Faithfulness and Righteousness: Genesis 26:1-5

The reality of our sinfulness does not necessarily preclude God’s reality regarding our righteousness.  I go to bed thanking God for this every night.  I wake up reminding myself of this every morning.  Regardless of the mistakes I make today and the sins I live out today, God still willingly extends His righteousness as a cover over me.

A famine comes upon Canaan and once more the patriarch needs to decide where to go.  This story seems redundant; but the patriarchs were nomads.  To a nomad, there is almost nothing in the world worse than a famine.

God tells Isaac to stay put.  Some people see God’s directness as evidence Isaac may not have been as intelligent as Abraham.  I personally think God didn’t want to go through the whole mess again.  It was easier to tell Isaac to stay put.  I don’t want to say God learned His lesson, because God in omniscient.  God knows when the direct approach is best.

Look at what God says to Isaac.  Don’t go to Egypt.  It’s not that Egypt doesn’t have enough food.  Famines didn’t typically engulf that large of a geographic region, so Egypt probably did have enough food.

God tells Isaac to not go to Egypt because Isaac is in a good place where he is.  Isaac is a quiet contemplative man.  He’s got a great relationship with the Lord.  He has a great rhythm going to life.  God doesn’t want Isaac to go to Egypt and become distracted.  God doesn’t want Isaac to go to Egypt and learn bad behaviors.  God doesn’t want Isaac to go to Egypt and become like the world.

If God can create the universe, what is famine to God?  God can provide enough food for Isaac to survive where he is.  I’m not saying we should always stay where we are, but I am saying we should always stay where God plants us.  If God puts us somewhere, He will provide for us.  We should be willing to move when God tells us to move; until that point, we should rely upon God’s provision in our life.

God applies Abraham’s promise to Isaac.  So long as Isaac continues in God’s ways as his father did, God will bless him.  What’s interesting, though, is in Abraham’s version of this story he wasn’t particularly faithful to God.

What a great perspective to notice!  In a story meant to remind us about Abraham’s unfaithfulness, God says Abraham was faithful.  When God forgives, He means it.  God remembers Abraham went to Egypt.  God put that mistake aside.  God forgave it.  The big picture is Abraham walked with God despite having moments of weakness.  If God can look past Abraham’s weak moments, why am I remembering them?

Righteousness does not equate to perfection.  We are righteous because God is righteous.  I am faithful because God is forgiving.  We have sin in our life.  The reality of our sinfulness does not necessarily preclude God’s reality of our righteousness.