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God’s Presence

Christians don’t have to strive for God’s presence any more than we have to strive to be God’s children or one another’s brothers or sisters. The Spirit already lives in us if we trust in Christ (e.g., John 14:23; Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6).

Yet some live their lives completely unconscious of God’s presence except as a doctrine. They need to live their lives in light of that doctrine.

Being aware of God’s presence doesn’t make something untrue come true. But it does make all the difference in our lives. (Somewhat analogously, there is a difference between affirming that my wife is a nice person and me spending time with her enjoying her niceness.)

The Spirit makes us aware of God’s presence, reminding us that He is with us. The Spirit energizes a faith that goes beyond mere affirmation to active embrace of the reality of God’s presence. If you long for that, you need only begin to ask. 1od has promised never to turn away one who seeks for the Spirit (Luke 11:13).

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Isaac and the Philistines—Genesis 26

Living at peace with our neighbors

As a minority in a larger society, how should we as committed believers relate to those around us? Much of the Bible addresses such situations, whether the lives of the patriarchs, Israel in exile, or the New Testament. (The remnant of God-fearing believers in times that Israel as a whole was straying from God is probably somewhat less relevant for this question today because Israel had a distinctive covenant with God.) Isaac had to live at peace with his neighbors, sometimes even when his neighbors were ambivalent about living at peace with him.

God did work with the patriarchs in different ways at different times; we can learn much from our role models, but we must listen to God afresh in our own time. One may compare and contrast how he worked through Joseph and through Moses (see http://www.craigkeener.org/the-unexpected-deliverer-exodus-2/). The differences also extend to how different patriarchs were received in Egypt in different generations. Abram went to Egypt during a famine (Gen 12:10); Isaac is told not to go during a famine (26:1-2); later God sends Joseph ahead and during a famine tells Jacob not to be afraid to go to Egypt (46:3). Jacob knew the stories of Abram and Isaac (who else would have passed on these stories?), perhaps all the more reason that he needed a divine encouragement that it was currently safe for his household to travel there.

Although some places and times are better than others, nowhere in this world is perfect or completely “safe” apart from God’s protection. Indeed, when Abraham goes to Egypt, Sarah faces severe threats to her sexual security there (12:14-15). In Egypt, Joseph faces threats to his sexual security (Potiphar’s wife held less direct physical power to enforce her harassment, but because Joseph was a slave she exercised plenty of coercive power in other respects). Yet when Isaac stays in Canaan, Rebekah also faces potential threats to her sexual security there (26:7, 10).

Isaac had clear reason for concern because local residents had asked about his wife (26:7). The complaint of the local ruler Abimelech, that one of the people might have lain with Isaac’s wife (26:10), implies that they would not have slept with a married woman. Yet it also takes for granted a low level of morality otherwise. (Given usual ancient custom, one would not expect Isaac to appreciate them sleeping unmarried even with a sister in his care.) One might compare, later in Genesis, Prince Shechem, who is the most honored member of his royal family (34:19)—yet raped Jacob’s daughter (34:2).

God directly intervenes in this case, again protecting a matriarch and the promised line. At other times, however, God allows Isaac and his people to experience conflict and difficulty—and then blesses them in spite of it.

When others want Isaac’s wells, Isaac does not fight them; he learned this good model of peace from Abraham his father, who would not contend with Lot when Lot’s shepherds (like these from Gerar in 26:20) fought with Abram’s (Gen 13:7-9). This model seems prudent particularly when dealing with those stronger than oneself (cf. 34:30)! (By contrast, the title “well of contention” in 26:20 may challenge the later Israelites, who contended with the Lord himself at Massah and Meribah—Exod 17:7.) Isaac offers a biblical model of avoiding unnecessary conflicts with our neighbors. Local residents outnumbered Isaac’s tribe, but, even among peers, wise people choose their battles.

God does not stop Isaac’s enemies from causing trouble for him, but God keeps prospering Isaac with success in the land until (26:26-31) even his enemies take note. And in 26:32-33 God blesses Isaac’s tribe even further with another well of water. Isaac was blessable, both for his own sake and for the sake of God’s promise to his father. God continues to bless Abraham beyond Abraham’s time (26:5-6, 24), and this was something Isaac may have counted on. A blessing, from a man of God who is blessed, makes something happen (27:37).

Following Abram’s model of peace was a good idea. Elsewhere also Isaac follows Abraham’s model; like Abram, he builds an altar and calls on the Lord’s name after the Lord appears to him and promises the land (12:8; 26:25). Models can of course be positive, negative, or sometimes ambiguous—as signs of God’s blessings on their forebears, the patriarchal stories are important for Israel whether or not the patriarchs always did the right thing. It was undoubtedly a bad idea for Isaac to follow Abraham’s example (from before Isaac’s birth) in calling his wife his “sister” (12:13, 19; 20:2; 26:7, 9). Genesis provides mixed signals for Jacob’s deceit in Gen 27, which was an important ancestral story about Israel’s origins.

