Stages in the Faith-Life of Isaac
After the death of Abraham, Isaac must begin his own faith journey. Step 1: a call to stay put. Abraham was called to leave his father's household and journey to an unknown land. He got in trouble when he left that land and went down to Egypt. Conversely, Isaac is called to stay put; stay in the land, even though it will be as an alien; he avoids Egypt at the Lord's direction, and God repeats the threefold promise to him--many descendants, possession of the land, the conduit for blessing to the nations.
Step 2, an experience of protection. Isaac does repeat his father's sin of not protecting his wife, putting his own safety ahead of her purity and allowing fear to compromise his integrity by lying. Yet God protects him because of His own purposes and promises. The heathen king rebukes Isaac for putting everyone at risk of sin-guilt, and orders a death sentence on anyone who harms him or Rebekah. God works through Authority to bring about protection. Sidenote: both Abraham and Isaac feared death on account of their wives; Jesus embraced death for the sake of His bride, the Church.
Step 3, an experience of provision. Despite the famine, when Isaac sows seed he reaps a hundredfold and becomes very wealthy.
Step 4, suffering and separation. The very blessing of God becomes a source of envy and hatred to Isaac's neighbors and they drive him out. God moves him through four stages of conflict represented by four wells:
Esek: contention.
Sitnah: quarreling.
Rehoboth: room.
Shibah: peace, through a covenant oath.
At each stage Isaac simply moves on, and although the text is not explicit it appears God blesses this; He does not want Isaac to fight with the Philistines at this time, just trust Him and move on, keep digging wells until there is peace. God's approval is implicit in His second appearance, confirming His promises to Isaac and giving the encouraging word "do not fear."
God is using Isaac as a testimony: the Philistines go from hating him, to leaving him alone (Rehoboth), to admiring him and recognizing he is "the blessed of God."
Side note: This is the second covenant between the Philistines (Palestinians) and the Jews; unlike the Hittites, who are a plague to Israel and must be destroyed, it appears that it is God's will for the Jews to ultimately live side by side with the Palestinians.
Application: the people of God in each generation must go on their own faith journey. The wells of Abraham are no more: they must be re-dug by Isaac. Let me be faithful to the vision of my fore-fathers and the faith of their God, but let me dig for myself new wells, streams of living water to live by in His presence. Each generation must "obey the voice of the Lord (His current direction, not a recording but a living voice) and keep His charge, His commandments, His statutes and His laws.
Step 2, an experience of protection. Isaac does repeat his father's sin of not protecting his wife, putting his own safety ahead of her purity and allowing fear to compromise his integrity by lying. Yet God protects him because of His own purposes and promises. The heathen king rebukes Isaac for putting everyone at risk of sin-guilt, and orders a death sentence on anyone who harms him or Rebekah. God works through Authority to bring about protection. Sidenote: both Abraham and Isaac feared death on account of their wives; Jesus embraced death for the sake of His bride, the Church.
Step 3, an experience of provision. Despite the famine, when Isaac sows seed he reaps a hundredfold and becomes very wealthy.
Step 4, suffering and separation. The very blessing of God becomes a source of envy and hatred to Isaac's neighbors and they drive him out. God moves him through four stages of conflict represented by four wells:
Esek: contention.
Sitnah: quarreling.
Rehoboth: room.
Shibah: peace, through a covenant oath.
At each stage Isaac simply moves on, and although the text is not explicit it appears God blesses this; He does not want Isaac to fight with the Philistines at this time, just trust Him and move on, keep digging wells until there is peace. God's approval is implicit in His second appearance, confirming His promises to Isaac and giving the encouraging word "do not fear."
God is using Isaac as a testimony: the Philistines go from hating him, to leaving him alone (Rehoboth), to admiring him and recognizing he is "the blessed of God."
Side note: This is the second covenant between the Philistines (Palestinians) and the Jews; unlike the Hittites, who are a plague to Israel and must be destroyed, it appears that it is God's will for the Jews to ultimately live side by side with the Palestinians.
Application: the people of God in each generation must go on their own faith journey. The wells of Abraham are no more: they must be re-dug by Isaac. Let me be faithful to the vision of my fore-fathers and the faith of their God, but let me dig for myself new wells, streams of living water to live by in His presence. Each generation must "obey the voice of the Lord (His current direction, not a recording but a living voice) and keep His charge, His commandments, His statutes and His laws.
