This chapter is about the middleman, for that is what Isaac was. He is in the middle between a famous father and a famous son, and that position made him quite a dim bulb in the blazing glare of these two shining stars. This is the only chapter where he is the primary focus, and that focus fades quickly when his son Jacob comes on to the stage. Pink comments, “It is noticeable that though Isaac lived the longest of the four great patriarchs yet less is recorded of him than of the others: some twelve chapters are devoted to the biography of Abraham, and a similar number each to Jacob and Joseph, but excepting for one or two brief mentions, before and after, the history of Isaac is condensed into a single chapter. Contrasting his character with those of his father and son, we may remark that of Isaac there is noted less of Abraham’s triumphs of faith and less of Jacob’s failures.”

1. GEESIS 26 COMMETARY
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
PREFACE
I quote many authors both old and new, and if any do not wish for their insights to
be shared in this way they can let me know, and I will delete them. My email is
glenndalepeas@gmail.com
ITRODUCTIO
1. This chapter is about the middleman, for that is what Isaac was. He is in the
middle between a famous father and a famous son, and that position made him quite
a dim bulb in the blazing glare of these two shining stars. This is the only chapter
where he is the primary focus, and that focus fades quickly when his son Jacob
comes on to the stage. Pink comments, “It is noticeable that though Isaac lived the
longest of the four great patriarchs yet less is recorded of him than of the others:
some twelve chapters are devoted to the biography of Abraham, and a similar
number each to Jacob and Joseph, but excepting for one or two brief mentions,
before and after, the history of Isaac is condensed into a single chapter. Contrasting
his character with those of his father and son, we may remark that of Isaac there is
noted less of Abraham’s triumphs of faith and less of Jacob’s failures.”
2. Steven Cole sees this second or third fiddle role as one of practical value, and he
writes, “One reason the story of Isaac is in the Bible is to show us how God can use
an ordinary person. Isaac was the ordinary son of a famous father, and the ordinary
father of a famous son. Alexander Maclaren began a sermon on Isaac by noting,
“The salient feature of Isaac’s life is that it has no salient features.” (Expositions of
Holy Scripture ). Although he lived longer than Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph,
Isaac’s life is pretty much covered in one chapter whose most exciting feature is
some squabbles over some wells. You might say that Isaac was the Calvin Coolidge
of his day. As you know, “Silent Cal” wasn’t noted for much other than being quiet
and sleeping eleven hours a day. When someone reported to Dorothy Parker the
news that Coolidge had died, she replied, “How can they tell?” Isaac was kind of
blah. He wasn’t bold like his father Abraham, who made a daring raid against the
kings of the east. He wasn’t shrewd like his son, Jacob, or a gifted leader like his
grandson, Joseph. Yet God used him to work out His covenant promises. His life
shows us that there’s hope in the Lord for all us ordinary people!”
Isaac was such a quiet and peaceful man that he just did not make the news like the
other patriarchs. Someone pointed out that he just quietly let his father tie him up to

2. be a sacrifice, and for twenty years he quietly waited enduring his wife's barrenness.
When he was threatened by the Philistines he just quietly packed up and moved to
another place. He never rocked the boat, or put up a fight on any issue with anyone.
He was just so ordinary, and ordinary people do not make the headlines. He was
like the millions of people who live their lives with no fanfare and heroic deeds that
get them into the history books or the daily paper. He represents the common man.
He does have one unique aspect of his life, however, for he is the only one of the
patriarchs who lived his entire life in the promised land.
3. W.H. GRIFFITH-THOMAS, Isaac
ALTHOUGH Isaac lived the longest of all the patriarchs less is recorded of him
than of the others. This is the only chapter exclusively devoted to his life. His was a
quiet, peaceful, normal life. He was the ordinary son of a great father, and the
ordinary father of a great son. We are accustomed to speak of such lives as
commonplace and ordinary, and yet the ordinary life is the ordered life, and in
the truest sense the ordained life. Like the rest of us, Isaac's experiences were
marked by light and shade, by sin and discipline, by grace and mercy. The chapter
before us is full of illustrations of how difficulties should and should not be met.
I. Difficulty met by Divine Guidance (Ge 26:1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Once again there arose a famine in the land of Canaan and the difficulty about food
quickly became urgent with Isaac and his large household. Trials are permitted to
come into the life of the best and holiest of men, and it is by this means that God
sometimes teaches His most precious lessons. As the result of this famine Isaac left
his home and journeyed southwards into the land of the Philistines to Gerar. The
question naturally arises whether he was right in taking this journey, whether he
had consulted God about it, whether it was undertaken by the will of God, or
prompted by his own unaided wisdom. In any case the Lord appeared to him and
prevented him from going farther southward into Egypt as his father had done
under similar circumstances. Go not down into Egypt. Egypt was not the
promised land, and there were dangers there to body and to soul from which it was
necessary that Isaac should be safeguarded. With the prohibition came the definite
Divine instruction to remain in the land of Canaan, and the promises to his father
Abraham were thereupon repeated and confirmed. Careful study should be made of
the various occasions on which the Divine promise was given to Abraham, and then
a comparison should be instituted with these words to Isaac. It will then be seen that
each time there is some new feature of the Divine revelation and a confirmation of
the Divine promise. It is impossible to avoid asking the question whether in view of
the sequel Isaac was right in going even as far as to Gerar. It would almost seem as
though he had been walking by sight rather than by faith and had not consulted

3. God before starting out from home.
II. Difficulty met by Human Sin (Ge 26:6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
Isaac continued to dwell in Gerar and it was not very long before he was asked by
the inhabitants of the place about his wife. Following his father's evil example he
told a deliberate lie and said, She is my sister. In this he was actuated by
cowardly fear and by deplorable selfishness; Lest the men of the place should kill
me for Rebekah. It is sometimes wondered how it was that Isaac did exactly what
his father before him had done, and the similarity of the circumstances has led some
to think that this is only a variant of the former story. Would it not be truer to say
that this episode is entirely consonant with what we know of human nature and its
tendencies? What would be more natural than that Isaac should attempt to do what
his father had done before him? Surely a little knowledge of human nature as
distinct from abstract theory is sufficient to warrant a belief in the historical
character of this narrative. Besides, assuming that it is a variant of the other story,
we naturally ask which of them is the true version; they cannot both be true, for as
they now are they do not refer to the same event. The names and circumstances are
different in spite of similarities.
This belief in Rebekah as Isaac's sister was evidently held by the people of Gerar for
some time, for it was only after Isaac had been there a long time that the King of
the Philistines detected the sin and became convinced that Isaac and Rebekah were
husband and wife. Like his predecessor before him Abimelech was a man of
uprightness, for he very plainly rebuked Isaac and reminded him of the serious
consequences that might have accrued to him and to Rebekah if the facts of the case
had not become known. Is there anything sadder in this world than that a child of
God should be rebuked by a man of the world? The corruption of the best is indeed
the worst, and when a believer sins and his sin has to be pointed out to him by men
who make no profession whatever of religion, this is indeed to sound the depths of
sorrow and disappointment. Abimelech took immediate steps to prevent any harm
coming to Isaac and Rebekah from what had been done, and it is not difficult to
imagine Isaac's feelings as he realized the results of his deliberate untruth.
III. Difficulty met by Divine Blessing (Ge 26:12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
Isaac still lived on at Gerar, and quite naturally occupied himself with his daily
agricultural work. He sowed seed, and in the very same year received an
hundredfold owing to the blessing of the Lord. This was an exceptional result even

4. for that exceptional land, and the Divine blessing is of course the explanation. ot
only so, but his flocks grew and his household increased more and more until he
became very great. This marked Divine blessing following soon after his deliberate
sin is at first sight a difficulty, for we naturally ask how God's favor could possibly
rest upon him so quickly after the discovery of his grievous error. The answer may
be found in a somewhat frequent experience of the people of God. They are often
permitted to receive publicly a measure, and a great measure, of the Divine blessing
even when they may not be in private fully faithful to the Divine will. God may at
times honor His people in the sight of men while dealing with them in secret on
account of their sins. As Richard Cecil once said, A minister of Christ is often in
highest honor of men for the performance of one half of his work, while God is
regarding him with displeasure for the neglect of the other half. It seems to have
been something like this with Isaac. In the presence of his enemies the Philistines
God indeed, prepared a table before him, but it is pretty evident from what
follows that God had other ways of dealing with him on account of his sin. God may
not suffer His servants to be dishonored before the world, but He will take care to
discipline them in faithfulness, and even with severity in the secret of His fellowship
with them.
This prosperity soon had its inevitable outcome. The Philistines envied him, and
this envy was shown in what was perhaps the severest and most trying way. All the
wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the
Philistines had stopped them and filled them with earth. The digging of wells was a
virtual claim to the possession of the land, and it was this in particular that the
Philistines resented. They were not prepared to allow Isaac to regard himself as in
any sense the owner of this property, and they therefore made it difficult and even
impossible for him to remain there. Water especially for such a household as his was
an absolute necessity, and the stopping up of the wells compelled him to take action.
Abimelech too was not happy about this increasing property, and begged Isaac to
depart, saying that he was mightier than the Philistines. Isaac thereupon departed,
and yet even then did not go back to his own home, but remained in the valley of
Gerar and dwelt there. Once again we cannot help feeling conscious that Isaac was
not exercising sufficient faith in the power of his father's God, or he would never
have remained so near Gerar in the land of the Philistines.
IV. Difficulty Met by Human Patience (Ge 26:18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
This reluctance to go far away soon had its effect. Isaac was necessarily compelled to
dig again the wells of water that had been stopped up, but this was at once met by a
strife with the herdsmen of Gerar for the possession of the wells. Again Isaac's
herdsmen dug a well, and the men of Gerar strove for that also. All this was

