Introduction
‘Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek 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.’ Genesis 26:1-5
ISAAC AND ABIMELEK
Famines are very popular in the Scriptures, Genesis 12:10, and here there seems to be another one, which forced Isaac and his household to move to the territory of Abimelek, Genesis 26:1. This is possibly the same king which Abraham dealt with earlier, Genesis 20:1-18, although it’s possible that this is his son.
God now instructs Isaac not to go to Egypt, but live in the land where He tells him, Genesis 26:2. He tells him to stay in this land for a while, He will be with him and bless him Genesis 26:3. It seems that Isaac needed some kind of reassurance so, God reminds him of the promise he made to Abraham, that is his seed would be a blessing to all nations, Genesis 26:3-4 / Genesis 15:5 / Genesis 17:19 / Genesis 21:14.
Although Abraham didn’t do what was right all the time, his obedience became a great encouragement to his son, Isaac who also followed in his father’s example of obedience to God, Genesis 26:5. So Isaac stayed in Gerar, Genesis 26:6.
‘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 might kill me on account of Rebekah because she is beautiful.’ When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife, Rebekah. So Abimelek 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 Abimelek said, ‘What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.’ So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: ‘Anyone who harms this man, or his wife shall surely be put to death.’ Genesis 26:7-11
Someone once said that ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’, of which the meaning is obvious. Isaac repeats the sin Abraham his father did, Genesis 12:10-20 / Genesis 20:1-17. When men asked about Rebekah because of fear, he said Rebekah was his sister, instead of saying she was his wife, Genesis 26:7.
He feared that the men might kill him Rebekah was beautiful, Genesis 26:7. The customs of the day would actually make Rebekah, Isaac’s ‘sister’ in terms of the family lineage. Although we would use the word ‘cousin’. Isaac had been there a long time, and Abimelek looks from a window and sees Isaac caressing Rebekah, Genesis 26:8.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This was a dynastic title of early Philistine kings, leaving it unclear whether or not he was the same monarch who took Sarah. The time lapse makes it highly probable that the two were different kings.’
Abimelek summons Isaac and obviously didn’t understand any of this and knew that Isaac was lying, Genesis 26:9. Just like his father Abraham, Isaac seems to care more about his own life than he does for his wife. Isaac claiming that Rebekah was his sister is clearly a lie, which shows his lack of faith and a weakness of the flesh.
After been asked why he lied, Isaac tells Abimelek that he thought he might lose his life on account of Rebekah, Genesis 26:9. Remember that Isaac is a stranger in the land of a foreign king, and he knew that this king could claim any woman to be his wife, even to the point of killing the husband in order to take the woman to be his wife. As a result of Isaac’s lying, he is then rebuked like Abraham was by a pagan king, Genesis 26:10, and Abimelek ordered that no one was to touch either of them of they will die, Genesis 26:11.
‘Isaac planted crops in that 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. 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 Abimelek said to Isaac, ‘Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.’ Genesis 26:12-16
It appears the famine is now over, Genesis 26:1, as Isaac is now planting crops in the land, Genesis 26:12.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘If the famine mentioned earlier was due to drought, which is likely, the abundant rains that followed in the next year would have made such an abundance.’
The KJV uses the word ‘sowing’, and this is the first mention of seed-sowing in the Bible. Isaac was truly blessed by God and becomes very wealthy, he was blessed in his hard work, Genesis 26:12. The more he was blessed the wealthier he got, Genesis 26:13. He had so many flocks, herds and servants that the Philistines were jealous him, Genesis 26:14. All the wells that Abraham’s servants had dug years ago, Genesis 21:25, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth, Genesis 26:15.
But it seems that Isaac’s wealth, which was a sign of power and influence, really bothered Abimelek,. It bothered him and intimidated him to the point where he asks Isaac and his household to leave the land because he was afraid of being taken over, Genesis 26:16.
‘So, Isaac moved away from there and encamped 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 died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of freshwater there. But the herders of Gerar quarrelled with those of Isaac and said, ‘The water is ours!’ So, he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. Then they dug another well, but they quarrelled over that one also; so, he named it Sitnah. 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 up to Beersheba. 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. ’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.’ Genesis 26:17-25
After been told to move away, Isaac does so and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, and settled there, Genesis 26:17. As Isaac continued to dig wells, the problem was that the Philistines filled them in so that they would force Isaac to move away from their land.
