Passage: Genesis 26:1-33 | Message By: Chris Hutchison | Series: Blood BrothersAny middle children in the room? Middle children someone's have sense of being lost in the middle. Oldest children tend to get a certain amount of attention because they are the first. Youngest children tend to be noticed in a certain way because they are the youngest. And then there's the middle child.

I don't know if this is really a thing or not. But it seems to be the case with the patriarchs. "Patriarch" is a word we use use for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We know lots about Abraham. Jacob had some pretty interesting stories told about him.

But Isaac? Well, other than a few events here and there, today's chapter, chapter 26, is really the only extended place where we see Isaac active as a main character.

But in this chapter we're going to find that Isaac isn't really the main character after all, any more than Abraham before him or Jacob after Him. God is the main character of this story and it's God's blessings, God's promises, and God's initiative that shapes and directs Isaac's life.

Which means that Isaac's story matters, and has a lot to say to wandering pilgrims like you and I today.

A. Prologue: Famine & Philistia (v. 1)

The prologue or introduction to this chapter is in verse 1: “Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines” (Genesis 26:1).

In the Middle East, water was a big deal. Unlike the other super-powers in the ancient world, the land of Canaan had no consistent supply of water. Most of the land depended on the rain. And if there was no rain, you had to go find water.

It's no surprise then that the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were each shaped significantly by their need for water. In Genesis 12, Abraham is hit by a famine and goes to Egypt. Lot's choice of the Jordan valley—because of its water—let to all kinds of major events for the both of them.

Jacob will also head to Egypt because of a famine, which will lead to the 400 years of captivity. Water is a big deal.

And here is Isaac, faced with a famine—a lack of water. What's he going to do? He begins by relocating to Gerar, to the land of the Philistines where Abimelech is king. We might remember an Abimelech that Abraham interacted with, and it's probably not the same person—this is probably a title like "Pharaoh."

Gerar was close the coast and had more rain, so maybe this was a first attempt at getting access to more water. But it seems like Isaac doesn't plan to stay here long. He's on his way to Egypt, the land of the Nile, just like his dad.

B. Blessing & Conflict (v. 2-22)
1. Inheriting the Same Promises (vv. 2-6)

But God stops him. Verse 2: “And the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you’” (Genesis 26:2).

When we read the Bible we can imagine that this kind of event was an everyday occurrence. But how many times did God appear to Isaac? Twice. Most of his life he walked by faith, just like us.

But here, God appears to him to tell him not to go to Egypt. Egypt was a dangerous place. Abraham almost lost Sarah there. Jacob's descendants needed Moses to get them out. Who knows what God is sparing Isaac from.

But there's more here. Because the main reason God wants Isaac to stay in the land has to do with the promises given to Abraham which Isaac is the heir of. Verse 3:

“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws’” (Genesis 26:3–5).

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