Isaac and Abimelech

Genesis 26

This chapter in Isaac’s life holds many parallels to Abraham’s time spent in Gerar, near King Abimelech. Like his father, Isaac lies about his relationship with Rebekah, claiming her as his sister. King Abimelech finds out, and orders that no harm shall come to him, despite his lies. Isaac continues to be blessed by God, and becomes very wealthy (isn’t he already wealthy as the sole heir to Abraham’s wealth?). The Philistines once again fill in all the wells that his father’s servants had dug during the time of Abraham. Isaac is definitely walking in his father’s footsteps. The parallels and dualities are uncanny, and could imply an ancient scholar who split one mythological tale into two separate components.

This chapter mainly consists of:

·      Another famine. However, in this instance, Isaac is specifically requested by God not to go to Egypt, as his father had done during a time of famine.

·      A reiteration of the Abrahamic Covenant from God (Gen 26:3 “For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.”

·      Repetition of Abraham’s wrongdoing (Gen 26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.”

·      The Philistines fill the wells that were dug by Abraham’s servants. This also occurred in Genesis 21.

·      King Abimelech asks Isaac to move away, as he has become too powerful.

·      Isaac digs some more wells, and is opposed by other herdsman in the area.

·      Isaac receives a visit from King Abimelech at his new location, near his new well, and they sign a treaty together.

The moral of this passage seen through the eyes of religious Christians is that a person can choose to live by principle or providence. Walking by providence, as Issac did at the beginning, means a person will still arrive where God wants us to be, but without the joy of being an active participant. Living by principle, means walking joyfully, with God….to the same location.

According to the Jewish Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 64:3) this passage explains that an offering to God must stay in the temple courtyard. Thus, because Isaac was an offering to God—remember the whole sacrifice thing back in Genesis 22—he must stay within the boundaries of the Promised Land.

That still sounds quite a bit like pre-destination to me.

Is this the same King Abimelech?

The jury seems to be out on whether or not the King Abimelech in Genesis 26 is the same Abimelech found in Genesis 20 and 21. Judaism is known for its endless amount of midrash, or commentary, on the Bible and Jewish laws. In the case of Abimelech, even early scholars found the Abimelech dilemma compelling.

Esau’s Wives

At the very end of this chapter, we find out that Esau committed the sin of marrying two women. The polygamous relationship does not seem to be the focal point of his sin; rather, it is the ethnicity of his wives. They are both Hittite. And, according to Genesis 26:35, They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

We will be taking a closer look at Esau’s wives shortly.

Isaac is Born!

Genesis 21

With the joking of recent posts aside, Genesis 21 is an important chapter for believers in the Bible, particularly this first verse:

Genesis 21:1, NIV Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.

It took years, but in the end, Abraham and Sarah believed, and God fulfilled his promise to them. According to the story, Isaac was created through divine intervention, and was a gift from God to a couple who continued to have faith in him. The moment comes quietly, calmly, at the exact moment in time that God promised.

The happiness soon becomes marred, however, by what happens next. Sarah does not want Ishmael and Hagar to be around her son, and demands that Abraham casts them out. He does so, giving them a measly jug of water and bread as a farewell gift. This is the parting gift Abraham gives to his son, not long after he received numerous riches from King Abimelech? Oh wait, that is Isaac’s inheritance.

It is interesting to note that in Hammurabi’s Code, there is a law about what to do in regards to children of slaves in which the father was their master. In Law 171, If the father while still living did not say to the sons of the maid-servant: “My sons,” and then the father dies, then the sons of the maid-servant shall not share with the sons of the wife, but the freedom of the maid and her sons shall be granted.”

This is exactly what happens to Hagar and Ishmael in this chapter, and is more than likely a reflection of societal laws followed during the time period of the authorship of the Abraham story in the ancient Near East.

Hammurabi’s Code, the common law of ancient Babylon, contains many similarities to the laws found in the Old Testament, and can provide insight into the customs that are apparent in Old Testament stories. The influence of the Laws of Hammurabi extended far beyond the city of Babylon, throughout Mesopotamia.

Growing up, the main thing I remember learning about this chapter is that Ishmael “mocking” Isaac was the main reason for being cast out. As an adult, reading the Bible for myself instead of relying on what other people tell me, it seems far more about Sarah’s jealousy, and taking advantage of an opportunity to assert Isaac’s right of inheritance over Ishmael.

In Hebrew, the term applied to Ishmael’s behavior is mitzachek, defined as mocking. Jewish scholars have generally been split in opinion as to whether mitzachek refers to playful behavior, or something more vicious.

Tamarisk shrub.

New words:

Wilderness of Paran (He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt)– unknown origin, but believed by Christians and Jews to be near the Sinai Peninsula. In Arabic tradition it has been associated with an area of the Al-Hejaz, west of present-day Saudia Arabia.

Beer-sheba (or Beresheba/Be’er Sheba) – currently the largest city in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Archaeological digs date the earliest human habitation of the area to the 4^th millennium BCE. It became one of the southernmost territories settled by Israelites. The name seems to be a play on words—be-er means “well”; sheva means seven, which corresponds to the seven lambs that Abraham gives Abimelech as proof that he dug a well mentioned in Genesis 21. It was located at the edge of an agricultural area in ancient Palestine.

Tamarisk (Abraham planted a tamarisk at Beer-sheba) – refers to 50-60 species of flowering evergreen and deciduous shrubs that form dense thickets, and are native to the drier regions of Eurasia and Africa.

Philistines (And Abraham resided in the land of the Philistines a long time) - little is known about the original language of the Philistines, but they were not part of the Semitic Canaanite population. They appeared in the southern coastal area of Canaan (the Levant) at the beginning of the Iron Age (circa 1175 BCE), possibly from the Aegean region.