7 JULY GENESIS 26
- Werner Jansen van rensburg
- Jul 7
- 4 min read
Covenant Renewed – Faith, Fear, and Flourishing
Genesis 26 is the only chapter in Genesis focused solely on Isaac’s life. In it, we witness the repetition of covenant, trials, and divine provision. Isaac faces similar tests as Abraham, famine, fear of death, disputes over land, but God’s promises hold firm.
Covenant Reaffirmed in Famine
Genesis 26:1–3 (NIV) "Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you.’" In the face of famine, Isaac is tempted to flee as his father had done, but God interrupts the instinct to escape, reaffirming that obedience in hardship is where the blessing lies.
Genesis 26:3–5 (NIV) "‘For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham… because Abraham obeyed Me and did everything I required of him, keeping My commands, My decrees and My instructions.’" This is the first direct appearance of the Lord to Isaac. The covenant is not merely inherited—it is personally confirmed. Isaac now walks in his father’s spiritual footsteps.
A Familiar Fear
Despite God’s promises, Isaac repeats Abraham’s mistake. Genesis 26:7 (NIV) "When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, ‘She is my sister,’ because he was afraid to say, ‘She is my wife.’ He thought, ‘The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.’" Like Abraham in Egypt and Gerar, Isaac defaults to fear rather than faith. But again, God protects the covenant promise. Genesis 26:8–9 (NIV) "When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, ‘She is really your wife! Why did you say, “She is my sister”?’" Abimelek rebukes Isaac, just as his predecessor had rebuked Abraham. Yet, despite Isaac’s lapse, God continues to prosper him.
Prosperity and Opposition
Genesis 26:12–14 (NIV) " Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. Even in a foreign land during famine, Isaac flourishes. Yet with blessing comes opposition. The Philistines stop up the wells Abraham had dug, a symbolic effort to erase covenantal claims.
Genesis 26:18 (NIV) " Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them."
Reopening the wells represents reclaiming legacy and honouring the covenantal flow of provision. But local disputes continue. Genesis 26:20–22 (NIV) " But the herders of Gerar quarrelled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. Then they dug another well, but they quarrelled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarrelled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”’"
The name Rehoboth means “broad places” or “room”. After contention, peace finally comes, and Isaac acknowledges God’s hand in making space for him.
Covenant Renewed at Beersheba
God appears again—not in famine, but in flourishing. Genesis 26:24 (NIV) "That night the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase your number for the sake of My servant Abraham.’"
Isaac responds as Abraham did: Genesis 26:25 (NIV)"Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well." Isaac’s life is marked by altars, tents, and wells—worship, pilgrimage, and provision.
Peace with Abimelek
Even Abimelek recognises God's favour on Isaac. Genesis 26:28–29 (NIV) “They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’, between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”’" They make a treaty at Beersheba, and Isaac names another well Shibah, meaning “oath”, sealing peace.
Esau’s Grief to His Parents
The chapter closes with a personal sorrow. Genesis 26:34–35 (NIV) "When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah."
Esau’s marriage outside the covenantal family line foreshadows further tension and disqualification. His choices contrast with the providential arrangement of Isaac’s own marriage and prefigure his rejection in the next chapter.