Genesis 26 — Thoughts
4 Ways Isaac’s Story Is Like Our Story
This story from Isaac's life encapsulates the Christian life in four important ways:
1.) We KNOW our relationship with God is secure.
The story opens with God forming a covenant with Isaac. It's a covenant that's not based on anything Isaac did, but only on how God chose to bless him.
In the same way, our relationship with God is secured. It's not based on our ability to please God, because we can't (Isaiah 64:6). It's based only on the work of Jesus on the Cross (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that's something we can always trust.
2.) We WILL screw up along the way.
Isaac makes the same mistake Abraham made: He lies that his wife is his sister to protect himself. And like his dad, he gets caught.
In the same way, we will screw up in the Christian life. Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Jesus, but it's a process that takes time. We have to have mercy for ourselves when we mess up along the way — because Jesus always has mercy for us (Luke 6:36).
3.) We WILL be targeted by others.
Jealous neighbors stop up Isaac's family wells, and he gets chased off on three different occasions.
In the same way, we'll be attacked for our relationship with God. As Jesus warns in John 16:33, "In this world you will have trouble." We have to anticipate the attacks and decide ahead of time that we're going to respond with love, every time (Matthew 5:44).
4.) We WILL be victorious in the end.
After all his troubles, Isaac gets a surprise visit from King Abimelech. Abimelech has seen that God is with Isaac and comes to the conclusion — correctly — that it's better to join Isaac than to fight him.
Whether we see it in this life or only in the life to come, we are victorious in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:57). The sins we commit are forgiven. The sins committed against us will face judgment. And God's promises will one day be fulfilled. Our concern isn't about how things will end but only about how many people we'll invite into that victory with us.
(Originally written July 23, 2020)