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Bible Study Online ArticleLocated at the Bottom of Page In the last article, we'd found that the Sacred Record had revealed, that the Philistines had begun to take notice of Isaac's wife Rebekah. And just like the Philistine forefathers had done, when it came to Abraham and his wife Sarah -- they too, had found Isaac's wife to be very beautiful:
"When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, 'She is my sister,' because he was afraid to say, 'She is my wife.' "[For he'd] thought, '[That] the men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.'" -- Genesis 26:7 And just like Isaac's father had done before him, the passage reveals -- that in order to save his life, he too, would lie to the Philistines. But more on this, in a bit. Nonetheless, I had also pointed out -- that this Abimelech, that Isaac is now dealing with -- wasn't the same one, that Abraham had dealt with 100 years before? For I'd went over the possibility, that one could assume -- that this particular Abimelech, is perhaps the son, or grandson; of that same king Abimelech, that Abraham had dealt with -- some 100 years before. I had also touch on the idea, that perhaps the name Abimelech, was used as some sort of surname? And I'd compared this, to what the Egyptians had done, with the name Pharaoh -- or how the Romans, had used the name Caesar -- when it came to their rulers. However that may have been, I do want you to know -- that personally, I find it to be very fascinating, that Isaac and this current Abimelech; are now facing the same type of situation, just like their forefathers had done before them. And the fact -- that Isaac would respond, and react, in the same similar fashion -- that his father Abraham had done 100 years before. For we find Isaac, telling the king, after he'd been confronted: "She is my sister." And just like his father before him -- Isaac would tell the king this, for he'd feared that they would kill him; if they'd knew, that Rebekah was really his wife. But fortunately for Abraham, the Philistine king, that had reigned during his day -- was told about the patriarch's deception, during a visitation that he had received by the Lord, while he slept during the night. "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman," the Lord would tell the king. But being that Abimelech had not yet touch her and did not know that she was Abraham's wife he would make his case before God. Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister,' and didn't she also say, 'He is my brother'? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands." "Yes I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I didn't let you touch her. Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die," -- (Genesis 20:3-7) Now we find that his son, or grandson, 100 years after him -- would eventually find out about Isaac's deception as well. But this time around, the Philistine king would find this out, while he was looking down from his palace window one day. And it's at this time -- Abimelech had seen Isaac and Rebekah, behaving like the husband and wife that they truly were. For they weren't acting like the brother and sister, that they had led the king to believe. And after witnessing this, king Abimelech would become angry, and he'd confronted Isaac about his deception. And it would also be at this time, that Isaac would explain his reasoning behind the lies, that he had told to the king -- and to the Philistines as an whole. Now after hearing what Isaac had to say, Abimelech would immediately put forth the decree, that no harm would be brought against Isaac and his wife Rebekah. And on top of this -- Abimelech would continue to allow them, the right to stay in his kingdom, and to live amongst them -- if they chose to do so. And needless-to-say, staying in the Philistine kingdom, while they'd continued to wait out the Canaan famine -- is exactly what Isaac and Rebekah would choose to do. Oh, did you forget about the the Canaan famine? Remember that the land of Canaan, was still in the midst of a serious famine during this time. And also remember that God had told Isaac, that he was not to go and seek relief, in the land of the Egyptians: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands, and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." -- (Genesis 26:2-5) So Isaac would stay in the Philistine town and we would soon learn that he had planted some crops. Now within that same year, we are told that the Lord had blessed Isaac mightily. The blessings that God had bestowed on Isaac had caused him to reaped one-hundred fold when it came to the crops that he had planted earlier in the year. Because of this tremendous favor, Isaac had became very wealthy. Know that his flocks and herds were blessed as well, for they had grown greatly. Now while all of this was going on, know that Isaac's whole household, would continue to gain favor with the Lord. Also know, that this favor would be so great, that the Abimelech had begun to grow envious of Isaac. Now keep in mind, that the growth (or increase) that Isaac had experience -- came at a time, in which the land that he'd stayed, continued to be in the midst of a great famine. And in spite of this, the Lord still allowed Isaac to become very prosperous in all that he had: "Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord [had] blessed him." -- Genesis 26:12 Also know that the Lord had done this to a point, to where Isaac's wealth, had eventually surpassed Abimelech's. And make no mistake, this had made the king, and the Philistines overall -- very envious of Isaac: "[Isaac] became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him." -- Genesis 26:13,14 And because of this, the Philistines ended up -- filling all the water wells, that Abraham had dug during his day. For the Sacred Record would reveal, that the Philistines filled them all up, with the dirt of the earth: "So all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth." -- Genesis 26:15 And this was done, in spite of the oath, that Abimelech's household had made with Abraham's -- 100 years before: "[Abraham], God is with you in everything that you do. Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you." -- Genesis 21:22,23 Could it be, that king Abimelech was filled with so much jealousy, that he had forgotten that he was dealing with one of God's favorites? I wonder, will the king somehow come to his senses? Or will Abimelech continue down a path, that would eventually bring him face-to-face -- with the wrath of God? The Sons of God - The Daughters of Men **YOUR CURRENT - BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES - WOULD BE HERE** Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty 28) The Twelve Rulers of Ishmael 30) Esau & Jacob - The Birthright 31) Isaac and the Canaan Famine 33) <-CURRENT - BIBLE STUDY ONLINE - PAGE-> Added to Page: 34) Abimelech & Isaac Makes An Oath 39) Jacob - Loyalty or Deception 40) Deceitful Hearts 43) Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty 
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