January 31, 2014 He Knows

He Knows

Genesis 26

Gen 26:26-29 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.”

OUR tendency, I believe, is to look at Bible’s accounts of God’s people as God’s revelation to first Abraham and his wife, then their family and ultimately to a nation called Israel. But it is important to know that God revealed himself to all the people around Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Israel.

      You see in this scripture a pagan leader Abimelech come to Isaac and say, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you.” Yes, they clearly saw the Lord. “Lord” in this context means “Absolute Control”. Abimelech and his people know how God had protected Isaac, and they are afraid to oppose the power and authority of Isaac’s Lord in any way.

      Abimelech does something very few of us do. He actually acknowledges God’s ability to affect our daily lives. In essence, one could say this pagan mad worshiped the Lord as he confessed God’s control.

      Ironically, Abimelech is a common name for any Philistine king. About 600 years after Isaac, the Philistines would become mortal enemies of Israel for centuries. They would not fear the Lord then, but this Abimelech knew God enough to say, “I’ll leave your people alone.”

LIFE Link: Acknowledge the Lord and live in peace.