The One Year Chronological Study Bible - Flipbook - Page 40
page 36
Isaac Deceives Abimelech • GENESIS 26:1-11
A severe famine now struck the land, as had
happened before in Abraham’s time. So Isaac
moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the
Philistines, lived.
2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not
go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. 3 Live here
as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you
and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all
these lands to you and your descendants,* just as
I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. 4I will
cause your descendants to become as numerous
as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all
these lands. And through your descendants all
the nations of the earth will be blessed. 5 I will do
this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed
all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
7 When the men who lived there asked Isaac
about his wife, Rebekah, he said, “She is my sister.” He was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He
thought, “They will kill me to get her, because
she is so beautiful.” 8 But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah.
9 Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and
exclaimed, “She is obviously your wife! Why did
you say, ‘She is my sister’?”
EXODUS
PATRIARCH
PATRIARCH
CREATION
1
“Because I was afraid someone would kill me
to get her from me,” Isaac replied.
10 “How could you do this to us?” Abimelech
exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have
taken your wife and slept with her, and you
would have made us guilty of great sin.”
11 Then Abimelech issued a public proclamation: “Anyone who touches this man or his wife
will be put to death!”
Conflict over Water Rights • GENESIS 26:12-25
12 When Isaac planted his crops that year, he
harvested a hundred times more grain than he
planted, for the Lord blessed him. 13 He became
a very rich man, and his wealth continued to
grow. 14 He acquired so many flocks of sheep
and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the
Philistines became jealous of him. 15 So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt.
These were the wells that had been dug by the
servants of his father, Abraham.
16 Finally, Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave
the country. “Go somewhere else,” he said, “for
you have become too powerful for us.”
17 So Isaac moved away to the Gerar Valley,
where he set up their tents and settled down.
18 He reopened the wells his father had dug,
which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham’s death. Isaac also restored the names
Abraham had given them.
19 Isaac’s servants also dug in the Gerar Valley
and discovered a well of fresh water. 20 But then
the shepherds from Gerar came and claimed
the spring. “This is our water,” they said, and
they argued over it with Isaac’s herdsmen. So
Isaac named the well Esek (which means “argument”). 21 Isaac’s men then dug another well, but
again there was a dispute over it. So Isaac named
it Sitnah (which means “hostility”). 22Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another
well. This time there was no dispute over it, so
Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means
“open space”), for he said, “At last the Lord has
created enough space for us to prosper in this
land.”
23 From there Isaac moved to Beersheba,
24 where the Lord appeared to him on the night
of his arrival. “I am the God of your father, Abraham,” he said. “Do not be afraid, for I am with
you and will bless you. I will multiply your descendants, and they will become a great nation.
I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant.” 25 Then Isaac built an altar
26:3 Hebrew seed; also in 26:4, 24.
DIVIDED
KINGDOM
As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful
hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a
quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home.
28 Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating
the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah
loved Jacob.
29 One day when Jacob was cooking some
stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness
exhausted and hungry. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m
starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This
is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which
means “red.”)
31 “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your
rights as the firstborn son.”
32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau.
“What good is my birthright to me now?”
33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that
your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath,
thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to
his brother, Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and
lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and
left. He showed contempt for his rights as the
firstborn.
27
KINGDOM
Esau Sells His Birthright • GENESIS 25:27-34
JUDGES
•
CONQUEST
JANUARY 9
