Today, we return to our study of Genesis 26. Although Isaac lived the longest of all the patriarchs,180 years, less is recorded of him than of the three others. This is the only chapter exclusively devoted to Isaac's life. Today's passage is the key to understanding the whole chapter because up to this point in Isaac's life circumstances shaped most of his decisions. In today's passage we see that he finally came to see that through all the opposition over the wells he had dug, God had been guiding him back to the land of promise, back to those places where his dad, Abraham, had walked in fellowship with God.
In v.23 of today's passage we read, "Then he went up from there to Beersheba."
Beersheba was the spot that Abraham was when he made a treaty with Abimelech. It was also where Isaac and Abraham departed from and returned to when they went to Mount Moriah. It was the place where God’s people had found peace and restoration. The same will be the case for Isaac. Isaac went up to Beersheba because he sensed on a spiritual level that this was where God wanted him to be. If God had previously been leading Isaac through opposition, now Isaac was willing to be led by God. Being led is one thing, though, knowing God in an increasingly and more intimate way is another.
In v.24 of today's passage we read, "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.'"
As He did to Abraham, Isaac's dad, God appeared to Isaac on the heels of his obedience. This just highlights the fact that real faith leads to obedience; not perfect obedience because we will never be perfect at anything this side of heaven, especially our obedience to God. The key is that we are learning to hear God's voice and walk in His ways. The more we respond to the truth God gives us, the more truth He will give to us.
Central to God's promises to Isaac was one command: "Do not fear!" It’s a refrain that echoes over and over again in the pages of Scripture, a command given by God to all humble enough to receive the free gift of His acceptance through Christ. God said "fear not" to Abram when Abram wondered when he would see his promised heir. God said it to His people as they looked at the odds stacked against them in the Promised Land. God said "fear not" to Joshua as he prepared to take the reins of leadership from Moses. He said "fear not" to Elisha when he thought he was outnumbered. The words echo through the Psalms as a means of encouragement during worship.
In 1 John 4:18 we read, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."
Fear is at the root of all disobedience to God, and, our ultimate fear is separation from God. In order for us to overcome fear, we must develop a maturing understanding of God's love for us. This is why we are to persevere through our trials because it is in the context of the impossible moments of life that God's goodness shines forth the best. God came to earth in the form of the Lord Jesus in order to help us overcome our fears, first and foremost our fear of Him. As long as we are afraid of God, we cannot overcome any fear that we find in our souls. Fear creates suspicion, distance, defensiveness, and insecurity. The greatest block in our spiritual life is fear and no spiritual discipline is possible when we are in fear of God.
Brennan Manning once said, "God’s love is based on nothing at all, and that is what makes us secure." God was teaching Isaac a very important aspect about His love which is summed up in a simple statement: merit filled love can never be trusted. The love that believes I must perform for God is the most unfaithful of loves because when we lose our ability to merit love, we will inevitably lose the love.
When we begin to define ourselves as those who are worthlessly loved, we will for the first time set foot on the trail of authenticity. For the first time ever we will be able to stop with all our comparing and strivings. We can then and only then step out of the storm of our fears. For then and only then will we know God's unconditional love. This type of love is beyond the human condition. It is a love reserved only for God and those of His affection. God’s love is encapsulated in a vacuum free of the contaminants of our fears. It is a pure love that loves for love's sake. It is based on nothing but love itself.
God's love is based on nothing and that makes us most free. Were it based on anything we do, and that "anything" were to collapse, then God's love would crumble as well. But, with the God of the Bible no such thing can possibly happen. When we get to the place where we begin to truly understand this, it will be then that we will live freely and to the fullest. We do not have to earn His love; neither do we have to support it. It is a free gift from the God who thought up the plan of our rescue through His Son's cross.
In v.25 of today's passage we read, "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."
Like his father, Abraham, when there was an altar and a tent in Isaac's life, it was all good. In the same place where Isaac's dad, Abraham, called on the name of the Lord, Isaac did the same. The altar was a symbol of his worship of the God of the Bible and the tent was a reminder that this world was not his home. This is the first recorded altar built by Isaac. With the building of this altar, Isaac was saying he had placed His entire faith and hope in the Lord God alone. Did he struggle beyond this moment in his walk with the Lord? Absolutely, because the struggle is a very essential part of the development of our faith in the God who loves us unquestionably. God's love for us is undying because the Lord Jesus laid down His life on our behalf.
