COVENANT OF PEACE BETWEEN ISAAC AND ABIMELECH
Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser
and Phicol the commander of his army.
“Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”
“We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you,” they replied.
“We recommend that there should now be an oath between us and you.
Let us make a covenant with you that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you
but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peaceH7695.
And now you are blessed by the LORD.”
So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
And they got up early the next morning and swore an oath to each other.
Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peaceH7695.
Genesis 26:26-31
Abimelech was the king of the Philistines. He had called out Abraham when he lied saying Sarah was his sister, not his wife (Genesis 20). In Genesis 26, Isaac did the same thing his father Abraham had done. He lied saying Rebekkah was his sister. However, Abimelech again discerned that this was not the truth. Isaac had moved into Philistine territory due to a drought and lived among them until the Lord blessed him so much that King Abimelech asked him to leave because he had become “too mighty” (Genesis 26:16). In the passage above, Abimelech seeks to form a treaty with Isaac.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary had the following note on this passage:
26-31 Earlier Abimelech, acknowledging God’s presence with Abraham (21:22), sought to enter into a covenant with him. Likewise, Abimelech acknowledged the Lord’s presence with Isaac and sought to enter into a covenant with him. Isaac, like Abraham, was the source of blessing to those who sought him out. Isaac, like Abraham, trusted God and lived “in peace” with his neighbors. (4)
As his father, Abraham, had done before him, Isaac wisely agreed to enter into a covenant of peace with King Abimelech. He prepared a great feast as a part of ceremoniously celebrating their covenant together.
Warren Wiersbe gave the following information about feasts in the culture of Isaac’s day:
Isaac and the leaders were able to reach an agreement. To seal the treaty, Isaac hosted a feast, for in that culture, to eat with others was to forge strong links of friendship and mutual support. That same day, Isaac’s servants found one of Abraham’s wells (Gen. 21:25-31) and opened it, and Isaac gave it the original name, Beersheba. “The well of the oath” now referred to Isaac’s treaty as well as Abraham’s. (5)
When we have peace with God, we enjoy the peace of God—the unshakeable confidence of His care for us. Having those first two aspects of peace enables us to have peace with other people. We will explore each of these facets of peace as we continue. In the back of this book will be an addendum categorizing each devotion as dealing with “Peace with God”, the “Peace of God”, or “Peace with Others.”
Father, we pray that You will enable us to live at peace with others (Romans 12:18) as far as it depends on us. Help us recognize factors that could disrupt our peace with those around us and to deal with them according to Your will and ways.