In our study of Genesis chapter twenty six, we look at the biblical cause of the strife between Palestinians and the people of Israel.
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A famine came over the land, not the same as the first famine, which had taken place when Avraham was alive. Yitz'chak went to G'rar, to Avimelekh king of the P'lishtim.
In chapter 12, we saw that a famine afflicted the land during Avraham's time and he went to Egypt. Now, we see that another famine is affecting the land but this time Yitz'chak was on his way to Egypt and stopped in G'rar where he met the king of the Philistines. We are reminded that the Philistines were pagans and, in fact, would become enemies of Isra'el. When we see a famine in the Torah we usually think of God being displeased but a famine is also an opportunity for God's people to be a witness to those around them.
ADONAI appeared to him and said, "Don't go down into Egypt, but live where I tell you. Stay in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, because I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants. I will fulfill the oath which I swore to Avraham your father -
The Lord stepped in to stop Yitz'chak from continuing on to Egypt. The Hebrew word "sheken" is translated here as live but it has significance in that it speaks of living in a manner which displays the presence of God. We also notice that God does not initially tell Yitz'chak where he wants him to live so he must say yes in faith and await further revelation. Yitz'chak is told again to dwell in the land but it is a different Hebrew word which simply means to live there. He was promised that, if he trusted in the Lord, he would not only be taken care of but he would be shown the favor of God. He was reminded of the fact that he had inherited the promises that God had made to Avraham.
I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, I will give all these lands to your descendants, and by your descendants all the nations of the earth will bless themselves. All this is because Avraham heeded what I said and did what I told him to do - he followed my mitzvot, my regulations and my teachings." So Yitz'chak settled in G'rar.
Yitz'chak was reminded of his father's faithfulness and the fact that blessings flowed from his trust in God. We see the promise is restated and that all nations will be blessed based on their relationship with the seed of Avraham. So, Yitz'chak was obedient and stayed in G'rar.
The men of the place asked him about his wife, and out of fear he said, "She is my sister." He thought, "If I tell them she's my wife, they might kill me in order to take Rivkah. After all, she is a beautiful woman."
We remember from chapter 12 how God had spoken to Avraham and warned him of a similar situation when he was going into Egypt. We see that Yitz'chak said she was his sister but the Hebrew word can actually be used to describe other female relatives and Rivkah was, in fact, his cousin. So, Yitz'chak was not telling a lie but he knew that they would wrongly interpret what he said.
But one day, after he had lived there a long time, Avimelekh king of the P'lishtim happened to be looking out of a window when he spotted Yitz'chak caressing Rivkah his wife. Avimelekh summoned Yitz'chak and said, "So she is your wife, after all! How come you said, 'She is my sister'?" Yitz'chak responded, "Because I thought, 'I could get killed because of her.'" Avimelekh said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!"
We see that Yitz'chak spent an extended amount of time in G'rar, became known and was recognized by the king as he was interacting with Rivkah. The king tells Yitz'chak that things were getting to the point where another man was going to take Rivkah and, because she was his wife, it would have brought guilt and shame on the Philistines.
Then Avimelekh warned all the people: "Whoever touches this man or his wife will certainly be put to death."
The king must have saw that God was with them and we must remember that Avimelekh was a pagan but he ordered the protection of Yitz'chak and Rivkah. This can only be the favor of God and an affirmation from God that Yitz'chak had done the right thing.
Yitz'chak planted crops in that land and reaped that year a hundred times as much as he had sowed. ADONAI had blessed him. The man became rich and prospered more and more, until he had become very wealthy indeed.
We see that Yitz'chak planted crops even while they were in the midst of a famine and he had a bountiful harvest. This was to display God's anointing on Yitz'chak and Rivkah. He was successful in all that he did and he became very rich. He would have already had more than most men as he received his inheritance from Avraham who was very wealthy but God continued to heap blessings upon them because of their obedience.
He had flocks, cattle and a large household; and the P'lishtim envied him. Now the P'lishtim had stopped up and filled with dirt all the wells his father's servants had dug during the lifetime of Avraham his father.
Yitz'chak was so blessed by God that the Philistines became jealous. Instead of asking themselves why he was so prosperous, they gave in to envy and filled in his wells. In that area and at that time, wells containing water were a sign of blessing and here, in the midst of a famine, the Philistines have filled in the wells that God had blessed Avraham with. This shows us that, even though they had seen God in action through Yitz'chak, they did not want the blessings of God through Avraham.
Avimelekh said to Yitz'chak, "You must go away from us, because you have become much more powerful than we are."
The Hebrew word "meod" is translated here as "more" but it speaks of the supernatural and we see that the king did not want any part of that. This same type of thing happened to Avraham in Egypt (see Genesis 12). When those around us see our Father at work in our lives, they can either choose to accept or reject Him.
So Yitz'chak left, set up camp in Vadi G'rar and lived there. Yitz'chak reopened the wells which had been dug during the lifetime of Avraham his father, the ones the P'lishtim had stopped up after Avraham died, and called them by the names his father had used for them.
