One, Genesis chapter 26, right at the beginning of the Bible.
Now as I read, we're going to read all of chapter 26.
As I do, I want you to think a little bit with me.
You know we've been looking at the life of Abraham from Genesis 12 through to chapter 25.
Just think about all that you learnt about Abraham.
And as we read chapter 26, I want you to compare and contrast the life of Abraham and Isaac.
So see if you can see any differences between the two.
And see if you can spot anything similar or the same experiences that they went through.
So as I read, try and do a bit of comparing, contrasting work.
Let's read chapter 26, starting at verse 1.
Now there was a famine in the land.
Besides the previous famine in Abraham's time.
And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines in Gerar.
The Lord appeared to Isaac and said,
Do not go down to Egypt.
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.
For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands
and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.
I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and will give them all these lands
and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.
Because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him
keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.
So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
When the men of that place asked him about his wife,
he said,
She is my sister.
Because he was afraid to say,
She is my wife.
He thought,
The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah
because she is beautiful.
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.
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.
Then Abimelech said,
What is this you have done to us?
One of the men might have slept with your wife
and you would have brought guilt upon us.
So Abimelech gave orders to all the people,
Anyone who harms this man or his wife
shall surely be put to death.
Isaac planted crops in that land
and in the same year
reaped a hundredfold
because the Lord blessed him.
The man became rich
and his wealth continued to grow
until he became very wealthy.
He had so many flocks and herds and servants
that the Philistines envied him.
So all the wells that his father's servants
had dug in the time of his father Abraham,
the Philistines stopped up,
filling them with earth.
Then Abimelech said to Isaac,
Move away from us.
You have become too powerful for us.
So Isaac moved away from there
and camped in the valley of Gerar
where he settled.
Isaac reopened the wells
that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham,
which the Philistines had stopped up
after Abraham had died
and gave them the same names
his father had given them.
Isaac's servants dug in the valley
and discovered a well of fresh water there.
But the herdsmen of Gerar
quarrelled with those of Isaac
and said,
The water is ours.
So he named the well
Essek
because they disputed with him.
Then they dug another well
but they quarrelled over that one also.
So he named it Sitna.
He moved on from there
and dug another well
and no one quarrelled over it.
He named it Rehoboth
saying,
Now the Lord has given us room
and we will flourish in the land.
From there he went to Beersheba.
That night the Lord appeared to him and said,
I am the Lord God of your father Abraham.
Do not be afraid
for I am with you
and I will bless you,
will increase the number of your descendants
for the sake of my servant Abraham.
Isaac built an altar there
and called on the name of the Lord.
There he pitched his tent
and there his servants dug a well.
Meanwhile,
Abimelech came to him from Gerar
with Ahuzah,
his personal advisor
and Fickle,
the commander of the forces.
Isaac asked them,
Why have you come to me
since you were hostile to me
and sent me away?
They answered,
We saw clearly
that the Lord was with you.
So he said,
There ought to be a sworn agreement
between us,
between us and you.
Let us make a treaty with you
that you will do to us no harm,
just as we did not harm you,
but always treated you well
and sent you away peacefully.
And now you are blessed
by the Lord.
Well, Isaac then made a feast for them
and they ate and drank.
Early in the next morning,
the men swore an oath to each other.
Then Isaac sent them on their way
and they went away peacefully.
That day Isaac's servants came
and told them about the well
they had dug
and they said,
We found water.
He called it Sheba.
And to this day,
the name of the town
has been Beersheba.
Well, let's pray
and ask for God's blessing to us
as we think about this scripture.
Father, thank you.
Thank you for this ancient account
of the life of Isaac
and his relationship with you.
And we pray that as we look at it together,
we would encounter the same living God
who continues to bless his people.
Father, we do not want to go out of this building
being the same as what we came into it.
But we want to leave encouraged,
filled with confidence
in our trust in you,
changed in how we live our lives,
living for your glory.
