Genesis 26:1–18

The opening verse of this chapter connects itself with Genesis 12. "There was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham." The trials that meet God's people along the way are very much alike. They always show how far the heart has found its all in God. It is hard — and rare — to walk in such sweet fellowship with God that you become completely independent of things and people here.

The record clearly separates this famine from the "former famine" in the days of Abraham. The first tried Abraham, the leader; the second tried Isaac, the occupier. Abraham had turned aside through it, and gone down to Egypt. Isaac takes the same direction and goes to Abimelech, king of the Philistines. But God warns him there to go no further, and to stay in Gerar as a stranger.

There is a clear difference between Egypt and Gerar. Egypt stands for the world with its natural resources and its independence from God… Egypt lay further from Canaan than Gerar. In moral terms it also pictures a soul further from God… So Gerar was a step forward compared with Egypt. But it still lay within reach of very dangerous influences. Abraham got into trouble there, and so does Isaac in this chapter, and in the very same way. Abraham denied his wife, and so does Isaac. This is very solemn. Both father and son fall into the same evil, in the same place. That tells us plainly that the influence of that place was not good.

There was another famine in the land "besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham" (Gen. 26:1), and to both Abraham and Isaac Egypt seemed to be a way out of the trouble. God permitted Abraham to go. He used it to teach him — and His people in every age — the danger and loss of leaving the place where God has brought us. Grace alone can prevent that loss… God forbade Isaac: "Do not go down into Egypt, but dwell in the land that I will tell you of." Isaac's faith was not as strong as Abraham's. God would not let him be tempted beyond what he was able to bear. When God sends trial, He always gives grace to bring us through it.

Here we have Isaac's distinctive trial of faith. God called Abraham to leave his country, his relatives, and his father's house for the land that Jehovah would show him. And Jehovah did show him. But God charged Isaac not to leave. Isaac was to stay in that land as a stranger. This had its own difficulties, which grace does not spare.

Genesis 26:1-22 shows the weakness of Isaac's faith. Like Abraham, he would have gone down to Egypt during the famine if God had not held him back. And like his father, he shows weakness by denying his wife. Along with this, we have the faithful mercy of God which recovers him and gives abundant blessing.

What will Isaac do now? Where will he turn in this dilemma? Will his faith in God use this famine to put the all-sufficiency of God to the proof? Or will he look out for himself, and so let God show that the famine is too much for his faith?… God's eye and heart are always toward the child of faith, even when we are looking away from Him.

He may have thought that he had a precedent for it in the lives of his forefathers, who were men of faith. What did they do in similar circumstances? When the first recorded famine arose in the land of Canaan (compare Gen. 26:1), it is written, "Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there" (Gen. 12:10)… Again, Isaac sought refuge from famine in the land of the Philistines, a land not far off like Egypt, but next to it like Moab (Gen. 26:1)… Had he not Scripture in support of his plan? What more was needed?

Here we have Isaac's distinctive trial of faith. God called Abraham to leave his land, his relatives and his father's house, and go to the land Jehovah would show him — and He did show him. But God charged Isaac not to leave. He was to sojourn in that land. That had its own difficulties, and grace does not spare him from them... Jehovah plainly forbade it, so Isaac did not go down into Egypt, even under the pressure of famine in the land. Abraham, as we know, did go; but there he dishonoured Jehovah, his wife, and himself, however rich he became as a result.

Isaac always lives in the heavenly land. How well this fits the place of Christ as the risen Bridegroom is too plain to need further proof... "I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven." Not a word about the sand of the sea. As always, he is tied only to what is heavenly, as far as the picture goes... But it was only the shadow, not the real image. Sadly, the man who was only the type denies his relationship, which Christ never does. Isaac failed like Abraham before. Unbroken faithfulness is true of One only.

There is a clear difference between Egypt and Gerar. Egypt stands for the world with its own resources, living independently of God. "My river is my own" is the language of an Egyptian who did not know Jehovah... In distance, Egypt lay further from Canaan than Gerar; in moral terms, it pictures a soul further from God... So compared with Egypt, Gerar was a better position; but it still lay within reach of very dangerous influences. Abraham got into trouble there, and in this chapter so does Isaac, in exactly the same way.

This famine is clearly marked off from the "first famine," in the days of Abraham. The first tested Abraham, the leader; the second tested Isaac, the occupier... God there warns him not to go further, but to sojourn in Gerar. He lets him sojourn there, to test whether it can be done; but He adds, "dwell in the land of which I shall tell you." Isaac does not only sojourn in Gerar. He settles there, and his troubles start as a result. He has another lesson to learn here. However well he prospers in the land of the Philistines, he can never enjoy the peace and calm his soul wanted while he is mixed up with them.

God let Abraham go, and used it to teach him, and believers in every age, the danger and loss of leaving the place where God has brought us. Only grace can prevent that loss. When trouble now arises in the assembly of God, some are ready to leave it, hoping to escape. By leaving, they may get free of the one thing that dishonours the Lord, but they fall into something worse, and they also lose the blessing that belongs to the place they leave... Isaac's faith was not as strong as Abraham's, and God would not let him be tempted beyond what he could bear.

