Isaac:
Responding to Our Enemies (e)
Genesis 26:15-25
Jim Davis
Trial after trial confronts us as we journey
through life. A person's life could easily be written by headlining the
major trials of a person's life and describing how the person dealt with
those trials. There is not a great deal said about Isaac in the book of
Genesis. It seems that Genesis chapters 26-27 merely highlights the trials
Isaac had to face. There is a great deal that we can learn as Christians
as we study the trials of Isaac and his response to them.
Abraham and Isaac had been sojourning in a
land that one day their descendants would inherit. But presently they sojourned
as strangers in a strange land. The occupants of that land could easily
consider them enemies. As they sojourned through the land, they dug wells
for themselves.
"Digging a well was considered tantamount
to a claim of ownership of the land on which it was located. It enabled
a man to dwell there and to sustain herds. Rather than recognize this claim,
the Philistines sought to wipe it out by filling up the wells dug by Abraham.
Their desire to overthrow all claims on their land was so intense that
they would rather fill in a well, an asset of great value in such an arid
land, than to allow this claim to remain unchallenged.
The sentiments of the Philistines were concisely
expressed in Abimelech’s terse suggestion that Isaac depart from Gerar
(verse 16). Rather than fight for possession of this property, Isaac retreated.
The meek would inherit this land, but in God’s good time.
It would seem that Isaac had developed a strategy
by which he determined where he was to sojourn. Essentially, Isaac refused
to stay where there was conflict and hostility. Being a man with many animals
to tend, he must be at a place where water was available in abundance.
He not only re-opened the wells once dug by his father, but he dug other
wells also. If a well was dug that produced water and use of this well
was not disputed, Isaac was inclined to stay at that place." (Robert Deffinbaugh,
Lessons on Genesis, Lesson 27: Isaac Walks in His Father’s Steps, Genesis
26:1-35, http://www.bible.org)
Biologically we are provided with only two ways
of dealing with our enemies: flight or fight. Isaac chose flight. Yitzhak
Rabin, former Prime Minister of Israel, said after signing an agreement
with the PLO, "I am ready for painful compromises. Peace is not made with
friends. Peace is made with enemies, some of whom--and I won't name names--I
loathe very much." (Quoted in World, Sep 11, 1993, via Infoseach Database)
Understanding What Makes Enemies
Someone said, "Speak well of your enemies.
After all, you made them." Isaac was smart enough to know that
he made his enemies. After all, he was sojourning in their country digging
wells. Isaac was in a foreign land. He was different. He spoke a different
language. His God was not their God. He was circumcised they were not.
Some people do not like anything foreign. When you go into their communities
they look at you as a stranger and they may think of you as an aggressor.
The Philistines saw Issac as the aggressor and Isaac was smart enough to
know that he had a responsibility to respond appropriately. Paul said,
"To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all
things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1 Corinthians
9:22) In an effort to preach the gospel to another culture, Paul determined
not to become offensive by allowing his differentness to cause them to
stumble. We see Isaac and Paul simply feeling the responsibility to make
an adjustment where they could morally.
"Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide
things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth
in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves,
but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine;
I will repay, saith the Lord . . . " (Romans 12:17-19)
Biblical love has little to do with
feelings; it is an action, it is an attitude. "To love is to do
what you can to provide for the well-being of another whether or not the
person is likable." It is an attitude where you seek your enemies highest
good. Love is a response to God, in spite of anger or other negative feelings.
In Genesis 26 Isaac demonstrates a proper attitude toward his enemies.
"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. 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." (Genesis 26:14-22)
A boy was once asked, "Who are the meek?" He
thought for a moment and then replied, "They are the people who give soft
answers to harsh questions!" Isaac looked for soft answers to difficult
situations.
Isaac refused to concentrate on how
he had been mistreated. Isaac understood that if he developed a
self-centered attitude his enemies would become angrier. He could have
stood and claimed ownership of the wells. He could have stood on his rights
and demanded his due. He could have claimed his God given right and declared
a holy war. But Isaac was smart enough to know that he would only complicate
everyone's life and ultimately through this kind of aggression produce
more enemies to fight. Isaac gives us an example of dealing with an enemy
in an effort of breaking the circle of violence or enmity.
