BW 01.26 - Genesis 26 - Like Father, Like Son
Another famine hits, and Isaac is instructed to stay out of Egypt. God restates His promise to be with Isaac and bless him. He settles in Gerar, land of the Philistines under the rule of Abimalech. But first, he grabs a strategy from his father's playbook... Rebecca? Yes, she's beautiful - that's my sister (don't kill me). Fear of the community led both men to downplay the value of their wives. This also marred their testimonies of trusting God and insulted their hosts. This, conceptually, still happens. His holdings grow large enough that they incite both jealousy and fear, and he has to move away. (Just like Abram & Lot) Wells are plugged, redug, and claimed until there's finally enough space for him and his neighbors. That well gets named Shiba, and the place called Beersheba, where Isaac settles. God restates His commitment to Isaac. Sometime later, Abimalech comes to seek a binding oath that Isaac won't harm him, because it's clearly seen that Isaac...