Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

There was a famine in the land. Another one. When Abraham faced this, he went to Egypt. It’s stated that Isaac went into the region of Gerar. This was about a hundred years since Abraham and Sarah had been here and made treaty with the king (Abimelek – likely a title, not a personal name, much like Pharaoh in Egypt).  Gerar was on the way to Egypt. It marked the southern end of the territory of the Canaanites. Isaac and Rebekah were probably on the way to Egypt like his father had done. Egypt had the Nile River and systematic irrigation that kept it fertile and productive. It would have been the smart bet. But the Lord spoke to him and told him NOT to go to Egypt, but to live in the land God directed him to.

One reason Abraham was selected by the Lord was that he would faithfully teach his household about God (Genesis 18:19). We can assume Isaac knew the terms of Abraham’s covenant and everything the Lord had ever told Abraham – especially the promises. Isaac KNEW the promises and covenant, but Abraham hadn’t passed it down verbally as a physical blessing (as far as we know). He knew who was talking to him and he knew the seriousness of the statement. The fact that the Lord pronounced over Isaac the same blessing that He had over Abraham cemented it. Isaac had done nothing to deserve this. This was Grace and a Blessing based on Abraham’s faithfulness, not anything in Isaac.

Isaac stayed in Gerar. Isaac asked Rebekah, if anyone asked, to say she was his sister and not his wife. Sound familiar? He did the same thing his father had done. In the same place his father had done it a century before. Naturally, Isaac got caught. He was canoodling with Rebekah and got spotted by the king. Abimelek called Isaac in and demanded to know the deal. Why would Isaac put the men of Gerar in this position? He is genuinely offended and hurt that it could have ‘brought guilt’ on them. These were the Philistines. They’re supposed to be bad, right? Amos 9:7b says “Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?” The Philistines had been brought by Yahweh to this land. Both Abimeleks in Genesis knew who Yahweh was. They both showed morals and a desire for their people to be moral. No matter how they ended up, they started out in Canaan worshipping the Lord. Abimelek made a decree: no one touch this guy or his wife or you’ll be killed. So Isaac stayed.

A famine was raging, but Isaac planted crops. We’re not told what type or how much. But Isaac was a wanderer. He had no land. He would have had to lease land to grow on. They were probably glad to take his money. It was income in the middle of a famine. But like with us, our success is from God, not our own efforts or the natural world. Isaac reaped 100 fold – not a hundred times, but a hundred FOLD – that same year. In the famine. He continued in this way, prospering bit by bit over time until he was VERY wealthy with possessions, flocks, herds, and a LOT of servants. This was the Blessing in action.

The Philistines got jealous and Abimelek sent Isaac and his crew away. Apparently the one family’s wealth and strength were too much for the entire kingdom of Gerar to handle or be comfortable with. Isaac didn’t fight about it. He left and ended up in the valley that his father had lived in long ago. He re-dug the wells Abraham had dug (the Philistines blocked them up after Abraham died. Jealousy again maybe?.). Isaac had his servants dig another well and they found a spring. That was great, BUT the herdsmen of Gerar made a ruckus with Isaac’s herdsmen. Isaac walked away and they dug another. Same thing. So they moved away from that area and dug another. That one no one complained about, so they kept it.

After this, he went to Beersheba, which was where Abraham had fought over a well. The Lord appeared to Isaac in a dream and blessed Him. God assured him that He was with Isaac. Perhaps recognising or acknowledging the good conduct that Isaac showed avoiding conflict. Isaac built an altar and worshipped the Lord there, pitched his tents, and his servants started digging a well.

Along came Abimelek, his advisor Ahuzzath, and Philcor commander of the military. Isaac was kinda stand-off-ish, but it came out that they were looking for a treaty of non-aggression between them. Isaac gave them a feast, agreed he wouldn’t fight them (this did NOT add anything to the 3 generation covenant Abraham entered into because this was a single generation with Isaac and only the 2nd of Abraham’s). In the morning he sent them away in friendship AND his servants came reporting a good well.

Tagged to this is Esau at forty years old took two wives from the Hittites: Judith daughter of Beeri and Basemath daughter of Elon. Now in Genesis 36:2 it says that these wives were named Adah daughter of Elon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah daughter of Zibeon. Some scholars say they are the same women. Some think Adah and Basemath were sisters. Some think Esau changed their names to try and fool Isaac that they were from ‘good’ families and not Hittites. Name changing was frequent in the ancient world because your name spoke to both your circumstances and who you were. Any of these could be true and consistent with life in those times.

Next is a sad chapter. A chapter where humans try to bring about God’s will and try to get things their own way and all of it was completely pointless and needless. Never try and make God’s promises happen, it only brings strife (look at Abram, Sarai, Hagar, and Ishmael).

