Genesis 26:1-16
1Now 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. 2And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 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. 4 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, 5because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
Isaac and Abimelech
6So Isaac settled in Gerar.
A famine strikes the area in which Isaac is living and that puts a thought into Isaac’s head to travel to Egypt where supplies were available. God tells him to stay where he is and he will be blessed and because of Abraham’s obedience he will keep the covenant He made with him.
The first word of verse 6 is telling – “so”. Isaac stayed in Gerar because of what God said to him. Note this well. Isaac stayed where he was based on the promise God gave him despite the fact that there was a famine where he was and despite the fact that he could escape its effects if he went to Egypt.
How we need to learn this. It is always better to obey God than to do what seems better to us. It is better to obey God even when obeying appears to us to not be as sensible, beneficial, or appealing. Doing what seems right in our eyes is the mark of rebellion against God.
Faith is marked by obedience, especially when other avenues seem more sensible, convenient or beneficial. Faith is knowing that God knows better then we do. Faith is knowing that only God knows the future and that what we think may happen if we do certain things may or may not happen. Faith is acting on what we know to be the will of God even when we normally would not do that thing.
It is so easy to say “I believe” in our part of the world. We can say it and not have to prove it. Such faith is not faith at all. Real faith results in change.
Today, if you have a faith in Jesus Christ, demonstrate it in obedience. If your faith can’t do that for oyu, it isn’t real anyway.
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