The Life of Isaac (7)

The life of God’s people is a journey through the wilderness. We read in 1 Peter 2:11, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” They are strangers and pilgrims. A stranger is one who lives in another country which is not his fatherland. He may work there, make a living, have a house, but he is still a stranger there. The people of that country have different customs and do not speak his mother tongue. His nationality is that of his birth country. God’s children are also called pilgrims. These are visitors who, being in another country, see the works of art, admire the beauty of nature, and may enjoy some pleasures there, but it is just for a while. He will go back after sometime, for he is just a traveler whose journey goes through this country but he does not belong there. So it was also in the life of Isaac.

Blessing

As Abraham felt the necessity to leave his homeland, Canaan, when there came famine, so Isaac was for the same reason also driven from his home. He went to the land of the Philistines, to the territory of Abimelech who was king of Gerar. “And there the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of” (Genesis 26:2). Probably, Isaac had intended to go to the land of Egypt, but the Lord commanded him to stay in Gerar. The Lord also gave a promise to Isaac which was, in essence, the same as the covenant promise given to Abraham, Genesis 15:5, “And said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him, so shall thy seed be.” Also in Genesis 22:17 the Lord promises that He will multiply Abraham’s seed as the stars of heaven.

Not only did the Lord promise Isaac a seed as numerous as the stars of heaven, but He gave also the assurance that his seed would inherit all the land of Canaan. What is more, the Lord added the great spiritual promise that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through his offspring. “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” It is the blessing of the Lord that maketh rich, and Isaac, though being a stranger, a pilgrim, belongs to that people that may partake in this great blessing. God’s people may be despised by their enemies, but they are a blessed inheritance, and the Lord will take care of them. He, who had become poor, though He was rich, for their sakes will lead them safely on their journey.

Separation

The Lord has blessed Isaac in the land of the Philistines. We read in verse 13, “And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great.” The people of the land envied him. The jealousy of the Philistines probably led Abimelech to ask Isaac to relocate to a place where there would be less strife. There came a separation between Isaac and the Philistines. Although this is not pleasant to the flesh, it is necessary. It is also the way for the spiritual pilgrim. As soon as the Lord begins His work in the heart of a sinner, there comes a separation between him or her and the world. They are still in the world but do not belong to the world anymore. The world loses its attraction. There are other desires, new desires in the heart of such a pilgrim. It is not a thirst for honor, money, or pleasure, but the thirst for the living God, for communion with Him, for His nearness, that causes them to seek Him early.

There are many, also in our days, who speak about faith and about the Lord Jesus as their Master, but you cannot see a separation between them and the world. We cannot serve two masters. If the Lord is God, serve Him, and if we are a friend of the world, we walk together with God’s enemies. No, this does not mean that we feel better than other people or that we withdraw from our calling in this world, but our heart’s desires are not there anymore. It is the desire to hear the Lord’s voice and to receive instruction from Him.

In the way of his father

We read that Isaac pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar and dwelt there. The valley is a good place. It is also the place where the Lord brings His pilgrims. They are humbled, they have become so undeserving, even of the least of God’s blessings. We read in verse 18, “And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father.” This was necessary because the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham. However, Isaac opened them again.

God leads His people in the same ways as He led the pilgrims in former days. Those old books, those writings of the forefathers also become precious to them. There is a similarity and though they live in a different time, they will recognize what God’s people in former days experienced. They will feel a bond with them. No, this is not trying to imitate them. Many people are followers of admired leaders and they may imitate them in speaking, customs, and traditions, but it is different from the bond of faith which binds pilgrims to those of former ages. It is commendable if there is respect for our forefathers, for their life and practice, but let us not forget, we must have something of that same life ourselves. As they drank from the well of living water, which is Jesus Christ alone, so we must know the thirst for and the drinking of the water of life ourselves.

Thus, the beginning of the wilderness journey of Isaac is an evidence that here is not a land of rest. There is a bond with the past, and although he has a different character from his father Abraham, the grace of God binds him unto him and makes him to walk in the same way. However, when Israel was before the Red Sea, the Lord commanded Moses “Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.” Also, Isaac has to continue his travel. There he will meet with the enmity of the Philistines again. However, the Lord will provide, and the God of the past who cared for father Abraham, will be the same in the life of Isaac. People of God, God has not changed. He who took care of His own inheritance will do that also in our days, in spite of all the enmity. Dark and lonely may be your way, but He will safely lead you. p

(To be continued)

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