Heaven has claimed us, and the Father's house is our destination. When we appear with Christ in the glory of heaven, that will be the "revealing of the sons of God." Until then it is for us to remember words full of both warning and encouragement: "Do not go down to Egypt; … sojourn in this land, and I will bless you."

Perhaps Isaac had some thought of going on down to Egypt. We can think so because God appeared to him, telling him not to go there, but to remain in the land of promise (v. 2). He was not told to remain in one place, but to sojourn in the land. He could in this way count upon the blessing of the Lord for himself and his descendants.

This was a fresh call in new circumstances, for the Lord appeared to him again. He was not called to journey to a land, but to live where He would show him. He was not to look for natural resources (Egypt). He was not to go back, but to live by faith.

Here we have Isaac's distinctive trial of faith. God called Abraham to leave his land, his relatives, and his father's house for the land that the Lord would show him — and He did show him. But God charged Isaac not to leave, but to sojourn in that land. This had its own difficulties, which grace does not spare... So Isaac did not go down into Egypt, because the Lord had plainly forbidden it — not even under the pressure of famine in the land. Abraham, as we know, did go. But there he dishonoured the Lord, his wife, and himself, however rich he became as a result.

There is a manifest difference between Egypt and Gerar. Egypt is the expression of the world in its natural resources, and its independence of God... In distance, Egypt lay further from Canaan than Gerar did. In moral terms, it stands for a soul further from God... So compared with Egypt, Gerar was a step forward. But it still lay within reach of very dangerous influences. Abraham got into trouble there, and so does Isaac, in this chapter, and that, too, in the very same way.

He allows him to sojourn there, to test whether it can be done. But He adds, "Dwell in the land of which I shall tell you." Isaac not only sojourns in Gerar, but dwells there, and as a consequence his troubles begin. He has another lesson to learn here. However prosperous he may be in the land of the Philistines, he can never enjoy the peace and calm his soul wanted while he is mixed up with them.

The Lord takes such an interest in His people that He makes everything which concerns us His own concern. We only have to give Him glory by leaving Him to show that He needs the famine to prove how far above it He is. So God is seen coming down into the little circle of Isaac's doubts and fears to hold him up. He also lifts the hopes of this resurrection heir of promise into the full breadth and length of His own purposes for Isaac's descendants, and the possession of all the countries around him. What was the famine in the presence of such a God?

In Genesis 15 the promise rests on a covenant God made with Abraham, again without condition. It is an outright gift of the land... God confirms these promises to Isaac (Gen. 26:3-4) and to Jacob (Gen. 35:10, 12). Here are "the promises made to the fathers"... God makes them to Abraham, whether spiritual or earthly, without any condition.

God first gave the promise of blessing when His call first reached Abraham. This is in Genesis 12:3. Then in Genesis 18:18 He confirms it to him. Again, in Genesis 22:16-18 the promise grows fuller, and we discover that the fulfilment comes through "the Seed," who is Christ... Then further, He confirms the promise to Isaac and to Jacob, in Genesis 26:4 and Genesis 28:14; and both times "the Seed" appears. Once He enters, the Seed never drops out, because everything depends on Him for its fulfilment.

As God had said to Abraham, so He assures Isaac, "in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed" (v. 4). The "offspring" here is not their many descendants, for Galatians 3:16 insists, "It does not say, 'And to offsprings,' referring to many, but referring to one, 'And to your offspring,' who is Christ." Abraham is a picture of God the Father, and in His Son, the Lord Jesus, all nations will be blessed.

God speaks of multiplying Isaac's descendants "as the stars of heaven." He does not tell Isaac, as He does Jacob later, that his offspring would be "like the dust of the earth" (Genesis 28:14). This is because Jacob is seen as the father of Israel, while Isaac pictures Christ and stands out for His relationship to Rebekah, a picture of the church. Israel is God's earthly people, so the dust of the earth signifies their number. The church is heavenly, so the stars of heaven stand for it.

"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." It showed that they would be blessed as Gentiles — not by becoming Jews in effect; for the blessing would flow out to them as Gentiles. "So then those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."

It was no secret that the nations were to be blessed. That promise was as ancient as the one that gave Abraham's descendants their special place of honour. God repeated it to Isaac (Genesis 26:4) and again to Jacob (Genesis 28:14). A Jew should never have thought of the LORD's pledge of blessing to his race without remembering one thing: he himself was to be the channel of blessing to the nations.

The promise was absolute and unconditional. It announced that God Himself would accomplish the blessing through the one promised Seed, and that accomplishment depended on His own faithfulness alone... Such was the force of the unconditional promise made to Abraham. It made the blessing of the nations certain: the question of righteousness was not raised. God had promised to Abraham, and confirmed it to the one Seed. His faithfulness would perform it.

Genesis 26:1-22 shows the weakness of Isaac's faith. Like Abraham, he would have gone down to Egypt during the famine, but God restrained him. He shows the same weakness as his father in denying his wife. Along with this, we have the faithful mercy of God which restores him and gives abundant blessing.