So help us now
by the power of your Holy Spirit,
we pray.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, how did you get on
in your compare and contrast?
It sounds a bit like
kind of class time again,
doesn't it?
What was the difference
and what was the same
about the life of Isaac and Abraham?
Well, the only real difference is
their names.
One was called Abraham
and one was called Isaac.
Yes, they had wives
and their wives' names were different too,
but the rest is virtually the same.
That's what we're to see
in chapter 26.
Isaac's experience
is the same as Abraham's experience.
And to help you,
I've got a little chart
on the screen
that you can follow along.
This is what we're to see,
that they were the same.
They had the same experiences.
Look at verse 1.
Now there was a famine in the land
beside the previous famine
in Abraham's time.
So they both faced the same crisis.
No food and no water.
In fact, we'll discover
as we go through the account
that Isaac also faces
the same fears.
He's afraid his wife
will be taken
and he will be killed.
So he pretends
that Rebecca
is his sister.
The exact same thing
as his father had done.
And they also face
the same opposition
as locals fight
over access to water
and to wells.
And Isaac,
just like Abraham,
makes an agreement
with the surrounding nations.
So it seems that
there is a pattern
to life.
A pattern that can be
common to us all.
You see,
we might live in different times
and different places,
but there's a familiarity
to life.
We all face
different crises.
We all have
different kinds of fears.
We all have opposition.
But that's not all.
The main comparison
between Abraham
and Isaac
is God's
faithfulness.
God was faithful
to Abraham
and God is faithful
to Isaac.
In the familiarity
of life,
God is relentlessly
faithful.
You see,
generations may come
and go,
but God
remains the same.
He is consistently
and persistently
faithful.
He's loyal
and dependable.
You can count
on this God.
He's not going
to let you down.
He is the same God
yesterday,
today,
and forever.
So in the familiarity
of life,
let's see how God
is relentlessly
faithful.
four things
we're going to look
at.
Here's the first one.
Whoops,
how did that happen?
Well,
there you've got
them all at once.
No surprises.
So what's the crisis
as we remember
God's promise
in a crisis?
What's the crisis?
Well,
it's there in verse 1,
isn't there?
Now there was a famine
in the land.
Now we might
deface famine
ourselves,
but back in our
history,
in the nation of Ireland,
there was a terrible famine.
Thousands died
and over a million
people travelled
to the US
in search of a better life.
It's a normal
and understandable
response.
When you haven't
got food,
you move out
to go find it
somewhere else.
And that's exactly
what Isaac did.
Look at the rest
of verse 1.
He went to Abimelech,
king of the Philistines,
in Gerar.
But it seems
this was just
a stop-off point.
Isaac had plans
to take his family
down to Egypt
where food grew
in abundance
and water flowed
freely.
Now while understandable
to go down
to Egypt,
going down
to Egypt
was to walk
away
from God.
Look at verse 2.
Look at the warning.
The Lord
appeared to Isaac
and said,
Do not go down
to Egypt.
Live in the land
where I tell you
to live.
You see,
God had made
the promise
to Isaac's
father Abraham
that he would
have a land
for himself
and for his people.
So if they were
to head off
down to Egypt,
it would be
an act of
disobedience.
Egypt might have
solved an immediate
problem.
It would have put
food in the belly.
But it would
create a deeper
crisis
in his relationship
with God.
God
faithfully
reminds
Isaac
of his
promises.
That he is
a faithful
God.
In fact,
the same
promises he
had given
to his father
are now
repeated
personally
to Isaac.
Let's review
them very quickly.
Verse 3.
God says,
Stay in the land.
I will be
with you
and I will
bless you.
God promises
to be present
with his
people.
The rest of
verse 3.
Second promise
for you,
to you and your
descendants,
I will give
all these
lands.
So God
promises to
be present
and he promises
to give them
a place
to live.
There's a
third promise
in verse 4.
He says,
I will make
your descendants
as numerous
as the stars
in the sky.
