When famine hit Canaan, Isaac planned to go to Egypt, but God told him to remain in the promised land.
“Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 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.” (Genesis 26:2-3 ESV)
Isaac listened to God’s advice and went to Gerar instead of Egypt, but he must have stopped listening after that. When the men of Gerar asked about Rebekah, because she was a beautiful woman, Isaac lied and said she was his sister. Of course, we recognize this as the same thing his father did almost a century before, but with Abraham, it was a half-truth. With Isaac, it was a complete lie.
God was watching out for Rebekah, though, just as he’d watched out for Sarah all those years ago. The king saw Isaac and Rebekah laughing together and realized that they were in fact married. The king called Isaac and observed that obviously Rebekah was his wife, so why did he lie and say she was his sister. And like his father Abraham, Isaac justified it by saying he was fearful for his life.
The king pointed out that someone could have taken Rebekah as their wife and brought on guilt to their land. He charged his people not to lay a hand on either Rebekah or Isaac or else they would be put to death.
Isaac had God’s promise that he would be with them and bless them, yet, still, he feared.
How often do we let fear rule us when we have God’s assurance that he’s with us?
Rebekah in Gerar in the Bible: Genesis 26:1-11
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