5. evidently intended to make things uncomfortable for Isaac until he should be willing
to return to his own home. Compelled by circumstances to make another move, a
third attempt was made at well-digging, and at length the people of Gerar did not
continue to strive. This was regarded by Isaac as a mark of Divine favor. He called
the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and
we shall be fruitful in the land. The spirit of yielding is very noteworthy, more
particularly as peacemakers are very rare in the East. A strife of this kind is
scarcely ever likely to be met by such a spirit of willingness to yield. On the
contrary, there is every likelihood of such action leading to further strife and
insistence upon personal rights. God was at work gently but very definitely leading
Isaac back again to his own home.
V. Difficulty met by Divine Favor (Ge 26:23-33)
At length Isaac was impelled, not to say compelled, to leave the land of the
Philistines, and he went up from thence to Beersheba. Let us observe carefully
what follows these words. They are very striking and significant. The Lord
appeared unto him the same night. Does not this show clearly that God never
meant him to go even to Gerar? By this Divine appearance the same night it is
evident that Isaac was at last in line with God's will, and could receive a Divine
revelation. I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and
will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham's sake. This is the
first time that we have the now familiar title, the God of Abraham. Isaac is told
not to fear, that he can rely upon the divine presence and blessing, and upon the
fulfilment of the promise to his father Abraham. When God's servants get right with
Him they are certain to receive His full revelation of truth and grace. The secret of
the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. (Ps
25:14-note)
Isaac at once responded to this Divine revelation. He builded an altar there, and
called upon the ame of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's
servants digged a well. Let us mark carefully these four stages in the patriarch's
restored life. First comes the altar with its thought of consecration, then prayer with
its consciousness of need, then the tent with its witness to home, and then comes the
well with its testimony to daily life and needs. The altar and the home sum up
everything that is true in life. First the altar and then the home, not first the home
and then the altar. God must be first in everything.
Personal blessing from God and the consciousness of a life right with God were not
the only result of Isaac's return to Beersheba. Then Abimelech went to him from
Gerar. The point of time is very noteworthy, Then Abimelech went, that is,
when Isaac had returned to the pathway of God's will, those who were formerly his
enemies came to him and bore their testimony to the presence of God with him.

6. Isaac naturally asked why they had come, seeing that they had sent him away from
them. Their reply is very significant, We saw plainly that the Lord was with thee . .
. thou art now the blessed of the Lord. How true it is that when a man's ways
please the Lord He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. It is scarcely
possible to doubt in view of all these verses record that Isaac ought never to have left
his home, but should have trusted God to keep him in spite of the famine in the land.
But at last he was right with God, and both Divine favor and human acceptance
wait upon him. He responded with alacrity to the desire of Abimelech for a covenant
of peace, and after a feast of fellowship his visitors departed from him in peace.
When God is honored by man, man is always honored by God.
Isaac's life, as recorded in this chapter, is full of simple yet searching lessons for
people who, like him, are called upon to live ordinary, every-day lives.
1. The Secret of true living is here revealed
God must at all costs be first. Divine revelation is the foundation of all true life, and
Divine guidance is its only safety. ot a step must be taken without His direction,
not a work undertaken without His grace and blessing. In the beginning God
must actuate and dominate every life that seeks to live to His glory. It is a profound
mistake to think that we need only concern ourselves with God's will in the great
events, the crises of life. The story of Isaac shows with unmistakable clearness that
there is nothing too trivial for God's guidance, and nothing too small for the need of
His grace and power.
2. The need of strength of character is here emphasized
There is always a very serious peril in being the son of a great father. Life is apt to
be made too easy, and the son often occupies his father's position without having
had his father's experience. Isaac entered upon his inheritance without having
passed through the various ways of discipline that Abraham experienced, and the
result was that things were so easy for him that he did not realize the need of
individuality of character and definite personal assertion of himself in the Divine
life. In opening the wells that had been filled up he was copying Abraham's example
without obtaining Abraham's success, and he was doubtless thereby taught that it
was necessary for him to have a personal hold on God and duty for himself instead
of merely imitating what his father had done. It is always dangerous when life is
made too simple and easy for young people; it is good for a man to bear the yoke in
his youth, and it was the absence of this yoke that doubtless ministered in great
measure to that weakness of character which seems to have marked Isaac almost
throughout his whole life.

7. 3. The importance of separation from the world is here seen
As long as Isaac was in or near Gerar he did not experience much happiness. He
was envied, thwarted, and opposed by the jealous Philistines. He was wanting not
only in happiness but also in power, for it was not until he returned to Beersheba
that Abimelech came to him bearing testimony to his conviction that God was with
Isaac and blessing him. Thus for happiness, comfort and power with others,
separation from the world is an absolute necessity. There is no greater mistake
possible than to imagine that we can be one with the world and yet influence them
for Christ. Lot found out this mistake to his cost, and so it has ever been. Separation
from the world, paradoxical though it may seem, is the only true way of influencing
the world for Christ. We must be in the world but not of the world if we would
glorify God, bring blessing to our own souls, and be the means of blessing to others.
IV. The spirit of meekness is here illustrated
It is noteworthy that all through his life Isaac's temperament was of a passive rather
than of an active nature. During his childhood he was subject to the insults of
Ishmael, in his manhood he was taken to Moriah and bound there for sacrifice, and
a wife was chosen for him by his father. He accepted the rebuke of Abimelech with
meekness, he and his servants yielded to the Philistines about the well, and in his
later life we can see the same spirit of passive yielding in his relations with Rebekah
and his two sons. And yet in spite of all this meekness the Philistines testified to him
as a man of power and might, and begged that he would not do them any harm.
What a testimony this is to the spirit of true gentleness and meekness. The world
thinks very little of meekness, but it is one of the prime graces of Christianity. Let
your sweet reasonableness be known unto all men is the apostolic word echoing the
Master's beatitude, Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. ot only
so, but this meekness is an echo of God's own life, for does not the Psalmist say Thy
gentleness hath made me great? (Ps 18:35-note) As the French aphorism truly says,
La douceur est une force. Meekness means the self-sacrifice of our own desires and
interests, and in this spirit of gentleness is the secret of truest character and finest
victory over self and others. Egoism is always a cause of weakness, for a constant
consideration of ourselves is so absorbing that it tends to rob us of the very finest
powers of our character. On the other hand, as we cease to regard self and
concentrate attention upon others we find our own character becoming stronger as
it becomes more unselfish, and with that is quickly added influence over others, and
a beautiful recommendation of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

8. 1 ow there was a famine in the land—besides the
earlier famine of Abraham's time—and Isaac
went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in
Gerar.
1. Isaac faced so many of the same problems in life as his father Abraham did, and
sometimes tried to solve them the same way. In this situation, however, God would
not allow him to flee to Egypt to escape the famine. It shows that God has different
plans for each person, and you cannot assume that he wills the same thing for
people in the same situation. Famine played a major role in the lives of God’s
people, and most often they went into Egypt where there was always the abundance
from the ile to feed those coming there from all the nations around. It is likely that
this is where Isaac would be planning to go, and God knew that, so he came to him
and changed that plan.
2. This was the land that was called the land flowing with milk and honey over and
over in the Bible, and yet we read of repeated famines there. Testing in life comes no
matter where you live, and that was true even in the Promised Land. o matter
what paradise type place you might live in, you will discovers there are natural
circumstances that make it a place of some risk. Ever since man was put out of Eden
he has lived in a world injured by his sin, and so there is no perfect place anymore.
3. There are also no perfect people. Isaac was a very good man, but he had his flaws
just like everybody else. He was not one of the hero type men of the Bible, however,
but just an ordinary man. Steven Cole writes, What do ordinary people do when
trials hit? They panic. What did Isaac do? He panicked. It would be wonderful to
read, “There was a famine in the land, so Isaac sought the Lord.” But the text
plainly states, “So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.” And
it’s clear that he wasn’t planning to stop there. He was heading toward Egypt, when
the Lord intercepted him at Gerar. You also see Isaac’s fear when he pawns off
Rebekah as his sister (26:7), following in the footsteps of his father. Why do such a
despicable thing? He was afraid for his life. And, after a section which describes
repeated quarrels about wells with the local shepherds, the Lord appeared to Isaac
and said (26:24), “Do not fear, for I am with you.” The Lord never says, “Do not
fear” unless somebody is afraid. Isaac had many fears.
4. Fear is a powerful motivating force in all of our lives. It is not all bad, for fear
makes us prepare for danger and trials of all kinds. It is good to fear evil in this
world, for that makes us alert to avoid it as much as possible. Fear, however, can
make us do foolish things as well, and we are often willing to compromise our
commitment to Christ out of fear. Issac turned to a pagan king rather than to the

