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Isaac: Blessed and Tested

Abraham had been the recipient of some extraordinary promises – does that mean that everything will be easy for Isaac? Will those promises be established automatically?

For us the question to be asked is: Why should we respond to the promises God makes to us in His word?

Trying times come again to the Land of Promise – another famine strikes the Promised Land - and the LORD instructs Isaac as to what he is to do. These instructions are accompanied by the confirmation of the promises given to Abraham – they will now apply to Isaac.

-           I will be with you and bless you

-           I will give these lands to you and your offspring that I will greatly multiply

-           I will establish the oath I made with Abraham

-           I will cause all nations to be blessed through your offspring

All this will be done "because of Abraham…" hence for Isaac all is of grace and yet he must respond personally with the obedience of faith!

God has made His promises nevertheless Isaac must himself walk the walk of personal responsibility – he cannot rely on the fact of having Abraham as his father, he too must respond with personal faith and trust in the LORD.

When we turn to the pages of the NT we find that family attachments remain a deceptive ground of hope:.

Lk.3:8 – John the Baptist said "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father."

Jn.8:33 – Jesus had a discussion with various Jews they protested saying: “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?"

39-40 "They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.

Gal.3:7-9 – Paul "Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."

Isaac is called upon to imitate his father Abraham by trusting the LORD. He must express that trust in actively obeying what he is told to do yet in this case it will involve Isaac in not blindly copying what Abraham did even though to do so might appear both logical and the natural thing to do! When famine came in Abraham's day he went to Egypt – Isaac must not do that even though such a procedure would seem so natural; Isaac has been told to stay put in the Land of Promise.

And that is what Isaac does.

The next thing we learn that temptation is not determined by geography. Nor does present obedience mean that temptation will not trouble us. Remember there is nothing sinful about being tempted – the sin begins when we harbour temptation and give way to it!

Isaac is troubled in just the same way his father had been. He is fearful for his life and that because he had an attractive wife! Was Isaac aware of how his father had proceeded in the past? If he was what a warning that is to us about the influence we might exert on others in particular members of our own families!

Isaac has just heard glorious reaffirmations of the LORD's covenant promises and he fails to take this into consideration. There is a world of difference between "hearing the word and doing it". Isaac has heard the word but completely fails to reckon upon the implications of that word or to trust in it.

If we are tempted to be critical of Isaac let us take heed to ourselves for we too can all too easily waver in faith and fail to apply God's word to our own situations. How weak we believers can be! How inconsistent and illogical our attitudes and behaviour!

So Isaac was worried for his wife Rebekah and for his own security – but he needn't have worried. No-one approached his wife. (Hadn't the LORD made promises to Isaac?) Then the truth of Isaac's relationship with Rebekah comes out into the open. Don't you think that Isaac has now landed himself in hot water? He was fearful for his life and now he's antagonised those of whom he was afraid! Abimelech is annoyed and argues the "What if…" case scenario.

And yet all that Abimelech does is to issue an edict that Isaac and his wife are not to be touched!!

Now in an increasingly hostile context for Isaac the LORD's blessing upon his life becomes apparent v.12. Indeed much of the rest of the chapter is a further development of this theme of God's blessing upon Isaac and his family.

The matter of blessing is not however without its own trials. We'll look at how being blessed by the LORD led (at least for a time) to increased friction, tension and hostility.

The blessing of God is often portrayed in material blessing in the OT. We need to remember that the people of God were in their infant phase and were treated accordingly though even in the OT there is nevertheless a desire for that "better, heavenly country" Heb.11:16. In the NT era the spiritual dimensions of the blessings of God become predominant. Material and physical blessing is seen to be symbolic of more durable spiritual blessing. In the NT treasure is spoken of, treasure in heaven and believers are encouraged to set their sights not on the riches of this world but to seek in first place the Kingdom of God.

In v.12 the LORD blesses Isaac very greatly in material terms – his crops prosper and the famine is quickly forgotten. And now the very prosperity the Lord has given Isaac becomes the source the source of a problem for Isaac – it provokes envy and Abimelech moves to get rid of Isaac.

