The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 26:4-7,12-13,
"'I [the Lord] will make your [Isaac's] 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. 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.'... 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."
The phrase, "like father, like son" certainly comes to mind here, doesn't it? Twice we read of Abraham, Isaac's father, doing this very thing: telling residents of a new place he went to that his wife was his sister so they wouldn't kill him to take her for themselves, Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 20:2-7. Apparently both Sarah and Rebekah were both very beautiful women. Now, here in chapter 26 we see Isaac doing the very same thing.
What are we to make of this? In both cases, the Lord made promises to them, to give them uncountable descendants, land, prosperity, and that all nations on the earth would be blessed through them (the coming of Jesus Christ.)
Both of these men are held up to us as prime examples of what people of faith look like - the kind of faith that the Lord looks for within us that qualifies us for an eternity with him. "he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.'" Romans 4:20-22.
And, yet, following the promises made by the Lord, they resorted to tactics that appear to show anything but faith in the Lord protecting them so that his promises to them might be fulfilled. And, yet further, we read that the Lord, nevertheless, blesses them following their subterfuges, "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."
"'I [the Lord] will make your [Isaac's] 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. 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.'... 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."
The phrase, "like father, like son" certainly comes to mind here, doesn't it? Twice we read of Abraham, Isaac's father, doing this very thing: telling residents of a new place he went to that his wife was his sister so they wouldn't kill him to take her for themselves, Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 20:2-7. Apparently both Sarah and Rebekah were both very beautiful women. Now, here in chapter 26 we see Isaac doing the very same thing.
What are we to make of this? In both cases, the Lord made promises to them, to give them uncountable descendants, land, prosperity, and that all nations on the earth would be blessed through them (the coming of Jesus Christ.)
Both of these men are held up to us as prime examples of what people of faith look like - the kind of faith that the Lord looks for within us that qualifies us for an eternity with him. "he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.'" Romans 4:20-22.
And, yet, following the promises made by the Lord, they resorted to tactics that appear to show anything but faith in the Lord protecting them so that his promises to them might be fulfilled. And, yet further, we read that the Lord, nevertheless, blesses them following their subterfuges, "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."
The Scriptures clearly portray this. Again, what are we to make of this?
My thought is that the Scriptures are telling us that the kind of faith God looks for in us is the kind that prompts us to live our lives reflecting that faith (which Abraham and Isaac certainly did). However, that faith does not make us perfect people and that we will not always be perfectly consistent. We are people of faith - imperfect people of faith, at times not as consistent as we might want to be. Something that the Lord is busy working on in our lives.
What do you think?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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