Short version: Isaac was blind or near enough at around 137 years old (which means he was blind for almost 43 years since he died at 180). But he figured he could go at any time and wanted to pass his blessing along to Esau, his favoured 77 year old son. He told him to go get game so Isaac could stuff himself and then he would bless him. Off Esau went. Rebekah overheard and got Jacob (also 77, they were twins) to bring her two goats. She cooked them how Isaac liked, dressed Jacob in Esau’s robe, put goatskin on him, and in he went. Isaac distrusted the voice but the food was good, the clothes smelled of Esau, and there was hair on his neck and hands. Isaac blessed Jacob, thinking he was Esau. Esau came next, was furious the blessing was stolen, got a much lesser blessing, and vowed to kill Jacob. Rebekah was determined to save Jacob and told him to hide with her brother Laban. She told Isaac to make Jacob go get a wife there and not take a Hittite/Canaanite wife. End of story. There are a few things though.

Rebekah had been told by God that her younger son WOULD rule the elder. No need to force it. Isaac couldn’t thwart it. Rebekah didn’t need to scheme. This was all stupid.

There is NO EVIDENCE that Abraham verbally imparted his blessing to Isaac. Isaac did receive it from God (Genesis 26:1-5, 12-17). Isaac had no reason to try and pass it on – unless he was trying to make sure Esau got it.

Isaac KNEW in his heart it wasn’t Esau. Three times he doubted, but he chose to listen to his FEELINGS and not his HEART. Never a good idea. Feelings so frequently lie.

Rebekah was told BY GOD how things were going to be. There was NO NEED to do this. By going this route she sent one son away and was estranged from the other she lost her kids and never saw Jacob again (she died before he returned). Also, her skill at deceit should have been a spoiler alert for Jacob when he met her brother – Isaac wasn’t deceitful so she had to learn it somewhere.

Esau gets furious his blessing is stolen and claims Jacob also stole his birthright – except he hadn’t cared about it and sold it for stew. His anger helped him choose to be twice-wronged despite reality. Although Rebekah tells Jacob she’ll send for him when Esau calms down, it doesn’t appear that Esau does in her lifetime. This incident broke the family apart.

Isaac opened the door to deceit himself. Instead of just blessing Esau, he put conditions on it. Food first. The words for what he asked for are – outside this chapter – used twice in Proverbs to demonstrate lust of food and gluttony. It seems Isaac was dangling the blessing as a way to make sure he got the food. I mean, Rebekah prepared TWO young goats for this meal. It was a LOT of food.

When Isaac blessed Jacob he said Jacob would rule over nations and his brothers. But when he blessed Esau, he gave a loophole (you’ll escape the yoke). If you can put a loophole in a blessing, it isn’t much of a blessing. Also, Isaac knew that words matter and you can’t be double-minded about what you declare or it comes to nothing. Words have power. He might have been speaking into the destiny of his sons, but this did NOT pass down the Blessing of the Lord to either of these men.

On we go.

It isn’t clear how much time passes, but once Rebekah talks of a wife from outside this country, Isaac is all for it. He blesses Jacob (all forgiven perhaps?) and sends him to his wife’s family. Esau sees this and sees Jacob obeying AND that it pleased his parents. He also saw his own wives did NOT please them. He was almost 80, but still desperate to get acknowledgement. Since Jacob was going for a maternal niece for a bride, Esau went for a paternal niece and got another wife from Ishmael’s firstborn son: Mahalath. Interestingly, it doesn’t say whether his parents approved or not. Chasing the approval of anyone but the Lord is senseless and often leads to trouble.

Isaac’s first major stop was a ‘certain place’ on the way to Haran. It was the same area – perhaps the same place – that Abram stopped when he first arrived in the land. Jacob had a dream of a ladder with angels traveling up and down. The Lord appeared to him standing at the top and blessed Jacob. THIS is when the blessing transferred. THIS is when Jacob became the head and ruler of the family. The Lord’s Will cannot be thwarted. In the dream the Lord stated he was with Jacob, would be with Jacob, and would not leave Jacob but do what He promised.

Jacob woke up and showed exactly where his heart was. He recognised God and the importance of the place he was in (although all places can be places of encounter with God). He set up a rock and poured oil on it and named the place Bethel (House of God). And then he said that IF God did all he said and clothed him, sheltered him, fed him, stayed with him, and brought him back to his father’s house in peace, THEN the Lord would be his God. This is NOT a bargain. He’s not wheeling and dealing with the Lord. What he is saying is that he understands and kinda believes, but isn’t ready to submit yet. None of us start with perfected trust in the Lord. We’re all of us on a journey. This man who had been a willing accomplice in deceit, lies (he lied flat out three times to his father’s face and didn’t deny his mother’s deceits even once), had seen God and was announcing his willingness to change – but he had doubts. Essentially he was saying ‘I believe, Lord, help my unbelief’. Foolish, almost stupid, but we’ve all been there.

The last thing Jacob did in his vow was to promise to give a tenth of everything God brought his way as a tithe. There was no Law yet. Isaac is never mentioned as tithing. This seems to be a lesson Abraham learned and passed down to the family – and Jacob was listening. Tithing isn’t obligation. It’s worship given gratefully, not out of pressure or by law. It’s part of blessing because your blessed. It’s blessing to the Lord.

Summary

Key Players: Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, Jacob, Abimelek

Key Themes: Blessing, Deceit, the Lord’s Will, Tithing

Key Verse(s): Genesis 26:1-6, 9, 12, 30-31, 34-35; 27:2-8, 22, 27-29, 39-40, 46; 28:1, 9, 13-15, 20-22