Gen 26:1
There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.: This mention of the first famine when Abraham was alive probably was meant to show that this was not the same famine. Abimelech was probably a title meaning, "My father, the king." There's another Abimelech mentioned when David was alive (1Sa 21:10).
Gen 26:2
Then the LORD appeared to him and said: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.: Although I don't find it in any commentaries, the LORD here is Jehovah. Could this be a Christophany? Certainly seems like it to me. Abraham listened to God, and did not allow Isaac to leave the land of promise, and here, God doesn't allow Isaac to leave either. It is interesting how God keeps Isaac in the land of promise but allows both Abraham and Jacob to go to Egypt. We can only speculate why.
Gen 26:3
Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.: The land was Canaan. God reiterates His promise. I believe it was Jesus that came and told Isaac that He would fulfill the promise He made to Abraham.
Gen 26:4
And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;: This is basically the same promise that Jesus had made to Abraham earlier. He would multiply them, give them the land, and bless the nations through his seed. I've seen it said that seed here is singular, noting that it's a prophecy of the Messiah. The NET has an interesting translation of this verse: "I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants." It doesn't mention seed at all, completely opposite of the KJV: "And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." I really don't know which translation is correct, but they essentially mean the same thing.
Gen 26:5
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.: And here's the reason why God will fulfill the promise. Take note that it's because of Abraham's obedience. Isaac was given the promise not becaue he did anything, but because of his father. I think this is important because today, we have a pervasive teaching in the church saying that God has abandoned Israel, and the church is the new Israel. Think about this. Isaac did nothing but God kept his promise because of Abraham. If that's the case, why would He suddenly abandon Israel? It makes no sense. God will not abandon Israel (Jer 31:35-36).
Gen 26:6
So Isaac dwelt in Gerar: Even though Isaac doesn't go to Egypt, he behaves just like his father. I'm sure that this is what this story is supposed to relate. There's a saying today: You only know what you know. And I think this is a story to show the truth of that saying. Isaac does the exact same things as his father, and it isn't good.
Gen 26:7
And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, "She is my sister"; for he was afraid to say, "She is my wife," because he thought, "lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.": Just like Abraham, Isaac tells the people of Gerar that Rebekah is his sister. A real disgusting thing. Fear makes you do crazy things. Even these most faithful people act in fear, not trusting God. Another reason these stories are recorded is so we don't think that these were some super righteous people that had gained God's favor through their piousness. Righteousness isn't through our actions, it's through faith. That's the only thing God counts as righteousness (Rom 4:1-5).
Gen 26:8
Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife.: This doesn't mean that Abimelech caught them in the act of sex. Showing endearment is that tender affection that you only show to your significant other. There's just something about the way a couple acts around each other that has an air of familiarity that gives it away, but they were likely kissing or something like that. Now, I'm not sure why this king would be looking through Isaac's window, but he likely had suspicions that they were a couple.
Gen 26:9
Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, "Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac said to him, "Because I said, 'Lest I die on account of her.' ": Abimelech didn't wait and call Isaac to his dwelling, but calls him out right there. And just like his father, Isaac tells Abimelech that he thought they'd kill him and take her. Remember, there was an Abimelech in Abraham's time when he did the same thing in Gerar (Gen 20:1-18). Isaac likely remembered this, and in fact, Abimelech had taken Sarah before, so he could have been afraid that this Abimelech would do the same. Perhaps Abimelech had heard of Rebekah and had come to personally see her and take her, but instead saw the two of them being affectionate. It's either that or he had suspicions about the two being a couple.
Gen 26:10
And Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.": And just like the Abimelech in Abraham's time, he appears to have been more righteous than Isaac. Apparently, they wouldn't touch another man's wife. God didn't even have to warn this Abimelech off, like He did with the Abimelech in Abraham's time.
Gen 26:11
So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.": It appears that if Isaac had been truthful, he could have avoided all of this. Now, he looks bad, and his deceit is announced to the land. Even though the outcome turned out alright, he did wrong.
Gen 26:12
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.: God is always faithful and true to His word. He promised to bless Isaac if he stayed in the land, and He not only blessed Isaac, but increased his yield a hundred times, an exceeding blessing.
Gen 26:13
The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;: And this was on top of what Abraham already had. He had to be like a king.
Gen 26:14
for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.: Isn't it the same today? We see the farmers with huge plots of lands, animals, and servants today as we drive through the countryside. Our economy hasn't changed much, other than the ratio of people employed in certain occupations. Capital has always been the wealth creater, as seen here. And another thing that hasn't changed: the Philistines envied him. People who prosper end up being hated and evil people devise evil ways to take what they've earned. Today, it's done through government. Back then, if the evil people were strong enough, they'd just go take it. But, that sounds an awful lot like government...
Gen 26:15
Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth.: In Gen 21:25-31, the Abimelech from Abraham's time and Abraham made a peace agreement, and this is a clear violation. It's almost an act of war. Wells are a necessity, and destroying them is an act of aggression. This goes beyond mere envy. It's murderous.
Gen 26:16
And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.": Interesting that the weaker people would attack the stronger. Abimelech probably didn't want war, and asked Isaac to leave. It could be that he had a part in the stoppage of the wells too. Unfortunately, it's not clear and we can only assume.
