Daily Devotions
Genesis
"He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight." Psalm 72:14
Text: Genesis 26:1-35
CONFRONTATION WITH ABIMELECH
The Lord protected Isaac and his family! The Philistines did not bother them after the initial inquiry. However, one day, Abimelech happened to notice the affection that Isaac expressed to Rebekah.
“Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time,
that Abimelech, king of the Philistines looked through a window,
and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah
his wife. Then Abimelech called Isaac and said,
‘Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say,
“She is my sister”?’ Isaac said to him,’ Because I said, “Lest I die
on account of her.” ‘ ”GENESIS 26:8-9
Abimelech deemed it necessary to confront Isaac concerning the real relationship he sustained with Rebekah! Surely, they were not brother and sister. They must be man and wife. Confronted in this manner, Isaac had to come clean. He could not now deny that Rebekah was indeed his wife. It was fear that drove him to weave a web of deceit!
REPRIMAND FROM ABIMELECH
Abimelech could not accept the excuse that Isaac offered! He soundly reprimanded Isaac for his misdeed.
“And Abimelech said, ‘What is this you have done to us?
One of the people might soon have lain with your wife,
and you would have brought guilt on us.'”GENESIS 26:10
1. A well-deserved word of reprimand
Isaac deserved this word of rebuke! He had reacted at the slightest hint of danger. He listened to the voice of fear and thus panicked!
2. The problem of Sin
Abimelech voiced an even cause for alarm! What if any of his men had forced Rebekah? That misdeed would have had to bear the guilt of this sin!
STRICT ORDERS FROM ABIMELECH
If Isaac was crippled by fear, Abimelech wasn’t! He knew what he had to do as king of Gerar. He issued a powerful statement.
“So Abimelech charged all his people, saying,
‘He who touches this man or his wife shall surely
be put to death.'”GENESIS 26:11
There was only one way to deal with the problem at hand. He issued a royal edict! No one was to touch either Rebekah or Isaac on pain of death!