I'm really glad we don't have to worry about famine on a day-to-day basis. I know tons of countries do, but the fact that my family doesn't have to migrate to find food is a great blessing.
I love that God was straightforward with Isaac. He pretty much said "stay here." I think that quite often, I forget that God has a capacity to be really simple. He'll advise me, if I ask Him too. He has a direction for my life, and he doesn't want me to stumble alone in the dark (not that he would ever even let me out of his sight.)
What is up with these men referring to their wives as their sisters? It feels so weak to me. Like, stand up for yourself, man! Don't just use your wife as a protective blanket. Be proud of her. I don't know, that's probably not the best attitude to have about it. But if I'm being honest, that's how I feel.
I mean, Isaac was honestly kind of stupid about it, too. He was "caressing" her in public. He could have thought that one out a little bit better. However, God used Isaac's mistake to His advantage, and provides a way for Isaac and Rebekah to be protected, with Abimelek's help.
And then he rakes it in. In the next year, everything went right for Isaac. He had more money than he knew what to do with, and enough livestock and employees that he never had to lift a finger. I think sometimes we get way too comfy, and that may or may not have happened to Isaac. You see, when we get too comfy, we forget to rely on God, and in turn, forget where our blessings come from. Either way, the pot was stirred, and Isaac's comfort somewhat lessened. He got kicked out of the land, and made like Abraham and camped out in the Valley of Gerar.
If you're curious, I picture Isaac in an eno, just like his dad had been.
I use a lot of metaphors. While reading this, my mind adopted the metaphor that the wells are like various relationships in life. Sometimes, we approach a relationship, and it looks like it would be clean and lovely and fulfilling, and it just doesn't work out. Then, after leaving that relationship, we find another. It too, looks lovely and good, but that one doesn't work out either. Does that mean we should stop trying to make friends, or close ourselves off to potential relationships? No.
Keep trying. Isaac did, and he dug a well that nobody took from him, and that helped him to flourish.
And then Abimelek came back. I find that so beyond awesome. This ruler that sent Isaac away from his own home hunts him down just to make a treaty with him, because he saw the power of God in his life. They eat together and drink together, the mutual respect restored. The next morning, they swear their oath, and Abimelek leaves in peace.
Just as Isaac and Abimelek's relationship is restored, so a new well is discovered. Let the metaphor sink in there for a sec, because I'm in awe of it.
I had to read verses 34 and 35 a few times to figure out what the problem was, but I finally got it: Esau had two wives.
Genesis 27
Jacob and Rebekah aren't exactly the most upstanding citizens of the Bible. Not only did Jake take his brother's birthright with a bowl of soup, but in this chapter, his mom gets him to also deceive Isaac and get the blessing.
I think that one of the funniest bits of all this is that they had to glue some hair onto Jacob's body to convince Isaac. When I think of Esau, I think of two words: jipped, and hairy.
I don't like that Jacob builds God into his lie, when he says that God gave him success hunting. But I think too of how often we do the same thing. I say that I follow Jesus, and I do - to the best of my ability. However, my actions don't always glorify him; I fail to trust him, and sometimes I put other things before him. How is that so different from what Jacob does here?
Admittedly, I don't really get how the whole "blessings" thing works. Like, why couldn't Esau just get the same basic blessing as his deceitful brother? Esau's blessing was something of a bitter pill to swallow; I would probably hold a grudge against Jacob, too, if I was him.
Even though Jacob lied, God never abandoned him. He made sure that through Rebekah, Jacob found out about Esau's murder plot and was able to escape.
I love the way that God works. You'll never see it coming.
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