Gen 26:17
Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.: This verse confused me because in verse 6 (Gen 26:6), Isaac went to Gerar. However, it just means that he went from where he was located, near this Abimelech, over to the Valley of Gerar. The Pulpit commentary says that this valley has been identified as the Wady Gerar, three hours south-east of Gaza.
Gen 26:18
And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.: Everywhere Isaac went, he brought improvement, and everywhere the Philistines went, they brought destruction. Why would they stop up these wells? It makes no sense. If Abraham wasn't around anymore, why didn't they just use them? Maybe they were afraid to go to war with Isaac, but then, why would they stop up the wells? I don't get it. But, I do seem to be saying that a lot lately as we come closer and closer to the rapture.
Gen 26:19
Also Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there.: This was a natural spring that they found in the valley.
Gen 26:20
But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours." So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him.: The word Esek means quarrel. And there's an old saying from Mark Twain, "Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." Isaac knew about this quote back then, apparently, so he moved on.
Gen 26:21
Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah.: Sitnah means strife, or hatred. This well has been identified as Shutneh. Now it's clear that these Philistines were harassing Isaac.
Gen 26:22
And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, "For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.": It's not clear why they didn't quarrel over this well, but the way it usually works is after multiple quarrels, the supposed offenders will ask what would please the supposed offended, and then go do what they say won't offend them. So, it's likely that's what happened here. These Philistines were harassing Isaac and his people, and Isaac's people probably asked what wouldn't offend them and did it.
Gen 26:23
Then he went up from there to Beersheba.: Beersheba means "well of the oath." This is where Abraham and Abimelech made an agreement (Gen 21:31). Abraham had named it this, and later, the well is redug, and Isaac names it the same (Gen 26:31-33).
Gen 26:24
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.": The LORD appeared. This is another Christophany. He shows up to Isaac to reiterate the promises. And again, He makes it clear that the reason is because of Abraham. The promises weren't reliant on Isaac, but on the promises that God made to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3). For those that say that God has abandoned Israel, you don't know God. The promises that God gave to Isaac weren't dependent on anything Isaac did, so why would God suddenly abandon Israel because of their disobedience? The promises weren't dependent on their obedience! The promises are dependent on the faithfulness of God. If you say you're a Christian and believe that God abandoned Israel, you're saying that you don't believe in the faithfulness of God. How can you be sure of your salvation if you can't trust God?
Gen 26:25
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.: As Abraham did when he was visited by Christ (Gen 12:7), Isaac builds an alter. And there, he publicly praises God.
Gen 26:26
Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army.: After kicking Isaac out of the land, this Abimelech comes to make peace. He brings an entourage with him. Not a huge one, but it was a fairly long journey. I do find it interesting that the names are the same, but it's most likely that these were titles, not real names.
Gen 26:27
And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?": Interesing that Isaac says they hate him. So it's clear now that the prior conversation in Gen 26:16 was not a peaceful one. Abimelech wasn't saying it in peace. Abimelech kicked Isaac out.
Gen 26:28
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,: Isn't this what bullies do? They keep pushing until they see strength, then try to act like an ally. And this is the same language that the Abimelech from Abraham's time used too (Gen 21:22-34).
Gen 26:29
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.' ": This is the same agreement that the prior Abimelech had made with Abraham that hadn't been honored after the death of Abraham. Personally, I wouldn't believe him, but Isaac does. And this wording here is a lie. They had stopped up the wells and kicked Isaac out of the land. They had touched them, just hadn't killed anyone. So maybe the idea is that it hadn't escalated to the point of a war, and they wanted to stop the escalation before it did. I think I could agree to that. The Philistines hadn't committed murderous acts yet.
Gen 26:30
So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.: This was similar to the agreement with Laban. They ate and drank then too. The he here is Isaac. Isaac made them the feast.
Gen 26:31
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.: And just as Abraham did with his Abimelech, Isaac swears an oath that they will not harm each other. After they make this pact, Isaac escort him off in peace.
Gen 26:32
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.": As God had promised, Isaac's servants come and tell him that they've found water. Now, it doesn't follow that this is because Isaac's peaceful behavior in not retaliating to the Philistine's stopping up their wells. If that were the case, we could be assured that as long as we did right, we'd receive right in return. That's just not the way of the world. They found water because God is faithful.
Gen 26:33
So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.: This is the same name that Abraham had given the well where he made the pact with his Abimilech. Beersheba means well of the oath.
Gen 26:34
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.: And suddenly, we shift focus to Esau. Instead of keeping with the Godly line, Esau chooses to marry Hittites. The Hittites were warlike, and the first mention of them was when Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah. It seems the Hittites were the dominant people at the time, so that's probably why Esau tried to ingratiate himself with them. Judith and Basemath were descendents of Heth, whom Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah from.
Gen 26:35
And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.: This means that they were idolaters. They didn't respect Isaac and Rebekah and only brought trouble to the family. Also, marrying more than one wife means that Esau violated the law of God which forbade polygamy. Esau troubled them in the same way that a Christian mother and father would be grieved if their children strayed from God and went the way of the world.
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