So God
will be present,
he gives them
a place,
and he promises
them a big
people.
They will be
a great
people.
And then the
end of verse 4,
the last
promise.
And through
your offspring
all nations
on earth
will be
blessed.
Did you get
the promise?
God says,
I am going
to have a
people and
they will
be in
God's
place,
enjoying
God's
presence,
who in
turn are
going to
be a
blessing to
all the
nations
around them.
This is
the kind
of God
I am.
I made
that promise
to Abraham
and I'm
keeping that
promise and
this promise
is for you,
Isaac.
It's as if
God is coming
to Isaac
personally and
saying,
I am
your God
to.
I'm not
going to
fail you,
I'm not
going to
forget you
in your
crisis.
I wonder
what kind
of crisis
you are
facing
today.
Some
change in
your
experience
of life,
a trouble,
a concern.
And
sometimes
the only
option we
can see,
the only
solution we
can come
up with is
to do the
Isaac thing
and head
for Egypt.
Turn away
from God
and trust
our own
direction.
Well,
the right
response is
always to
obey God,
even if it
doesn't make
sense to
us.
So,
end of
verse 6,
or verse 6,
Isaac stayed
in Gerar.
He did
what God
had said.
He settled
down and
he confronted
his crisis
head on with
the promises
of God
ringing in
his ears.
And we
need to
hear that
same promise
today as
we go
through life,
whatever
crisis may
come,
listen to
the promise,
I will be
with you,
I will
never leave
you,
and I will
never forsake
you.
I am the
same yesterday,
today,
and forever.
You see,
in the
familiarity
of life,
God is
relentlessly
faithful.
He does
not forget
his people.
So,
remembering
God's promise
in a crisis.
Number two,
seeing God's
sovereignty
in our
fears.
As Isaac
settles down
in Gerar
with his
family,
he faces
another
challenge.
It seems
that the
kings in
that place
were known
to take
the wives
of visitors
and kill
off the
husbands.
So,
Isaac comes
up with
an old
family plan.
He did
exactly
what his
father had
done.
He told
porkies,
didn't he?
Look at
verse 7.
When the
men of that
place asked
him about
his wife,
he said,
oh,
she's my
sister.
because he
was afraid
to say,
she is
my wife.
He thought
the men
of this
place might
kill me
on account
of Rebecca
because she
was beautiful.
I mean,
that's what
happens when
men abuse
their powers
of position.
They take
as they
please.
So,
naturally
enough,
Isaac is
afraid
for his
life.
And we
might think,
well,
wasn't that
a clever
plan on
Isaac's
part?
No,
don't be
fooled by
his plan.
It's wrong
on two
counts.
First,
it seems
that he's
quite happy
to put
his own
wife in
danger
with all
these other
men to
save his
own bacon.
Not very
loving.
It seems
he's forgotten
his wedding
vows to
protect and
to cherish.
Second,
he's just
had a
personal
commitment
from God
who came
to him
and said,
I will
be with
you and
I will
bless
you.
And as
soon as
the challenge
comes,
it seems
he's forgotten
that promise
too.
His fears
are real,
but his
response to
those fears
are sinful.
Rather than
speak the
truth about
his wife,
rather than
trust God's
promise,
he does
what he
thinks is
best for
himself.
well,
so far
so good.
It seems
to be
working,
doesn't
it?
He's
keeping
his life.
However,
his plan
is about
to unravel.
Verse 8,
when Isaac
had been
there a
long time,
so this
has gone
over years,
Abimelech,
king of the
Philistines,
looked down
from the
window,
and what
did he
see?
Isaac
caressing
his wife,
Rebecca.
It seems
Isaac and
Rebecca's
secret
rendezvous
had raised
suspicion.
That's not
the way
brothers and
sisters behave
with each
other.
The game
was up.
Verse 9,
so Abimelech
summoned Isaac
and said,
she is really
your wife.
Why did
you say
she is
my sister?
His heart
has been
exposed.