Here Isaac replaces Abraham as heir on the earth. It is a new revelation, given while Isaac is himself in a strange land, like the one made to Abraham at the start. The difference is that Isaac was already connected with the calling of God, though he was not yet enjoying the promise. It was a fresh calling in different circumstances. He was not told to travel to a land, but to live where God would show him, and not to look for natural resources in Egypt. He was not to go back, but to live by faith.

Isaac and Jacob both differ noticeably from Abraham in their communion with God and in the power of faith. Nature was prominent in both: in Isaac, the weakness it produces; in Jacob, the cunning. God's communications to Isaac were not as intimate in character as to Abraham. The promise was renewed to Isaac, but it was "because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."

God adds here, "because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws" (v. 5). God never set this as a condition to Abraham. He says it after Abraham had lived his whole life. It shows the sovereignty of God: He knew beforehand what Abraham's character was, and Abraham's life proved it. God did not lay down any conditions to Isaac either.

God had found Abraham's heart faithful and made a covenant with him. Notice, this covenant was not conditional on Abraham's future faithfulness, but rested on the fact that Abraham had already proven faithful, so the promise was unconditional. This should have spoken deeply to the hearts and consciences of Israel, producing in them real concern for the honour of the Lord — a willing faithfulness rather than obedience forced by the regulations of law.

All this is so, though God had not yet published law or moral instruction. Revelation in matters of faith, working by the Spirit, formed the character of these fathers. No one commanded Abraham to build his altar or pitch his tent, but his call from God, through the Spirit, suggested both. No rule required his generous treatment of Lot; his faith and hope in God dictated and commanded it. No word or message from God marked the difference for him between the king of Salem and the king of Sodom. The light in him did.

So, in the blessing of Abraham in Genesis 22, the Lord closes with this: "because you have obeyed my voice." And Jeremiah takes up the word of the Lord to Israel through Moses: "For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them: 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.'"

In those days faith was still waiting for its Object and His work, and the best blessing lay in promise. Even then, the teaching God gave formed the heart and trained it to keep commandments that came from Him. They might come through a parent, and that was no doubt the right order in Israel. It goes back to their father Abraham: the Lord expressed His pleasure in the way Abraham commanded his children and his household to keep the way of the Lord, and to do justice and judgment. But what gave it divine value was that it was His teaching, and that the commandments were His. This alone sanctifies — obeying God, obeying His Word, the effect and proof of love.

There is a real difference between Egypt and Gerar. Egypt is the expression of the world in its natural resources and its independence of God. "My river is my own" is the language of an Egyptian. He did not know the LORD and never thought of looking to Him for anything. Egypt lay further from Canaan than Gerar in distance. It also pictures a state of soul further from God... It was, compared with Egypt, an advanced position; but it still lay within reach of very dangerous influences.

Isaac goes to the king of the Philistines, where he was still inside the boundaries of the land. There the LORD appeared to him. He forbade him to go "down to Egypt" and told him to "sojourn in this land." At the same time He promised to be with him and to bless him, and He renews to him the promises made to Abraham.

He allows him to stay there, to test whether it is possible; but He adds, "Dwell in the land of which I shall tell you." Isaac not only stays in Gerar, he settles there, and as a result his troubles begin. He has another lesson to learn here. He may prosper in the land of the Philistines. But he can never enjoy the peace and calm his soul longed for while he keeps company with them.

If Isaac had not gone to Abimelech, king of Gerar, he would have had no need to deny his wife. But the slightest turning aside from the right path brings on spiritual weakness. It was when Peter stood and warmed himself at the high priest's fire that he denied his Master.

Isaac was saved from going down into Egypt, where famine had driven his father. God guided him so that he would be a fitting picture of the One who is now for us only in heaven. But he sinned in Gerar, as Abraham sinned before him. This should have been a solemn warning to him, if he had remembered it as he ought to have, in God's presence. Instead, the failure of someone we love becomes a trap to repeat it, and may even serve as an excuse, since we do not claim to be better.

Prosperous circumstances never prove that a person's condition is right... there is a great difference between the Lord's presence and His blessing. Many have the second without the first; and the heart is prone to mistake one for the other... Flocks and herds are not the Lord. The Philistines might envy Isaac for such things. They would never have envied him for the Lord's presence.

The Philistines are those who occupy the place, and here the territory, of the people of God — without any title to do so. They are enemies at heart, and they always seek to oppress them and bring them into bondage. In one respect, therefore, they are a greater danger than Egypt itself.

A slow and painful process teaches Isaac that he must leave the land of the Philistines altogether. Each new well he had to dig marks a stage in that process. First "contention," then "hatred," then "room." Having found room, and being kept from the association that hampered him, he moves on to Beersheba, on the edge of the land. He takes the place of a stranger and pilgrim again, depending on God, and at once he gets his reward. "The LORD appeared to him the same night," and blessed him. The discipline had produced sanctification, and he builds an altar and worships. It had taught him that it is better to have a little with God than great possessions in a position outside his calling.