A soldier who heard General Robert E. Lee
speak to another person in complimentary terms about a fellow officer was
greatly astonished. "General," he said, "do you know that the man you spoke
so highly of is one of your worst enemies, and that he misses no opportunity
to slander you?" "Yes," said the General, "but I was asked for my opinion
of him, not his of me."
Gentleness is the signature of God, and should
be our signature as well. Elijah learned this lesson by experiencing the
wind, earthquake, and fire and then hearing the quiet voice of the Lord.
Jesus, who could have truthfully said of himself, "I am wise and powerful",
chose instead to say, "I am gentle and humble in heart" (Matt. 11:29).
Gentleness appears to be weak but is actually quite powerful and it makes
a person attractive to others. Whereas a self-centered attitude produces
more strife.
Although God was directing Isaac, Isaac
refused to become overconfident. God had spoken to Isaac: "And
the LORD appeared unto him, and said, 'Go not down into Egypt; dwell in
the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be
with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will
give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto
Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of
heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed
my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.'"
(Genesis 26:2-5)
A more foolish person could have rushed in
and told them that the land was his by God's decree. The patriarchs understood
the promise of God, yet, they realized that things would have to be done
according to God's timing and by his power. If they had of become overconfident
in dealing with their enemies they would have all ended up dead. Paul said,
"Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians
10:13)
Isaac understood that success often
makes enemies. Moses writes, "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and
received in the same year a hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And
the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store
of servants: and the Philistines envied him." (Genesis 26:12-14) Success
breeds enemies even when God is the one giving the success.
Isaac was smart enough to realize that
contempt breeds contempt. The editors of two local newspapers did
not get along and used their editorial pages to do battle." The editor
of the Daily Express is mean enough to steal the swill from a blind hog,"
wrote the editor of the Daily Post. The next day the following appeared
in the Daily Express: "The editor of the Daily Post knows that we never
stole his swill."
It was John Ruskin who said, "I believe the
first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility,
doubt of his own power, or hesitation in speaking his opinion. But really
great men have a...feeling that the greatness is not in them but through
them; that they could not do or be anything else than God made them."
Choose to Learn from Your Enemies
We dismiss their value by writing them
off as a liability. We need to make proper use of our enemies.
Our enemies prevent overconfidence. They keep us from becoming overconfident
in our own persuasive powers. Fred Smith in his book, You and Your Network,
wrote, "Enemies are the opposite bank of our stream. They define our existence,
often more nearly than we could or would do."
God had promised to guide Isaac to
the place where he should dwell. Little did Isaac realize just how God
was to lead him back to the place of His promise and presence. To a large
degree it was by means of adversity and opposition. (Robert Deffinbaugh,
Lessons on Genesis, Lesson 27: Isaac Walks in His Father’s Steps, Genesis
26:1-35, http://www.bible.org)
Isaac's enemies helped him discover the area
where he would spend his sojourn. As one traces the journeys of Isaac on
a map each time he left a well he had dug, you discover that each move
he made brought him closer to the heart of the promise land where God wanted
him to be.
"In the valley of Gerar Isaac dug
a well that produced "living water," that is, water that originated from
a spring--running water, not simply water that was contained. The Philistine
herdsmen disputed with the herdsmen of Isaac over it, so Isaac moved on.
Another well was dug, and there was yet another dispute (verse 21). Finally
a well was dug that brought about no opposition. I would imagine that this
was due somewhat to the distance Isaac had traveled from the Philistines.
This well was named "Rehoboth," signifying the hope Isaac had that this
was the place God had designated for him to stay." (Robert Deffinbaugh,
Lessons on Genesis, Lesson 27: Isaac Walks in His Father’s Steps, Genesis
26:1-35, http://www.bible.org)
A Cambodian Christian was named Ta Hum. Some
of his neighbors bribed a surveyor to alter a property line so that they
could claim half an acre of his land. His first response was anger. Determined
that they would not get any of his trees or banana plants, he went out
one night with a machete to cut down everything of value. But he couldn't
carry out his plan, for he knew that Christ would not approve of his behavior.
He asked the Lord to forgive him and to help him turn the other cheek.
The next morning he went to his neighbors and said, "You have taken my
land. I'll give you my house, too, if you want it. I will go to Ba Xuien
and help the preacher there spread the Good News of Jesus." Ta Hum's surprising
reaction quickly became the talk of the village, and the chief was so greatly
impressed that he decided to look into the matter. After learning the truth,
he declared that the property belonged to Ta Hum, and that anyone who caused
him further trouble would go to jail.
