YIELDING YOUR RIGHTS
Genesis 26
Introduction
1. God allows “famines” in order to test our obedience to His word.
1 Now there was a famine in the land-- besides the earlier famine of Abraham’s time-- and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar.2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
2. God wants to bless us.
Gen 26:3 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. 4 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 earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws."
Bless you – 45X in Bible
3. When we sin, it affects others around us.
6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7 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." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful."
Abraham’s failure to conquer this area of his life, discouraged Isaac to the extent that he also did not attempt to obtain victory himself. He probably believed that victory was not possible since his hero, his dad had failed.
8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, ’She is my sister’?" Isaac answered him, "Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her."10 Then Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us."11 So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: "Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
4. God always keeps His promises to bless us.
12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him.13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
Firstly, his harvest grew 100X and he became rich. His flocks, herds and servants also. Finally the envy of others also grew.
5. Not everyone is happy that God is blessing us.
15 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.16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us."17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
6. Remove the blockages to allow God’s blessings to flow.
18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there.
7. Don’t waste time and effort fighting for your rights. Use your energy to dig new wells to receive God’s blessings.
20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him.21 Then they dug another well, but they quarrelled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
2 Timothy 2:24 And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
8. Eventually, God will get you to the place He has destined for you.
22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no-one quarrelled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land."23 From there he went up to Beersheba.24 That night the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham."
9. Do not forget the Lord when He prospers you.
25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.
Altar – devotion (Honour the Lord)
Tent – detachment (This world is not your home)
Well – dependence (God will always provide)
10. God will make even your enemies bless you.
26 Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.27 Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?"28 They answered, "We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, ’There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’-- between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD."30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace. 32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, "We’ve found water!"33 He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.
Ps 66:1-3 Shout with joy to God, all the earth! 2 Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! 3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
(I think those wells they stole from Isaac dried up!) The secret of the blessing was not in my well. It was in my God, the One who blesses me.
11. To remain happy in your old age, remember to train your children to obey God today.
34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Eph 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Tithes, service, -- teaching your children to honour the house of God. Attendance in church.
Prov 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
CONCLUSION
Yield Your Rights. Your right to $, respect, treated fairly even. Remember Jesus.
Heb 12:3-7
3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
May you be like Jesus, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross …
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
If God wants to bless us, no one can stop it by blocking the well, or by seizing it from us.