But the accounts tend to be more positive than negative, especially with regard to Abraham (and later Joseph). There are circumstances where the righteous should not give way before the wicked (Prov 25:26), but we should choose our battles. Keeping peace with our neighbors, insofar as we can do so, is a good practice (Matt 5:9; Rom 12:18; James 3:17-18).

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Carrying on the promised line—Genesis 24

I used to relish reading Genesis 24 in my Hebrew devotions, because it encouraged my faith that as God provided the right wife for Isaac, God would also provide the right wife for me. How God brought my wife and me together makes for an interesting story itself (a subject of our book Impossible Love), and I do indeed believe that God cares about providing us life partners. Although some people think otherwise, it seems clear from this chapter that, at least in many cases, God does care whom we marry (Gen 24:4). Getting a wife for Abraham’s son was an important expression of God’s kindness and promise just as getting a son was; the line must continue beyond Isaac. One who finds a wife finds something good (Prov 18:22).

But we might underestimate what was at stake in Isaac getting the right wife. This story is narrated at such length in the Bible not merely because it is a nice love story (though it is), but because this would make a big difference for the future history of God’s people. (The Book of Ruth is also a wonderful love story, but the reason the Bible gives us that love story infused with divine grace rather than a thousand other love stories also infused with divine grace is that this Gentile turned out to be King David’s great-grandmother.)

The narrator offers clues to what is coming in advance. Genesis 22 might seem to end in an anticlimactic way. After recounting Abraham’s offering of Isaac but before narrating Sarah’s burial arrangements, Abraham receives news concerning relatives in Mesopotamia, including about a young nephew of Abraham who would become father of Rebekah (22:23). One reason for mentioning this here is presumably simply chronological: that is, travelers brought Abraham family news between the offering of Isaac and before Sarah’s passing. Nevertheless, the mention also serves a literary function, foreshadowing what is to come. Because Abraham has passed the test, God is working to prepare the right bride for Isaac, so ensuring the plan for Abraham’s seed.

The right bride does indeed choose to be key. Eventually Rebekah is born, and it will be through her trust in his word to her (25:23) that God would ensure that Jacob rather than Esau will inherit the line of blessing.

In Genesis 24, Abraham’s confidence that God will supply the right wife for Isaac rests on God’s promise of multiplied descendants and on God’s proven trustworthiness (24:7). Yet Abraham was not afraid to at least entertain the contrary possibility (24:8), like Caleb in Josh 14:12 or Daniel’s three friends in Dan 3:18. (Abraham was not afraid of making what some today call a “negative confession.”)

Like many people in antiquity, Abraham practices clan endogamy—marrying within the clan. In Abraham’s case, this would help guarantee finding a wife for his son who would share the right values, rather than local Canaanites with their different moral and religious beliefs (even though Abraham remained on favorable terms with them). For us, the principle would be spiritual endogamy—marrying those with our shared faith and relationship with God (cf. e.g., 1 Cor 7:39; 9:5), if such are at all available.

God arranges matters so providentially that the servant could not have heard from God any more clearly that Rebekah was the one for Isaac. The narrator could have simply summarized what follows, but he chooses to repeat the servant’s retelling of how he encountered Rebekah, rehearsing for us again those providential circumstances (24:37-48), lest we miss the point. (I do not renarrate them here only because I have nothing to add except further illustrations how God often provides such dramatic arrangements, showing us his care for us on keys matters—indeed, sometimes, though not always, even just in fairly small ones that lavish his love on us.)

A further matter raises my interest, however. In Gen 24:54-56, the servant was in a hurry to leave. It would be unusual to want to leave so quickly after such a long journey, but perhaps the servant wants to fulfill his commission while things were going well. Perhaps the servant does not want to risk any change of mind. When God has opened the door, we should take advantage of it while the door is open.

Yet the servant might also be eager to leave (24:56) because of concerns of extended delays. Given kind, traditional Middle Eastern hospitality, the proposed ten days (24:55) might be stretched out longer and longer (as happened in Judg 19:4-9). Indeed, we need only read one more generation in Genesis to discover that Rebekah’s brother Laban tries to keep his daughters and his new son-in-law as permanently as possible (Gen 29—31).

Being nice and polite counts for something, but when we are sent on a divine mission we must never forget that first things come first. For us, that may mean gently sharing the good news even if we fear that others may be displeased with us, or following a call to ministry even if that ruins some others’ plans for us, or the like. God’s plan is the best, and when we have good evidence that he has confirmed it, we need to follow it.

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Free Bible interpretation manual

Please note that on the “Other Languages” page Craig has a free Bible interpretation manual available in English, Spanish, French, Bulgarian, Russian, and (just added) Portuguese (thanks to a ministry in Brazil; the link is below). (Other free resources appear on the “Free Resources” page of this site, besides the various Bible studies/posts accessible through the home page sidebar with “posts by book of the Bible or topic.”)

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