Hello! Welcome to today’s Bible study on Genesis 26. According to Bible scholars, the events of Genesis 26 took place in 1977 B.C.
I encourage you to turn to Genesis 26 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Genesis 26. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know.
In the Bible Study on Genesis 25, we read about Abraham’s death, the birth of Esau and Jacob and Ishmael’s death. In today’s Bible study on Genesis 26, we will read about Isaac and Abimelech and what transpired between them at Gerar. This chapter is very identical to Genesis 20 when Abraham went to Gerar.
Without any further delay, let us study together Genesis Chapter 26, shall we?
Genesis 26 at a glance
01
Genesis 26:1-11
Isaac, Rebekah and Abimelech
During the second famine in the Bible, Isaac went to Gerar, the land of the Philistines where Abimelech ruled as king. The Lord instructed Isaac to live in Gerar and promised to give him and his descendants all the lands and perform the oath that He swore to Abraham.
Isaac was afraid to admit to the men of Gerar that Rebekah was his wife, when they asked him about her, because she was beautiful. Therefore, he said that she was his sister to save his life. (He feared that the Philistine men might kill him in order to have Rebekah).
One day, Abimelech saw Isaac showing affection to Rebekah and understood that he was her husband and not her brother. Therefore, he accused Isaac. Abimelech was afraid of bearing the guilt before God (having already an experience with God when Abraham and Sarah were at Gerar) had one of his men behaved corruptly with Rebekah. Therefore, Abimelech charged his people with death if they went near Isaac or Rebekah.
Note
In Genesis 20, Abraham also told Abimelech that Sarah was his sister, to save his life, because Sarah was so beautiful. However, Sarah was Abraham’s half-sister too! Now, the story repeated itself with Isaac and Rebekah. Note the parallels, thus far, between Abraham and Isaac – They both went to Gerar. Also, both, Sarah and Rebekah were barren for a long time.
02
Genesis 26:12-22
Isaac prospered
Isaac sowed and reaped abundantly in Gerar. The Lord blessed him and he became prosperous with possessions of flocks, herds, and servants. The Philistines envied him, and Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave the land. Isaac dwelt in the Valley of Gerar and dug wells of water, which his servants and the king’s herdsmen quarreled over.
These wells which were previously built by Abraham were covered with mud and the wells were stopped by the Philistine after Abraham’s death.
03
Genesis 26:22-33
The covenant at Beersheba
Isaac went to Beersheba, where the Lord promised to bless and multiply his descendants for Abraham’s sake. He built an altar to the Lord and pitched his tent there. Abimelech, his friend Ahuzzath and his army commander Phichol visited Isaac, asking for a covenant to not harm them or their people. Isaac made a feast for them and they all ate and drank. The following morning Abimelech and Phichol swore an oath with Isaac and left to their land.
Isaac’s servants reported of finding water in the well that they had dug and Isaac called the place Beersheba because ‘Sheba’ meant the oath of seven.
Note
The Lord confirmed His blessing to Isaac. Abimelech went his commander Phichol also to Abraham to make a covenant with him and Abraham named the place as Beersheba because of the oath that he made with Abimelech.
04
Genesis 26:34-35
Esau marries
Esau, when 40, took two Hittite wives, which grieved Isaac and Rebekah, his parents.
Note
It is said that Esau’s wives made Rebekah’s life bitter and grievous.
Lessons that we can learn from Genesis 26
Genesis 26:2
When the Lord spoke to Isaac and directed him to live in Gerar. He did it to uphold the covenant with Abraham. Isaac being Abraham’s descendant was chosen by God and he had the blessing transferred to him just as God had promised Abraham. What we see here is called Generational blessing.
Genesis 26:12-13
The blessings of the Lord brings prosperity. Isaac inherited the same blessing of his father, Abraham. If we believe in Jesus then we are of the same faith too as Abraham and hence we are supposed to prosper too as Abraham’s descendants of faith. We as believers can do all that we want to become rich but still be poor. It is the blessing of the Lord that brings you wealth and prosperity.
Genesis 26:24
When God makes a promise, it comes with confirmation. Here, God confirms His blessings and promises to Isaac for Abraham’s sake.
Genesis 26:26-29
Your enemies who hate you and disapprove of you, will return to you to make peace with you when they see and know about the God you serve. Here, Abimelech and Phichol saw how the Lord prospered Isaac. Probably, Isaac and Abimelech’s men were doing the same thing in agriculture. However, Isaac prospered and overtook them in prosperity and wealth because God was with him and blessed him in what he did. This made them jealous and they drove him out of the land.
Genesis 26:34-35
Choosing the wrong partner can not only cause trouble for ourselves but also for our parents and family. We are to choose our spouse with wisdom. We need to involve God in the process like Abraham’s servant Eliezer did when he was searching for a bride for Isaac.
Conclusion
This concludes the bible study lesson on Genesis 26. I hope you learnt something from this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Feel free to share it and subscribe for more lessons in the future. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until Next Time!