Pre-Read: Genesis 26:1-16
Key Verse:
That year Isaac’s crops were tremendous! He harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord had blessed him. Genesis 26:12
This key verse is compelling. A harvest that yields 100 fold is certainly the type of harvest that I would like to reap in many areas of my life! But as I read the context of the text, I have learned more about God’s grace and Isaac’s disgrace than I expected to. The chapter begins by painting the seen of a severe famine – a dry season in the life of Isaac. It is not the first or only dry season to occur in history, but it appears to be the first to occur in the adult life of Isaac. When things dry up in one area of our life, the obvious choice is to move on and that is exactly what Isaac did. In fact, he was prepared to go as far as Egypt to re-establish himself. But God intervened. He commanded, “Do not go to Egypt. Do as I say and stay here in this land.” Notice that the place of Isaac’s choosing was not the place of God’s blessing. God’s instruction to Isaac reminds me that sometimes the most logical choice for me is not God’s ideal choice for me. The good decision is not always the best decision. I have to be open to His direction in my life and be willing to stay put until He instructs me to move forward. Like Moses, we need to be willing to declare: “"If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Exodus 33:15.
As Isaac hears God’s repetition of his amazing covenant promise that had been given to Abraham, Isaac wisely adjusts his plans. “If you [stay here], I will be with you and bless you. I will give all this land to you and your descendents, just as I solemnly promised Abraham your father. I will cause your descendents to become as numerous as the stars, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations and laws.” Genesis 26: 2 -5.
Isaac had been given what most of us search a lifetime for – guaranteed assurance of his destiny and legacy. I almost expect Isaac’s story to end here with a “happily, ever after”. Surely now Isaac could kick back and enjoy his life, recognizing once and for all that “God’s got this!” and things would turn out alright. But Isaac was completely human, and like us, prone to messing with the blessing that God had on his life. While Isaac completely obeyed God’s command to stay put in Gerar (v. 6), he did not completely trust God to protect him when faced with a sticky situation in Gerar. When asked about his beautiful travel companion Rebekah, Isaac failed to disclose that she was also his life companion. Like his father Abraham before him, Isaac lied about his relationship with his wife and, as a result, nearly caused a curse to fall on the Philistines. This could well have been the end of Isaac’s story.
Although God in the Old Testament is often accused of being wrathful and punitive, what occurs next provides evidence to us of God’s amazing grace. Here we see a loving God who moved quickly to cover Isaac’s failure with divine favour! God chose to bless Isaac’s self-inflicted mess by allowing the prevailing ruler Abimelech to publicly announce an unwarranted decree of protection rather than execution. Wow! That’s what I call grace!
Furthermore, that same year – Isaac’s noteworthy year of deception – became a year of great harvest – 100 fold! In fact, Issac prospered so much that eventually Abimelech had to ask Isaac to leave the region because he, a Yahweh-serving foreigner, had become “too rich and too powerful” and was making their pagan gods look bad (v. 16). Amazing! And yet, it makes me wonder what the result would have been for Isaac had he not lied to the Philistines? Maybe Isaac missed out on reaping a 200 fold harvest because of his fear and sin? We will never know. What we do know is that in spite of Isaac’s imperfect obedience, God perfectly kept His promise. In the midst of dry barrenness, Isaac was richly fruitful. In spite of failure, God extended favour.
This short story in Genesis 26 fills me with great hope. I too, like Isaac, am prone to imperfect obedience. My reasoning goes something like this: “Yes God, I will obey your will, but just let me do it my way. I’ve got this!” Sound familiar? Inevitably this results in me messing with my blessing. I pray that you, like me, will encouraged by Isaac’s story. God is faithful, even when we are not. He knows the deepest motivations of our hearts and when, like Isaac, we really do desire to obey Him, He moves quickly to forgive our mistakes and extend His grace so He can fulfill His promises in our lives.
Family, let’s stop messing with our blessings! Let's commit all ours ways to the Lord and confess any messes. This very year a guaranteed harvest awaits us . Its yield is only limited by the degree to which we choose to obey God – both His will, His way!
Think about it:
Can you think of a time when you have made a mess of a situation and God turned it around?
How did you feel when God intervened in your situation?
Have you secretly felt that some current mess in your life is too complicated for even God to deal with?
Perhaps now would be a good time to pray and confess your mess to God.
Be blessed!
Written & posted by Keturah
