Faith cannot grow apart from trials, and this chapter records several trials that Isaac endured and shows how he responded to them.
不通过试炼的信心是不会成长的，而本章记载了以撒所经历的几个考验以及他的反应。
Escape 逃跑 (1–6).
Like Abraham, Isaac started for Egypt (12:10ff.); but God stopped him at the border (10:19) and reassured him. Isaac was blessed because of Abraham (vv. 5, 24). We must never forget our debt to spiritual leaders (and relatives) who have gone before us.
如亚伯拉罕一样，以撒想要逃往埃及（12:10），但神在边境拦阻了他（10:19）并安慰他。以撒因着父亲亚伯拉罕而蒙神祝福（第5，24节）。我们绝不能忘记我们有愧于在我们之先的属灵领袖（及亲属）。
Deception 欺骗 (7–14).
While in enemy territory, Isaac resorted to the “family lie” that twice got Abraham into trouble (12:10ff.; 20:1ff.). It is sad when the new generation imitates the sins of the old generation. God blessed Isaac in a material way, but we wonder what his spiritual life was like. Did his neighbors trust him after hearing about his lie?
在敌人的领土中，以撒使出了“家族谎言”，即使亚伯拉罕闯祸两次的（参间：12:10；20:1）。这是可悲的，因新一代正模仿着上一代的罪。神在物质上赐福给以撒，但我们不知道他的属灵景况是如何的。他的邻舍是否在听到他的谎言后仍继续相信他？
Surrender 投降 (15–25).
Water is a very precious commodity in desert country, and possessing a well is almost the same as having a deed to the land. Instead of defending what his men had done, Isaac moved to new locations. He may have been practicing Romans 12:18.
水在沙漠国家里是一种非常珍贵的资源，而拥有一个良好泉源就好比拥有这块土地的契据。以撒竟选择迁移，也不维护自己手下所做的事。他可能在操练《罗马书》12章18节的原则。
Confrontation 对峙 (26–35).
In contrast to his father Abraham, who dared to declare war, Isaac was a quiet, meditative man who tried to avoid trouble. He boldly faced his neighbors with their bad conduct—and he won! Note that he went the extra mile and entertained the men at a feast. (See Rom. 12:18–21)
与他的父亲亚伯拉罕相比，以撒是一个安静、爱思考又尽量避免麻烦的人。但是，他这次大胆地指出他邻居的罪行，并且得胜了！不但如此，他还以盛宴款待他们（参罗12:18-21）。
Praying the Scripture 用经文祷告
- Isaac could flee from famine but when he was forced to a dead end, he turned to deception to protect himself. Isaac was asked about his wife and he lied just like his father Abraham. Abraham committed this same sin twice, once in Egypt (Gen. 12:14–20) and once in Philistia (chap. 20). Remember, faith is living without scheming; and lying seems to be humanity’s favorite way to escape responsibility. We can never successfully run away from trials, because God sees to it that His children learn the lessons of faith regardless of where they go. Let’s pray that we trust God rather than our own understanding and scheming.
以撒逃离了饥荒，但被迫得山穷水尽时，他选择用欺骗的手段保护自己。当以撒被问及有关自己的妻子时，他像父亲亚伯拉罕一样说谎。亚伯拉罕也曾经两次犯下这罪，一次在埃及（创12:14-20），一次在非利士（第20章）。记住，凭信心生活是不会算计人的；说谎似乎是人类最喜欢用来逃避责任的方式。我们永远都不能成功逃离试炼，因为神必确保自己的孩子，无论在哪儿，都学会信心的功课。让我们祈祷，叫我们相信神而不是自己的聪明和计谋。
- The Philistines tried to get Isaac to leave their land and they stopped up Abraham’s wells. The crisis came when the king himself commanded Isaac to move away, so Isaac obeyed. Whenever Abraham had a problem with the people, he boldly confronted them and got the matter settled (13:5–18; 14:1; 21:9ff and 22ff). But Isaac was a retiring man who wanted to avoid confrontation. But the Philistines did not let him go. Finally Isaac became bolder in his approach, and he confronted the Philistines with their misdeeds. It’s worth noting that Isaac’s conduct during this conflict had made a great impression on them and they could tell that the Lord was richly blessing him. More important than possessing his wells was the privilege Isaac had of sharing his witness with his pagan neighbors. Let’s pray that we are brave enough to face confrontation when the time comes. Even so, we do it to honor God.
非利士人试图以堵住亚伯拉罕的水井使以撒离开他们的土地。当国王命令以撒迁移时，以撒服从了，危机就这样来临了。每当亚伯拉罕与他人有纷争时，他都会勇敢地与他们对峙，并成功解决问题（13:5-1814:1；21:9,22）。但以撒比较胆怯，想要避免麻烦。尽管如此，非利士人并没让他走。最后，以撒鼓起勇气，向非利士人指出他们的不对。值得注意的是，以撒在这场冲突中的言行给他们带来深刻的印象，让他们看到主给以撒丰富的祝福。比起拥有井的权力利，以撒得能向他的异教邻居作见证，这更为重要。让我们祈祷，当危机来临时，我们有足够的勇气面对它，以此荣耀神。