There is a clear difference between Egypt and Gerar. Egypt expresses the world in its natural resources and its independence of God... Compared with Egypt, Gerar was a step forward; but it still lay within reach of very dangerous influences. Abraham got into trouble there, and so does Isaac in this chapter, and in exactly the same way. Abraham denied his wife, and so does Isaac. This is especially solemn. Both the father and the son fell into the same evil, in the same place. That tells us the influence of that place was not good.

If Isaac had not gone to Abimelech, king of Gerar, he would have had no need to deny his wife. But the slightest turning aside from the right path brings on spiritual weakness. It was while Peter stood warming himself at the high priest's fire that he denied his Master. It is clear that Isaac was not really happy in Gerar. True, the Lord tells him, "Sojourn in this land." But how often does the Lord give His people directions that fit the condition He knows them to be in, and that are also meant to wake them up to that condition?

Despite God's clear declaration of His faithfulness, Isaac does not take it to heart and prove faithful himself. He is caught by the same fault that overtook his father Abraham. He tells the Philistines that Rebekah is his sister and not his wife. The same groundless fears drove him. He thought that because Rebekah was beautiful, the men of the place might kill him to get his wife. He certainly failed here as a picture of Christ. The Lord Jesus will never deny His relationship with the church. She, sadly, may at times deny her relationship to Him in practice.

Isaac is not sent away. Instead, Abimelech orders his people not to touch Isaac or his wife, on pain of death. In view of this, how foolish Isaac's fear that the Philistines would kill him had been! Once the truth came out, we read that Isaac is greatly blessed.

It is quite wrong to class as lying any mistakes made by accident or from hearsay, especially when a person takes care to correct them once the facts are better known. The essence of lying is the wish to deceive, whatever the motive. It may be to exalt self or to injure another, to escape through fear or to gain a desired end.

Is it not deeply humbling, in Isaac's case as in Abraham's, that a believer may sink below the world's standard of morality? The king of the Philistines rebuked Isaac for lying. His deceit exposed his wife to dishonour and his own people to guilt... Had Isaac kept all this in mind, it would have been a safeguard by grace, instead of a cover for the flesh giving way under unbelieving terror.

One of his men might easily have treated her as an unattached woman and had sexual relations with her. If a believer will not openly confess his relationship to the Lord Jesus before the world, he is being unfair to the world.

There is a clear difference between Egypt and Gerar. Egypt expresses the world in its natural resources and its independence from God... Compared with Egypt, Gerar was a step forward. But it still lay within reach of very dangerous influences. Abraham got into trouble there, and so does Isaac in this chapter, and in exactly the same way. Abraham denied his wife, and so does Isaac. This is especially solemn. Both the father and the son fell into the same evil, in the same place. That tells us plainly that the influence of that place was not good.

If Isaac had not gone to Abimelech, king of Gerar, he would have had no need to deny his wife. But the smallest turn aside from the right line of conduct brings on spiritual weakness. It was when Peter stood and warmed himself at the high priest's fire that he denied his Master.

God had clearly declared His faithfulness. Isaac does not take it to heart and prove faithful himself. The same fault that overtook his father Abraham traps him: he tells the Philistines that Rebekah is his sister rather than his wife. The same groundless fears moved him. He thought that because Rebekah was beautiful, the men of the place might kill him to get his wife. In this matter he certainly failed as a picture of Christ. The Lord Jesus will never deny His relationship with the church, though she may sadly at times deny in practice her relationship to Him.

The essence of lying is the wish to deceive, whatever the motive. The motive may be to lift up self or to harm another, to escape through fear or to gain something wanted.

Isaac also lived near enough to Abimelech's house for the king to see him showing Rebekah the kind of affection only a husband and wife would show. How can we keep our true relationship hidden forever? Things must always come out as they are.

Deception may bring men of the world a good deal of success. Practised by a believer, it always ends in failure, sooner or later. In Isaac's case it seemed to work for a long time, but at last the Abimelech of that day discovered the truth.

How humbling this is, in Isaac's case as in Abraham's! A believer may sink below the world's standard of morality. The king of the Philistines rebuked Isaac for lying. Isaac had exposed his wife to dishonour and his own people to guilt... If Isaac had kept all this in mind in a holy way, grace would have made it a safeguard. Instead it became a cover for the flesh giving way to unbelieving terror.

In Gerar he failed as his father failed. And while Abimelech seized Sarah, Rebekah is not touched and not separated from Isaac. Christ and His church are inseparable.

If a believer does not frankly confess before the world his relationship to the Lord Jesus, he is unfair to the world.

In Isaac's case Rebekah is not taken into Abimelech's court, and clearly no one else courts her over "a long time." Isaac also lived near enough to Abimelech's house for the king to see him. He showed Rebekah the kind of affection that only a husband shows a wife. How can our true relationship ever stay hidden forever? Things must always come out as they are.

The essence of lying is the wish to deceive, whatever the motive; which may be to exalt self or to injure another, to evade through fear or to gain a desired end.

