Isaac: Responding to Our Enemies (RW)

Genesis 26:15-25

Jim Davis

Trial after trial confronts us as we journey through life. A person's biography could easily be written by headlining the major trials of one's life. How we deal with those trails defines our lives.

There is not a great deal said about Isaac in the book of Genesis. It seems that Genesis chapters 26-27 merely highlight the trials Isaac faced. There is a great deal that we can learn as Christians studying the trials of Isaac and his response to them.

Abraham and Isaac had been sojourning in a land that one day their descendants would inherit. But they sojourned as strangers in a strange land. The occupants of that land could easily consider them enemies. As they sojourned through the land, they dug wells for themselves.

“Digging a well was considered tantamount to a claim of ownership of the land on which it was located. It enabled a man to dwell there and to sustain herds. Rather than recognize this claim, the Philistines sought to wipe it out by filling up the wells dug by Abraham. Their desire to overthrow all claims on their land was so intense that they would rather fill in a well, an asset of great value in such an arid land, than to allow this claim to remain unchallenged.

‘The sentiments of the Philistines were concisely expressed in Abimelech’s terse suggestion that Isaac depart from Gerar (Genes 26:16). Rather than fight for possession of this property, Isaac retreated. The meek would inherit this land, but in God’s good time.’

‘It would seem that Isaac had developed a strategy by which he determined where he was to sojourn. Essentially, Isaac refused to stay where there was conflict and hostility. Being a man with many animals to tend, he must be at a place where water was available in abundance. He not only re-opened the wells once dug by his father, but he dug other wells also. If a well was dug that produced water and use of this well was not disputed, Isaac was inclined to stay at that place." (Robert Deffinbaugh, Lessons on Genesis, Lesson 27: Isaac Walks in His Father’s Steps, Genesis 26:1-35, http://www.bible.org)

Biologically we are provided with only two ways of dealing with our enemies: flight or fight. Isaac chose flight. Yitzhak Rabin, former Prime Minister of Israel, said after signing an agreement with the PLO, "I am ready for painful compromises. Peace is not made with friends. Peace is made with enemies, some of whom--and I won't name names--I loathe very much." (Quoted in World, Sep 11, 1993, via Infoseach Database)

Understanding What Makes Enemies

Someone said, "Speak well of your enemies. After all, you made them." Isaac was smart enough to know that he made his enemies. After all, he was sojourning in their country digging wells. Isaac was in a foreign land. He was different. He spoke a different language. His God was not their God. He was circumcised they were not. Some people do not like anything foreign. When you go into their communities they look at you as a stranger and they may think of you as an aggressor. The Philistines saw Isaac as the aggressor and Isaac was smart enough to know that he had a responsibility to respond appropriately.

Paul said, "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22). In an effort to preach the gospel to another culture, Paul determined not to become offensive by allowing his differentness to cause them to stumble. Isaac and Paul simply felting the responsibility to make an adjustment where they could morally.

Romans 12:17-21

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

 

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."  

 

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. NIV

Biblical love has little to do with feelings; it is an action, it is an attitude. "To love is to do what you can to provide for the well-being of another whether or not the person is likable." It is an attitude where you seek your enemies highest good. Love is a response to God, in spite of anger or other negative feelings. In Genesis 26 Isaac demonstrates a proper attitude toward his enemies.

Genesis 26:14-22

14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 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. 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. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 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 quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.   22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land." NIV 

A boy was once asked, "Who are the meek?" He thought for a moment and then replied, "They are the people who give soft answers to harsh questions!" Isaac looked for soft answers to difficult situations.

Isaac refused to concentrate on how he had been mistreated. Isaac understood that if he developed a self-centered attitude his enemies would become angrier. He could have stood and claimed ownership of the wells. He could have stood on his rights and demanded his due. He could have claimed his God given right and declared a holy war. But Isaac was smart enough to know that he would only complicate everyone's life and ultimately through this kind of aggression produce more enemies to fight. Isaac gives us an example of dealing with an enemy in an effort of breaking the circle of violence or enmity.

A soldier who heard General Robert E. Lee speak to another person in complimentary terms about a fellow officer was greatly astonished. "General," he said, "do you know that the man you spoke so highly of is one of your worst enemies, and that he misses no opportunity to slander you?" "Yes," said the General, "but I was asked for my opinion of him, not his of me."

Gentleness is the signature of God, and should be our signature as well. Elijah learned this lesson by experiencing the wind, earthquake, and fire and then hearing the quiet voice of the Lord. Jesus, who could have truthfully said of himself, "I am wise and powerful", chose instead to say, "I am gentle and humble in heart" (Matt. 11:29). Gentleness appears to be weak but is actually quite powerful and it makes a person attractive to others. Whereas a self-centered attitude produces more strife.

