Blessed of the Lord Genesis 26 September 15, 2013 A. Introduction! Why did Isaac and his family go to Gerar, in the land of Philistia? 1 A famine in the land of Canaan caused Isaac to apparently want to go to Egypt as his father Abraham had done, but God intervened to tell him to stay in Gerar.! What promise did God repeat that He had made to Isaac s father Abraham? 4 He would multiply his descendants, give them the land, and bless all nations through them.! Why do you think Isaac told the men of Gerar that Rebekah was his sister? 7 Isaac was afraid they would kill him and steal his wife just as his father Abraham had been. B. God blessing 12-14! How successful was the crop Isaac planted in Gerar and why? 12-13! Are riches always a blessing? Proverbs 10:22, James 5:1-4 C. Neighbors complaining 15-22! What was the subsequent result of Isaac s great prosperity and what did he then do? 15-17 1. 2. 3.! Where did Isaac have his servants dig for water and what was the result? 19-21 They struck water in the Valley of Gerar twice, but each time the local herdsmen claimed ownership.! What did Isaac then do showing his magnanimity of character? 22 D. Ruler reconciling 23-33! From the Valley of Gerar where did Isaac move and what happened to him the same night? 23-24 He moved to Beersheba and the Lord appeared to him confirm His promise to bless him and multiply his descendants. See Genesis 22:17-18! What important thing did Isaac do first in his new location? 25! Who arrived on the scene to be reconciled with Isaac? 26! Why did they come? 28-29! How did Isaac treat his guests who had evicted him from their land? 30-31! How did God bless Isaac for being a peacemaker on the very same day? 32
Blessed of the Lord September 15, 2013
A. Introduction 1-11 B. God blessing 12-14 C. Neighbors complaining 15-22 D. Ruler reconciling 23-33
A. Introduction
Genesis 12:10 - Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
Genesis 26:4-5 - And I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.
Which comes first, the blessing or the obedience or the faith?
Answer - None of the above. Grace comes first.
The Obedience Rocket Nose Cone = Blessings Fuel = Promises Engine = Faith Grace Ignites the Engine
Romans 1:5 - Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith...
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 - Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
James 1:22-25 - But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Grace activates faith to start the obedience engine.
Romans 2:14-15 - For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.
B. God blessing 12-14
Proverbs 10:22 - The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
Genesis 26:12-14 - And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants...
C. Neighbors complaining 15-22
Genesis 26:13 - and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him.
Genesis 21:29-32 - And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?" Abraham said, "These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well." Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath. So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines.
D. Ruler reconciling 23-33
John 7:37 -... If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
Jeremiah 2:13 - For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Ephesians 5:25-26 - Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
I John 5:4 - for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
I John 2:15-16 - Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world.
Be on your guard against religion cutting off the living waters of Christ.
Genesis 26:28-29 - And they said, "We see plainly that the Lord has been with you; so we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, even between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.'"
Matthew 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Galatians 4:28 - Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.