Is it not deeply humbling, in Isaac's case as in Abraham's, that a believer may sink below the world's standard of morality? The king of the Philistines rebuked Isaac for untruthfulness. His lie exposed his wife to dishonour and his own people to guilt. This king, or more likely the one before him, had condemned the same deceit in Abraham — and Abraham's was worse, since he had already failed the same way with Pharaoh in Egypt. If Isaac had kept all of this in mind in a holy way, it would have been a safeguard to him by grace, instead of a cover for the flesh giving way to unbelieving fear.

If Isaac had not gone to Abimelech, king of Gerar, he would have had no need to deny his wife. But the smallest step away from the right line of conduct brings on spiritual weakness. It was when Peter stood and warmed himself at the high priest's fire that he denied his Master.

No doubt he knew of his father's failure, and this, with the call of God, "Sojourn in the land," ought to have hastened his steps away from the place. "And Isaac dwelt in Gerar." So came his trouble and his sin — the same experience as Abraham. If he had stayed in the land, he would not have failed like this. But he had to learn by experience, as all believers do, how seductive the flesh is.

In this matter he did fail as a picture of Christ. The Lord Jesus will never deny His relationship with the church, though she may sadly at times deny in practice her relationship to Him.

One of the king's men might easily have treated her as an unattached woman and had sexual relations with her. If a believer does not openly confess before the world his relationship to the Lord Jesus, he is unfair to the world.

God does not need to vindicate His holy character, and still less does He soften or excuse the faults of His people. He demands and deserves our trust. He tells the unvarnished truth now of Isaac's deception, as before of Abraham's. He makes known the successive and humiliating reproofs of Philistine kings. On His part there is no hiding of what man would have been glad to ignore. The sin was all too real, and God preserved the record as a warning and a help at all times — to His servant's shame, but to His own glory.

When Abimelech faces Isaac with these facts, Isaac can only admit that fear had driven him to deceive. Then he has to take a just rebuke from Abimelech, who told him he had wronged the Philistines by misrepresenting the truth. One of his men might easily have treated Rebekah as an unmarried woman and slept with her. If a believer will not openly own his relationship to the Lord Jesus before the world, he is unfair to the world.

Is it not deeply humbling, in Isaac's case as in Abraham's, that a saint may sink below the world's standard of morality? The king of the Philistines rebuked Isaac for lying. The lie exposed his wife to dishonour and left the king's people open to guilt. This king, or more likely the one before him, had condemned the same deceit in Abraham — worse in Abraham's case, because he had already failed the same way with Pharaoh in Egypt. If Isaac had kept all this in mind with holy seriousness, grace would have made it a safeguard. Instead it became a cover for the flesh giving way to unbelieving fear.

When people of the world use deception, it may work quite well. When a saint of God uses it, it always ends in failure, sooner or later. In Isaac's case it seemed to work for a long time, but in the end the Abimelech of that day found out the truth. So once again a man of the world, with a good deal of honesty about him, rebukes a saint of God — a sad sight, and one often repeated from that day to this. Let each of us take care that it is not repeated in our own history.

At first he tries to secure a quiet home among them by lying. When the lie comes out, it humbles him in front of them, as a man who could not trust God in the situation he had put himself in. Even then he does not leave the place. We often struggle to stay where we have been unfaithful, as if we could win back what we had lost. But if our position is one of unbelief, nothing we do there will change what that position is.

The essence of lying is the wish to deceive, whatever the motive. The motive may be to exalt self or to injure another, to escape through fear or to gain something wanted. Where the heart is honest and undivided, this is not hard to see. Even the least respected, or those counted as nothing in the church, are well able to judge matters of wrong or falsehood.

There is a further element in the lie told by Abraham and by Isaac. Through their own shortsighted selfishness they betrayed the relationship they had with their wives, Sarah and Rebekah. How blessed is the contrast of Christ, as the Husband of Israel, and the Bridegroom of the church!

Genesis 26:1-22 shows the weakness of Isaac's faith. Like Abraham, he would have gone down to Egypt during the famine if God had not held him back. He shows the same weakness as his father in denying his wife. Along with this we have the faithful mercy of God, which recovers him and gives him abundant blessing.

Isaac is not sent away, however. Instead, Abimelech orders his people not to touch Isaac or his wife, and says anyone who does will be put to death (v. 11). In the light of this, how foolish Isaac's fear of being killed by the Philistines had been! Once the truth came out, we then read that Isaac is greatly blessed.

Isn't it a deeply humbling thing in Isaac's case, as in Abraham's, that a believer may sink below the world's own standard of morality? The king of the Philistines rebuked Isaac for lying, and for exposing his wife to dishonour and his own people to guilt. If Isaac had held it all in mind in a holy way, grace would have made it a safeguard to him. Instead it became a cover for the flesh, as he gave way to fear that came from unbelief.

Now trickery, when men of the world use it, may bring a good deal of success. When a believer uses it, it always ends in failure, sooner or later. In Isaac's case it seemed to work for quite a while, but in the end the Abimelech of that day found out the truth. So once again we see a man of the world, with a good deal of honesty about him, rebuking a believer — a sad sight! And it is a sight that has often been repeated from that day to this. Let each of us take care that it is not repeated in our own life.