9. Lord because of his fear. Christians often turn to the world for answers and security
rather than to the Lord, for fear overcomes their faith.
5. So north he went, to Gerar. It was a Philistine city and there he renewed an old
family acquaintance in the person of Abimelech. The Bible says Abimelech was the
king. The word Abimelech is like the word Pharaoh. It really isn’t a name; it’s more
like a title. It means “father of the king.” Either this man or his father of the same
name appears earlier in Genesis 20 where Isaac’s father, Abraham, went through a
very similar situation and made a very similar mistake.
6. We need to understand something about Abimelech and his Philistines. They too
had been immigrants. The Philistines came to that stretch of the southern coastal
land of Israel from the island of Crete in the Aegean Sea. Before Crete, many feel
they had actually lived in Egypt. So is it possible that this nomadic bunch of folks
had gone to Crete and after a number of generations had headed back home, and
settled almost a stone’s throw from their original stomping grounds in Egypt at
Gerar.They understood some thing about being immigrants, about being sojourners
and travelers and circumstances forcing them this way and that. They knew about
uprooting and trials, so they were kindly disposed toward Isaac.
7. Abimelech was no dummy. He was in this position of responsibility and
leadership no doubt for a reason. Abimelech not only understood Isaac’s situation
as a transient, but he also understood a thing or two about the difference between
his gods and the God of Isaac. He had history with the God of Israel, the God of
Isaac, the God of Abraham. He understood that there was a profound difference
between the gods his people could literally create; (Psalm 115 speaks about gods
that have eyes that cannot see and mouths that cannot speak and hands that cannot
touch, that people come to resemble, a very interesting study in idolatry) a big
difference between those on the one hand and the living God of Abraham on the
other. The living God who, no doubt, had plucked Abraham, who is a nobody, in a
nowhere place, an old man as good as dead, having a wife unable to bear children
and through a miracle of life literally created a family, a nation. Through them He
would reach the entire world. Amazing! Abimelech had known that. He knew about
Abraham. He knew about the promise and he knew that Isaac was Abraham’s
miracle child.
“Come on in,” he said. “You’re welcome here in Philistine land.” He received Isaac
and his huge entourage, but he had some memories. Abimelech liked Isaac; at least
he appeared to. Abimelech may have been born at night, but not the night before. So
when Isaac came to him explaining, “Abimelech, that good-looking woman there --
she’s my sister. She’s not my wife. She is an aunt to these two young men.” And we
can just about imagine Abimelech saying, “Could it be? Isaac’s wife is missing but
his sister just happens to be there. They don’t look a whole lot alike, but on the
other hand she does resemble one of those boys and they are sure treating her like a
mom.”
The Bible says Abimelech kept an eye on things. After a long time had gone by

10. Abimelech looks out his window and sees Isaac treating Rebekah not like a sister.
His suspicions are confirmed and he confronts Isaac with this. He forces a
confession from Isaac. Even though God had been so clear to Isaac when He said,
“Isaac, you are the man now. The promises I made to Abraham are now yours.
From your descendants, your descendants, your descendants -- that expression is
three-fold -- I will bless, I will honor, and I promise.
But once Isaac thought he was in a hard spot, he forgot the promise and yielded to
fear. Abimelech called him on it, caught him red-handed and no doubt red-faced
and left him with three problems to face. ow Isaac is not alone. He is remarkably
like most of us. The first problem was Isaac was not trusting God, the God who
made the promise, the God of the covenant. He feared for his life more than he
feared the God of the promise. Your father went through this back when you were
just a kid, Isaac, but he was told to offer you up on the altar. Abraham said, “OK,
Lord,” not knowing exactly what would happen. The book of Romans tells us later
that Abraham was so convinced God could bring life from the dead that he was
willing to prove it in sacrificing his son, Isaac.
Abimelech said, “Isaac, I knew Abraham. Abraham was a friend of mine. And you
are no Abraham. You put your own fear ahead of the promise. That problem is
number one with you, Isaac.” That problem is also number one with us. We just let
fear run us far too frequently, in spite of God’s promises.
Secondly, “Isaac, you have no concern for us Philistines.” Abimelech is really a lead
character, he understood the terms of the deal. God had told Abraham, “In you all
the families of the world will be blessed and the nation that blesses you I will bless
and the nation that curses you I will curse.” Abimelech understood it is clearly in
the best interest for him and the Philistine people to be good to God’s man or face
the consequences of the living God.
“You have no concern for us, the Philistines, your host.” The Philistines, who are
outside the commonwealth of the faith of Abraham and Isaac need to be inside also.
They need to know the living God, but Isaac didn’t care. His testimony to the lost
world didn’t matter and far too frequently it doesn’t matter to us either. We’ll just
go on giving way to the fears that come our way or the dispositions of our hearts and
forget the lost ones. That’s wrong, and Abimelech called him on it.
Thirdly, this is one that will come back to get him, he had no respect for Rebekah.
He put her in a losing position. He compromised his marriage, he compromised her
as his wife, and he set a horrible example for his two boys. “Be sure when you’re
asked, boys, to say this is your aunt. I don’t want them to kill me.” He is running on
fear.
When I read this and reflect on other passages in Scripture, I need to say that it is so
important, in the kingdom of God, that men must lead. Men must take the lead
particularly in the homes. Men must lead physically. Men must lead morally. Men
must set the boundaries because wives and daughters are inclined so powerfully to

11. want to trust the main man in their lives. If they trust that man, whether it is their
dad or their husband, they are secure, they thrive, and they become all that God
wants them to be. If they are insecure because they can’t trust their husband or
can’t trust their dad because of his behavior or duplicity, they will act out in
insecurity, the home will be disrupted. Wouldn’t you know that that is what is
coming to Isaac’s world because he let down his wife and his sons. Trust and respect
are huge and it begins in the home with husbands and dads who lead a good
example.
3. Fighting (12-33)
12ow Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And
the LORD blessed him,
13and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very
wealthy;
14for he had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the
Philistines envied him.
15ow all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his
father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth.
16Then Abimelech said to Isaac, Go away from us, for you are too powerful for
us.
17And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled
there.
18Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his
father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of
Abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them.
19But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing
water,
20the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, The water
is ours! So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.
21Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it Sitnah.
22He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over
it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, At last the LORD has made room for us,
and we will be fruitful in the land.
23Then he went up from there to Beersheba.
24The LORD appeared to him the same night and said,
I am the God of your father Abraham;
Do not fear, for I am with you
I will bless you, and multiply your descendants,
For the sake of My servant Abraham.
25So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his
tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.
26Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with his adviser Ahuzzath and Phicol
the commander of his army.

12. 27Isaac said to them, Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent
me away from you?
28They said, We see plainly that the LORD has been with you; so we said, 'Let
there now be an oath between us, even between you and us, and let us make a
covenant with you,
29that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to
you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of
the LORD.'
30Then he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.
31In the morning they arose early and exchanged oaths; then Isaac sent them away
and they departed from him in peace.
32ow it came about on the same day, that Isaac's servants came in and told him
about the well which they had dug, and said to him, We have found water.
33So he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
So with egg dripping from his face, Isaac begins to farm. Here I find, so amazing, so
remarkable, so wonderful a God who stays faithful to His promise. Isaac goes out
and puts some seed in the ground. This is non-irrigated land and the Bible says the
first year he farmed. He was not from a farming background; he was from a
merchandizing background. He puts some seed in the ground and gets a hundred-fold
return, a hundred-fold harvest. That translates roughly, in our terms today,
into a hundred bushels to the acre on non-irrigated land.
My farmer friends, who are dry land farmers, are absolutely ecstatic, in that rare
year, when a part of their farm might pull in 65 or 70 bushels to an acre and that’s
with the technology and all that goes with farming today. You still cannot control
the rain. But someone can. If Isaac is farming, let’s say he had a big place. Let’s give
him a 20-acre piece, which is a lot for one guy to be working by hand. And he got
100 bushels to the acre. That means the rain fell selectively. That’s how it works in
dry land farm country. You can sit and watch your neighbor get it all -- some
summer shower that is timed perfectly and you know his yield just went up and
yours stayed the same.
So you have these Philistine farmers surrounding Isaac’s spread. They are sitting
there in the evening watching rain hit Isaac’s place again. They are aware because
they have this innate religious sense that someone up there is more pleased with him
than with them. It eats on them. Harvest time comes and they are finished in a day
and a half. Two weeks later Isaac is still stacking. They are irritated. They move
from irritation to envy. So they tell him he needs to leave. They don’t care a lot for
him right now.
Bad feelings and misunderstanding and envy lead to overt, in-your-face,
confrontational conflict. How do we deal with that? In a fallen world, even in a best
case scenario God’s people had better learn how to manage conflict. In a fallen
world it is here to stay. When your neighbor doesn’t understand, when
misunderstanding and rumor and all kinds of things enter into our lives we better

13. stand by for problems.
Isaac faced them and decided he needed to move again. So he moved out from Gerar
and headed up the valley, trying to get himself clear but then enters in this whole
business of the wells. We can see what Isaac is doing. He is following his father’s
trail. He is searching out the wells his father had dug. He is riding, in his own mind,
on his father’s coattails.
In this country, when they had a problem with a well it is much more difficult to fix
than our problem with a well. Their wells were dug by hand. There were wells that
were dug for an entire community that had a circumference half the size of this
building or larger. They were dug by hand and the dirt was piled in baskets and
drug out. Wells that were so huge had big stair steps that were carved into them
spiraling down to the bottom where the water may be 30 or 40 feet below. The steps
were large because the animals had to use them to carry the large pots of water.
Digging a well is not just a matter of “I think I’ll dig a well today.” It’s a big deal
and it is labor intensive. But it is more than that here because water symbolizes
something. For one, it symbolizes survival. It is life! If you don’t have water in this
country, you are done! Water is everything. That’s why they fought over it.
That’s why they argued over it. And that’s why if the people of Gerar really wanted
to get a dig in on Isaac they would fill up the wells. It is not only a physical attack, it
is intended to demoralize and symbolizes “you don’t have a life here.”
So they dug one, and fought over it. Dug another and fought over it. Finally, he dug
a well and it was OK. It’s a new one. It is Isaac’s well now, all dug out. Things are
looking good. Symbolizing that now he has a life, he has sustenance, and he has a
personal blessing from God that doesn‘t require going where Abraham had been.
He is now his own man and remembers your descendants, your descendants, your
descendants. God is now saying, “It‘s you now, Isaac You are the one through whom
I will work out my promise to redeem the world.”
Please don’t hear me saying that Isaac is the only one who is going to get to go to
heaven. Isaac is the one in the front line representing God’s agenda. Isaac has these
two sons, Jacob and Esau. Through Jacob now, God’s promise is carried through.
That’s coming. For now, Isaac has to own it and he owns it through the problems.
He finally gets his own well.
He is connected, obviously genetically, to Abraham. But he moves on now, as God’s
chosen vessel in the covenant. It says in verse 23 that he goes up to Beersheba.
Beersheba is still today a city on the southern edge of the land of Israel. Frequently
in the course of biblical description, you read the expression ”from Dan to
Beersheba,” a distance of about 120 miles. orth to south, that’s the length of the
land. They are now on the southern edge, at a place called Beersheba. That night
(verse 24) God appears. This is a breakthrough point for Isaac. God shows up and
says, “Isaac, don’t miss this now. I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not fear
for I am with you. I am with you, Isaac, and I will bless you and multiply your

14. descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”
It is the same promise. He builds an altar and there they dig a well. They name that
well, “The Well of the Oath.” The covenant is renewed and now Isaac is in first
position. Meanwhile, in Gerar, Abimelech has not missed much. He has been
watching, continuing to observe what is going on with God’s people, with Isaac and
his company.
So he comes to Isaac, not because he is impressed with Isaac because he is not.
Remember what went on back in town. He is not impressed with Isaac but he is very
impressed with Isaac’s God. He evidently gives Isaac some slack. He is not offended
beyond the point of recovery but he goes to him. Isaac again entreats him, “Why did
you come to me? You hate me and you kicked me out of your place.”
“We see plainly that Yahweh is with you. And if He is with you, then we want to be
with you too. We need to have an oath, a contract, a promise.” Why? Abimelech
knew the covenant. The nation that blesses you I will bless. The nation that curses
you I will curse. Abimelech is saying, as for as me and my people, Isaac, we want to
be aligned with your God because we see how wonderful He is. His is the team we
want to be on. It’s not about you, Isaac. It’s that we see that the God you name has
no real competition.
So the oath was struck out of respect for Isaac’s God. Verse 29 -- You are now the
blessed of the Lord.” That is a huge, huge statement. So in the morning they got up
and exchanged oaths. Swore promises to one another. This is a remarkable
testimony to God’s faithfulness despite Isaac’s failings. God has promises to keep,
promises to save and promises to populate heaven. He said I will use you people in
that process. If you are unwilling, if you are fearful, I am going to keep My promises
anyway, but you are going to pay for your behavior.
You will either lose rewards in glory or there will be other prices to pay, but I won’t
let it go. God will be honored as the hero of His kingdom building enterprise and He
has invited us to join. They name the wall Sheba. Beersheba is the name and it is all
about God’s faithfulness to His promises.
Isaac had been riding Abraham’s coattails to this point. God walked with him, took
him down Abraham’s trail to impress upon him that “You are the man. You are my
chosen conduit to bless the world.” Abimelech saw it before Isaac did and gravitated
to Isaac’s God.
4. Family (34-35)
34When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the
Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;
35and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
That doesn’t mean we have a happy ending to the chapter. ow we flash inside the

15. tent, as it were. We see a little bit of where this goes. Time to take a wife, Esau says,
so he marries Judith, a Hittite girl. One evidently wasn’t enough, so he marries
Basemath, another Hittite girl. They brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah. Do you see
what is happening in this home? These two verses are all about Esau. For you and
me, they begin transitioning our thinking to what happens next. This is just a lead
into the next chapter where we get more detail about this very interesting family.
Family, where we love the fiercest and fight the hardest, and this is where it is going.
Esau has two problems and that comes through every time we meet him in the book.
For one, he is self-centered and impulsive. He sold his birthright for a bowl of stew.
He gave away his inheritance because he was hungry. “Feed me. If I am dead, I
can’t enjoy it anyway.” So he despised his birthright because of his self-centered,
impulsive nature.
The second problem, which comes through so clearly here, he is disrespectful. He is
disrespectful with regard to his parents. He doesn’t respect Isaac, his dad, because
he sees the duplicity of Isaac’s character. He was no doubt asked to lie along with
his dad. He knew who Rebekah was and he doesn’t respect his father. He also
doesn’t respect his mother because Isaac didn’t respect her either. Boys will pick up
on that from their dads. Dads who disrespect their wives can’t expect their boys to
respect them either.
So we have a problem in the home. He disrespected his parents and he disrespected
God in that he didn‘t want his own birthright. Esau is trouble. ot too much trouble
for God however, but the chickens are coming home to roost in Isaac’s tent and this
is just the beginning. They brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah. ow we do not have
a happy home but we do have a faithful God. It’s best when we have both. When
God is represented well in a world full of problems, just like this family faced, then
He is honored and His people are blessed and a needy world is drawn to Him -- as it
should be. Jim Carlson 2005, Lone Rock Bible Church, Stevensville Montana, USA
8. CALVI, .And there was a famine. Moses relates that Isaac was tried by nearly
the same kind of temptation as that through which his father Abraham had twice
passed. I have before explained how severe and violent was this assault. The
condition in which it was the will of God to place his servants, as strangers and
pilgrims in the land which he had promised to give them, seemed sufficiently
troublesome and hard; but it appears still more intolerable, that he scarcely suffered
them to exist (if we may so speak) in this wandering, uncertain, and changeable kind
of life, but almost consumed them with hunger. Who would not say that God had
forgotten himself, when he did not even supply his own children, — whom he had
received into his especial care and trust, — however sparingly and scantily, with
food? But God thus tried the holy fathers, that we might be taught, by their
example, not to be effeminate and cowardly under temptations. Respecting the
terms here used, we may observe, that though there were two seasons of dearth in
the time of Abraham, Moses alludes only to the one, of which the remembrance was
most recent

16. 9. PULPIT COMMETARY,A good man's perplexity.
I. THE COTEMPLATED JOUREY.
1. Its projected destinations. Egypt. Renowned for fertility, the land of the Pharaohs
was yet no proper resort for the son of Abraham, the heir of Canaan, and the friend
of God. It was outside the land of promise; it had been to Abraham a scene of peril,
and it was not a place to which he was directed to turn. Considerations such as these
should have operated to deter Isaac from even entertaining the idea of a pilgrimage
to Egypt. But the behavior of this Hebrew patriarch is sometimes outdone by that of
modern saints, who not simply project, but actually perform, journeys, of pleasure
or of business, across the boundary line which separates the Church from the world,
into places where their spiritual interests are endangered, and that too not only
without the Divine sanction, but sometimes in express violation of that authority.
2. Its ostensible occasion. The famine. A severe trial, especially to a flock-master. It
was yet by no means an exceptional trial, but one which had occurred before in the
experience of the inhabitants of Canaan, and in particular of his father, and might
possibly recur to himself, just as life's afflictions generally bear a singular
resemblance to one another (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 4:12). It was not an
accidental trial, but had been appointed and permitted by that Divine wisdom
without whose sanction no calamity can fall on either nation or individual, saint or
sinner (Deuteronomy 32:39; Psalms 66:11; Amos 3:6). And just as little was it
purposeless, being designed to initiate Isaac in that life discipline from which no
child of God can escape (Acts 14:22; Hebrews 12:11; James 1:2, James 1:3).
3. Its secret inspiration. Unbelief. Jehovah, who had given the land to Isaac, could
easily have maintained him in it notwithstanding the dearth, had it been his
pleasure not to provide a way of escape. Had Isaac not at this time been walking
somewhat by sight, it is probable his thoughts would not have turned to Egypt. Most
of the saint's doubtful transactions and dangerous projects have a secret connection
with the spirit of unbelief which causes to err.
II. THE DIVIE ITERPOSITIO.
1. Prohibiting. Go not down into Egypt. That Jacob subsequently went down to
Egypt in obedience to Divine instructions is no proof that Isaac would have been
blameless had he gone down without them. Abraham did so, but it is not certain that
God approved of his conduct in that matter. Besides, though it could be shown that
Abraham incurred no guilt and contracted no hurt by residence in Egypt, it would
not follow that his son might venture thither with impunity and without sin. Hence
the proposed journey was interdicted. So God in his word debars saints from going
down to the unspiritual and unbelieving world to endamage or imperil their souls'
higher interests.
2. Prescribing. Dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: sojourn in this land. It
is always safest for the saint in seasons of perplexity to wait for and to follow the

17. light from heaven. Sufficient guidance God has promised, through his Spirit, by his
word, and in his providence, to enable gracious ones who wait upon his teaching to
detect the path of duty and the place of safety.
3. Promising. For Isaac's encouragement the various promises of the Abrahamic
covenant are repeated, renewed, and confirmed to himself for his father's sake;
embracing promises of the Divine presence—I will be with thee—and the Divine
blessing—and will bless thee; in which latter are comprehended the
inheritance,—all these countries,—the seed.—I will make thy seed to
multiply,—and the universal salvation—in thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed, which had been promised and guaranteed to Abraham by oath.
So has God given to believers exceeding great and precious promises for Christ's
sake, because of the covenant made with him, on the ground of the obedience
rendered, and for the merit of the sacrifice presented, by him.
III. THE FILIAL OBEDIECE. Isaac dwelt in Gerar, having removed thither in
compliance with the Divine instructions. Like Abraham's, Isaac's obedience was—
1. Minute, exactly following the Divine prescription.
2. Prompt, putting into immediate execution the Divine commandment.
3. Patient, remaining in the land of the Philistines till God in his providence
indicated it was time to remove. So should Christ's followers obey.
2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, Do not
go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you
to live.
1. God made it a point to keep Isaac in the Promised Land. Abraham, Jacob and
Joseph all left the land, but Isaac was never permitted to leave it for some reason
that God never tells us. He was the only one of the patriarchs never to leave it, and
one wonders if it was because he was not strong enough to resist the temptation to
go and never come back. God did not want him to go to Egypt like his father did. It
was obvious that he was going to do just that or God would not tell him not to do it.
It was his plan, but God came to him and said don't do it. It would be wonderful if
God came to us and told us not to do it when we are going to make a decision that is
not his will. He does not do it all the time even for Isaac, for he let him lie about his
wife being his sister without telling him not to do it. He had to make choices without
divine guidance just like the rest of us, but for some reason it was a special need for