Isaac is
a selfish,
out for
himself,
I know
better than
God sort
of guy.
But what
we need to
see here is
not just
his sinful
response to
his fears.
What we're
to see is
God's
sovereign care
over his
people despite
their sin.
Look at
verse 11,
so Abimelech
gave orders
to all the
people,
anyone who
harms this
man or
his wife,
shall be
put to
death.
The order
could have
been so
different from
the king.
The king
could command
anything.
He could
have said,
let's put
Isaac to
death and
we'll take
Rebecca.
But no,
God in his
sovereignty
preserves and
protects Isaac
and Rebecca.
in some
ways it
shouldn't
happen but
it does
because this
is the kind
of God
we have
who is
watching over
his people.
Now don't
you and I
have our own
fears?
We might
fear our
spouse being
taken by
somebody in
the town we
visit.
But don't
we have fears
about speaking
the truth and
declaring what
we believe.
Fearing how
people will
respond to
us.
Fears about
trusting God
to deliver on
his promises.
And like
Isaac, ashamed
to say it,
we've not
always responded
rightly.
Instead of
asking God to
strengthen our
faith and
enable us to
trust, well
we've adopted
the Isaac plan
haven't we?
We've told
lies.
But to our
astonishment
as we look
back over
our life, we
see God's
sovereign hand
of care upon
us, watching
out for us.
Of course, this
doesn't mean it's
a free pass to
sin and go,
it doesn't matter
what I do, God's
looking after me.
No, but doesn't
it amaze you?
Aren't you
amazed at how
God watches
over our life
even when we
make sinful
choices and
selfish decisions?
This is the
kind of God
we have who's
faithful to his
people.
You see, in the
familiarity of
life, God is
relentlessly
faithful.
Third,
experiencing God's
flourishing in the
opposition.
salvation.
Well, despite
Isaac's wobbles,
God continues to
bless.
This is the
faithfulness of
God.
Verse 12,
Isaac planted
crops in the
land and the
same year reaped
a hundredfold
because the
Lord blessed
him.
The man became
rich and his
wealth continued
to grow until
he became very
wealthy.
Now, that's
great for Isaac,
but there's a
problem when
you become
successful.
It breeds
enemies.
People don't
like you
anymore.
The locals
have had
enough.
Verse 14,
he had so
many flocks
and herds,
the servants
from the
Philistines
envied him.
So all the
wells that his
father's servant
had dug,
well, they
just filled
them up with
earth.
A little bit
of skull
duggery was
going on.
The message
was crystal
clear.
Isaac, pack
your bags and
get out of
town.
We don't
want your
sort round
here.
In fact, he
got his
marching orders
from the
king himself.
Verse 16,
Abimelech said,
move away from
us, you've
become too
powerful.
So Isaac
moved away
from the
people.
We would
think that's
the end of
the situation,
but it's
not.
It seems
the locals
wouldn't let
him settle.
Wherever
Isaac went,
they followed
as he
began to
dig wells
for water.
No sooner
had he
started than
the protesters
arrived.
No wells
here.
Down with
Isaac.
Save our
planet, or
whoever else
happened to
be there.
In fact, the
hostility was
so severe,
Isaac named
the wells,
we see this
in verse 19
and 20,
Essek and
Sitna.
Or in
English, we
would say
disruption and
opposition.
Now it's
not like
Isaac could
just head
off into
town and
buy some
water
himself.
No, this
was serious.
The water
supply had
been cut
off.
No water,
no life.
What's he
going to
do?
Well, he
would do
the thing
that we
would do
in a
desperate
situation,
dig another
well.
Would it
be different
this time?
Well, let's
see, verse
22.
He moved
on from
there and
dug another
well and
no one
quarreled
over it.
He named
it Rehoboth
saying,
now the
Lord has
given us
room or
given us
space and
we will
flourish in
the land.
You see,
once again,
we see the
faithfulness of
God at work
in the life
of Isaac.
