same way that He was with Abraham.

R. Kent Hughes has pointed out that Genesis 26 is structured around three declarations of God’s presence (Genesis: Beginning and Blessing, Crossway, p. 340). The first is in Genesis 26:3, “Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you.” It is a promise about Isaac’s future in the land of promise, “I will be with you.” The second is found in Genesis 26:24 where the LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you.” This one is in the present tense, “I am with you.” The third statement of God’s presence with Isaac actually comes from the lips of the pagan king Abimelech in Genesis 26:28, “We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you.” The LORD has been with Isaac. The stress is on the covenant relationship that Isaac has with the LORD God.

1. God’s presence in spite of sin (Gen. 26:1-11)

Genesis 26 opens with a famine in the land and reminds us of the famine in the days of Abraham, “There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.” (Gen. 26:1). It seems that Isaac had decided to go to Egypt like his father had done in the earlier famine. Unlike Canaan which was dependent on rainfall, Egypt could withstand a famine-causing drought better because of irrigation from the Nile River. It was the logical place to go.

But the LORD intervenes with Isaac, preventing him from making the same mistake of leaving the promised land that Abraham had made in going to Egypt., “Then the LORD appeared to him and said: ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands’” (Gen. 26:2-3). This is the first time we see the LORD appeared to Isaac and spoke to him. When God first called Abraham, He called him to go; when God first appeared to Isaac, He called him to stay.

God’s promises are the same that He made to Abraham: that He will be with Isaac and bless him and give the land to his descendants. Notice that these promises are not based on Isaac’s performance, but on the LORD’s faithfulness because of His relationship with Abraham: “… and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” (Gen 26:3-5). In Abraham, the LORD had an obedient covenant partner. The fivefold description of Abraham’s obedience (obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws) foreshadows the law that God would give to Israel through Moses as a part of His covenant (Deut. 11:1).

It appears that the Lord wrote His laws on Abraham’s heart long before He ever wrote them on tablets of stone or on a scroll through Moses (Grant). Thus, Abraham was a forerunner of believers in the new covenant, who have God’s law written on their hearts (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:10). Isaac also shows himself to be obedient to the LORD: He listens to the LORD, defies the famine, and remains in the Promised Land, “So Isaac dwelt in Gerar” (Gen. 26:6).

So far, so good for Isaac. But just like his father, after receiving these great promises from God, Isaac faltered in his faith. Strange as it may seem, the same old fear of men and the same old sin of deception repeats in Isaac. If nothing else, this shows that Isaac was his father’s son. Afraid for his own security, Isaac passed off his wife Rebekah as his sister. This event resembles both incidents when Abraham lied about Sarah (in Egypt, Gen. 12:10-20; and in Gerar, Gen. 20:1-18). However, three differences stand out. First, Sarah actually was technically Abraham’s half-sister; Rebekah was not Isaac’s sister, but his cousin. Second, Sarah was actually taken to the king of Gerar’s house; Rebekah was not taken. Third, the king of Gerar financially blessed Abraham after the LORD prevented him from sinning against Sarah (Gen. 20:14); the text does not record that Isaac received any financial recompense from the king of Gerar. Instead, it is the LORD who prospers Isaac (Gen. 26:12).

There’s a clever word play in the Hebrew of Genesis 26:8, which says that “Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife.” The King James Version quaintly translates it, “sporting with his wife Rebekah.” The word comes from the same root word translated “Isaac,” which means “he laughs.” Steven Cole wrote that Howard Hendricks, one of his seminary professors commented, “Whatever this sport was, it’s obvious that you don’t play it with your sister. And Isaac was a real pro at the sport—in fact, the sport was named after the guy!”

What does this repeated story of fear and deception show us? One thing it teaches is that “God’s covenant promises are based on grace, not on works. God wants us to obey Him, and He blesses those who obey. But at the same time, He wants us to remember that His sovereign purposes do not depend on our obedience, but rather, on His sovereign grace.” (Cole). Immediately after this episode, the Lord greatly blessed Isaac. God was with Isaac in spite of his sin because God’s presence was based on His own faithfulness to the covenant, not Isaac’s.

