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In the last article we took a look at how different Esau and Jacob would be, even though they were born as twins. Make no mistake Esau and Jacob would grow into men who were headed in opposite directions. However, we are now told about a famine that was manifesting within their homeland of Canaan. Understand that this famine would come at a time when their father's household was just starting to get settled into the land. Keep in mind that their father Isaac would now find himself faced with the same "faith test" that his father Abraham was faced with when he first came to Canaan. Now when it came to Abraham, he would immediately head down toward the land of Egypt when he was faced with the same type of famine that Isaac is now dealing with. And just like his father before him, Isaac would consider doing the same as him. But first, Isaac would make a stop at his birth place which was called "Gerar" so he could talk to Abimelech the king of the Philistines. Now before we get started, I would like to point out that this Abimelech is not the same Abimelech that lived back in the days of Abraham, for this scene would take place about one-hundred years later after those Abraham and Abimelech had met. It would seem that the name Abimelech was some type of surname that the kings of the Philistines went by. Just like the Romans did with the surname of Caesar, or the Egyptians did with the surname of Pharaoh. So this Abimelech would be a son, or a grandson which descended from the one that Abraham had to deal with. As for the similarities between the events that happened between Abraham and Isaac, I find to be very fascinating? Remember that when Abraham had first entered the land of Canaan - God had spoken to him by letting him know that this was the land that was promised to him. Right after Abraham had received this message from the Lord, he then realizes that the land that was promised to him was dealing with a serious famine. So Abraham decides to immediately leave that land and go to a more fertile area at the time, a place that was known as Egypt. Now Isaac knew that the land of Canaan had been promised to his father Abraham and the generations that were to come after him. And yet, Isaac still decides to leave the land just like his father Abraham had done. But God would come and pay a personal visit to Isaac and remind him of that Abrahamic Covenant that He had promised and bestowed on Abraham's household. The Lord instructed and reminded Isaac: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands, and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. "I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." -- Genesis 26:2-5 Now in all fairness to Abraham - God had only showed him the land that He had promised him. God did not specifically instruct Abraham to not go down to the land of Egypt like he did with Isaac. For I believed that if He had done so, Abraham would have had listen and obeyed the Lord just like he had done many times before, and he would have stayed in the land of Canaan and trusted more in the Lord. But God knew that Abraham survival instincts would take over, and that he would head to a place that would be able to provide for him and his family. For if Abraham didn't go down into the land of Egypt, so many of the tests and rewards that the trip would later provide for him would not have taken place. Now don't get me wrong the decisions that Abraham had made, weren't in line with God's plan, and yet, God still blessed him. You must understand that the plans God had for Abraham were so great that Abraham himself could not derail them. So what will Isaac do in the face of this famine? Will he make the right Godly decisions when it comes to the survival of his family? Or would he make the same decisions based off his natural survival instincts, just like his father had done before him. So not only do we see similarities between Isaac and Abimelech, and Abraham and Abimelech. But in the next article, we'll also see how Isaac try to follow the same deceitful playbook when it came to his wife Rebekah, just like his father Abraham had done with his wife Sarah, some one-hundred years before. **YOUR CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES WOULD BE HERE** Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty 28) The Twelve Rulers of Ishmael 30) Esau & Jacob - The Birthright 31) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 33) Isaac and the Envious King Abimelech 39) Jacob - Loyalty or Deception 40) Deceitful Hearts 43) Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty  |
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