Genesis 26 – Living in Peace

I apologize for the lack of blog posts as of late. We have had several things come up in our family, preventing me from posting regularly. Thankfully, things seem to have settled down now and I hope to blog on a regular basis once again.

Returning to the book of Genesis, I have mentioned several times now how Isaac is presented as an ideal; an example to which we should aspire. This was certainly the case with Isaac’s patience and his trust in God. In Genesis 26, Isaac continues to be an example for us, most especially in his willingness to live at peace with his neighbors.

Genesis 26 begins with Isaac once again choosing to remain in the land God promised him and his descendants. In contradistinction to Abraham earlier and Jacob later, Isaac spends his entire life in the promised land. Despite the famine, Isaac trusts God to take care of his needs in the very land God has promised him. So instead of leaving for another as Jacob will later do (and end up enslaved in Egypt for 430 years), Isaac remains in the land God has given him and “reaped in the same year a hundredfold” (Gen 26:12). In other words, God rewards Isaac for his obedience and his patience.

But the most outstanding and exemplary aspect of Isaac in Genesis 26 is his willingness to live peaceably with his neighbors. Isaac had every excuse to be bitter towards his neighboring Philistines. They asked him to leave the land because of jealousy/envy (vs. 16). They stopped the wells previously dug by Abraham (vs. 15) and quarreled with Isaac’s servants over a well of running water they dug in the valley (vss. 19-20), as well as another well elsewhere (vs. 21). Nevertheless, when Isaac was approached by the Philistines to make a covenant of peace, Isaac gladly accepted, throwing a feast for them (vss. 30-31). In some ways, this passage reminds me of the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 15:11-32): rather than “holding accountable”the Philistines for their sin, Isaac rejoices in his neighbor making the correct decision to return and repent. This is similar to the father in Luke’s parable throwing a banquet when his exceedingly sinful son decided to return home from his riotous living. Neither Isaac, nor the father in Luke’s parable, set conditions for the one repenting, but restored them immediately, rejoicing in their reconciliation.

Yet again, Isaac, who was born of God’s promise rather than of human will, is shown as a model. Despite famine and persecution, he remains faithful to God’s charge to remain in the land he was promised. Because of Isaac’s faithfulness and forgiveness, reconciliation with his adversarial neighbor is possible and Isaac is able to live in peace. Genesis 26 calls us to live at peace with our neighbors, realizing the world God has given us is big enough for us to co-exist, even with our adversaries.

Genesis 12 – God’s Intervention

Genesis 12 is a brilliant chapter as the story of Genesis shifts from focusing on all humanity to the story of the three great patriarchs ofIsrael, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  In Genesis 12, Abram (who was later re-named Abraham) is asked to make a great sacrifice (if you have not already, see the post on Genesis 11 to understand what a sacrifice Abraham was asked to make by leaving Ur) and receives an extraordinary promise from God.  Specifically, Abram is told to leave his great city and is assured by God he will become a great nation and be a blessing to all families of the earth.

Abram initially obeys God, but soon a famine comes upon thelandofCanaan.  Rather than trusting in God, who had told Abram to dwell in Canaan where he would become a great nation, and instead of asking God to provide for him, Abram departs thelandofCanaanforEgypt.  In other words, Abram is now acting on his own accord instead of putting his trust in the promise of God.

When Abram entersEgypt, he is concerned the Egyptians will want to kill him and take his wife Sarai (later renamed Sarah) as their own, so he concocts a lie, saying Sarai is his sister.  Abram was correct: the Egyptians think Sarai is a beautiful woman and bring this to the attention of the Egyptian ruler, the Pharaoh.  Pharaoh nearly takes Sarai as a wife, but God intervenes and stops this from happening.

Now, keep in mind just how significant this story is to an ancient Jewish reader.  Remember thatEgyptis one ofIsrael’s archenemies.  The Israelite people had been enslaved inEgyptfor 430 years.  And here, in this story, you have your great Patriarch Abraham and your first matriarch Sarah, making a huge mistake that almost makes you, the Israelite reader, a child of Pharaoh rather than a child of Abraham.  More clearly, unless God had intervened, you would be a child of your enemy rather than a child of your father.  Actually, had God not intervened, you probably would not even exist!

I’m sure most of us have thought at one time or another about our own existence and how different we might be–or, again, how we might not even exist at all–if our father had not met our mother.  Or what if our grandfather had married someone besides our grandmother?  My paternal grandfather was 18 years older than my grandmother, so I have definitely thought about this scenario a time or two!  Or what if one of my ancestors 1,000 years ago had died in a war before procreating?  We could go on and on, but thinking about this too much makes my head spin and my heart sink!  But considering it also makes me thankful I do happen to be here.

Thinking about this also helps us understand Genesis 12.  At the very beginning of the story ofIsrael, the biblical reader is confronted with this notion: had it been left to the decision of your fathers, you would not even be alive.  At best, you would be a child of your enemy.  You are only here because God intervened and saved you.  What a humbling thought!