Then he has to take a just rebuke from Abimelech, who told him he had wronged the Philistines by misrepresenting the truth. One of his men could easily have treated her as a single woman and had sexual relations with her. If a believer will not openly own his relationship with the Lord Jesus before the world, he is unfair to the world.

It is unacceptable to class with lying any mistakes made by accident or from hearsay, especially when there is care to correct them once the facts are better known. The essence of lying is the wish to deceive, whatever the motive. It may be to build yourself up, or to harm someone else, or to escape through fear, or to get something you want. Anyone whose own motive is honest has no difficulty telling the difference.

In this matter he certainly failed as a picture of Christ. The Lord Jesus will never deny His relationship with the church, even though she sometimes sadly denies her relationship to Him in practice.

God has no need to defend His holy character, and He is even further from making light of the faults of His people or excusing them. He tells the plain truth about Isaac's lying now, as He did before about Abraham's. He reports the humiliating rebukes of one Philistine king after another. He hides nothing that people would have been glad to ignore. The sin was sadly all too real, and God kept the record of it by inspiration, for warning and profit in every age — to His servant's shame, but to His own glory. There He stops, leaving us to work out for ourselves what Isaac went through inside. Yet what follows is striking: outward blessing.

God did not abandon Isaac because of this failure. He had obeyed the instruction not to go down to Egypt. So, despite the famine, God blessed him richly — in his sowing, and in his flocks and herds and servants. The blessing grew so great that he had to leave the Philistines' land.

The chapter opens with the account of Isaac tried by "famine in the land," as Abraham had been a hundred years before. It was meant to test faith for a time, while the Canaanites then in the land tested it constantly. But both father and son knew well that the time to own the land had not yet come.

The crop he planted that year produced one hundred bushels from one bushel of seed — the maximum possible yield. This prosperity continued. His wealth grew so much that he became the envy of the Philistines.

The Lord blessed Isaac, the Lord was with Isaac, the Lord made promises to Isaac, and the very fact that he sowed and his harvest was a bumper one was an indication of how God was with this remarkable man… If we make room for the Lord in our lives, if we take account of the promises He has given us and the blessings He has made available to us, and if we sow in that sense, then we can expect to get what Isaac got.

God does not need to defend His holy character. Still less does He soften or excuse the faults of His people… He tells the plain truth now about Isaac's deception, as before about Abraham's… The sin was all too true. Inspiration preserved the record as a warning and for profit at all times — to His servant's shame, but to His own glory.

Did not Isaac judge himself? How else can we understand a blessing given to Isaac so clearly and so fully at this moment? It was an outward blessing, no doubt. But this is how the Lord worked of old, and this is how He acted then. There was no longer a moral obstacle in the way. The defilement, even when publicly known, grace had removed.

We can never judge that a person's condition is right just because things are going well… There is a great difference between the Lord's presence and His blessing. Many have the blessing without the presence, and the heart is quick to mistake one for the other… How many do we see surrounded by God's blessings, who neither have, nor wish for, God's presence?… Flocks and herds are not the Lord. They are things the Philistines might envy Isaac for. They would never have envied him for the Lord's presence.

What grace on God's part! And what joy springs up in the soul, whether then or now, when we know that we are doing the things that please God, and receiving blessing in our own path and work "a hundredfold," and in the same year… A disciple will be content and glad to be like the Master and Lord. And if our terms are to follow a rejected Christ in the world that has cast Him out, "leaving father, or mother, wife, or houses, or lands," still the promise stands: "he will receive a hundredfold now in this time, with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life."

God did not forsake Isaac because of this lapse on his part. He had obeyed the instruction not to go down into Egypt. So, despite the famine, God blessed him richly in his sowing, his flocks and herds and servants. The blessing grew so large that he had to leave the land of the Philistines.

God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap... Did not Isaac judge himself? How else can we understand the blessing granted in such a marked way and degree to the patriarch at this moment? It was no doubt of an outward sort; but that is how Jehovah worked of old, and that is how He acted then. There was no longer a moral obstacle in the way. Grace had removed the defilement, even though everyone knew about it.

We can never decide that a person's condition is right just because their circumstances are prosperous... there is a great difference between the Lord's presence and His blessing. Many have the second without the first; and the heart is prone to mistake one for the other... A man may grow great, and go forward, and grow until he becomes very great. He may have flocks and herds and a great household of servants, and all the while not have the full, unhindered joy of the Lord's presence with him. Flocks and herds are not the Lord.

Notice, it was not merely the Lord's blessing, but the Lord Himself. And why? Because Isaac had left the Philistines behind, with all their envy and strife and quarrelling, and had gone up to Beersheba. Here the Lord could show Himself to His servant. His generous hand might follow him while he stayed in Gerar; but he could not enjoy His presence there.

Isaac's increase, especially in the great year of famine, drew out the envy of his neighbours... The Philistines stopped up the wells dug earlier by Abraham's servants. But Isaac was a man of meek spirit. It was a real loss to a man whose household and herds depended on such supplies. It was as insulting as it was damaging. But Isaac bowed before the wrong... None of the other fathers showed the passive virtues as fully as Isaac.