Although God was directing Isaac, Isaac refused to become overconfident. God had spoken to Isaac:

Genesis 26:2-5

The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 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." 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. NIV

A more foolish person could have rushed in and told them that the land was his by God's decree. The patriarchs understood the promise of God, yet, they realized that things would have to be done according to God's timing and by his power. If they had of become overconfident in dealing with their enemies they would have all ended up dead. Paul said, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Isaac understood that success often makes enemies. Moses writes, “Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. The man 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. 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 26:12-14 NIV) Success breeds enemies even when God is the one giving the success.

Isaac was smart enough to realize that contempt breeds contempt. The editors of two local newspapers did not get along and used their editorial pages to do battle." The editor of the Daily Express is mean enough to steal the swill from a blind hog," wrote the editor of the Daily Post. The next day the following appeared in the Daily Express: "The editor of the Daily Post knows that we never stole his swill."

It was John Ruskin who said, "I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility, doubt of his own power, or hesitation in speaking his opinion. But really great men have a...feeling that the greatness is not in them but through them; that they could not do or be anything else than God made them."

Choose to Learn from Your Enemies

We dismiss their value by writing them off as a liability. We need to make proper use of our enemies. Our enemies prevent overconfidence. They keep us from becoming overconfident in our own persuasive powers. Fred Smith in his book, You and Your Network, wrote, "Enemies are the opposite bank of our stream. They define our existence, often more nearly than we could or would do."

God had promised to guide Isaac to the place where he should dwell. Little did Isaac realize just how God was to lead him back to the place of His promise and presence. To a large degree it was by means of adversity and opposition. (Robert Deffinbaugh, Lessons on Genesis, Lesson 27: Isaac Walks in His Father’s Steps, Genesis 26:1-35, http://www.bible.org)

Isaac's enemies helped him discover the area where he would spend his sojourn. As one traces the journeys of Isaac on a map each time he left a well he had dug, you discover that each move he made brought him closer to the heart of the promise land where God wanted him to be.

 "In the valley of Gerar Isaac dug a well that produced "living water," that is, water that originated from a spring--running water, not simply water that was contained. The Philistine herdsmen disputed with the herdsmen of Isaac over it, so Isaac moved on. Another well was dug, and there was yet another dispute (verse 21). Finally a well was dug that brought about no opposition. I would imagine that this was due somewhat to the distance Isaac had traveled from the Philistines. This well was named "Rehoboth," signifying the hope Isaac had that this was the place God had designated for him to stay." (Robert Deffinbaugh, Lessons on Genesis, Lesson 27: Isaac Walks in His Father’s Steps, Genesis 26:1-35, http://www.bible.org)

God transcends the ambiguities of life, which permits us to grasp the future without demanding certainty for the moment.

Enemies can give us power to take hurt. We can learn to take hurt rather than give, and thereby redeem the situation. It is not natural to take hurt when you are perfectly capable of returning it. Bearing an enemy's burden of hatred toward us is one way of helping them with their burden, for certainly hate is a burden. When I am with a man who dislikes me, I can forget his hatred of me as soon as I leave --- but he has to carry it with him always. As I pray for him to have a lighter burden, I pray to have a lighter enemy.

Enemies increase our objectivity. Enemies are seldom objective, yet our enemies give us the opportunity to practice our objectivity at the point of greatest stress.

Thomas Kempis wrote, "It is good that we at times endure opposition and that we are evilly and untruly judged when our actions and intentions are good. Often such experiences promote humility and protect us from vain glory."

Enemies give us an opportunity to mature. We develop maturity in the use we make of our enemies; not childishly denying that we have them, nor letting their opinion count so much with us that it keeps us from doing what we know we ought to do, but by working to make friends of them.

If we can develop the maturity to love our enemies, then we can love everyone.

Romans 5:5-10
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. NIV 

If we can love our enemies, then we have no difficulty believing God can love us. This relieves man, or at least gives him the possibility of relief, from one of his most damaging emotions -- that of guilt.

Biblical Attitudes Enjoined Toward Our Enemies

Revenge is a common ailment woven into the fabric of universal humanity. There isn't a culture where revenge isn't found. But that doesn't excuse it!

Have you spent much time around someone who is eaten up with the cancer of revenge -- someone who is nursing an attitude of resentment? These folks are walking time bombs. Festering bitterness searches for and usually finds ways to explode. Often, those who suffer the brunt of another's revenge are innocent bystanders. They just happen to be in the way when the volcano erupts.

“Revenge is a kind of wild justice; which the more man's nature runs to; the more ought law to weed it out. In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing over it, he is superior, for it is a prince's part to pardon.” (Unknown author.)

Proverbs 17:5-6

5 He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;

whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. NIV

 

Proverbs 24:17-18

17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls;

when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,

18 or the LORD will see and disapprove

and turn his wrath away from him. NIV

 

Forgive Your Enemy. Retaliation clings tenaciously within us because we have not forgiven the other person. Forgiveness is too simple, isn't it?

Retaliation is an eye for eye, tooth for tooth, blood for blood. We can give the offender what we think he/she deserves. We can make sure we hurl back the stones which come our way with greater velocity than they were received. This may give us a sadistic sense that a wrong has been righted when in reality two wrongs have been committed.