God transcends the ambiguities of life, which
permits us to grasp the future without demanding certainty for the moment.
Enemies can give us power to take hurt.
We can learn to take hurt rather than give, and thereby redeem the situation.
It is not natural to take hurt when you are perfectly capable of returning
it. Bearing an enemy's burden of hatred toward us is one way of helping
them with their burden, for certainly hate is a burden. When I am with
a man who dislikes me, I can forget his hatred of me as soon as I leave
--- but he has to carry it with him always. As I pray for him to have a
lighter burden, I pray to have a lighter enemy.
Enemies increase our objectivity.
Enemies are seldom objective, yet our enemies give us the opportunity to
practice our objectivity at the point of greatest stress.
Thomas Kempis wrote, "It is good that we at
times endure opposition and that we are evilly and untruly judged when
our actions and intentions are good. Often such experiences promote humility
and protect us from vain glory."
An unknown author has given a clear description
of humility: "Humility is to have perpetual quietness of heart. It is to
have no trouble. It is never to be fretted or vexed, irritated or angry.
I am to wonder at nothing that is done to me and to be at rest when nobody
praises me. When I am blamed or despised, I am not to be rebellious; instead
I should retire to my inner closet, kneel to my Father in secret, and find
rest even though all around may be trouble."
Enemies give us an opportunity to mature.
We develop maturity in the use we make of our enemies; not childishly denying
that we have them, nor letting their opinion count so much with us that
it keeps us from doing what we know we ought to do, but by working to make
friends of them.
If we can develop the maturity to love our
enemies, then we can love everyone.
Romans 5:5-10
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the
love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given
unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died
for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure
for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much
more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by
his life.
If we can love our enemies, then
we have no difficulty believing God can love us. This relieves man, or
at least gives him the possibility of relief, from one of his most damaging
emotions -- that of guilt.
Biblical Attitudes Enjoined Toward Our
Enemies
Revenge is a common ailment woven into the
fabric of universal humanity. There isn't a culture where revenge isn't
found. But that doesn't excuse it!
Have you spent much time around someone who
is eaten up with the cancer of revenge -- someone who is nursing an attitude
of resentment? These folks are walking time bombs. Festering bitterness
searches for and usually finds ways to explode. Often, those who suffer
the brunt of another's revenge are innocent bystanders. They just happen
to be in the way when the volcano erupts.
Revenge is a kind of wild justice; which the
more man's nature runs to; the more ought law to weed it out. In taking
revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing over it, he is
superior, for it is a prince's part to pardon.
Solomon said, "Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth
his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished."
(Proverbs 17:5) "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine
heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease
him, and he turn away his wrath from him. Fret not thyself because of evil
men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward
to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out." (Proverbs
24:17-20)
Forgive Your Enemy. Retaliation
clings tenaciously within us because we have not forgiven the other person.
Forgiveness is too simple, isn't it?
Retaliation is an eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
blood for blood. We can give the offender what we think he/she deserves.
We can make sure we hurl back the stones which come our way with greater
velocity than they were received. This may give us a sadistic sense that
a wrong has been righted when in reality two wrongs have been committed.
If I rejoice at the thought of calamity striking
another . . . Solomon declares that such an attitude "will not go unpunished."
"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad
when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn
away his wrath from him." (Proverbs 24:17-18 )
All thought of revenge must be put to bed.
In
some mysterious way, the Lord taking vengeance on our behalf is connected
to our releasing all of that to Him. By refusing to forgive, which is revealed
in our looking with delight on the offender's calamity, we hinder the divine
process. Vengeance is God's work, but it awaits our releasing it to Him.
F. B. Meyer has written the following: "How
much is lost by a word! Be still, keep quiet. If they smite you on one
cheek, turn the other also. Never mind your reputation; it is in God's
hands. You will only mar things by trying to retain it. Are you misunderstood?
Leave it to Him. You are in His care. Are you wronged? It will be all right;
just be meek, lowly, and gentle. Let the Lord keep you in perfect peace;
stay your mind on Him. Be quiet before the world and rest in Him. Speak
not a word of argument, debate, or controversy. Mind your own business
and be still!"
