A second famine struck and God told Isaac not to go to Egypt, but to stay in Gerar and God would bless him and protect him. So Isaac went to Gerar and went to the king of the philistines,
Abimelech (not the same Abimelech that Abraham delt with, a new one) and took refuge there. However, Isaac was fearful that they Phillistines would see how beautiful his wife was and would kill him to take Rebekah, so he lied and said that she was his sister. Sound familiar? This is the same thing that Abraham did, children learn best from their parents actions. Its important to lead by example with the important life lessons for your children, they are more prone to follow what we do rather than what we say.
The king saw Isaac being intimate with Rebekah and knew right away that this was not his sister, he was filled with anger but told his men to leave Isaac and his wife alone, he knew that the Lord was with them. So they were able to stay and God blessed Isaac and he began to flourish and prosper. This caused a lot of jealousy amongst the Phillistines, they didn't like how prosperous Isaac had become but knew that God was with him so they didn't want to cause him harm. In turn, they kicked him out of Gerar and told him to leave and go away sense he was much mightier than they were.
Isaac left and went to the wilderness and dug a bunch of water wells, each well the Phillistines would demand it was theres so he would have to find a new spot and start again. In ancient days water wells were everything, water was as precious as gold. So for Isaac to have no problem getting successful wells it angered the Phillistines even more. Isaac could have stood his ground and fought to keep the wells but he knew that God had the perfect spot for him picked out and knew it would be the more peaceful approach to let it go. When we are in a situation where we have to choose to fight or walk away, we must seek God and ask what He wants for us. Does He want us to stand our ground, or does He have something better for us?
Finally Isaac dug another well that the Phillistines didn't try to take, so He settled there and the Lord blessed him. Abimelech saw how much God was with Isaac and showed up to his him and asked him for a peace covenant, Isaac immediately accepted and celebrated the peace together. When our enemies try to resolve an issue with us, its good to resolve the conflict and settle with peace. You dont have to be best friends but you can get rid of the strife, and who knows, maybe your actions could cause your enemies to seek God as well.
After the peace had been made Esau, the older of Isaacs sons who traded his birthright for a meal, married a Hittite (pagan) and his parents were upset by it. The pagans didn't follow God, they lived for themselves and this wasn't want Isaac wanted for his son. Esau had always gotten along better with Isaac because he was more manly and tough compared to his brother Jacob who was softer and got along better with his mother. So for Isaac to see his son go down the wrong path, it was hard to fathom.
Genesis Chapter 26
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