18. God to keep him from going to Egypt. Some say God was testing him to see if he
would obey and not go when the need to go was great.
2. Matthew Henry has an excellent paragraph on how God deals with men
differently. He wrote, God bade him stay where he was, and not go down into
Egypt: Sojourn in this land, Gen_26:2, Gen_26:3. There was a famine in Jacob's
days, and God bade him go down into Egypt (Gen_46:3, Gen_46:4), a famine in
Isaac's days, and God bade him not to go down, a famine in Abraham's days, and
God left him to his liberty, directing him neither way. This variety in the divine
procedure (considering that Egypt was always a place of trial and exercise to God's
people) some ground upon the different characters of these three patriarchs.
Abraham was a man of very high attainments, and intimate communion with God;
and to him all places and conditions were alike. Isaac was a very good man, but not
cut out for hardship; therefore he is forbidden to go to Egypt. Jacob was inured to
difficulties, strong and patient; and therefore he must go down into Egypt, that the
trial of his faith might be to praise, and honour, and glory. Thus God proportions his
people's trials to their strength.
3. CALVIN, .And the Lord appeared unto him. I do not doubt but a reason is
here given why Isaac rather went to the country of Gerar than to Egypt, which
perhaps would have been more convenient for him; but Moses teaches that he
was withheld by a heavenly oracle, so that a free choice was not left him. It may
here be asked, why does the Lord prohibit Isaac from going to Egypt, whither he
had suffered his father to go? Although Moses does not give the reason, yet we
may be allowed to conjecture that the journey would have been more dangerous
to the son. The Lord could indeed have endued the son also with the power of
his Spirit, as he had done his father Abraham, so that the abundance and
delicacies of Egypt should not have corrupted him by their allurements; but since
he governs his faithful people with such moderation, that he does not correct all
their faults at once, and render them entirely pure, he assists their infirmities, and
anticipates, with suitable remedies, those evils by which they might be ensnared.
Because, therefore, he knew that there was more infirmity in Isaac than there
had been in Abraham, he was unwilling to expose him to danger; for he is
faithful, and will not suffer his own people to be tempted beyond what they are
able to bear. (1 Corinthians 10:13.) Now, as we must be persuaded, that
however arduous and burdensome may be the temptations which alight upon us,
the Divine help will never fail to renew our strength; so, on the other hand, we
must beware lest we rashly rush into dangers; but each should be admonished
by his own infirmity to proceed cautiously and with fear.
Dwell in the land. God commands him to settle in the promised land, yet with the
understanding that he should dwell there as a stranger. The intimation was thus

19. given, that the time had not yet arrived in which he should exercise dominion
over it. God sustains indeed his mind with the hope of the promised inheritance,
but requires this honor to be given to his word, that Isaac should remain inwardly
at rest, in the midst of outward agitations; and truly we never lean upon a better
support than when, disregarding the appearance of things present, we depend
entirely upon the word of the Lord, and apprehend by faith that blessing which is
not yet apparent. Moreover, he again inculcates the promise previously made, in
order to render Isaac more prompt to obey; for so is the Lord wont to awaken his
servants from their indolence, that they may fight valiantly for him, while he
constantly affirms that their labor shall not he in vain; for although he requires
from us a free and unreserved obedience, as a father does from his children, he
yet so condescends to the weakness of our capacity, that he invites and
encourages us by the prospect of reward.
3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with
you and will bless you. For to you and your
descendants I will give all these lands and will
confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.
1. I will be with you
1. What a precious promise! This is the first time God has ever
said something like that.
2. He has already told Abraham he will be his God and the God
of his offspring (seed)
3. ow he reinforces that in a personal way.
4. What good is all the wealth of Egypt if it is in this land that
God has said he will be with Isaac!
5. This, surely, is the only important thing. If God is with Isaac,
who can be against him?
I will … bless you
1. He already promised to bless Abraham and his offspring
2. ow he confirms that Isaac is indeed the offspring of Abraham
that he has chosen to bless. For to you and your offspring I
give all these lands
I will perform the oath that I swore to your father

20. 2. BARES, Isaac is now the heir, and therefore the holder, of the promise. Hence,
the Lord enters into communication with him. First, the present difficulty is met.
“Go not down into Mizraim,” the land of corn, even when other lands were barren.
“Dwell in the land of which I shall tell thee.” This reminds us of the message to
Abraham Gen_12:1. The land here spoken of refers to “all these lands” mentioned
in the following verses. “Sojourn in this land:” turn aside for the present, and take
up thy temporary abode here. ext, the promise to Abraham is renewed with some
variety of expression. “I will be with thee” Gen_21:22, a notable and comprehensive
promise, afterward embodied in the name Immanuel, “God with us. Unto thee and
unto thy seed.” This was fulfilled to his seed in due time. All these lands, now
parcelled out among several tribes. “And blessed in thy seed” Gen_12:3; Gen_22:18.
3. CLARKE, Sojourn in this land - In Gerar, whither he had gone, Gen_26:1, and
where we find he settled, Gen_26:6, though the land of Canaan in general might be here
intended. That there were serious and important reasons why Isaac should not go to
Egypt, we may be fully assured, though they be not assigned here; it is probable that
even Isaac himself was not informed why he should not go down to Egypt. I have already
supposed that God saw trials in his way which he might not have been able to bear.
While a man acknowledges God in all his ways, he will direct all his steps, though he may
not choose to give him the reasons of the workings of his providence. Abraham might go
safely to Egypt, Isaac might not; in firmness and decision of character there was a wide
difference between the two men.
4. GILL, Sojourn in this land,.... The land of Canaan, where he now was; either in
Gerar, which though in the land of the Philistines was a part of Canaan, the place of his
present residence; or in any other part of it he should be directed to: however, by this it
appears it was the pleasure of God that he should not go out of that land, and which
Abraham his father was careful of, that he should not while he lived; see Gen_24:6,
and I will be with thee, and I will bless thee; with his presence; with protection
from all enemies; with a supply of all the necessaries of life; and with all spiritual
blessings, and with eternal life and happiness:
for unto thee, and to thy seed, will I give these countries; inhabited at that time
by the Philistines, Canaanites, and the several tribes of them:
and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
concerning the promise of the Messiah from him and his seed, the gift of the land of
Canaan to them, and the multiplication of them, Gen_22:16.
5. Henry, He promised to be with him, and bless him, Gen_26:3. As we may go any
where with comfort when God's blessing goes with us, so we may stay any where
contentedly if that blessing rest upon us. 3. He renewed the covenant with him, which
had so often been made with Abraham, repeating and ratifying the promises of the land
of Canaan, a numerous issue, and the Messiah, Gen_26:3, Gen_26:4. Note, Those that
must live by faith have need often to review, and repeat to themselves, the promises they
are to live upon, especially when they are called to any instance of suffering or self-denial.

21. 6. PULPIT COMMENTARY,And the Lord (Jehovah, i.e. the God of the covenant and of
the promise) appeared unto him,—only two Divine manifestations are mentioned as
having been granted to the patriarch. Either the peaceful tenor of Isaac's life rendered
more theophanies in his case unnecessary; or, if others were enjoyed by him, the brief
space allotted by the historian to the record of his life may account for their omission
from the narrative. Though commonly understood as having occurred in Gerar (Keil,
Lange, Murphy), this appearance, is perhaps better regarded as having taken place at
Lahai-roi, and as having been the cause of Isaac's turning aside into the land of the
Philistines (Calvin)—and said, Go not down into Egypt—whither manifestly he had been
purposing to migrate, as his father had done on the occasion of the earlier dearth
(Genesis 12:10). Jacob in the later famine was instructed to go down to Egypt (Genesis
46:3, Genesis 46:4); Abraham in the first scarcity was left at liberty to think and act for
himself. Dwell in the land which I will tell thee of (i.e. Philistia, as appears from the
preceding verse).
4 I will make your descendants as numerous as
the stars in the sky and will give them all these
lands, and through your offspring [a] all nations
on earth will be blessed,
1. BARES, This is the great, universal promise to the whole human race through
the seed of Abraham, twice explicitly announced to that patriarch. “All the nations.”
In constancy of purpose the Lord contemplates, even in the special covenant with
Abraham, the gathering in of the nations under the covenant with oah and with
Adam Gen_9:9; Hos_6:7. “Because Abraham hearkened to my voice,” in all the
great moments of his life, especially in the last act of proceeding on the divine
command to offer Isaac himself. Abraham, by the faith which flows from the new
birth, was united with the Lord, his shield and exceeding great reward Gen_15:1,
with God Almighty, who quickened and strengthened him to walk before him and
be perfect Gen_17:1. The Lord his righteousness worketh in him, and his merit is
reflected and reproduced in him Gen_22:16, Gen_22:18. Hence, the Lord reminds
Isaac of the oath which he had heard at least fifty years before confirming the
promise, and of the declaration then made that this oath of confirmation was sworn
because Abraham had obeyed the voice of God. How deeply these words would
penetrate into the soul of Isaac, the intended victim of that solemn day! But
Abraham’s obedience was displayed in all the acts of his new life. He kept the
charge of God, the special commission he had given him; his commandments, his

