Introduction
Isaac, like Jephthah, also received the commanded blessings from God. Enemies tried to make life very challenging and unbearable for him but the Lord God commanded His blessings to come upon him in the midst of those difficulties.
Opposition from the Enemies
Life is full of oppositions and contradictions of men. Fellow humans both within and without one´s family would work hard, not to support your vision, but to make life more bitter for you. As was the case of Jephthah in the previous edition of our newsletter, Isaac was confronted with a similar challenge from outside his family. He was driven out of the land of the Philistines as recorded below:
“For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the
Philistines envied him. For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of
Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them and filled them with earth. And Abimelech
said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. And Isaac departed thence, and
pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there” (Gen 26:14-17).
As could be deduced from the above paragraph, Isaac inherited a number of wells from Abraham, his father, but the Philistines had destroyed them to make life very challenging for him and his family. Isaac, knowing that the blessings of God were upon him, did not fight them back but departed from there in peace and continued digging as detailed below.
Isaac´s Relentlessness
Relentlessness is the key to receiving the timely blessings of God. Isaac persisted in his assignment. The enemies kept destroying his wells but he kept digging for water. It is on record that:
“And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his
father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land” (Gen 26:18-22).
It does not matter how tense the opposition may be, never give up. The contradictions may be very fierce but if believers stand firm and keep pushing forward, the Lord would surely make room for them and make them fruitful in their struggles. Isaac was really fruitful because the Lord blessed him according to his word. He was instructed to sojourn in the foreign land until God settles him down. God swore an oath that He would bless him as a son of Abraham and He fulfilled that oath (Gen 26:3).
It is evident that Isaac was not a lazy person. He sowed in that land, and he received in the same year a hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. He waxed great, and moved forward, and grew until he became exceedingly great. Behold, he had flocks, herds, and a great number of servants, and he was envied by the Philistines (Gen 26:12-14).
When God commands His blessing upon you, you would increase in every area of your life.
Enemies would begin to envy you but they cannot do you any harm because God would command
His angels to guard you at all times. Because of the Lord´s blessings, the enemies would have only one option, and that is, to seek reconciliation with you. Those who drove Isaac and his family out, as in the case of Jephthah, went out to him and requested that he makes a covenant of peace with them. The enemies declared before Isaac that “We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee”, and this explains why “thou art now the blessed of the LORD” (Gen 26:28-31). Because the Lord is with the believers, he shall bless them until they are blessed.
Conclusion
Believers do not need to be afraid of what their enemies could do to them because the Lord has commanded His blessings upon their lives, and the enemies cannot in any way triumph over them. You shall sow as a believer, and the Lord shall surely command His blessings upon the works of your hands.
Prayer: The blessing of Abraham remained in his household. May the blessings of the Lord never depart from you and your family. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!