Bible Study Online Article
In the previous article we talked about how there were similarities between Isaac and his father Abraham when it came to their faith trials. Isaac although often overlooked by teachers and preachers, has shown that he too was a man who held a great faith in the one true God just like his father before him. After Isaac was faced with a serious famine that was within the land that God had promised to Abraham's family dynasty, he decides to head down to Egypt. But God would intervene after Isaac had made a quick stop within the district of Gerar -- his birthplace. "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." God would instruct and remind Isaac. Isaac would obey God, and he stayed away from Egypt and decided to stay in the district of Gerar. Now in the meantime, the Philistines began to take notice of Isaac's wife Rebekah; for she was very beautiful. Once again, Isaac is faced with the same faith test that his father had faced about one hundred years earlier when it came to Sarah. Just like his father, Isaac would have the same response about his wife when the Philistines came to inquire about her: "She is my sister." he would tell them -- for he feared, that they would kill him if they knew that she was really his wife. Isaac's response came from the same inner fears that his father had, when it came to his wife Sarah. Now the difference would be that the Philistines did not take Rebekah against her will, like they had did Sarah. So it doesn't appear that Isaac or Rebekah was harassed, or harmed; behind Isaac's plot to hide the fact that Rebekah was his wife and not his sister. Now sometime had gone by and one day, king Abimelech had saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. So the king had immediately summoned Isaac to come before him: "She is really your wife! Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?" the king would ask Isaac as soon as he entered the room. And just like his father Abraham had done before him, he responded by saying: "Because I thought that I might lose my life on account of her." Then the king would respond the same way as his father, or grandfather had done one hundred years before him: "What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us." And because of this, the king would quickly announce this order for all the Philistines to adhere too: "Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death." Apparently the events that had happen about one-hundred years ago were still in the minds and a constant reminder of how God dealt with the previous Philistine royal family when it came to the issue of adultery. Especially when it dealt with the family dynasty of Abraham. "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman," the Lord would tell the king. But being that Abimelech had not yet touch her and did not know that she was Abraham's wife he would make his case before God. "Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister,' and didn't she also say, 'He is my brother'? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands." "Yes I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I didn't let you touch her. Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die," (Genesis 20:3-7)
**YOUR CURRENT SERIES WOULD BE HERE** Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty 28) The Twelve Rulers of Ishmael 30) Esau & Jacob - The Birthright 31) Isaac and the Canaan Famine 32) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 33) Isaac and the Envious King Abimelech 39) Jacob - Loyalty or Deception 40) Deceitful Hearts 43) Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty  CrossDaily.com Web Search where you can VOTE FOR THIS SITE & other great ones. Christian search engine, directory & voting index. You'll find Bible, chat, churches, jobs, music, reviews, software, theology, & more. See the best sites!
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