22. express or occasional orders; his statutes, his stated prescriptions, graven on stone;
his laws, the great doctrines of moral obligation. This is that unreserved obedience
which flows from a living faith, and withstands the temptations of the flesh.
2. B I, The covenant renewed to Isaac
I. IT WAS REEWED TO HIM I A TIME OF TRIAL. Divine help comes when
all human efforts are exhausted.
II. IT WAS REEWED TO HIM I THE OLD TERMS, BUT RESTIG O
EW GROUDS. Abraham was the beginning of the Church, and therefore God,
in speaking to His servant whom He had called, rested upon His own Almightiness
(Gen_17:1). But the Church had already commenced a history in the time of Jacob.
There was a past to fall back upon. There was an example to stimulate and
encourage. There was some one in whom the power of God was manifested, and
who had proved the truth of His Word. Therefore to Isaac God rests His promises
on the ground of his father’s obedience. Thus the Lord would teach Isaac that His
attributes are on the side of the saints; that they possess Him only so far as they are
obedient; that he must not regard the promised blessings as a matter of course, to be
given irrespective of conduct, but rather as, by their very terms, demanding
obedience; and that the greatness of his people could only arise from that piety and
practical trust in God of which Abraham was such an illustrious example (Gen_
26:5). But while obedience, as a general principle, was commended to Isaac, yet
regard is had to duty as it is special and peculiar to the individual (Gen_26:2). (T. H.
Leale.)
The renewed covenant
Two things are observable in this solemn renewal of the covenant with Isaac.
1. The good things promised. The sum of these blessings is the land of Canaan, a
numerous progeny, and, what is greatest of all, the Messiah, in whom the nations
should be blessed. On these precious promises Isaac is to live. God provided him
with bread in the day of famine; but he “lived not on bread only, but on the
words which proceeded from the mouth of God.”
2. Their being given for Abraham’s sake. We are expressly informed in what
manner this patriarch was accepted of God, namely, as “believing on Him who
justifieth the ungodly”; and this accounts for the acceptance of his works. The
most “spiritual sacrifices” being offered by a sinful creature, can no otherwise be
acceptable to God than by Jesus Christ; for, as President Edwards justly
remarks, “It does not consist with the honour of the majesty of the king of
heaven and earth to accept of any thing from a condemned malefactor,
condemned by the justice of his own holy law, till that condemnation be
removed.” But a sinner being accepted as believing in Jesus, his works also are
accepted for his sake, and become rewardable. It was in this way, and not of
works, that Abraham’s obedience was honoured with so great a reward. To this
may be added that every degree of Divine respect to the obedience of the

23. patriarchs was, in fact, no other than respect to the obedience of Christ, in whom
they believed, and through whom their obedience, like ours, became acceptable.
The light of the moon which is derived from its looking, as it were, on the face of
the sun, is no other than the light of the sun itself reflected. (A. Fuller.)
Possession
Charles Dickens, in those younger days which he spent in the town of Rochester,
used sometimes, in his country walks, to pass a large house standing in its own
grounds, called Cad’s Hill Place. It was his boyish dream that some day he would be
a rich man, and when he became so that he would buy that house and make it his
home. Castles in the air of this kind are not uncommon, and nay readers have
doubtless indulged in many of them. But what is uncommon is their fulfilment. In
Dickens’ case it actually came to pass. He not only grew rich, as many do, but he
dwelt in his latter years, and at length died, at Cad’s Hill Place. I refer to this well-known
incident merely to illustrate the difference between the hope of possessing
something and the actual possession of it. In Dickens’ case, indeed, the feeling could
scarcely be called a hope. It was but a wild dream. ervy, in the Book of Genesis, we
have before us the case of men whose eyes, day by day, beheld a domain which they
hoped would one day be their home; who not merely beheld it, but actually dwelt in
it—only not as owners, but merely as guests; and whose hopes were built, not on
boyish imaginations, but on the promise of an almighty and faithful God. And yet
they never came into possession l Of Abraham we are told, in Heb_11:1-40., that he
“sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country”; and of all the patriarchs,
that they “died in faith “—still trusting—yet “not having received the promises.” In
what way, then, were the promises fulfilled? As the progenitors of a people, the
patriarchs were to obtain the fulfilment in their descendants, hundreds of years
after. As individuals, they obtained it, not on earth, but in heaven. They “desired a
better country, that is, an heavenly”; and they got it—something far beyond their
most exalted anticipations. (E. Stock.)
3. GILL, And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven,....
Meaning in the line of Jacob especially, if not only; from whom sprung twelve patriarchs,
the heads of so many tribes, which in process of time became very numerous, even as the
stars of heaven:
and I will give unto thy seed all these countries; which is repeated from Gen_
26:3 for the greater confirmation of it:
and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; meaning in the
Messiah that should spring from him, see Gen_22:18.
4. HENRY, He renewed the covenant with him, which had so often been made with
Abraham, repeating and ratifying the promises of the land of Canaan, a numerous issue,
and the Messiah, Gen_26:3, Gen_26:4. Note, Those that must live by faith have need
often to review, and repeat to themselves, the promises they are to live upon, especially

24. when they are called to any instance of suffering or self-denial.
5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my
requirements, my commands, my decrees and my
laws.
1. HERY, He recommended to him the good example of his father's obedience, as
that which had preserved the entail of the covenant in his family (Gen_26:5):
“Abraham obeyed my voice; do thou do so too, and the promise shall be sure to thee.”
Abraham's obedience is here celebrated, to his honour; for by it he obtained a good
report both with God and men. A great variety of words is here used to express the
divine will, to which Abraham was obedient (my voice, my charge, my
commandments, my statutes, and my laws), which may intimate that Abraham's
obedience was universal; he obeyed the original laws of nature, the revealed laws of
divine worship, particularly that of circumcision, and all the extraordinary precepts
God gave him, as that of quitting his country, and that (which some think is more
especially referred to) of the offering up of his son, which Isaac himself had reason
enough to remember. ote, Those only shall have the benefit and comfort of God's
covenant with their godly parents that tread in the steps of their obedience.
A great variety of words is here used to express the divine will, to which Abraham
was obedient (my voice, my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws),
which may intimate that Abraham's obedience was universal; he obeyed the original
laws of nature, the revealed laws of divine worship, particularly that of
circumcision, and all the extraordinary precepts God gave him, as that of quitting
his country, and that (which some think is more especially referred to) of the
offering up of his son, which Isaac himself had reason enough to remember. ote,
Those only shall have the benefit and comfort of God's covenant with their godly
parents that tread in the steps of their obedience.
2. KD, The piety of Abraham is described in words that indicate a perfect
obedience to all the commands of God, and therefore frequently recur among the
legal expressions of a later date. יהוה משׁמרת שׁמר “to take care of Jehovah's care,”
i.e., to observe Jehovah, His persons, and His will, Mishmereth, reverence,
observance, care, is more closely defined by “commandments, statutes, laws,” to
denote constant obedience to all the revelations and instructions of God.

25. 3. CLARKE, Abraham obeyed my voice - מימרי meimeri, my Word. See Gen_15:1.
My charge - משמרתי mishmarti, from שמר shamar, he kept, observed, etc., the
ordinances or appointments of God. These were always of two kinds:
1. Such as tended to promote moral improvement, the increase of piety, the
improvement of the age, etc. And
2. Such as were typical of the promised seed, and the salvation which was to come by
him.
For commandments, statutes, etc., the reader is particularly desired to refer to Lev_
16:15, etc., where these things are all explained in the alphabetical order of the Hebrew
words.
4. GILL, Because that Abraham obeyed my voice,.... In all things, and particularly
in offering up his son at his command:
and kept my charge; whatever was given him in charge to observe; this, as Aben Ezra
thinks, is the general, of which the particulars follow:
my commandments, my statutes, and my laws; whether moral, ceremonial, or
civil and judicial; all and everyone which God enjoined him, he was careful to observe.
Here seems to be something wanting, for the words are not to be joined with the
preceding, as if Abraham's obedience was the cause of the above promises made to Isaac,
or to himself: but this is mentioned rather as an example to Isaac, and to stir him up to
do the like, as if it was said, because or seeing that Abraham thy father did so and so, do
thou likewise.
5. HAWKER, So did Abraham. Gen_20:5. See also Gen_12:13. Reader! do not hastily
pass over this verse; but remark, in the perusal, the weakness of the patriarch’s faith.
Was it not enough that the Lord had appeared unto him, had assured him of his
remembrance, of his covenant engagements, and that he would bless him: nay, that his
dwelling in Gerar was by the express command of God. Could Isaac doubt of God’s
protection after this, and could he suppose that he would want means effectually to
secure the chastity of his wife, so that he must descend to the pitiful conduct of
dissembling? Alas! what do we see in this history of Isaac, but another evidence of what
our poor faithless and unbelieving nature is, in the midst of all God’s assurances of his
love.
6. CALVIN, Because that Abraham obeyed my voice. Moses does not mean that
Abraham’s obedience was the reason why the promise of God was confirmed and ratified
to him; but from what has been said before, (Genesis 22:18,) where we have a similar
expression, we learn, that what God freely bestows upon the faithful is sometimes,
beyond their desert, ascribed to themselves; that they, knowing their intention to be
approved by the Lord, may the more ardently addict and devote themselves entirely to
his service: so he now commends the obedience of Abraham, in order that Isaac may be
stimulated to an imitation of his example. And although laws, statutes, rites, precepts,
and ceremonies, had not yet been written, Moses used these terms, that he might the