He now reopens the wells that had been dug in the time of his father, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, Genesis 26:18 / Genesis 26:15. He also names them with the same names his father had given them, Genesis 26:18.
The well digging operations continue in the valley and they discovered a well of fresh water, Genesis 26:19. However, the herders of Gerar started arguing with Isaac’s herders claiming that the water was theirs, Genesis 26:20. So Isaac named the well Esek, which means dispute, Genesis 26:20. Another well is dug and once again they argued over it, so Isaac names this well Sitnah, meaning opposition, Genesis 26:21.
Notice that Isaac doesn’t make a big deal about aby of this, he simply moves on, but he does leave a reminder of the digging of the wells and the trouble it caused by those who came along and stole them.
Another well is dug and thankfully there was no arguing over it and so he names this one, Rehoboth, which means room, and he says, now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land, Genesis 26:22. Isaac now move to Beersheba, Genesis 26:23 / Genesis 21:30-31, where God tells him not to be afraid and reminds him of the promise he made to his father, Abraham, Genesis 26:24.
The NET Bible commentary, says the following.
‘The Abrahamic blessing will pass to Isaac. Everything included in that blessing will now belong to the son, and in turn will be passed on to his sons. But there is a contingency involved: if they are to enjoy the full blessings, they will have to obey the word of the LORD. And so, obedience is enjoined here, with the example of how well Abraham obeyed.’
In Beersheba, he builds an altar to God, calls on the name of the LORD, pitches his tent, and his servants dug another well, Genesis 26:25. Abraham was known for building altars and Jacob is known for pitching tents and building wells, God’s blessings were seen as wells.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Settlers could only continue to live in an area where there was a well. Wells were vital to the life of nomadic herdsmen. While there was probably at least one well at Beersheba already, Isaac dug another for his own use, or perhaps because he needed more water. His ability to dig wells indicates both his wealth and his intention to establish permanent residence in the land.’
‘Meanwhile, Abimelek 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?’ 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 that you will do 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.’ Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. Early 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 him about the well they had dug. They said, ‘We’ve found water!’ He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.’ Genesis 26:26-33
Abimelek now comes to visit Isaac from Gerar, and notice he brings Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces with him, Genesis 26:26.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following concerning the name Ahuzzath.
‘Friend of the King’ was a title for the King’s advisor, and his presence here represents an accretion to the royal bureaucracy, indicating a substantially later date than that of the visit of Abimelech I, also indicating the importance of this mission to procure a treaty with Isaac.’
Isaac is obviously sceptical as he asks Abimelek what the reason was for his visit, since he was hostile towards Isaac and sent him away, Genesis 26:27. Abimelek was wise enough to recognise that the Lord was with Isaac, Genesis 26:28, and so, he took the initiative to establish a covenant with Isaac, Genesis 26:28, knowing that Isaac was much stronger than he was. Abimelek wants reassurance that Isaac will not harm him just as they don’t plan to harm Isaac, Genesis 26:29. He is fully aware that Isaac is blessed by the LORD, Genesis 26:29.
To establish a covenant, promises were made, and a feast was given in order to celebrate the covenant, Genesis 26:30. The next morning Isaac and Abimelek swear an oath to each other and this time Isaac sends them away peacefully, Genesis 26:31.
Keil, in his commentary, says the following.
‘As this treaty made on oath between Abimelech and Isaac was only a renewal of the covenant made before with Abraham (and Abimelech I), so the name Beersheba was renewed by the well Sheba. The reality of this occurrence is supported by the fact that the two wells are still in existence!’
Information about another well is given to Isaac, this well has water in it, Genesis 26:32, and Isaac names this well Shibah, which means oath or seven, and the name of the town is Beersheba, meaning well of oath or well of seven, Genesis 26:33 / Genesis 21:31.
‘When Esau was forty years old, he 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.’ Genesis 26:34-35
Esau marries Judith and Basemath, Genesis 26:34, a pagan women, the very women he knew would upset his parents, Genesis 24:3 / Genesis 28:6, which again shows us the real character of Esau. Notice they were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah, Genesis 26:35.
Esau had no real respect for his parents or his parent’s heritage and because of this, he has slowly drifted away from God and His will, 2 Corinthians 6:14.
Sailhamer, in his commentary, says the following.
‘These preliminary notices in Genesis 26:34-35, put into perspective the cunning deed of Jacob and Rebekah. They demonstrate that Esau was not fit to inherit the blessing.’