Daily Devotions
Genesis
"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11
Text: Genesis 26:1-35
A SECOND WORD FROM THE LORD
The Lord first appeared to Isaac when he went to Gerar. There, the Lord had assured him that if he obeyed and did not go down to Egypt, blessings would come. True to His word, blessings came – a hundredfold (Genesis 26:12)! But with the blessings came a series of tests! The Philistines had become envious of the wealth that Isaac possessed! They sought to harass Isaac. They just stopped short of declaring an all-out war against Isaac!
“I am the God of your father Abraham”
GENESIS 26:24a
When the Lord first addressed Isaac, He did not introduce Himself formerly. He merely gave instructions to Isaac to remain in the land, and not to go down to Egypt! This time round, the Lord revealed “His name” to Isaac. He spoke of Himself as “The God of Abraham”. To have God reveal His Name in this manner was a truly awesome and humbling experience.
“Do not fear, for I am with you.”
GENESIS 26:24b
Did God know all about the fear that exists in all human hearts? Yes! He knew that Isaac had fought his fears each time the Philistines harassed him! Each encounter was a possible battlefield. Heavy would be the penalty in any battle!
Isaac must have felt a great sense of relief and comfort at these words of promise! The God of Abraham would be with him! The implications were deep and profound! There was no reason to be afraid of anyone, if the Lord was with him!
“I will bless you and multiply your descendants for my servant Abraham’s sake…”
GENESIS 26:24c
What a wonderful promise God reiterated! This was now the second time that God had uttered this promise of blessing (Genesis 26:3). However, to this word of promise, there came a special word of explanation!
God had been pleased with Abraham’s faith! He had given to Abraham a wonderful covenant. All that God had promised Isaac was mere reiteration! He was only confirming the words that He had already given to Abraham! “For My servant Abraham’s sake” was a truly humbling word to hear!
It was not for Isaac’s sake, that the blessings came! It was for Abraham, his father’s sake! Would Isaac be humble enough to receive this word of explanation from the Lord Himself?
AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE
Isaac did the wisest thing! He did what his father often did. He worshipped!
“So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and
he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.”GENESIS 26:25