Such hostility should come as no surprise to Isaac – after all the wells that his father Abraham had dug years before when he was in the region had been stopped up by the locals. What a stupid thing that was to have done – what a dog-in-the-manger attitude – but then opposition to the Christian faith is often like that. And just remember the importance that water is in the Middle East.

Indeed the effort that had gone into blocking up those wells seems to be an attempt to eradicate from the land any trace of Abraham's presence. How will the promises of God stand up to it all? Here is Isaac in the land but he too is now being hounded. How will he respond? What will God do?

Well as Abimelech wants him to move away Isaac accedes to his request. He moves off and reopens some of the wells Abraham had had dug – that choice was in itself wise, digging where water would most certainly be found!

Note that the continuity of blessing is underlined as Isaac gives theses wells they had originally had in his father's day. But hostility still dogs his heels. What should be blessing turns into another source of contention. So Isaac moves on again.

And you know what just the same happens all over again!

It is a real testing time for Isaac. He has the LORD's promises but what he sees and experiences doesn't match up. Is he going to be hounded forever – perhaps he should take a stand and fight – but no he simply gets up and moves on again.

The NT encourages us when we're in similar circumstances not to inflame the situation by rash behaviour: you know the verse in Rom.12:18 don't you:

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."

Well that's just what Isaac was doing wasn't it?

He has the promises of God and even if the appearances are all to the contrary he can continue to live trusting the LORD to act in due course.

Another is necessary and then, this time, as the new well is dug, there is no strife!!

Trials eventually come to an end. Do you know what the NT has to say about this?

1Cor.10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

Isaac calls the well Rehoboth – "broad places" – and explains the reason for the name – it is because the LORD had made room for them!

By now Isaac seems to have re-adopted a nomadic lifestyle again and so he continues his journeys to Beersheba. He has been through a pretty gruelling time and it is now that he has come through it that the LORD comes to him and reassures him with further confirmation of the promises that had been originally made to Abraham. Once again Isaac is reminded of grace – he is blessed not for what he has done but because of Abraham whom God had earlier chosen!

How do you respond when the LORD confirms His promises? When He answers prayer etc? How easy it is to take it somehow for granted, as our natural right. Isaac responded with the same type of response that his father had offered when alive. He built an altar and called on the name of the LORD. He worships and demonstrates his trust in his God.

And blessings continue as yet another well is dug!! v.25.

Abimelech now appears once more on the scene. He has seen just how Isaac is prospering wherever he turns and recognizes that this is due to the Lord being with Isaac. Surely this should be true of every believer – do people take note that we have been with Jesus?

And so Abimelech doesn't like the idea of being an enemy of such a favoured man and so proposes that he and Isaac enter into a pact. It is clear that Abimelech had acted with hostility towards Isaac earlier – Isaac interprets that hostility as hatred and says so! So Abimelech has to put a bit of spin upon the past as he tries to excuse himself. See how he tries to reinterpret the way he treated Isaac – v.29 – yes we sent you away but it was in peace and we never touched you or did you any harm.

It would have been easy enough for Isaac to contest his interpretation of the facts but he doesn't bother. Abimelech has recognized the hand of the LORD in Isaac's life. So a peace treaty is signed after a feast has been shared.

Blessing continues in Isaac's life because we are told that another well has been successfully dug!

The chapter ends with something of a jarring note and it comes as a sober reminder. Our trials and griefs will never be finally solved on earth in this life.

We are told that categorically in the NT:

Acts 14:22 ""through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

But there is a time and a place where all such will be left behind and finally forgotten:

Rev.21:4 "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

But for the moment we leave Isaac and Rebekah suffering in the family environment as Esau makes unwise choices concerning a wife, indeed two wives! These women are part of the local anti-God scene and Esau's choice once more demonstrates his total disregard for the spiritual blessings which were so close at hand!

But we leave Isaac who has been so blessed experiencing bitterness because of Esau's wives.

May God grant us all a clear understanding of trials and of blessings. May He enable us to focus on what is important and not to expect lasting blessing in the wrong place!

Amen.