Scripture Reading : Gen 26
Theme : Confrontation
Faith cannot grow apart from trials, and this chapter records several trials that Isaac endured and shows how he responded to them.
Escape (1–6).
Deception(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?
Surrender(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.
Confrontation(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)
Praying the Scripture
- 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.
- 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.
经文：创26章
主题：对抗
信心不通过试炼是不会成长的，本章记录了以撒所经历的几个考验，并且他是如何应对这些考验的。
逃生（1-6）
像亚伯拉罕一样，以撒逃往埃及（12:10）；但神却在边境拦阻了他（10:19），并安慰他。以撒因着父亲亚伯拉罕而被神祝福。（5:24）我们绝不能忘记我们有愧于已过世的属灵领袖（及亲属）。
欺骗（7-14）
在敌人的领土里，以撒使出了“家族的谎言”，那两次都犯下亚伯拉罕的谎言。（12:10；20:1 ff）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状况是如何的。他的邻居是否在听到他的谎言后还能相信他呢？
投降 (15–25)
水在沙漠国家里是一种非常珍贵的，而拥有一个良好泉源就好比拥有这块土地的的契据。以撒竟选择迁移到新的位置，也不维护自己手下所做的事。他可能已在操练罗马书12章18节了。
对峙（26-35）
用经文祷告
- 当以撒被迫得山穷水尽时，他却使用欺骗的手段来保护自己。当以撒被问及有关自己的妻子时，他像父亲亚伯拉罕那样说谎。同样的亚伯拉罕犯了这个罪两次，一次在埃及（创12:14-20），一次在非利士。（第20章）记住，信心是不使用阴谋的生命；而说谎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，无论在哪里儿，都学会信心的功课。让我们祈祷，我们相信神，而不是我们自己的聪明和谋算。
- 非利士人试图以停止亚伯拉罕的水井来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。每当亚伯拉罕与人们有纷争时，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）。但以撒是一个胆怯想要避免麻烦的人。但非利士人却没让他走。最后以撒鼓起勇气，向非利士人指出他们的罪行。值得注意的是，以撒在这场冲突中的行为带给他们一个深刻的印象，让他们明白看到主对以撒丰富的祝福。比起拥有井的权力利，更重要的是以撒得以向他异教的邻居见证神。让我们祈祷，当危机来临时，我们有足够的勇气面对它。即便如此，也要荣耀神。
