This article is part of a series on Old Testament Christophanies. For important background information, see An Introduction to Old Testament Christophanies–with Justin Martyr.
Several decades had passed since the Lord called to Abraham from Heaven in Genesis 22. By this time Isaac had lived a full life; he married Rebekah, his father Abraham had died, and he raised his sons Jacob and Esau. Finally, in Genesis 26, the Lord visited Isaac:
Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. The LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws” (Gen 26:1–5).
Before Abram entered into the covenant with God, there was a famine in the land so he went down to Egypt to sojourn there (Gen 12:10). But when Isaac was faced with the same situation, the Lord appeared to prevent him from doing as his father had done. The Son of God personally made covenant promises to Abraham (Gen 12:1–3; 15:4–5; 17:1–8; 22:15–18), and now He came to reaffirm them to Isaac. Because Isaac stayed in the land it didn’t matter what perils he faced; the Lord was with him.
Isaac lived in Gerar, a Philistine town located in what is today south central Israel. Because Rebekah was beautiful, Isaac told the local men that she was his sister, out of fear they would kill him to possess her. After some time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out his window and happened to see Isaac caressing Rebekah. Abimelech chastised Isaac, expressing concern that one of his people may have lain with the patriarch’s wife, thus bringing guilt upon the Philistines. Then Abimelech threatened his people with the death penalty should any of them touch Isaac or Rebekah (vv. 6–11).
This account parallels Genesis 20, where a similar event occurred when Abraham and Sarah sojourned in Gerar. Abraham said that Sarah was his sister, and so Abimelech took her. But before Abimelech could have a sexual encounter with Sarah, the Lord came to him in a dream. The Lord said that He kept Abimelech from sinning against Him, saying further, “Now therefore, restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you will surely die, you and all who are yours” (Gen 20:1–7). Abimelech arose and called for Abraham. He demanded that the patriarch explain himself for bringing a great sin upon the kingdom. After Abraham answered that he thought his life was in danger on account of his wife, Abimelech restored Sarah to him. In addition, Abimelech gave Abraham servants, animals, and whatever land he wanted to settle on. Abimelech told Sarah that he had given her “brother” a thousand pieces of silver so that she would stand vindicated before all who were with her. Now the Lord had caused all the women of Abimelech’s household to become infertile because of what happened with Sarah. Once she was returned, Abraham prayed for Abimelech and God healed the king and the women of his house (Gen 20:8–18).
Approximately ninety years elapsed from the time Abraham sojourned in Gerar to when Isaac did. Abimelech is a title meaning “my father is king.” It is possible that the Abimelech that Abraham knew was the same Abimelech that Isaac knew since lifespans at the time could extend over 150 years. It is more likely, however, that Isaac’s Abimelech was the successor to Abraham’s. Either way, the reason that Abimelech was so concerned that one of his men may have been with Isaac’s wife is because he knew what befell the kingdom in the past. The Lord coming to Abimelech in a dream, then, protected and blessed both Abraham and Isaac.
There are many more parallels between the stories of Abraham and Isaac. Whether it be for good or bad, the proverb “like father, like son” often applies. The most important thing Abraham and Isaac shared was their personal relationship with the Son of God. He visited both of them, guiding their lives.
The God of Isaac’s Father
Continuing in Genesis 26, we read that as Isaac stayed in the land the Lord greatly blessed him. Isaac became so wealthy and influential that the Philistines envied him. So they filled the wells that he inherited from Abraham with earth. Abimelech ordered Isaac away, and he moved to a nearby valley (vv. 12–17). Each time after Isaac had two wells dug, herdsman quarreled with him over water rights. He named the first well Esek, which means “contention” and the second well Sitnah, which means “enmity.” Instead of fighting, Isaac chose to move once again and dig another well. No one came to lay claim to the water, so Isaac named the well Rehoboth, which means “wide spaces.” Isaac recognized that the Lord had made space for him and his house, and that they would be fruitful in the land (vv. 18–22).
Isaac traveled up to Beersheba (v. 23), and for the second time he was visited by the Lord:
The LORD appeared to him the same night and said,
“I am the God of your father Abraham;
Do not fear, for I am with you.
I will bless you, and multiply your descendants,
For the sake of My servant Abraham.”So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well (Gen 26:24–25).
Isaac left the safety of his refuge to travel to what was his father’s favored home. The Lord came to calm his fear and remind him of the covenant promises. The Targum replaces “for I am with you” in verse 24 with “for in thy help is My Word.”[1] The Word of the Lord, the Son of God, was with Isaac. The God of Isaac’s father was his God too.
Abimelech, his advisor, and the commander of his army traveled from Gerar to meet with Isaac. Isaac asked why they came, considering that they hated him and drove him away. They answered, “We see plainly that the LORD has been with you” (vv. 26–28). The Targum has them answering, “Seeing we have seen that the Word of the Lord is for thy help.”[2] Abimelech and his companions sought a covenant of non-aggression with Isaac since the ongoing blessings he received made God’s providence over his life obvious. Isaac prepared a feast and they all enjoyed it together. The next morning they exchanged oaths and the Philistines departed in peace (vv. 28–31).
Abimelech—whether he was the king Abraham knew or his successor—realized that Isaac had taken on Abraham’s prestige in the land. There was far too much peril in opposing a true man of God. Though a pagan king, Abimelech knew enough about the God of Abraham to refer to Him as Yahweh. And if the authors of the Targumim are correct, he knew that the Word of the Lord was with Isaac.
Later on the same day that Abimelech had departed, Isaac’s servants came to tell him that they had dug a well and found water. Isaac named the well Shibah, which denotes “oath-taking.” From that time on the name of the city remained Beersheba, which means “the well of the oath” (vv. 32–33). Isaac’s covenant with Abimelech was a renewal of the one between Abraham and Abimelech. Isaac restored the name of Beersheba, but it was Abraham who first called it that in Genesis 21. In yet another striking parallel, Abimelech and the commander of his army sought peace with Abraham; telling him, “God is with you in all that you do” (vv. 22–23). The Targum records them saying, “The Word of the Lord is thy Helper in everything thou doest.”[3] Abraham and Abimelech entered into a covenant at the place where Abraham dug a well, so he named it Beersheba[4] (vv. 27–31). After Abimelech and the commander had departed, the Targum says that Abraham planted a garden at Beersheba; he prepared food and drink there for those who were passing by, “and he preached to them there, Confess ye, and believe in the Name of the Word of the Lord, the everlasting God.”[5] This remarkable Targum sounds like something we might expect to read in the New Testament about the need to repent and believe in Jesus.
Water in the wilderness is a biblical
symbol of God’s providential blessing.
Each time Isaac found water it was a sure sign of God’s guiding
hand. Beersheba, being named after the
most prominent of the wells, remains to this day a reminder of God’s close
relationship with both Abraham and Isaac.
[1] Targum Onkelos on Genesis 26:24. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan also adds “My Word” to the verse.
[2] Targum Onkelos on Genesis 26:28. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan also adds “Word of the Lord” to the verse.
[3] Targum Onkelos on Genesis 21:22. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan also adds “The Word of the Lord” to the verse.
[4] Beersheba can also mean “well of the seven,” in reference to seven ewe lambs given to Abimelech by Abraham as proof that he dug the well (Gen 21:27–30).
[5] Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 21:33. The Jerusalem Targum is similarly worded.
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