Deut 32:35-36
To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence;
their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at
hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For the LORD
shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth
that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
Rom 12:19
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but
rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will
repay, saith the Lord.
Deut 15:9
Beware that there be not a thought in thy
wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand;
and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought;
and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
God alone is the judge and sovereign.
"If you have confidence in God's ability to administer justice, revenge
becomes unnecessary. God is a better administrator of justice than you
could ever be. He is capable of doing his job without your help. So why
not defer it to him. The reason we don't do it is because we want to reserve
the right to retaliate. We want to hold our offender's feet to the fire."
(Dr. Ralph Woerner, Overcoming Hurt, Gospel Publishing Association,
Birmingham, Alabama, pg. 11.)
Deut 32:35
To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence;
their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at
hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
God hears the prayer of the oppressed.
Psalms 43:1-2
Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against
an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men. You are God
my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?
Vengeance belongs to the Lord, and humans
must avoid retaliation. God offers the story of Isaac and the Philistines
in Gen. 26 as an example of dealing with the enemy and breaking the circle
of violence.
If revenge is what we want more than anything
else, we can spend the rest of our lives trying to get even. We can throw
nails into our offender's driveway -- anything to make his life miserable.
We can even try to get even by holding a grudge. It's absurd, but we have
this crazy notion that if we hate the person who's wronged us, this will
somehow make his life miserable. The hate which we harbor is somehow supposed
to make him unhappy. The truth of the matter is our offender probably couldn't
care less what we think or feel.(Dr. Ralph Woerner, Overcoming Hurt,
Gospel Publishing Association, Birmingham, Alabama, pg. 8.)
Proverbs 25:21-23
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to
eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;For so you will heap
coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you. The north wind
brings forth rain and a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
Christ Exemplifies a Right Attitude toward
Our Enemies
One quality that Jesus has that is totally
at odds with our nature is gentleness. If we understood how to be gentle
in the ways He was, it would transform our relationships.
Luke 6:27-31
But I say unto you which hear, Love your
enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee
on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy
cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh
of thee; and of
him that taketh away thy goods ask them not
again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them
likewise.
Jesus' teaching to love your enemy was radical
for his time. But Moses and the prophets had taught it.
Biblical love has little to do with feelings,
it is an action. "To love is to do what you can to provide for the well-being
of another whether or not the person is likable." Love is a response to
God, in spite of anger or other negative feelings. People were drawn to
Jesus because of his love for sinners and for people just as they were.
His example included forgiveness, healing, honesty, and courage. It is
only possible for a person to love an enemy if that person can see that
enemy being loved by God. Such love also begins and ends with prayer.
A little girl was being punished for some
minor infraction of the rules. She had to eat her dinner alone at a little
table in the corner of the dining room. The rest of the family paid no
attention to her until they heard her praying out loud over her food. "I
thank Thee, Lord, for preparing a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies."
Conclusion:
God does not promise us a trouble free existence.
These verses help us to realize that even when we are rightly related to
God, troubles will still be a part of our experience. After enduring some
heartbreaking experiences, a missionary was asked by a friend how he could
remain so cheerful through adversity. He replied, "Suppose someone sent
me on a journey and warned me that I would come first to a dangerous crossing
over a river and then to a forest filled with wild beasts. I would feel
a sense of satisfaction when I actually encountered these obstacles, because
they would prove to me that I was traveling the right road. The same is
true in the Christian life. The Lord told His disciples that they could
expect tribulation. When difficulties come, therefore, I find encouragement,
for I know I am walking the narrow path of God's choosing."
It has been said that we walk by providence
or principle. I think that there is some truth in this for the Christian.
If we walk by principle we discover that God gently leads us to where he
wants us to be. If we choose to be guided by God's sovereign providential
choice, we will go kicking and screaming. Jonah is an excellent example
of God's sovereign providential choice. He was told to go preach to Ninevah.
Jonah refused to obey God's principle or directions. So God delivered him
to where he had been told to go as the whale vomited him up on the beach.
There were better ways to get there; nonetheless he ended up where God
wanted him.
As Isaac dealt with his enemies, he chose
to walk by the principle of meekness, as a result, he and his descendants
eventually inherited the earthly blessing of God. They inherited the earth.
(Matthew 5:5)