26. more clearly show how sedulously Abraham regulated his life according to the will of
God alone — how carefully he abstained from all the impurities of the heathen — and
how exactly he pursued the straight course of holiness, without turning aside to the right
hand or to the left: for the Lord often honors his own law with these titles for the sake of
restraining our excesses; as if he should say that it wanted nothing to constitute it a
perfect rule, but embraced everything pertaining to absolute holiness. The meaning
therefore is, that Abraham, having formed his life in entire accordance with the will of
God, walked in his pure service.
6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
1. PIK, “In passing, we would remark that here we have a striking illustration of
the sovereign ways of God. To Isaac the Lord appeared and stayed him from going
down to Egypt, yet under precisely similar circumstances He appeared not unto
Abraham.
2. DO FORTER, The Consequence of Unbelief
ext, we read, And Isaac dwelt in Gerar (v. 6). Gerar was the borderland,
midway between Canaan and Egypt. God told Isaac to sojourn in this land; but
Isaac dwelt there for a long time (v. 8). In Gerar, Isaac is a believer who has lost
the blessed joy of communion with God by his unbelief. This is ever the consequence
of unbelief. Unbelief is the cause of disobedience to God; and disobedience breaks
communion. Unbelief caused Isaac to leave Lahairoi. Unbelief caused him to dwell
in Gerar. Unbelief caused him to lie to his neighbors (Cf. Gen. 20:1-2 and 26:7).
Horrible as Isaac's actions were, when we consider what he was prepared to do, we
must be made to see that what Isaac was, we are. There is nothing you and I will not
do if God leaves us to ourselves, even for a moment.
And Isaac dwelt in Gerar (Gen. 26:6). Gerar was the borderland midway between
Canaan and Egypt. ote that God had said to Isaac, Sojourn in this land (verse
3), but Isaac dwelt there (verse 6), and that a long time (verse 8). Mark now the
consequence of Isaac settling down in Gerar―type of the believer out of communion.
He sinned there! And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She
is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place
should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon (Gen. 26:7). Isaac
thus repeated the sin of Abraham (Gen. 20:1, 2). What are we to learn from Isaac
thus following the evil example of his father? From others we select two thoughts.
First, the readiness with which Isaac followed in the way of Abraham suggests that
it is much easier for children to imitate the vices and weaknesses of their parents
than it is to emulate their virtues, and that the sins of the parents are frequently
perpetuated in their children. Solemn thought this! But, second, Abraham and Isaac
were men of vastly different temperament, yet each succumbed to the same

27. temptation. When famine arose each fled to man for help. When in the land of
Abimelech each was afraid to own his wife as such. Are we not to gather from this
that no matter what our natural temperament may be, unless the grace of God
supports and sustains us we shall inevitably fall! What a warning!
7 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.
1. Men were the same then as now, and if there was a beautiful woman around they
were gazing on her and wondering how to get her for their own pleasure. The
paradox here seems to be that men would not harm a married woman or take her
sexually, for it would be dishonorable to do so to a married woman. But it was okay
if she was single, and so they would have to kill her husband to make her single and
thus available. So adultery was too bad a thing to do, but murder was acceptable if
it meant you could have the woman you wanted.
Here we see the humor of how people can rationalize in order to do evil. They make
it so it is not evil if the conditions are right. If a beautiful women is not married she
is available to be used as a sex object. But if she is married then she will only be
available when the husband is out of the way. This meant that some convenient
accident may very well happen to the husband of such a woman. Isaac did not want
to be seen as that man in the way and so he chose to make himself the woman’s
brother. You don’t kill the brother to get the sister and so he felt safer.
The funny thing here is that Isaac did the same thing as his father Abraham in this
situation where it was high risk to be married to a beautiful woman. It is funny
because it is almost universally condemned that they lied about their marital
relationship. But I wonder how many of those who condemn them would go into a
setting where women were taken for pleasure at will and not come up with some lie
to stay alive until you could establish yourself in a better and safer setting? What we
tend to do is put people in a context where we think we would be honest about our
marital status and never dream of lying. We assume a superior moral stance when,
in reality, we have no idea how scary their situation was, and how real the threat
was on their lives.

28. 2. These were godly men whom God chose to be the founders of his people, and we
never hear a peep out of God about their lying. It is funny when we become more
severe in our judgment than God is. We are just afraid that we might do the same
thing in a critical situation, which raised our fear of violence and death. So we make
them look bad, and that makes us look good where we stand in our context of
security without any threat. Since most of us will never be in a situation where we
have to tell people our wife is our sister, we are perfectly secure in our holier than
thou attitude. Our attitude is saying, “If only God would have chosen me the Bible
would be a more noble book without losers like he did choose.”
I struggle with the common interpretation that this lie was a sin, just as I have with
the same lie of Abraham. God came to Isaac and made it clear he was not to go to
Egypt, as his father did in the same situation. God did not tell Abraham not to go
there, but he is blamed for going anyway, and it is called a sin. God prevented Isaac
from going and so he did not sin because he did not go. But now he lies about his
wife being his sister and God does not come to him and say do not do it. God lets
him do it, just as he did Abraham. There is no attempt by God to prevent this lie, as
there is to prevent him going to Egypt. ow going to Egypt may have been a bad
idea, but it was not a sin, and could not be a sin until God told him not to go. Then it
would be a sin to go, but not before. Why would God warn him about a non-sin, but
not about a sin like this lie, unless it was really no lie at all, but a means of survival
in a dangerous situation? We are quick to judge and call it a sin, but God did not do
so. The facts are that every time Abraham and Isaac told this same lie they were
greatly rewarded. o evil came of it, but great blessing came from each one. Why
would God in his providence make these lies one of the key ways of blessing his
chosen men? He made them rich by these lies and he never once hinted that they
were out of his will. It looks more like the whole idea of using deception among a
pagan people was fully approved by God.
3. “It is sometimes wondered how it was that Isaac did exactly what his father
before him had done, and the similarity of the circumstances has led some to think
that this is only a variant of the former story. Would it not be truer to say that this
episode is entire ly consonant with what we know of human nature and its
tendencies? What would be more natural than that Isaac should attempt to do what
his father had done before him? Surely a little know ledge of human nature as
distinct from abstract theory is sufficient to warrant a belief in the historical
character of this narrative. Besides, assuming that it is a variant of the other story,
we naturally ask which of them is the true version; they cannot both be true, for as
they now are they do not refer to the same event. The names and circumstances are
different in spite of similarities.” W. H. Griffith Thomas, Genesis: A Devotional
Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1946), p. 239.
4.What? Again? I’m afraid so. Strange as it may seem, the same old sin of deception raises
its ugly head for the third time in chapter 26. If nothing else proves it, this does--Isaac is a
son of his father. Frightened concerning his own safety, Isaac succumbs to the temptation

29. to pass off his wife as his sister. In doing this he was willing to risk Rebekah’s purity as the
price for his personal protection.The similarities between this sin of Isaac and that of his
father Abraham are numerous. Both sinned in the presence of Abimelech, and both were
rebuked by the ruler of the Philistines. Both had a beautiful wife and feared for their own
safety, thinking that they might be killed so that someone could marry their wife. Both lied
by saying that their wife was their sister. It would also appear that neither Abraham nor
Isaac recognized the gravity of their sin or fully repented of it.
5. The differences between the sin of Abraham and that of Isaac cannot be overlooked.
These differences verify the fact that two different deceptions took place in the land of the
Philistines: one by Abraham and the other by his son. There seems to be little doubt that
there are two different “Abimelechs” in these chapters of Genesis. Many years had passed
since Abraham stood without adequate excuse before Abimelech. We would be on safe
ground to assume that the term “Abimelech” is a title of office, like “Pharaoh,” rather than
a given name. The same could be said for the term “Phicol.” Another consideration is that
sons were often named after their grandfathers. Either of these possibilities would readily
explain the fact that the names “Abimelech” and “Phicol” (cf. verse 26) are found in
chapter 26 as well as in chapter 20.
6. Abraham’s policy of deception was just that: a policy established before he entered into
any danger (Genesis 12:11-13; 20:13). From the very outset Abraham introduced Sarah as
his sister. Isaac, however, waited until he was approached concerning Rebekah. At this
point his confidence left him, and he resorted to a lie:
When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say,
‘My wife,” thinking ‘The men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is beautiful”
(Genesis 26:7).
We are not told what part Rebekah played in all of this. It is possible that she refused to
actively cooperate, thus creating suspicions in the minds of the Philistines. Sarah was taken
as a wife twice, but physical intimacy was divinely restrained. In the case of Rebekah, no
one took her for a wife. God sharply warned Abimelech when he took Sarah, but here
Abimelech learned of the deception by observing the conduct of Isaac with Rebekah. He
did not treat her like a sister, but like a wife. There may well have been a hint of doubt
already entertained by Abimelech and perhaps others of the Philistines, for when he saw
Isaac caressing Rebekah he said, “. . . Behold, certainly she is your wife! . . .” (verse 9).
7. Abimelech’s ethics appear to be based on a higher standard than Isaac’s. God had not
spoken threateningly here to Abimelech as He had done when Sarah was taken into the
Philistine ruler’s harem. Then Abimelech had been told that he was “as good as dead”
(Genesis 20:3) if he so much as touched Sarah. There is no sword hanging proverbially over
the head of Abimelech here. evertheless, he viewed the taking of a man’s wife as sin, and
one of great consequence. Abimelech seemed to regard marital purity higher than Isaac
did.
After discovering Isaac’s deception, Abimelech ordered that neither Isaac nor his wife was
to be harmed (Genesis 26:11). Isaac was not instructed to leave, nor was he encouraged to
stay. He was simply tolerated.
8. Steven Cole
Isaac had ordinary sin. I’m not implying that it’s all right to
tolerate a little bit of sin in your life. We should confess and forsake