If I rejoice at the thought of calamity striking another . . . Solomon declares that such an attitude "will not go unpunished." 

All thought of revenge must be put to bed. In some mysterious way, the Lord taking vengeance on our behalf is connected to our releasing all of that to Him. By refusing to forgive, which is revealed in our looking with delight on the offender's calamity, we hinder the divine process. Vengeance is God's work, but it awaits our releasing it to Him.

F. B. Meyer has written the following: "How much is lost by a word! Be still, keep quiet. If they smite you on one cheek, turn the other also. Never mind your reputation; it is in God's hands. You will only mar things by trying to retain it. Are you misunderstood? Leave it to Him. You are in His care. Are you wronged? It will be all right; just be meek, lowly, and gentle. Let the Lord keep you in perfect peace; stay your mind on Him. Be quiet before the world and rest in Him. Speak not a word of argument, debate, or controversy. Mind your own business and be still!"

Deuteronomy 32:34-35

34 "Have I not kept this in reserve

and sealed it in my vaults?

35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay.

In due time their foot will slip;

their day of disaster is near

and their doom rushes upon them." NIV

 

Romans 12:20

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." NIV

 

Deuteronomy 15:9

9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. NIV

God alone is the judge and sovereign. "If you have confidence in God's ability to administer justice, revenge becomes unnecessary. God is a better administrator of justice than you could ever be. He is capable of doing his job without your help. So why not defer it to him. The reason we don't do it is because we want to reserve the right to retaliate. We want to hold our offender's feet to the fire." (Dr. Ralph Woerner, Overcoming Hurt, Gospel Publishing Association, Birmingham, Alabama, pg. 11.)

Deuteronomy 32:35

35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay.

In due time their foot will slip;

their day of disaster is near

and their doom rushes upon them." NIV

God hears the prayer of the oppressed.

Psalms 43:1

Vindicate me, O God,

and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;

rescue me from deceitful and wicked men. NIV

Vengeance belongs to the Lord, and humans must avoid retaliation. God offers the story of Isaac and the Philistines in Genesis 26 as an example of dealing with the enemy and breaking the circle of violence.

If revenge is what we want more than anything else, we can spend the rest of our lives trying to get even. We can throw nails into our offender's driveway -- anything to make his life miserable. We can even try to get even by holding a grudge. It's absurd, but we have this crazy notion that if we hate the person who's wronged us, this will somehow make his life miserable. The hate which we harbor is somehow supposed to make him unhappy. The truth of the matter is our offender probably couldn't care less what we think or feel.(Dr. Ralph Woerner, Overcoming Hurt, Gospel Publishing Association, Birmingham, Alabama, pg. 8.)

Proverbs 25:21-22

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;

if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,

and the LORD will reward you. NIV

Christ Exemplifies a Right Attitude toward Our Enemies

One quality that Jesus has that is totally at odds with our nature is gentleness. If we understood how to be gentle in the ways He was, it would transform our relationships.

Luke 6:27-31
27 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. NIV 

Jesus' teaching to love your enemy was radical for his time. But Moses and the prophets had taught it.

Biblical love has little to do with feelings, it is an action. "To love is to do what you can to provide for the well-being of another whether or not the person is likable." Love is a response to God, in spite of anger or other negative feelings. People were drawn to Jesus because of his love for sinners and for people just as they were. His example included forgiveness, healing, honesty, and courage. It is only possible for a person to love an enemy if that person can see that enemy being loved by God. Such love also begins and ends with prayer.

A little girl was being punished for some minor infraction of the rules. She had to eat her dinner alone at a little table in the corner of the dining room. The rest of the family paid no attention to her until they heard her praying out loud over her food. "I thank Thee, Lord, for preparing a table before me in the presence of mine enemies."

Conclusion:

God does not promise us a trouble free existence. These verses help us to realize that even when we are rightly related to God, troubles will still be a part of our experience. After enduring some heartbreaking experiences, a missionary was asked by a friend how he could remain so cheerful through adversity. He replied, "Suppose someone sent me on a journey and warned me that I would come first to a dangerous crossing over a river and then to a forest filled with wild beasts. I would feel a sense of satisfaction when I actually encountered these obstacles, because they would prove to me that I was traveling the right road. The same is true in the Christian life. The Lord told His disciples that they could expect tribulation. When difficulties come, therefore, I find encouragement, for I know I am walking the narrow path of God's choosing."

It has been said that we walk by providence or principle. I think that there is some truth in this for the Christian. If we walk by principle we discover that God gently leads us to where he wants us to be. If we choose to be guided by God's sovereign providential choice, we will go kicking and screaming. Jonah is an excellent example of God's sovereign providential choice. He was told to go preach to Ninevah. Jonah refused to obey God's principle or directions. So God delivered him to where he had been told to go as the whale vomited him up on the beach. There were better ways to get there; nonetheless he ended up where God wanted him.

As Isaac dealt with his enemies, he chose to walk by the principle of meekness; as a result, he and his descendants eventually inherited the earthly blessing of God. They inherited the earth. (Matthew 5:5)