The man grew great, though the change of age has made a matching difference in what true greatness means. "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant... even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The victory of resurrection saw the great Shepherd of the sheep rise from among the dead. In ascending to God's right hand Jesus was glorified, and Hebrews 4:14 calls Him the great High Priest. Israel had High Priests, but never a great High Priest like Jesus, the Son of God... In closing this section we might well take the language of the Old Testament about Isaac and apply it to our Saviour and Lord. "And the man became great, and he became continually greater, until he was very great" (Gen. 26:13).

God is not mocked; for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Did not Isaac judge himself? How else can we understand the blessing granted in so marked a way and degree to the patriarch at this point? It was no doubt of an external sort; but this is how Jehovah worked of old, and this is how He acted then. There was no longer a moral obstacle in the way. The defilement, even when publicly known, grace had removed.

The Philistines occupy the territory of the people of God without any right to do so. Enemies at heart, they always seek to oppress God's people and bring them into bondage. … The Lord, however, was with Isaac, and blessed him both in produce and cattle, "and the Philistines envied him." The clear blessing of God on those who are His stirred up, as it always does, the ill-will of those who intrude into their privileges without belonging to Him. Their envy showed itself in stopping up all the wells which Abraham's servants had dug, and finally in driving Isaac out from among them. How often the Lord secures the richer blessing of His people by forcing them, through the hostility of those who merely profess His name, to take the path of separation.

He has another lesson to learn here: that however prosperous he may be in the land of the Philistines, he can never enjoy the peace and calm his soul desired while he is mixed up in association with them. At first he tries to secure an undisturbed home among them by false statements. When the lie comes out, it humbles him before them, as a man unable to trust God in the situation he had put himself into. Still he does not leave the place. We often try to stay where we have been unfaithful, as if we could regain what we had lost. … The Lord teaches Isaac that gain in Gerar brings no profit. He may be blessed, his corn yielding a hundredfold, until he becomes very great. But what of it all? The Philistines envied him! Life as a stranger would be happier for him. Then he could eat his bread in quiet and drink from his own fountain in peace. But with all his greatness and possessions, he cannot have these mercies in Gerar.

Isaac was a man of meek spirit. It was a real loss to someone whose household and herds depended on such supplies; it was as insulting as it was damaging; but Isaac accepted the wrong. "If when you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God." None of the fathers showed the passive virtues as much as Isaac.

Isaac became great, though here the change from that age to this has made a matching difference in what true greatness means. "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." And Isaac's flocks, herds and servants drew the envy of the Philistines. The contrast will always follow this pattern, between the man with whom God is and the men who, though they hold the ground at present, are to be driven out.

Isaac's servants dug wells for water, and others filled them with earth or took the wells for themselves, but he did not fight for them; he simply dug a well in another place… When we receive the blessing of the true God, we need not fight with others; God will look after us. Isaac knew that God would give him the land and all the wells, so he waited for God.

They were not like the Amorites, the old inhabitants of the land mentioned in Genesis 15:16. They had got into God's land without being God's people. So they picture the religious world rather than the worldly, irreligious world. That religious world, Jewish or Christian in name, has always fixed its attention on an earthly order of things and nothing more. Blocking the springs of divine and heavenly blessing has always been a favourite work of the Philistine, whether literal or symbolic. Earth and earthly things have always been their material.

Wells picture the living refreshment of the word of God, obtained through the work of the man of faith. We only find the blessing of drinking in the truth of God's word through spiritual diligence. Abraham's faith and labour had received this refreshment as their reward. But the Philistines picture a Christian religion that is only outward form, without living power. They do not value the pure word of God. They pollute it with material, earthly teachings.

They had already taken away one of Abraham's wells by force (chapter 21), and here they fill the wells Abraham dug with earth. They did it because they envied Isaac. It was spiteful and needless damage. These wells were essential to the life of the patriarchs and their households. John 4 and 7 give us the right to read them as figures of the Holy Spirit, who is given to us and who is essential to the life of God's people now. But what place is there in the carnal religion of our day for the Holy Spirit?

God's clear blessing on those who are His stirred up the ill-will of those who are not His but push into their privileges. It always does. Their envy showed itself in stopping up all the wells Abraham's servants had dug. In the end it drove Isaac out from among them. How often the Lord secures the richer blessing of His people this way. He uses the hostility of professing men to drive them into the path of separation.

Isaac's increase, especially in the great year of famine, drew out the envy of his neighbours. Nor did ill-will stop there. But Isaac was a man of meek spirit. The loss was real to a man whose household and herds depended on such supplies. The insult was as great as the damage. But Isaac bowed under the wrong.

In Scripture, and above all in Genesis, wells are sources of life and blessing. That is why the enemy seeks to fill them with earth (v. 15). The opening up of the truths of Scripture at the Reformation matches the wells Abraham's servants had dug. Ever since, Satan has been trying to choke those wells, working through the Philistines. But Isaac cleared them and called them by their old names — an example for men of faith and energy in every age. Take justification by faith, for example. Or the truth of the one body of Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit on earth, the coming of the Lord for His people. Who has tried to stop up these blessed wells of water? In every case it has been the Philistines, so Isaacs are still needed to dig them again and call them by their old, scriptural names.