Next we see…

2. God’s presence in abundance and adversity (Gen. 26:12-25)

God had promised to guide Isaac to the place where he should dwell (Gen. 26:2). Little did Isaac realize just how God was to lead him back to the place of His promise and presence. God would allow both abundance and adversity into Isaac’s life. We won’t take the time to go through all these verses but just notice Isaac’s abundance in Genesis 26:12-14:

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. ¹³ The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; ¹⁴ for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.

God richly blessed Isaac, but this blessing also brought adversity. Out of envy the Philistines dealt treacherously with Isaac stopping up the wells that his father Abraham had dug (Gen. 26:15,18) and challenging Isaac’s claim on those that he reopened (Gen. 26:20-21). The names of the wells indicate intense conflict: Esek (Gen. 26:20) means “quarrel” or “contention”; and Sitnah (Gen. 26:21) means “enmity” or “hostility.” Rather than continue to fight over the water, Isaac moved on. Eventually Isaac found a place that was “spacious” where there was “room” in Rehoboth saying, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land” (Gen. 26:22). God’s providence was guiding Isaac through adversity to where He wanted him to be.

Finally, moving again Genesis 26:23 reports, “Then he went up from there to Beersheba.” This time it is not adversity which the LORD uses to push Isaac to another place. Instead, it seems that Isaac moved south in order to dwell in the place where Abraham had fellowshipped with God (Gen 21:33) near where Isaac had prayed in Genesis 24:63. It was there, that very night he arrived, that the LORD appeared to Isaac the second time saying, “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 My servant Abraham’s sake.” (Gen. 26:24).

Again, the LORD promised His presence with Isaac. This would include blessing and multiplying of his descendants. Notice Isaac’s response (Gen. 26:25): “So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.” “Previously the touchstone for knowing the will of God had been circumstances—in particular, Isaac stayed wherever he dug a well, found sufficient water, and was not opposed. Yet in this verse the sequence of events is reversed. First Isaac built an altar; then he worshipped, after which he pitched his tent. Finally, he dug a well.” (Deffinbaugh). Isaac’s priorities have been ordered by the LORD.

Isaac had learned both through abundance and through adversity that God was present with him. Paul also learned that lesson as he wrote to the Philippians, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It is the Lord who is with us who gives us contentment in all circumstances.

Finally we see…

3. God’s presence as a witness to the nations (Gen. 26:26-35)

In this last section we see Abimelech coming to make a treaty with Isaac. When he was in very close contact with Abimelech and the Philistines, the blessing of God on Isaac was present (cf. Gen. 26:12). The response of the people of the land was envy and animosity. They asked Isaac to leave their country. Now they were willing to come all this way simply to enter into a treaty with Isaac.

Why? Genesis 26:28-29 Abimelech says, “We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.’”

Abimelech and his people recognized through all their interactions with Isaac that the LORD was with him. “The Lord’s provision for Isaac in the face of famine and opposition opened Abimelech’s eyes. After his initial encounter with Abimelech, Isaac nurtured the kind of faith that allowed the Lord’s presence to be seen in his life. Through failure, famine and conflict, his faith was nourished.” (Grant).

So Abimelech proposed a treaty similar to that which his predecessor had made with Abraham. Isaac becomes a blessing to Abimelech foreshadowing the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise that “in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 26:4).

Isaac commemorated this by naming the well again after the same name that Abraham had given it: “So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day” (Gen. 26:33). Shebah can mean “seven” or “oath,” thus Beersheba means well of the oath. Isaac knew the LORD had been with him and had confirmed His covenant with him. Like Abraham, Isaac’s seed would bless the world.

Of course the New Testament fulfillment of this great promise is Jesus Christ, the seed of Abraham, the descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is He through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Jesus is the One who will give His life a ransom for many. He is the One who was raised from the dead and gives life to all who believe in Him. Jesus is the One who gives the living water of the Holy Spirit so that we will never thirst again. He is the One who has promised to be “with you always even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

If you have come into His New Covenant by the blood of Jesus, just like Isaac you can know that the Lord will be with you. He will be with you in spite of your sin because He paid for it on the cross. He will be with you in abundance and adversity because He always lives to intercede for us. He will be with you as you fulfill His great commission to make disciples of all the nations because He empowers you through His Holy Spirit who lives in you.