So Yitz'chak left and reopened wells that had been dug by Avraham and filled in by the Philistines. This reminds us that, even though you may be displaying the presence of God, that does not mean that those around you will accept the things of God. If and when they reject the things of God, then, it is time to move on. The fact that they had filled in the wells shows us that the Philistines had totally rejected the covenant that God had made with Avraham. This continues even today as the Philistines (Palestinians) totally reject the covenant that God has made with Avraham. The fact that Yitz'chak gave the wells the same names that Avraham had shows us that he was not doing something new but was, in fact, holding onto the covenant of Avraham.
Yitz'chak's servants dug in the vadi and uncovered a spring of running water. But the herdsmen of G'rar quarreled with Yitz'chak's herdsmen, claiming, "That water is ours!" So he called the well 'Esek, because they quarreled with him. They dug another well and quarreled over that one too. So he called it Sitnah. He went away from there and dug another well, and over that one they didn't quarrel. So he called it Rechovot and said, "Because now ADONAI has made room for us, and we will be productive in the land."
The Hebrew word "nahal" is translated here as "vadi" which is a term that speaks of a dry river bed but it also speaks of an inheritance. His servants digging in this dry river bed shows us that Yitz'chak was walking in the inheritance (heritage) of Avraham. We see that they uncovered a spring of "running" water which is also described as "living water" throughout the Bible and it speaks of spiritual (kingdom) things. So, we see that the Philistines wanted to claim this water and stop the blessing of God so Yitz'chak named the well 'Esek which means strife. Isaac was a man of peace and patience and so instead of fighting for his rights, Isaac moved on and his servants dug another well. When the Philistines wanted it as well, he name it Sitnah and the same three Hebrew letters in that word are used to spell satan. So, Yitz'chak moved on again digging another well which was not contested and he gave it the name Rechovot which speaks of going out or expansion. It is interesting to note that he dug three wells and the number three is associated with the earthly display of God's will for men. In this digging of the three wells, we see that the heritage and the gospel is opposed by satan and those who are under his influence but, in the end, they will be overcame and the kingdom of God will expand.
From there Yitz'chak went up to Be'er-Sheva. ADONAI appeared to him that same night and said, "I am the God of Avraham your father. Don't be afraid, because I am with you; I will bless you and increase your descendants for the sake of my servant Avraham." There he built an altar and called on the name of ADONAI. He pitched his tent there, and there Yitz'chak's servants dug a well.
Yitz'chak had moved around searching for peace and finally the Lord appeared to him and blessed him. It is then that he put down roots and settled at Beersheba. We see that he was blessed because of the legacy of faith left by his father and must ask ourselves if we are leaving such a legacy for our children. We see this put into action as Yitz'chak built an altar which was worship which was something that Avraham had done many times. We also see that his servants dug a well but the Hebrew word used for digging is different here and it marks a change.
Then Avimelekh went to him from G'rar with his friend Achuzat and Pikhol the commander of his army. Yitz'chak said to them, "Why have you come to me, even though you were unfriendly to me and sent me away?" They answered, "We saw very clearly that ADONAI has been with you; so we said, 'Let there be an oath between us: let's make a pact between ourselves and you that you will not harm us, just as we have not caused you offense but have done you nothing but good and sent you on your way in peace. Now you are blessed by ADONAI.'"
The same people that had hated and sent him away came to Yitz'chak and asked for a treaty. They had sent him away thinking that distance would be enough to protect them but now they realized just how blessed he was by God. In the same manner, everything that God gives us should be used to glorify God. Our success in whatever we attempt can be an excellent way of provoking people to ask questions about our faith.
Yitz'chak prepared a banquet for them, and they ate and drank. The next morning, they got up early and swore to each other. Then Yitz'chak sent them on their way, and they left him peacefully. That very day Yitz'chak's servants came and told him about the well they had dug, "We have found water." So he called it Shiv'ah, and for this reason the name of the city is Be'er-Sheva , to this day.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus said "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Yitz'chak had agreed to live in peace and then was told that his servants had found water. We see this in the fact that, as Yitz'chak blessed the Philistines with a peace treaty, God blessed him with the well producing water. Be'er-Sheva means well of the oath.
When 'Esav was forty years old, he took as wives Y'hudit the daughter of Be'eri the Hitti and Basmat the daughter of Elon the Hitti. But they became a cause for embitterment of spirit to Yitz'chak and Rivkah.
Now, we see that 'Esav was forty years old and we are reminded that the number forty relates to a change or transition. We remember that he was a man of the world and of the flesh and we see that he took a wife with a good Jewish name but her father whose name means "my well" was a Hittite. The Hittites were descendants of Canaan who were cursed by God (see Genesis 9). We see that he did not stop there but also married another Hittite woman as well. Although Yitz'chak and Rivkah were blessed by God, 'Esav' tried to marry into wealth and power as the Hittites had a great empire. With the marriage of these two women, in effect, 'Esav' was rejecting his heritage and chasing the flesh. We also see that Yitz'chak and Rivkah did not approve of these marriages as they knew that it was not in keeping with their heritage.
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