Later there were Philistines who sought to destroy Christ. For a time they seemed to succeed in checking the streams of blessing. But Isaac — Christ in resurrection — unstops the fountains of grace, and He calls them by the same names. That is, Christ in resurrection carries on His usual work of mercy on the same essential principles as from the beginning.

God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. The one who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh. The one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. Did Isaac not judge himself? How else can we understand the blessing given in such a marked way and degree to the patriarch at this point? It was no doubt of an outward kind; but that is how Jehovah worked long ago, and that is how He acted then. There was no longer a moral obstacle in the way. The defilement, even though publicly known, grace had removed.

The man became great, though here again the change in God's way of dealing with people has made a matching difference in what true greatness is. "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."… The contrast must always follow this pattern: between the man with whom God is, and the men who hold the ground now but are to be driven out. That comes then or later on, when the Lord — who is now "heir of all things" by right of resurrection — takes actual possession by righteous power.

Isaac's increase, especially in the great year of famine, drew out the envy of his neighbours. Nor did the ill-will stop there. The Philistines filled in with earth the wells dug before by Abraham's servants. But Isaac was a man of meek spirit. It was a felt loss to one whose household and herds depended on such supplies; it was as insulting as it was damaging; but Isaac bowed before the wrong. "If when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God." None of the patriarchs showed these quiet, patient virtues as fully as Isaac. Even Abimelech failed to rebuke the unkindness and enmity. "Go away from us," he said, "for you are much mightier than we." Even so, He who is higher than the highest walked in His grace. Indeed it was His portion from a baby onward, for Satan is "the prince of the world" — the personal enemy of the Lord of glory. There was no room for the Son of God in the inn.

It matters greatly when the Abimelechs can see the difference God has put between flesh and spirit, between light and darkness, between Christ and Belial. It matters when they make that difference the reason they separate from us, or the reason we leave. "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?" and again, "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together."

Isaac not only sojourns in Gerar, but dwells there, and as a consequence his troubles begin. He has another lesson to learn here. He may prosper in the land of the Philistines, but he can never enjoy the peace and calm his soul wanted while he stays mixed up with them… Still he does not leave the place. We often try to stay where we have been unfaithful, as if we could regain what we had lost… The Lord teaches Isaac how little gain in Gerar is worth. He may be blessed, his crops yielding a hundredfold, until he becomes very great. But what of it all? The Philistines envied him!

The Philistines occupy the place — here the territory — of the people of God, without any right to it. They are enemies at heart, and they always seek to oppress God's people and bring them into bondage. The Lord was with Isaac and blessed him in both goods and cattle, "and the Philistines envied him." God's clear blessing on His own always stirs up the ill-will of those who are not His, but push into their privileges. Their envy showed itself in stopping up all the wells Abraham's servants had dug, and at last in driving Isaac away.

Isaac was still in the land where the Philistines lived. Yet the moment he moved some distance away, he showed spiritual power. In Scripture, and especially in Genesis, wells are always sources of life and blessing. That is why the enemy tries to "fill them with earth." The reopening of the truths of Scripture at the Reformation answers to the wells Abraham's servants dug. Satan has been trying to choke those wells ever since, acting through the Philistines. But Isaac cleared them and called them by their old names. He is an example for men of faith and energy in every age. Take, for instance, justification by faith, or the truth of the one body of Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit on earth, or the coming of the Lord for His people.

Isaac did not give these living wells new names. He "gave them the names that his father had given them." God has given us a perfect and full revelation, yet on all sides there is a cry for something "new." Let us hold to what God has already revealed. No one can improve on it. Let us pay no attention to the empty boasting about "new light," "new conceptions," "advanced thought," and the rest.

The Philistines picture a Christian religion that is all form and no living power. They do not value the pure word of God. They mix it with earthly, material teachings. Such religion may hide from us some of the most precious truths of God's word, as has happened widely across the Christian world. The energy of faith, however, will work to restore them. Isaac also called the wells by the same names Abraham had given them. When we get to recover any truth, let us not think we have done something original. Instead, let us remember that the truth was in Scripture before we discovered it. We have nothing to boast about. Let us give it the same name it had long ago.

The children of God will do well to hold what Isaac held so firmly: God takes care of His own promises and covenants with His people, for He will not give His glory to another. And they must take care to dig their wells. They must uncover the ones the enemy has stopped by cunning or by force. God counted His blessing in cattle. So what use was a growing flock and herd if the Abrahams and Isaacs did not do their part and dig wells of water for them to drink? This is their responsibility… Faith reproduces itself. How precious it is when faith gets its title from God to do the strongest things — as Isaac did with his father's wells, claiming his right again by restoring their original names.

The Philistines had stopped the wells and filled them with earth. But Isaac dug them again, and "gave them the names that his father had given them." Later there were other "Philistines" who tried to destroy Christ. For a time they seemed to succeed in checking the streams of blessing. But Isaac — Christ in resurrection — unstops the fountains of grace, and He calls them by the same names. That is, Christ in resurrection carries on His usual work of mercy on the same basic principles as from the beginning.