30. all known sin. But we need to remember that the only people God
uses are redeemed sinners. Sometimes the enemy gets us thinking
that God can’t use us as long as we’re such a mixed up bundle of
good and evil. One minute we’re in church singing “Holy, Holy,”
and the next minute a horrible thought pops into our minds, and
we think, “Maybe someday I’ll be holy like the preacher [yeah,
right!], and then God can use me, but that day is a long way off.”
Thank God He uses us while we’re growing, before we’ve arrived!
Look at the mixture of sin and obedience in Isaac’s life. He
starts off for Egypt without consulting the Lord. The Lord graciously
appears to him and tells him not to go any farther. He
obeys. The Lord even reaffirms the covenant which He had made
with Abraham, and applies it to Isaac. But the next thing Isaac does
is to lie about Rebekah because he’s afraid he’ll get killed!
Just like his father, Abraham, before him (who did it twice),
Isaac lied about his wife to protect his own hide and was rebuked
by a pagan king. Critics say that it’s the same story repeated with
different names. But you don’t need to look very far to see how
true to life this is. Years ago I was going somewhere with our firstborn
behind me in her car seat. I rounded a blind curve on the
mountain road just below our house to almost rear end a car that
had stopped in the road to admire the scenery. I hit the brakes and
the horn and yelled, “You jerk!” From the back seat came a sweet
little voice, imitating dad, “You jerk!” A knife went into my conscience!
The sins of the fathers ...!
Again, the point is not that we tolerate our sin, but rather that
we not despair that God cannot use us because we wrestle with sin.
The ordinary people God uses are ordinary sinners just like you
and me, but, as I’ll show in a moment, sinners who are working at
obeying God.
9. Gill points out that these men inquired diligently about his marital status because
they would not commit adultery, but were fully open to fornication. He agrees with
most commentators that even though these men were lustful pagans seeking a
reason to sexually abuse his wife, it was not justified that he sought to deceive them.
The implication is that deception is never permissible for a godly person.
10. CHRIS ROBISO
Instead of protecting Rebekah with his life the way Christ saved His bride with His,
Isaac shoves his wife out into the open as free game. Here she is, the only living
mother of the Church at that time, and our father Isaac has opened her to the peril
of potential prostitution. “She is my sister,” he said. Well, that was true. Cousin,
actually, but in that culture cousin and sister were essentially the same. Point is, he
implicitly denied she was his wife. The wife, at that, through whom God would

31. ultimately bring the One who would bless all the nations.
Here Isaac falters terribly. He is in terror. As far as he is concerned, if King
Abimelech of Gerar knows that Rebekah is his wife, then Isaac’s life is a deadline.
But that was not God’s promise. Isaac was to be part of the lifeline… that line of
promise from the first Adam to the Redeemer, the promised Descendant Who would
come through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
11. otice that it was fear that motivated him to deceive these men. Who of us can
say we would never have fear if some strange men in a strange place we had just
arrived at came inquiring about our wife with obvious intentions to get sexually
involved with her? Just put yourself in that setting and be honest. If you would not
try to deceive these men in some way you only show why you could not be trusted to
settle in such a dangerous place.
12. HERY
It is an unaccountable thing that both these great and good men should be guilty of so
strange a piece of dissimulation, by which they so much exposed both their own and their
wives' reputation. But we see That very good men have sometimes been guilty of very great
faults and follies. The essence of a lie is any word spoken with the intention to deceive.
13. BI, He said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife
Isaac’s false expedient
I. THE TEMPTATION COMES AFTER A TIME OF GREAT BLESSING. We are wise and
happy if we can use the time of great blessing so as to gather strength for future trials.
II. HE DID NOT THRUST HIMSELF IN THE WAY OF TEMPTATION. He was in the
way of Providence and duty.
III. HE REPEATED THE SIN OF HIS FATHER, BUT INCURRED GREATER GUILT,
IV. THE TREATMENT HE RECEIVED PLACES HEATHEN VIRTUE IN A
FAVOURABLE LIGHT.
V. HIS DELIVERANCE SHOWS THAT GOD PROTECTS HIS SAINTS FROM THE
EVILS WHICH THEY BRING UPON THEMSELVES. (T. H. Leale.)
Isaac’s temptation and sin
Isaac had generally lived in solitude; but now he is called into company, and company
becomes a snare. “The men of the place asked him of his wife.” These questions excited
his apprehensions, and put him upon measures for self-preservation that involved him
in sin. Observe—
1. He did not sin by thrusting himself into the way of temptation; for he was
necessitated, and directed of God, to go to Gerar. Even the calls of necessity and duty
may, if we be not on our watch, prove ensnaring; and if so, what must these
situations be in which we have no call to be found?
2. The temptation of Isaac is the same as that which had overcome his father, and
that in two instances. This rendered his conduct the greater sin. The falls of them
that have gone before us are so many rocks on which others have split; and the

32. recording of them is like placing buoys over them, for the security of future mariners.
3. It was a temptation that arose from the beauty of Rebekah. There is a vanity which
attaches to all earthly good. Beauty has often been a snare both to those who possess
it and to others. (A. Fuller.)
Isaac’s deceit
Here we have—
I. A. sin COMMITTED. Cowardly fear led to it, and fear kept it up. There are three faults
in Isaac’s character exposed by it—
1. Cowardliness.
2. Selfishness.
3. Want of reliance on God.
II. A. sin DETECTED. Every sin will be some day found out.
III. A. sin REPROVED. Abimelech, although reproving Isaac, does so with great
forbearance, and follows up his reproof with an act of great kindness. Learn:
1. Avoid deceit—“be sure your sin will find you out.”
2. Reprove sin with kindness; be merciful to those who err. (J. H. Smith.)
14. CALVIN, And the men of the place asked him. Moses relates that Isaac was tempted
in the same manner as his father Abraham, in having his wife taken from him; and
without doubt he was so led by the example of his father, that he, being instructed by the
similarity of the circumstances, might become associated with him in his faith.
Nevertheless, on this point he ought rather to have avoided than imitated his father’s
fault; for no doubt he well remembered that the chastity of his mother had twice been
put in great danger; and although she had been wonderfully rescued by the hand of God,
yet both she and her husband paid the penalty of their distrust: therefore the negligence
of Isaac is inexcusable, in that he now strikes against the same stone. He does not in
express terms deny his wife; but he is to be blamed, first, because, for the sake of
preserving his life, he resorts to an evasion not far removed from a lie; and secondly,
because, in absolving his wife from conjugal fidelity, he exposes her to prostitution: but
he aggravates his fault, principally (as I have said) in not taking warning from domestic
examples, but voluntarily casting his wife into manifest danger. Whence it appears how
great is the propensity of our nature to distrust, and how easy it is to be devoid of
wisdom in affairs of perplexity. Since, therefore, we are surrounded on all sides with so
many dangers, we must ask the Lord to confirm us by his Spirit, lest our minds should
faint, and be dissolved in fear and trembling; otherwise we shall be frequently engaged
in vain enterprises, of which we shall repent soon, and yet too late to remedy the evil.
15. PULPIT COMMENTARY, A good man's transgression.
I. A LIE TOLD.

33. 1. An unmitigated lie. It was scarcely entitled to claim the apology of being what
Abraham's falsehood was, an equivocation, Rebekah not being Isaac's half-sister, but
cousin.
2. A deliberate lie. Asked about his relations to Rebekah, he coolly replies that they are
sister and brother. He had no right to suppose his interrogators had ulterior designs
against Rebekah's honor.
3. A cowardly lie. All falsehoods spring from craven fear—fear of the consequences that
may flow from telling the honest truth.
4. A dangerous lie. By his wicked suppression of the truth he was guilty of imperiling the
chastity of her whom he sought to protect. Almost all falsehoods are perilous, and most
of them are mistakes.
5. An unnecessary lie. No lie ever can be necessary; but least of all could this have been,
when God had already promised to be with him in the land of the Philistines.
6. An unbelieving lie. Had Isaac's faith been active, he would hardly have deemed it
needful to disown his wife.
7. A wholly worthless lie. Isaac might have remembered that twice over his father had
resorted to this miserable stratagem, and that in neither instance had it sufficed to avert
the danger which he dreaded. But lies generally are wretched hiding-places for
endangered bodies or anxious souls.
II. A LIE DETECTED.
1. God by his providence assists in the detection of liars. By the merest accident, as it
might seem, Abimelech discovered the true relationship of Isaac and Rebekah; but both
the time, place, and manner of that discovery were arranged by God. So the face of God
is set against them that do evil, even though they should be his own people.
2. Liars commonly assist in their own detection. Truth alone is sure-footed, and never
slips; error is liable to stumble at every step. It is difficult to maintain a disguise for any
lengthened period. The best fitting mask is sure in time to fall off. Actions good in
themselves often lead to the detection of crimes.
III. A LIE REPROVED. The conduct of Isaac Abimelech rebukes—

34. 1. With promptitude. Sending for Isaac, he charges him with his sin. It is the part of a
true friend to expose deception whenever it is practiced, and, provided it be done in a
proper spirit, the sooner it is done the better. Sin that long eludes detection is apt to
harden the sinning heart and sear the guilty conscience.
2. With fidelity. Characterizing it as
3. With forgiveness. That Abimelech did not intend to exact punishment from Isaac, or
even cherish resentment against him in consequence of his behavior, he proved by
charging his people to beware of injuring in any way either Isaac or Rebekah. It is good
and beautiful when mercy seasons judgment, and the reproofs of friendship are
accompanied by messages of love.
8 When Isaac had been there a long time,
Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down
from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife
Rebekah.
1. So Isaac stayed in Gerar (vs. 6). This was the beginning of Isaac's problems. God
(in verse 3) told Isaac to stay in this land for a while. In these verses, two different
words are used for stay. The difference can be seen more clearly in the King James
Version. God told Isaac: Sojourn in this land (vs. 3), where sojourn suggests
temporary habitation; but, Isaac dwelt in Gerar (vs. 6), where dwelt suggests
permanent habitation. Later, in verse 8, we are told that Isaac had been there a long
time. So, Isaac was not in complete obedience to God, by staying in Gerar so long.
2. Public display of affection gave his secret away. He just could not keep up the lie
and leave his beautiful wife alone like a sister.
3. ... CCCCHHHHRRRRIIIISSSS RRRROOOOBBBBIIIINNNNSSSSOOOONNNN,,,, Well, one day Abimelech sees Isaac caressing Rebekah. The
word actually means “playing with,” but that sounds rude in our society. Why does it
sound rude? Because in our culture it generally is used to depict illegitimate sexual
contact. But look what that very fact highlights here! Abimelech, without hesitation,