| Subject: Genesis 26 vss. 23-33 Post 136 |
Author:
Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 13:58:45 09/05/10 Sun
Genesis 26:23-33 And he went up from thence to Beersheba. 24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. 25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well. 26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army. 27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? 28 And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; 29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD. 30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. 31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water. 33 And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
From Rehoboth to Beersheba, Isaac's nomadic life moves him from place to place to keep his flocks fed. Isaac is in a time of peace with man and God at this point in his life and God appears to him as he arrives at Beersheba. The words "fear not, for I am with thee" must have brought great comfort to Isaac on the night of his arrival at Beersheba. After the strife with the servants of Abimelech Isaac must have wondered if God was still with him. Many times is it so with our own lives as we face trials. We wonder if God is still with us and it brings relief and joy to hear the inner voice remind us "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. " (Heb. 13:5)
Isaac is reminded again of the special relationship God had with his father. Isaac may have wondered if God would have come to him as he did if it wasn't for that relationship God had with his father for the words wer "I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake." God did not address Isaac as "I am your God". This relationship God calls attention to time and again in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Paul especially calls attention to the faith of Abraham in the Book of Romans (Rom. 4:16-22) and in the Book of Hebrews (Heb. 11:8-19)
What transpires next and the conversation between Isaac and and Abimelech is very telling and is indicative of the present history. Abimelech, Ahuzzath and the commander of Abimelech's army, Phichol come to Isaac to make a peace treaty. Abimelech has basically invited Isaac out of his country and must have started mulling over in his mind whether Isaac would be bitter. The reason then for the desire for a peace treaty is FEAR!. More to the point it was the fear of Isaac's God. Abimelech was aware of the strength of Abraham because God was with him and he also recognized that God was with his son. Abimelech also vividly remembered the warning God gave him concerning Sarah when Abraham passed her off as his sister. (Gen. 20:3-7)
The only reason that the Arabs, Egyptians, Palestinians, Jordanians etc. ever make a peace treaty with Israel today is because of fear. Remember what happened to all of the armies that came against Israel in 1948. Israel was woefully outnumbered and ill equipped to defend herself yet Israel decisively defeated all who came against her. Her enemies knew in their hearts that God was fighting for Israel. Remember the Six Day War when Israel retook Jerusalem and her enemies sued for peace for fear that Israel would retake all her land. Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
As Isaac was willing for peace he agreed to the oath between them. Israel has always been ready for peace. It is her enemies that will make peace and then when they think they have finally achieved the upper hand in strength will attack her again.
As Abimelech departs in peace the servants of Isaac come to him with the news that God has again blessed them with water. This would have been taken as another sign that God was with them. Isaac names the well "the well of the oath" or Beersheba.
This location is of significant importance as it was from this location that Abraham set out to offer up Isaac and it was from here that Jacob started his journey to Haran where he met Rachel and worked 14 years to earn her hand in marriage. It denoted the southern most border of Israel as seen in Judges 20:1 with Dan named with Beersheba thus marking the southern most and northern most borders.
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