Like His Father
Gen 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
Gen 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
Gen 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
Gen 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
The Abrahamic Covenant was again confirmed through Isaac. The covenant continued because Abraham met the conditions. Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Faith is proven by obedience.
James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Law does not save, but faith in God's promises does.
Rom 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Rom 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
Gal 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Law keeping apart from faith in Jesus, can not save you from sins.
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Gen 26:6 And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
Gen 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
This is where he heard from God. It was also the place wher Abraham brought Sarah and called her his wife.
Gen 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
Gen 26:7 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.
Isaac is following in his father's footsteps, sins as well. It is a big responsibility being a parent. The children do copy our behavior.
Gen 26:8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
Our grandpararents might have called it spooning. They were laughing, jesting, perhaps even flirting, hugging, maybe kissing? They were married, but he had lied and said she was his sister. When his father said that Sarah was his sister, this was true, a half truth; a half sister, for she was also his wife.
Gen 26:9 And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.
Isaac had lied and was found out. Isaac, like his father were afraid and they wanted to save their own selves.
Gen 26:10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
What have you done to us? One of our people may have had sex with her, and because she is married it would be adultery. Note that the pagan king had a God given conscience, to know right from wrong. He feared God, and wrath for sin.
Gen 26:11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
God put favor on Isaac in spite of himself. The king gave protection to them.
Gen 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
He sowed in the land of Gerar and received an hundredfold. God blessed him wherever he went. This is shown as spiritual blessings in the new testament.
Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Gen 26:13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
Gen 26:14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
Like his father, he came out with great abundance. Abimelech knew Abraham before him to be a prophet, and was blessed by him. He also gave Abraham much in material blessings.
Gen 20:14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
Gen 20:15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
Gen 20:16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
Gen 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
Gen 20:18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
Isaac was receiving the covenant blessings through Abraham.
The blessings of Abraham flow down all the way through Jesus. If we are in Christ we are blessed, not cursed. Jesus has removed our curses.
Law people want to put others into bondage, and other religions and beliefs are all about doing something to appease God's wrath. Jesus took his wrath from us and made us children of God; we are in his kingdom. The kingdom is shown through Christ and his disciples who have his Spirit.
Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Many people come from bad homes. I have ministered and led many to Jesus on the Internet. This put me in the place of a dad, a guide, a teacher and a friend. We are the role models through Christ Jesus to make the crooked paths straight. The blessings of God come through His Son. Jesus is like His Father. We are to be like Jesus. Through Jesus we can be made in the image of God. not in the image of our earthly father, who may have been evil. We are to be the ones who have Jesus to give to the lost of this world. Through Jesus people will be restore to God and made new creations, created in the image of God's perfect Son.
No comments:
Post a Comment