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Genesis 26

Good Morning “You Who Trust in the Promises of God.”  Today we are in Genesis Chapter 26.

Like father like son… Kind of.  In chapter 25 we saw a summary of the end of Abrahams life and the dispersion of his other sons and concubines.  Then we read the story of the birth Jacob, Esau and the Birthright.  Chapter 26 rewinds a bit and gives us a deeper look into the earlier life of Isaac and Rebekah. It’s after the death of Abraham but before the birth of the twins we assume… you’ll see why.

There is a famine in the land… dum da dum… sound familiar.  Isaac in search of fertile land goes to Abimelek.  The Lord appears to Isaac and begins by saying “Don’t go down to Egypt.”  Why would he tell him don’t?  Because He knew that’s what Isaac was thinking.  We know how that went for dad.  The Lord then goes on to reenforce the promises He first made to Abraham - now inherited by Isaac.
 
The Philistines inhabited that area and they were ruthless - Cretan’s.  When they came to Isaac, afraid they would kill him, Isaac tells them Rebekah is his sister… a page from dads playbook.  This would be tough to believe if she was pregnant or with the twins at the time.  Hence my previous assumption.  After a while Abimelek sees Isaac caressing Rebekah and realizes - this is no sister.  He is furious but responds in a surprising manner - check it out.

Remember although Issac is in the Promised Land, it is promised for a later date - The Millennial Kingdom. This land is still owned by the King at this point.   Isaac is a wanderer in it.  Throughout this chapter he moves from place to place in search of fertile land - demonstrating incredible faith at times.  He plants a crop in the middle of the famine, and God blesses abundantly when no abundance was to be had.

The Philistines become concerned he may grow in power so they fill in his wells.  The rest of the chapter is a story of his wandering, well digging, them filling them in, then him moving on to the next place.  Ultimately he ends up back where he started in Beersheba.   His men dig a well there this time… guess what?  

All this time Isaac wanders, being obedient and staying in the land, but still wandering in search of water and fertile ground - attempting to care for himself.  Along the way God blesses at times, but ultimately directs right back to where he started and blesses Isaac right there.

How often do we go out on our own.  Seeking to live on our own power.  Taking things into our own hands so to speak.  God has a plan!  He will ultimately direct our lives where He wants them to go… if we’re sensitive to His leading, maybe we could get there without all the detours.

Love you all!  Dig in!  Seek Him always!