Genesis 26:23-35
23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?”
28 But they said, “We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.’”
30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
32 It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.
On the journey towards to Beersheba, Abraham witnessed the LORD coming to him with the assurance that he did not need to fear the holy appearance of God before him nor fear the future according to the promise through Abraham to him. This is a reminder for we who are in Christ as well that He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) for any reason because His new covenant promise sealed in the lifeblood sacrifice of God’s own and only Son guarantees it. Isaac heard that God was with and for him and was alleviated from all fear and uncertainty. He heard once more the word of God’s promise to multiply his lineage and bless the nations through him by God’s faithful working in and through him in honor of Abraham’s faith which is the pattern of our own in Jesus Christ (Romans 4:5-6, 13, 16, Galatians 3:8-9) in our own trust in God’s word of promise and work on the cross that covers our sin and brings us to fruitfulness in Him forever. When Isaac heard from God, he pitched his tent there and called on God’s name in worship as we should do when Jesus opens the eyes of our hearts to know Him without fear (Luke 12:32, Romans 8:15, 1 John 4:18) of loss of His eternal grace of salvation. As for Isaac, when he found peace and assurance in his journey with the LORD, the king of Gerar came to make a covenant of peace with him out of fear of God as he saw the hand of the LORD upon Isaac. He recognized the blessing of God on Isaac and feared displeasing the God of Isaac. Many in this world will not do the same with us now because they are opposed to Christ in us, but some may see and be so moved with caution not to offend or anger God by doing us harm, but some will. Even if they do not, we know God is for us and nobody can be eternally effective against us (Romans 8:31) in the end. Isaac went on to be blessed with waters from the well there but made the mistake of allowing the bounty to affect his good judgment by marrying two Hittite pagan wives who were a constant source of grief to him and Rebekah afterwards. We also must learn from our soul’s prosperity not to indulge sin against God’s word and suffer the consequences of poor judgment. We are called to stay the course of the pursuit of holiness and righteousness instead to reap the full blessing of our calling to worship as living sacrifices instead. This is a warning of the adverse effect blessings can have if we do not keep our hearts and minds on the Lord. Blessings and adversity are contrasted here for our learning (1 Corinthians 10:11, Romans 15:4-5).
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