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Outline:

Genesis 26:1-5, “There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. Then the Lord appeared to him and said: ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, commandments, statutes, and laws.’”

Context: Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob and Esau were born. Additionally, we also know the twin boys were 15 when Abraham died making Isaac at a minimum 75 when this “famine” settled into the promised land. It would appear Isaac’s plan was to travel through Gerar and ride things out in Egypt, but “the Lord appeared to him” and shut down his plans.

Genesis 26:6-9, “So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, ‘She is my sister’; for he was afraid to say, ‘She is my wife,’ because he thought, ‘lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.’ Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, ‘Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?’ Isaac said to him, ‘Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’”

A couple of quick things… First, this is not the same “Abimelech” we were first introduced to back when Abraham originally traveled into the the region of Gerar in Genesis 20. Note: Abimelech was a title for a King similar to Pharaoh and not the name of a specific person.

Secondly, why would Isaac replicate the identical sin his father Abraham had committed back in Genesis 12 as well as when he’d originally traveled into Gerar? Though he hadn’t been alive to watch is dad pull of the sister/wife shuffle, there is no doubt he knew about it and even understood that it was wrong. Shouldn’t Isaac have known better?

Honestly… I don’t have a good answer. Isaac should have learned from the mistakes of his father. He should have been aware his natural tendency would be to cower in fear and instead make a choice to walk by faith. He should have told the truth trusting that God was both his the strength and protector. Why Isaac lied just like Ab I really don’t know.

And yet, I can say this… Learning from the mistakes of your parents is easier said than done. For example… Has there every been a moment you reacted to a kid, made a snide remark to your spouse, even developed a habit only for you to wake up one day and realize you’re doing the very thing your parents did and you swore you’d never be that way… That you’re immolating the very thing that drove you nuts about your mom or dad?

Please understand… From an applicational standpoint Isaac committing the exact same sin his father was notorious for should serve as a reminder that if you’re not focused on walking in the Spirit… Reckoning self dead so that the Spirit’s influence reigns supreme, your natural man will so easily emulate your parent’s shortcomings because of both your genetic heritage as well as learned behaviors. Your parents sins will often be your default apart from Jesus.

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