All the
opposition,
but yet God
remains true.
But God
does even
more than
this.
He digs
him out
of an
even bigger
hole.
You see,
this is
God being
faithful to
his plan.
You see,
there was a
time when
God's people
were in
God's place
and they
enjoyed God's
presence.
They were
given all
that they
needed and
more.
All the
food they
wanted,
all the
water they
wanted.
In fact,
they flourished
in that land,
didn't they?
we know
it as
the
Garden
of Eden.
Adam and
Eve were
given those
clear instructions
to be
fruitful and
increase,
to fill the
earth and
to subdue it.
Man and
woman together
were to
expand the
borders of
Eden so
that humanity
might flourish
enjoying God
and displaying
his glory.
That was
the plan.
But enter
the opposition,
the serpent.
Instead of
flourishing,
the man and
woman failed.
Instead of
displaying God's
glory, they
rebelled and
took the glory.
But despite
all of the
opposition,
God remains
faithful to
his plan.
Fast forward
from the
Garden of Eden
to Isaac
digging wells
and we see
something of
God's faithfulness
being worked
out.
God's people
in God's
place,
enjoying God's
presence.
They have
been given
room,
they have
been given
space to
flourish in
the land
just as
God had
said.
You see,
sometimes we
see God's
faithfulness up
close and
personal.
Other times
we need to
take a bigger
step back and
see the bigger
picture and
see how God
is stubbornly
fulfilling his
plan for the
world because
he will always
have his
people in
his place,
enjoying his
presence so
that they
might flourish.
You see,
in the
familiarity of
life, God
is relentlessly
faithful.
people.
Fourth,
celebrating God's
blessing in
the nations.
So Isaac and
his family
continue to
flourish.
They live and
enjoy God's
presence.
His blessing is
being poured out
upon them.
But guess what?
God's blessing was
never to be
restricted to
Isaac.
God's promise
was always to
bless the
nations.
At first,
it seems
trouble is on
the horizon.
This time,
the heavy gang
have arrived,
verse 26.
The protesters
have gone home.
Now the big
guns have come
out, verse 26.
Meanwhile,
Abimelech had
come to him
from Gerar,
with Ahuzah,
his personal
advisor,
and fickle
the commander
of his
forces.
The military
might are
there.
Isaac asked
them,
why have you
come to me
since you
were hostile
to me and
sent me away?
Are you
looking for a
fight?
What's going
on here?
But Abimelech
hasn't come to
fight.
He's come to
be blessed.
Look at
verse 28.
They answered,
we saw
clearly that
the Lord
was with
you.
End of
verse 29.
And now
you are
blessed
by the
Lord.
Abimelech
has been
watching
Isaac's
life,
and he's
seen God's
goodness and
kindness to
Isaac,
and Abimelech
wants a
piece of
the pie.
You see,
God's people,
when they're
blessed,
and when
people look
in and see
the blessing
of God
upon them,
they are
also drawn
to God.
In Abimelech's
case, he
has a
plan.
Let's
read verse
28.
He
answered,
we saw
clearly that
the Lord
was with
you,
so we
said,
there ought
to be a
sworn agreement
between us
and you.
Let us
make a
treaty
with you.
So promises
are given
one to
each other,
agreements
are made,
documents
are signed.
Verse 30,
Isaac then
made a
feast for
them,
they ate
and drank.
Early the
next morning
the men
swore an
oath to
each other,
then Isaac
sent them
away,
and they
went
peacefully.
It seems
something of
God's blessing
has begun
to rub
off on
Abimelech.
He now
leaves a
blessed man.
He now
goes home
peacefully.
Abimelech
leaves having
tasted
something of
God's goodness
and kindness.
Now this
encounter
mightn't seem
much to us,
but on
reflection it
is something
huge to
celebrate.
The nations
are now
beginning to
be blessed
through Isaac,
through his
family,
as they
come into
contact with
God's
people.
