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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. ~ Genesis 26:26-33
Today, we continue our study of Genesis 26 which begins with Isaac on his way to Egypt due of famine, and ends with him enjoying flowing water in Canaan. Today's narrative is very much like that which happened to Isaac's father Abraham in Genesis 21. Two of the three main people, Abimelech and Phichol, who came to visit Isaac this particular day were two of the same people whom Abraham had dealt with in like manner.
In v.26-29 of today's passage we read, "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.'"
Isaac's three visitors, Abimelech, Phichol and Ahuzzath, according to some biblical scholars pictured what many refer to as the unholy trinity. Due to their earlier treatment of him, Isaac was completely surprised when these guys show up at his camp. The phrase "hate me" was used by Isaac to remind them of the quarreling that their people had experienced over the wells, one of which was called "Sitnah" meaning "hatred."
A common tactic of Satan is to imitate the things of God in order to make himself appear to be like God. What is commonly referred to as the “unholy trinity,” described vividly in Revelation 12-13, is no exception. The Holy Trinity consists of God the Father, God the Son the Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. Their counterparts in the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. While the Holy Trinity is characterized by infinite truth, love, and goodness, the unholy trinity portrays the diametrically opposite traits of deception, hatred, and unadulterated evil. At the beginning of the Tribulation these will rise up to make a covenant with Israel.
The impotence for their desire for a covenant was "that the Lord is with you." Despite their jealousy and hatred of Isaac, Abimelch and his men recognized that the Lord was with him. And the same is, and will be, no less true with the Muslims who hate Israel today. And so Abimelech and his men asked to enter into a covenant with Isaac. In the future, according to Daniel 9:24-27 a covenant will be established between the anti-Christ and Israel. Israel will not know that they will enter into a covenant with the anti-christ until the middle of the time frame as indicated by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:15. This covenant will be a 7-year covenant and it will be happening during the time that we know as the Tribulation.
According to v.29 of today's passage, either Abimelech and his men were blind as to what happened between Isaac and the people who kept stealing his wells, or they were bald faced liars. They may not have touched Isaac or harmed him directly, but they did so indirectly, causing him to move from well to well and finally telling him to leave their land.
In v.30-31 of today's passage we read, "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."
Isaac's prior relationship with Abimelech, the king of Gerar was strained. He was caught in a dangerous lie regarding his wife, Rebekah. When Isaac's prosperity threatened the king, the king asked Isaac to move away. Even then, the people of the region harassed Isaac's family about the use of the wells. After Isaac moved to Beersheba, the king and his entourage arrived to have a conversation which led to a nice meal and the establishment of another covenant. Ironically, the same day that the covenant is made between Isaac and his three visitors, another well was dug which produced water.
In v.32-33 of today's passage we read, "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."
Shebah which means "oath." The word Shebah here has an added letter on the end of it, a letter like our "h." This addition of this letter makes the word signify more than just an oath, but that which is full or abundant. The well found then and the well of the future will be filled to overflowing. However, Sheba is also the word for seven and because of the agreement, the place is called Beersheba, the well of the oath or the well of the seven. As you can see, the coming seven-year covenant with the antichrist was foreshadowed here.
The Bible time and time again uses the number two to signify a difference, usually of things at enmity with each other. There are two testaments in the Bible, one based on law and one on grace. One shows fallen man, the other man restored. There is day and there is night. There is darkness and there is light. There is good and there is evil. There is Cain and there is Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Adam and Christ. There is heaven and there is hell. There is life and there is death. Each of these are in contrast to the other, just as the two wells were in contrast.
This life that we all share here in time on this earth has one main purpose: to prepare for the inevitable end when good and evil will clash and good will win. Most people believe this life is all about the acquisition of the things this world has to offer. Not so! You see, there are only two everlasting things on earth today: people and God's Word. Everything else will ultimately be burned up. We must invest in those two everlasting things, people and the Word of God, or we will miss what this life is truly all about. The ultimate point of our lives is to get those two things that will endure beyond this world together. A good place to start is to intentionally read the Word of God daily for ourselves with the intention of interacting with God so that we can intentionally interact with others regarding what God has said in His Word.
