Genesis 25-26, Matthew 8:1-17 • Key Verse: Genesis 26:24

Woven in these two chapters are both belief and disbelief. Isaac believed enough to pray and to stay. He prayed when he and Rebekah were having difficulty conceiving. God answered that prayer with twins.

He also stayed in Gerar when God told him not to go to Egypt during a famine. But like his father, there came a point where he disbelieved enough to lie (26:7). This section concludes with a reciting of God’s blessing on Isaac.

Even Abimelech, the king to whom he lied, wanted an alliance with Isaac. He wanted to be at peace with the one whom God was blessing. Isaac recognized God’s blessing in his life and thus learned a vital lesson.

His sons needed to learn that lesson too. In a moment of fatigue and hunger, Esau gave up his birthright in exchange for some food. Like his father and grandfather, concern for the physical caused him to lose sight of the spiritual.

A good family background and even God’s guidance are not enough. In every one of us is the potential to do wrong. We need to realize this, refuse to do what is wrong, determine to do what is right—and then do it.

We can be thankful for the godly heritage we receive, and we can leave one to our children as well. But pleasing God is more than heritage—it involves belief and obedience. Make the choice today to trust and obey.

Woodrow Kroll & Tony Beckett
www.backtothebible.in