And what
Abimelech
has just
experienced is
a foretaste
of the
ultimate
peace that
we can
have and
that we
can enjoy.
You see,
God had
made these
promises to
Abraham,
now he's
made these
promises to
Isaac,
that the
nations of
the world
would be
blessed
through their
family.
Look back
with me to
verse 4.
Remember
God's
promise,
the end
of verse
4?
God
says,
all
nations
on earth
will be
blessed.
Through
your
offspring,
all
nations
on earth
will be
blessed.
God
is saying
through
their
offspring,
a seed
would
come,
a son
who
would
bring
the
blessing
of peace
to
all
nations.
The New
Testament
makes that
clear to
us.
You can
see the
verse on
the screen.
The promises
were spoken
to Abraham
and to
his seed.
Scripture
does not
say,
and to
seeds,
meaning
many
people,
but,
and to
your
seed,
meaning
one
person
who is
Christ.
You see,
the promise
of blessing
and peace
is to
be found
in our
relationship
to Jesus
Christ.
You see,
it's as we
encounter
Jesus,
as we
come to
him,
we find
peace.
Through
Jesus,
through his
death for
our sins,
we gain
peace with
God and
we are
filled with
his peace.
So when
we face
into our
crisis,
when we're
overcome
by fears,
when we
experience
opposition,
we can
turn to
one who
fills us
with peace
and he
sends us
with his
peace.
Abimelech
saw in
Isaac
something of
God's
blessing
and he
was drawn
to it.
He
sought it
out.
He
longed
that he
could know
this
God
too.
I
wonder
what it
is as
people
look in
at the
community
of
Carigalline
Baptist
Church.
What do
they see?
Are they
drawn?
Are they
attracted
by what
the people
have?
You see,
as we
run to
Jesus,
we are
receiving
that peace
in our
guilt and
shame.
We enjoy
peace with
one another
as we
forgive
one another.
We
experience
peace
within our
own lives
as we
pray it
back to
God and
he fills
us
with
peace.
We
are a
people
who
are
flourishing
under
God's
blessing.
Through
Jesus we
have become
a community
of peace
where the
lost and
the broken
and the
hurting
are welcome
and can
come and
meet the
risen Lord
Jesus for
themselves.
The church
becomes a
refuge for
the nations
because the
church,
the people
of
Carigoline
Baptist
Church in
this context,
we are
God's
people in
God's
place,
experiencing
God's
presence so
that through
the church
the blessings
of Christ
might flow
to the
community
around us.
You see
in the
familiarity
of life
God
is
relentlessly
faithful.
He
doesn't
give up.
He
doesn't
forget.
He has
made His
promises and
He has
kept His
promises
throughout the
generations and
He is
keeping His
promise to
us today.
He is
faithful
and He
will cause
His people
to flourish.
We are
blessed.
Let's
pray.
Amen.
Father God,
we look
back over
our lives
and we
can see
so much
that is
perhaps
repeated,
so much
the same,
the endless
cycle of
familiarity,
the routine,
but yet
in every
step that
we take,
in all
that we
do,
you are
constant.
You never
change.
You are
persistently
and consistently
faithful.
You are
doing what
you have
promised.
You have
caused a
people to
exist
for your
glory.
help us
that we
might live
out this
life well,
that we
would become
an attractive
community
as we
share the
peace of
Christ with
those around
us.
Father,
we long
that by
your Holy
Spirit,
the lost,
the broken
and the
hurting
will find
a refuge
and a
place of
peace
amongst
your
people.
We pray
for your
Spirit to
be at
work and
we ask
it,
Lord,
for our
good and
for your
glory alone.
In
Jesus'
name,
Amen.
Well,
we're going
to sing
together
one hymn
that
summarises
what we've
been thinking
about.
Great is
thy
faithfulness,
O God,
my Father.
He is the
faithful God.
If you know
this God,
then I
encourage you
to sing it
out to
encourage
those around
you.
Let's
stand
together
as we
sing.