Genesis 26:23-35 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Genesis 26:23-35. Let’s go!
Genesis 26:23-25 (NIV)
23 From there he went up to Beersheba.
24 That night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”
25 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.
On verses 23-25: One thing Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, three generations of men, had in common was that after hearing God speak, each of them would build an altar to God and call on His name. It’s a reminder to me that:
1. God wants to personally speak to people in every generation. You were made not simply to hear about God from the generation before you. You were made to personally hear from God yourself and to worship Him.
2. Just as Isaac pitched his tent and dug a well in the same place where he worshiped God and heard from God, so may you choose to live near God’s presence every day, make worship your priority, and seek to add more blessings and prosperity to the place where you worship and hear from God.
Genesis 26:23-31 (NIV)
26 Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.
27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?”
28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’–between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you
29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.”
30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
31 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.
On verses 26-31: On behalf of the Philistines, Abimelech reaches out to Isaac. After having made trouble for Isaac, Abimelech admits that he and his Philistines saw that God was with Isaac. I believe Abimelech and the Philistines saw that God was with Isaac not just because of how much Isaac was materially blessed, but also by the honourable way he responded to the trouble his enemies caused him. So Isaac and Abimelech make peace with one another, entering into a treaty to say that they will not harm one another. Isaac holds a feast for Abimelech and his men, and they part ways in peace.
What can we learn from this?
1. When you handle opposition and pressure in the right way, even your enemies will one day – maybe not right away but one day – see and acknowledge that God was with you.
2. Whereas Isaac could have chosen to hold a grudge against the Philistines, Isaac instead chose to forgive and make peace. Who is someone you need to forgive and make peace with today?
Genesis 26:32-33 (NIV)
32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!”
33 He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.
On verse 32-33: The same day that Isaac makes peace with Abimelech and the Philistines, Isaac’s servants discover water under the well they had dug. On the day you forgive your enemies and make peace with them, that is the day when you will discover new blessings.
Genesis 26:34-35 (NIV)
34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
On verses 34-35: At 40 years old, Isaac married Rebekah who was a woman of faith who trusted the Lord and who was a blessing to Isaac’s family (Genesis 25:20). When Esau reaches the same age of 40, Esau chooses to marry two pagan women who most likely did not worship the Lord, and who would be a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
What can we learn from this? The choice of who you marry (if you decide to marry) is incredibly important and will impact not just you but your entire family. May God give you wisdom to decide wisely whether to marry and who to marry. If you do choose to marry, marry someone who loves the Lord and who reflects God in her character, for they will be a blessing to you and your family.
Heavenly Father, thank You that when I choose to forgive, I stop living in the past and I discover peace and new blessings in my life. Please strengthen me today to live wisely for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
